social media Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

22
Sep 21
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Are Social Metrics Valuable or Just Hype?

Tags : marketing metrics and measurement social media social metrics strategy

Do you trust social metrics? Are you using social media professionally for business, is it more of a hobby, or are you just a casual observer?

When you posted the picture of your pet, did you get a lot of likes?

What about when you posted your angry customer service story, posted a political position, or a picture of your feet in the sand at the beach?

News media is famous for drama filled headlines. Readership or clickership (not a real word), often seems like the highest priority. Who is getting the most traction and how can the story be shaped to fit a popular narrative?

What are advertisers seeking and how are market segments being defined?

These questions and many more surround the analysis or value of social metrics.

Are they valuable?

Social Metrics

Social metrics claim to measure interest. They claim to gauge the likelihood of future interactions and often seem valuable to those seeking more clicks.

Does more clicks or views really matter?

There are at least to sides to the story. The first side would suggest that, yes, they absolutely matter. More viewership or readership is exactly what the social media user desires.

When the numbers are larger, advertisers and other potential stakeholders develop more interest too. There is little measurement about how scattered or how likely the same users will click or follow a similar thread.

The other side to the story is that the content creators are really skilled at one thing. They are skilled at getting more clicks.

That doesn’t mean that the clicks are meaningful or add any kind of value, often they are simply an illustration of a click.

In most circles, the value of social metrics remains questionable.

Unless your only concern is making them increase.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

01
Sep 21
-

Business Community Has Changed, Is That Good?

Tags : business connections community engagement leadership social media social networking

Has the business community you once knew changed? Have personal or business networks changed? What about the business mixers, opportunities to socialize and the chance to engage with new contacts?

If you ask someone if they believe that the World is changing, there is a very strong possibility that they will indicate that it is. When you ask how or why, you’ll likely get many different reactions. Asking if the change feels positive and appropriate and you’ll likely touch an emotional nerve.

What is different, or why?

Social Influence

In the recent past, many people have recognized the U.S. Super Bowl as having some of the most interesting commercials. Often there are people watching who have never watched an entire game in the current season, yet, they’ll tune-in for the Super Bowl. Ask them why, and you might get a few responses about the commercials.

Has something changed there?

Maybe.

There is more social pressure connected with sports. Kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem is one example.

People who are kneeling are claiming to be making some form of statement, but who is watching? For the Super Bowl broadcast on television, in the most recent decade, the average exceeds 100 million viewers. Amazing.

Consider that 150 years ago there was basically one media channel, a localized newspaper.

Much has changed.

What does any of this have to do with your business community?

Everything.

Business Community

Rules of the game have changed. How people connect, interface, and engage has shifted.

Similar to the newspaper, older ways and methods still exist and have a certain amount of activity, but it certainly is not the only way. And most likely, not the preferred way for cutting edge engagement.

Defining community may also have new challenges. Social etiquette has shifts, challenges, and hurdles. The same with self-expressions, views of discrimination, fairness, and equity.

What about Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit, and WhatsApp, just to name a few?

This is in addition to hundreds of television channels in most areas, localized radio broadcasts, satellite radio, bloggers, vloggers, and podcasts.

Creating or being in a business community has never been easier. It has also never been more challenging.

Have you found a common platform or group that represents your business values, beliefs, and goals? Is it through a trade association, a social platform, or in-person gatherings?

How do you fit? Do you feel like you belong or are you merely an observer? If it is free, who is the customer and who or what is the product?

Is it authentic? Are the people?

It isn’t that simple anymore.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

29
Jul 21
-

Broadcasting Your Message Doesn’t Mean More Hear It

Tags : broadcast connections messaging social media

Broadcasting your message might be one of the first steps in marketing or advertising. Often the concept is to make it louder, larger, or increasing the possibility for more listeners or viewers.

Does this work?

The best answer is probably, sometimes.

There is the law of numbers.

If you are a popular television host you might reach a lot of people. Write a book, show it for 15 seconds on the show and you may have just reached more than one million people. Will some of them buy it?

If you’re popular, probably yes. How many will be conditioned on many factors, but some of them will expect a message consistent with the imagine that they already like.

Will one-half of one percent buy it? Perhaps, yet that is only five thousand copies, out of a million watchers. Still a distance to go for best seller status, at least by most popular calculations.

Large numbers can generate some results.

Is it the secret to successful messaging?

Broadcasting Messages

In grade school and high school, the principal normally gave morning announcements. He or she broadcast it over an intercom system.

Was the entire student body listening? They may have been hearing it and have been disciplined enough to remain quiet, yet I’m sure many were not listening.

Highway or traffic signs matter. Do you always see them or pay attention and obey them? Driving in your local area do you pay attention to the street signs or those on the highway? Do you know what is on them?

Social media potentially reaches millions, does a message you post on Twitter mean everyone will see it? What about a YouTube video, will everyone watch it?

Broadcasting the right message, at the right time, to the right people holds the most power.

The television host sells more books because they’ve built a following, not about the book, but about their television personality or character.

Obtaining Apple, Dell, or HP’s mailing list won’t necessarily allow you to sell millions of clever keychains or copies of your water color painting of your favorite pet.

People listen and care when you build a connection with them. It is often why Super Bowl ads are a big success or a big failure. People connect or they don’t.

Perhaps it is more valuable to consider how to connect people with your message instead of worrying about the size of the broadcast.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

01
Oct 18
2

Do You Have a Grit Attitude? Should you?

Tags : attitude grind grit social media tenacity

Someone may ask, “Do you have a great attitude?” What about grit? Do you have a grit attitude? What about employee engagement, loyalty, and the commitment to excellence, do you have it?

Ever Changing

Social networks have invited a societal change. So much so, that I am expecting we’ll see a new generation emerging with birth dates starting around 2009.

Societal change and the external forces that are putting pressure on people, are often overlooked. What is different now, what has changed?

Years ago fantasy was purchased from racks strategically placed in supermarket checkout lines, the tabloids.

I remember working as a clerk at a retail pharmacy in the early 1980’s. Commonplace was the customer who purchased two packs of cigarettes, a jumbo sized candy bar, and a couple of tabloids.

I guess nicotine, sugar, and some tabloid articles gave them an escape from an otherwise busy workday.

Buying the Good Stuff

Today our tabloids are micro expressions from friends, family, and frenemies on social media platforms.

When we want another hit of dopamine, we do a little thumb scrolling. What we find shapes our attitude.

We see someone trying to sell the best products, the latest invention, or some other must have merchandise. There are sales channels and pictures taunting us from our previous digital activity.

That is not all though, we see more pictures than ever before. We see selfies, pets, sunsets, and beaches. There are mountains, food, and weather reports. And still more, there are politics, religion, and alien invasions.

Mostly we see things that are tabloid ready.

Grit Attitude

Does this inspire people to work at their best? Is it a concoction of ingredients that forms a great attitude?

Can you turn it off? Will you put down the tabloid?

Sometimes you may have to. It is OK if you aren’t buying it.

A grit attitude is not always convenient, it requires tenacity. In the long run it surpasses the tabloid quick hit.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

18
Apr 18
4

Who Are Your Customers Telling?

Tags : customers kpi social media stories word of mouth

Historically word of mouth has been considered to be one of the best forms of advertising. Do things right and your customers will tell others, who are your customers telling?

Today with our robust social media channels, it is possible for your customers to tell the world. Instead of word of mouth, we now have world of mouth. This is nothing new to most, but it may be new to some.

The biggest question, or the most difficult to answer, may be who or what are your best customers telling? Do you have a way to measure or index the customer who spreads the word about the great products or services you provide?

Customer Stories

Two days ago, I received a direct tweet from an airline. At first I was confused, was this some type of scam?

After a moment or two, I realized that a colleague had a bad flight experience and I added on comment on his thread about customer service being about culture. The airline was trying to be sure to capture any of the bad news and correct the problem.

Personally, I’m undecided about tweeting out bad experiences, but I may not be the norm.

Think about the last customer service story you heard about. Was it a story about how incredible the service was or how delighted they were? Chances are pretty good that you hear more disappointment stories as compared to those of delight.

Customers Telling

A customer who recommends you, tells the delightful stories, provides referrals, loves connections, and participates on social media platforms may be one of your best customers. They may not spend as much. They may not generate the most gross revenue. What they do however, it may be priceless.

What key performance indicators (KPI’s) are you monitoring?

Knowing the big spenders and high profit customers are absolutely important. Identifying the ones that sell for you shouldn’t be forgotten. In a world of mouth environment, do you know who your customers are telling?

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

12
Mar 18
-

Writing Skills, The Most Important Skill For Success?

Tags : career social media virtual reality writing skills

In a world of social media, often inclusive of pictures and video, why are writing skills so important? Perhaps, you are not so certain that they are important, are you? There are a few things to consider.

Selling Something

Most business professionals are selling something. Certainly not everyone is in the department we fondly know as Sales, but still nearly everyone sells. They sell ideas, they sell themselves for job positions or even to get the best picks for work assignments. So why is writing important?

Society today perhaps has more dreamers than ever before. We often live somewhere between the real world and virtual reality. We can escape with books, movies, and of course video games. We can escape with social media posts, pictures, and videos of a life we dream about.

We can live vicariously through others.

Writing Matters

Have you considered that writing matters now more than ever before?

Everyone needs the skill. Why do you read? Why do you read a social media post, a blog, an article or an entire book?

You may read because it is something:

interesting about a public figure;

that shouldn’t be happening or feels surreal;

shocking such as natural disasters;

about a product or service you have interest in;

or that allows you to escape your own reality.

When you look at the Instagram picture or video, you want to see the text that accompanies it, the same is true for Facebook, or even LinkedIn. It seems the story represented in pictures or short videos becomes more complete with a touch of the written word.

We feel more connected when we have a deeper understanding. It may be about our own experiences, an experience we want more of, or even about an experience that gives us peace of mind, solace, or empathy. We know more, we understand more, and the message becomes clearer.

We sense confidence, acknowledge expertise, or are otherwise attracted (or not) by the expression. Do you have writing skills?

Writing Skills

Certainly, it is often more than the written word. It includes the combination of visual stimulation or confirmation to bring us full circle, and complete the connection.

Whatever it is that you are selling, you better be able to write about it.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

17
Nov 17
-

Customer Service Shortcuts and Culture

Tags : culture customer experience shortcuts social media survey

It is easy to disregard customer service. Perhaps in many organizations it is quickly brushed over because there is no rocket science and, after all, it takes a lot of energy to do it right. Do you have a culture of customer service shortcuts?

How do you know you have good customer service? How are you measuring the success of your customer service culture?

Said or Done?

Many organizational leaders tell me that they survey their customers. Some suggest that management is carefully watching and monitoring both processes and outcomes. Others claim to be doing it digitally. They monitor social media, review sales data, and analyze lifetime value.

In many ways, all of those produce some form of evidence. Evidence is valuable and meaningful, but it may not be the entire story. Things are likely missing, valuable things that are overlooked, underestimated, or disregarded.

What is the culture of the organization? What are the habits, the traditions, and the values? I’m not just talking about what is said in the boardroom, at the quarterly meeting, or on a digital document otherwise known as the employee handbook.

What is the execution or organizational habits? What are the customer service shortcuts? None of it may be rocket science.

Shortcut Investment or Divestment

Many businesses invest in shortcuts. It is the auto-attendant telephone system, the ring the buzzer for help, or the website contact page. They invest in touch point reduction. It is the listen carefully because our menu options have changed, or it must have went into my spam folder.

Customers don’t hear reasons, they hear excuses. What they feel, is a lack of caring. What your execution is demonstrating, is a shortcut. Every action, or a lack of, has a cost. What can your organization afford?

Customer Service Shortcuts

It isn’t about well-crafted words on a document, it isn’t the glamorous pitch from the C Suite, or it is not necessarily about what is contained in the managers’ report.

It might be a part of all of those, but the biggest part of your culture is execution, the things that become values, traditions, and the brand.

There is value to what you say, but what will be remembered the most is what you do and how your customers feel.

Is it time to consider how you’re coming up short?

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

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Tag Archives: social media

Sep 21

-

Social Metrics

Sep 21

-

Social Influence

Business Community

Jul 21

-

Broadcasting Messages

Oct 18

Ever Changing

Buying the Good Stuff

Grit Attitude

Apr 18

Customer Stories

Customers Telling

Mar 18

-

Selling Something

Writing Matters

Writing Skills

Nov 17

-

Said or Done?

Shortcut Investment or Divestment

Customer Service Shortcuts

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Follow me on Twitter

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