Today’s Vocus webinar didn’t disappoint. With HARO founder, Peter Shankman, as the presenter the webinar was lively interactive and full of great tips whether you’re a big company with lots of money at your disposal or a small non-profit.
My notes and takeaways from the webinar:
- Have a good sense of humor. It accentuates the good and lets the negative roll off.
- Make yourself and company feel like a friend. Not a cold unfeeling entity.
- Add to the conversation, don’t detract from it. This is especially true during tragedies. Be human first and a marketer second. Silence can be best. As Peter Shankman said, “Shut up once in awhile.”
- No person or brand gets bashed for being respectful.
- I’d rather be known as nice than cool. Nice is good.
- Take 30 seconds a day and spread a little happiness. Make people happy they chose YOU and your company/organization.
- If you ask yourself for a second if this will offend someone DON’T POST IT.
- Making people smile will drive repeat business. Even a little smile. Shouldn’t that be what it’s all about?
- Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Don’t do it to make money, the money will come later.
- empower your employees to do nice things. Don’t make it hard!
- Regular people are the bread and butter for your brand. Celebrities are like jam. Good in moderation. Don’t chase the jam only to lose the bread and butter. The celebrities might have louder megaphones, but making more regular people happy will have the same impact.
While Peter Shankman shared the grandiose gestures brands have done for him (Morton’s, toothpaste, etc.) brands don’t have to make big or expensive statements to be friendly. Your customers, clients and members have choices, make them want to choose you. Scripts are great for consistency, but by moving away from consistency and into individual experiences you can create a better business atmosphere. If you make someone happy, they’ll at least tell someone if not broadcast it on social media.
You can see the entire Twitter conversation from the hashtag: #VocusWebinar.
What do you think?