Gratitude Marketing: Spotlight on a Social Cynic

Gratitude Marketing: Spotlight on a Social Cynic

Gratitude Marketing: Spotlight on a Social Cynic

This year has been a mixed bag, both in terms of business and the political scene. On the one hand, business is up. On the other hand, people’s expectations are higher than ever. The election has created a country divided, with many unable to disagree in a civil manner.

What’s in it for me?

The atmosphere in the country right now seems to be “I’ve got mine–too bad for you.” There is a divisiveness to conversations on social media, with people unfriending, arguing, and a lot of spewing and venting. And it’s funny that while writing these words, I keep imagining what Andy Roony would say. I don’t think he’d be happy about what’s happening.

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Why Focus on Gratitude?

Mike Sciortino, who wrote a book and trademarked “Gratitude Marketing®”  had this to say,

“Traditional Marketing speaks at people. Gratitude Marketing® engages and connects with people. When you combine relationship-building with consistent nurturing, you create clients for life.”

Thinking of customers first is one of the hallmarks of a successful business. So maybe Gratitude Marketing is an old-fashioned idea, successfully repackaged. And it’s certainly an idea that Baby Boomers and others can take to heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ9UtuWfs3U

A Leap of Faith

Personally, I think we need all the positivity and gratitude and beauty we can get right now. As tough as it may be to have that focus, it’s critical to move forward. We all need to assume that other people are good. Most of them, anyway. And we need to find ways to engage in a civil way. It seems simplistic, but peace really is every step, as Thich Nhat Hanh states. When he talks about “deep listening,” that it can create transformation and healing, could that not also be applied to our business lives?

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Twitter Influencers: Deciding Who to Follow

Twitter Influencers: Deciding Who to Follow

Twitter Influencers: Deciding Who to Follow

So you’ve decided to become influential, eh? Your latest mission statement proclaims that you will be the King of Twitter, with a Klout score of 75 bajillion, and Starbucks will name a new drink after you. You’re deconstructing each tweet and how it affects your target audience, testing it, agonizing over each word, and tracking who retweets it based on complex algorithms and spreadsheets in order to attract the “appropriate” audience with the perfect hashtags. Is that the best route to take to become an influencer, though? Here’s my take. If you want to learn how to get more followers, that’s a whole other blog post.

Don’t Be That Guy

Have you ever been talking to someone at a party and had them look over your shoulder scanning the room to see if someone “better” had just entered?  How did that make you feel? Then, when they realized that you were the the best friend of the mayor, they suddenly became your best friend? Gary Vaynerchuk says it really well in his video! Everybody is relevant.

You Don’t Know Who They Know

So here’s a for instance. Let’s take me as an example. Because I’ve done lots of work for people in the trades, I know a million people in construction. Well, maybe a billion, actually. There’s a construction company, who will remain nameless, who refuses to follow me back because he believes I’m not part of his target audience. And yet, I live within 10 miles of his company, have many connections to people in construction, and ghost tweet for three companies in the trades. But none of my social media profiles says that I’m in construction. If he made the least effort to reach out, he could make connections to many more people. But since he won’t follow or engage with me, I’m not inclined to retweet his material or lift a finger to help him.

People Have Multiple Profiles

That “little account” that you refuse to take seriously may be responsible for an account with a million followers. They could know someone who works at the exact place where you’d like to apply for a job. They could be best friends with your mom, for all you know. So why not be respectful to everyone?

The Second Chess Move in Life

The Second Chess Move in Life

The Second Chess Move in Life

As Gary Vee says, if you open yourself up to people who are not your exact target audience, if you reach out and say hello to people and stop “strategizing” and act like a human being, you’ll find your exact right audience.

Gratitude

Instead of following someone based on their Klout score, how many followers they have, or whether they have the best hashtag, how about this? Follow based on conversations with others, whether they have interesting opinions, or if you have something in common. And then how about feeling grateful for the followers you do have? And by the way, here is my very favorite TedxSF talk: Louis Schwartzberg on gratitude.

How Do You Decide Who to Follow?

Is engaging with the “right” people important to you? How has that helped your cause?

 

 

Beyond the Magic Words: 8 Ways to Say Thank You!

Beyond the Magic Words: 8 Ways to Say Thank You

Beyond the Magic Words: 8 Ways to Say Thank You

You already know what the magic words are, right? That’s right: please and thank you! Baby boomers, in particular, seem adept at knowing how to thank people. Depending upon why you’re grateful, you could decide to send any of the following.

Personal Email

A customized and personal email is a quick way to say thank you. People really do love to be appreciated, and this is a way to go beyond the basic thank you. You could add a photo of something you know the person really likes, too. Are they crazy about pygmy goats? Send ’em a pic!

An Ecard

Include a picture of something your friend likes

Include a picture of something your friend likes

An ecard might include a picture of something your friend likes–such as a cup of espresso with a lemon twist, a microbrewed beer, or a nerdy hat. Or how about a gift card to that special brewery you visited together?

Poetry

A cute or funny poem adds an element of surprise and delight! You may find that no one has ever written a poem for your friend. Be sure to include details that you especially like and why you are appreciative. For bonus points, add alliteration and rhyming.

Photographs

How about a flattering photo of your friend or a photo of the two of you together? If you know your friend pretty well, then a slightly embarrassing one is even better! Like that photobomb from the Giants game–the one where, um…mistakes were made? Or the belly flop into the deep end of the pool? Oh, yes.

A Small Gift

Most people appreciate a cup of coffee or gift card. If you can find out where your friend likes to go, that would be even more personal. But don’t hold off sending a gift because you don’t have all the details yet! And **gasp** you could even ask them what they like! But be cagey when you ask; don’t tell them why you need to know!

Flowers

Flowers are a turbo-charged form of thank you. Most people love flowers (hint, hint), and some people rarely get them. To make them more special, find out what your friend’s favorite colors or types of flowers are. Home-grown purple roses? Bright red tulips? Yellow chrysanthemums? If you don’t know, you might match their eye color or the color they wear a lot.

Jewelry

Jewelry is still more personal. A bracelet or necklace make very sweet gifts. Some jewelry, though, can be fraught with romantic overtones–unless you are very confident that the giver wants to receive the jewelry, it’s best to save this for a very special relationship. Unless you like being in trouble, that is.

Gift Basket

For a client, or for a big milestone event, personalized gift baskets are fab. You might send fruit or baked products from your area. Anything scented is more difficult, unless you already know what your friend likes.

How Do You Like to Be Thanked?

Do you remember a particularly good gift? What made it so memorable? Please let me know in the comments!

 

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