Linda Dessau – Page 53

Is Anybody Out There? Providing Good Customer Service On Social Media

June 20, 2011 By Linda Dessau

Social media is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to customer service. But once you attract a prospective client into your virtual storefront, will they find you behind the counter or are you nowhere to be seen?

There is a lot of pressure for business owners to jump into social media ("You have to be there," you're told, "Or you'll be left behind!") before you truly understand what will be required of you.

Over-automating is ugly

Yes, there are plenty of online marketing tasks that you can outsource and automate, just be sure that customer service is taken care of by a real person in real time.

It's very easy to see who is automating instead of engaging, because their social media accounts display a stream of announcements, links and advertisements, with no replies, referrals or conversation.

And to someone who sends you a message or replies to one of your updates, but gets no response (just more blasts of information), that silence speaks volumes about you and your business.

Once you've put yourself out there on social media, the customer service is only beginning. There must be a response, and it must come from you.

Are you concerned about missing messages but you don't want to spend time checking your account? Hire someone else to monitor it for you, or subscribe to a service like Postling or Nutshell Mail to get email updates of all your account activity.

NOTE: It is sometimes appropriate to outsource your ongoing social media conversations, just be sure your audience knows that someone is writing on your behalf, e.g., with a note in your profile that says, "Tweets by _____, on behalf of _____."

Content marketing is customer service

Social media is simply another mode of communication; a chance to demonstrate your commitment by responding to your clients and potential clients – quickly, courteously and professionally.

And perhaps the best way to respond is to create new content that addresses the questions and comments you're hearing. I've written before about how blogging improves your customer service. By being constantly focused on what your ideal client needs, you will be more tuned into delivering those solutions. Denise Wakeman calls this growing "blog antennae," while Jeff Korhan says, "blogging gives you clarity."

Sharing your content via social media is another way to be of service to people in your network – with tips, tools, insights and strategies to help them in their lives and/or businesses.

After all, helping out is one of the key principles of networking – whether you're offline or online – and it allows you to turn social networking into business networking.

Whether they're prospective clients, referral sources or fellow business owners in your community, show your online network that you're here and you care. That's good customer service. And that's good for business.

Three Powerful Ways That Blogging Can Help You Follow Up After a Networking Event

June 18, 2011 By Linda Dessau

Have you ever met someone at a networking event who would be an ideal client for you? Yet you struggle with how to follow up without seeming “sales-y” or putting any pressure on the person?

Imagine returning home from a networking event and calmly sending an email like this:

Hi ______ (Fred, Anne, John, etc.),

It was great meeting you this morning at the ______ (name of event). I wanted to follow up with some resources about what we chatted about.

You mentioned that _______ has been a challenge for you. Here is a blog post that I wrote about that very problem. It includes some basic information and some suggestions for how to apply it. (#1) You can view the post at _________ (link to the specific post). (#2)

Please let me know if you have any questions! You can reach me at ___________ (phone number). Or feel free to connect with me on ________ (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.).

See you soon, _________ (your name)

P.S. If the blog post was helpful, feel free to sign up for my weekly updates, from the top right-hand corner of my website. That way you’ll see my newest posts with similar information. (#3)

Congratulations! You’ve just deepened your relationship and shortened the distance between blogging and business.

(#1) Sending helpful information exactly when it’s needed creates goodwill with your contact. It also shows that you were listening and that you care. NOTE: At some point during your conversation, you will have needed to ask, “What is your biggest challenge when it comes to ______ (YOUR area of expertise)?”

(#2) Your well-written, focused blog post establishes you as an expert at solving the exact problems this person is dealing with. NOTE: Be sure to provide the permanent link (“permalink”) to the specific post, which you can get by visiting your blog, clicking on the blog post title and then copying the URL that appears in the address bar of your web browser.

For example, the permalink of this post is https://contentmasteryguide.com/2011/06/how-blogging-can-help-you-follow-up-after-a-networking-event.html – do you see it up there in your address bar?

(#3) Inviting the person to your blog/website gives the person a non-threatening way to find out more about you and your services. NOTE: You can turn your blog into a website (a “blogsite”) by adding just a few crucial details. See my simple writing tips for your blogsite pages. ALSO: Be sure there is a subscription form for your email list on every page of your website or blog.

With a mountain of high-quality content on a blog to draw from, following up with new networking contacts is as easy as 1-2-3.

Finding the Creativity in Every Moment

June 13, 2011 By Linda Dessau

In 2005 I wrote an article for the Muses Muse about one chapter of the exceptional book Free Play: The Power of Improvisation in Life and the Arts by Stephen Nachmanovitch.

The book was first recommended to me by Casey Sokol, one of my favourite professors at York University. Casey taught musicianship and piano improvisation, and was also my first contact when I came to do my audition.

Inspiration and Time’s Flow

In this chapter, Nachmanovitch challenges us to experience free play and creativity in our “ordinary” activities. He states the ideal existence as one of nonstop flow, and he refers to the Balinese philosophy that “We have no art. Everything we do is art.”

Here are five key points of learning from this chapter, and how they relate to your blogging efforts:

In creating a work of art, there are two kinds of time. There is the flash of inspiration (brainstorming) and the labour of capturing that in a form that can be shared with others (drafting and writing). Performance (editing and publication) introduces a third kind of time. This distinction is helpful, since usually when someone is struggling with blogging, it’s only with one of these three areas, and it’s usually only temporary.
Our aim is to improvise without being attached to the outcome, “because the doing is it’s own outcome.” What does it mean to blog without being attached to the outcome? While it would be great for every post to get rave reviews, chasing that unrealistic expectation will tire you out pretty fast. Instead, interact with what comes up in your day-to-day travels, and see how you can use it to help your readers solve their problems. Do your best, stay consistent, and let the results take care of themselves.
The teacher’s art is to connect the living body of knowledge with the living bodies of the students in the room. When you write for different learners by accommodating their preferred learning styles, you help them connect with your ideas.
Scripts are appropriate sometimes. They are a part of being committed and responsible to your audience. Templates and writing prompts can spark you into writing action so you can keep delivering valuable content that helps you connect with your readers.
Once you’ve learned techniques, it’s essential to let them go and just relate to what’s in front of you. While you’re learning and practicing, be sure that you’re also finding and tuning your own voice.

Do you relate to this concept of “everyday improvisation”? Here are a few questions that will help you explore it futher:

When have you experienced “being in the flow,” either when you’re writing, working with clients or any other time in your day-to-day life?
What precipitated that state? What helped you stay in it? What brought you out of it?
Where in your life is improvising not an option? When do you find it necessary to stick with a schedule or outside structure?
What’s been your experience in the different “times” of creativity? The flash of inspiration, the creation into form and the performance?
Which are the underlying techniques that you need to “forget” when it’s time to improvise or create something new?

Writing prompt: Open a blank document or a notebook, and “improvise” a piece of writing. Find ways to forget what you know and who you are as a writer. Experiment. Get into the flow. Then take a break and walk away.

When you come back to it later, look at your work objectively and ask: Was this solely a creative exercise for you, one that will spark new ideas later? Or is there something here you can turn into a useful post for your readers? (P.S. Here are three questions that will help you decide.)

Summertime and the Blogging is Easy

June 12, 2011 By Linda Dessau

As I’m settling into my first summer in the waterfront community of Barrie, Ontario, I’m noticing that my new neighbours sure take their recreation seriously! I only hope it rubs off on me. As local translator and copywriter Ashleigh Grange linked to on Twitter last week, summer vacation eludes many of us entrepreneurs.

Here are five ways to make blogging easier this summer, so you can keep building your business relationships (and your mountain of content) while still enjoing a vacation or staycation:

Batch your tasks to make the most out of your time – When you’re feeling creative and buzzing with ideas, draft two or three posts instead of just one.
Get ahead of the game – Pre-schedule your blog posts and emails so they continue to be on a predictable schedule, even if you’re not.
Write easier posts – Ease off the pressure to be a thought leader and write the posts that come naturally to you, whether those are top 10 lists, product reviews, frequently asked questions, or connective content.
Catch the sparks – Whenever you head out into the world, you’re bound to feel revitalized by the new people, places and ideas you encounter. Keep a notebook or smartphone app handy (I’m experimenting with Evernote for iPhone and Dragon Dictation for iPhone) so you can build on your experiences and share them with your readers.
Make creative connections – What does staying up on water skis have in common with whatever your readers are striving for? What can packing for a vacation teach your clients about the techniques they need in their toolkit? What business lessons can you adapt from a popular vacation spot with long lines of happy customers?

So enjoy your summer, take some time off, and most of all keep blogging!

P.S. If you want to make your blogging even easier, check out my blogging services!

How to Keep Blogging, Even When You Feel Criticized, Ignored or Rejected

June 6, 2011 By Linda Dessau

“When someone hurls an insult at you, try to divide it by three before letting it in. And conversely when a compliment comes, multiply by three and repeat the words to yourself before letting that in too.” – Andrea J. Lee

It takes courage to put yourself out there, whether you’re singing on a stage, speaking in front of a group or posting your thoughts, suggestions and opinions on a blog.

Blogging has positive repercussions for your business, regardless of whether anyone is even reading it (Mark Schaefer has 10 examples).

But what if they throw tomatoes?

If you’re like most of my readers, you’re probably not blogging about particularly controversial subjects. That being said, the most peaceful people can sometimes end up in the middle of a public, web-based disagreement.

And with more of you stepping up as thought leaders, you never know when you might ruffle some feathers (for some comic relief on this topic, my friend Sue Johnston pointed out this blog commenting policy).

The critic inside

As any creative artist will tell you, having peaceful skies in your outside world doesn’t necessarily make the creative process of blogging any easier. We can turn silence (e.g., a lack of comments or social media replies) into jeers (“no one likes me”), or inaction (e.g., low or no response to an offer) into rejection (“no one wants what I’m offering”).

10 tools for dealing with criticism and rejection

1. Be open. You may be hoping for a specific response to your work and be disappointed when that doesn’t materialize. What if this “failure” is leading the way to something better? As I read once in Cheryl Richardson’s newsletter, “Any rejection is God’s protection.”

2. Be consistent. Keep blogging, week after week, doing the brainstorming, drafting, writing and editing that will help you stay connected with your readers. Some posts will make a big splash and others may not. Stay the course and keep things in perspective. You’re in this for the long haul.

3. Be focused. Always be mindful of your overall goal to provide valuable information and deepen your relationships with clients and prospective clients. That will help you focus on the big picture and not get tripped up by each bump in the road along the way.

4. Be resilient. Remember that your sense of self-worth comes from inside of you. When you’re able to feel confident, regardless of what you hear from external sources, you’ll bounce back much more easily from any negative feedback that you may get.

5. Be positive. Focus your attention on the positive and you’ll attract more of it. This is the premise of the “Law of Attraction,” and I’ve certainly seen it work in my own life. Really hear the positive feedback you receive and replay it over in your mind whenever you need to. (Psst – I look through these tweets whenever I need a boost.)

6. Be clear. Approach constructive feedback with an objective perspective, not muddled with thoughts from your own inner critic. Listen to what your readers want so you can provide that and get better responses the next time.

7. Be grateful. Be gracious to your critics, accept all of the feedback you receive, sit quietly and let it sink in. Be grateful to be blogging – to have gotten past the fear and other roadblocks to creativity. Be grateful for the opportunity to have your work seen and heard. Some never take that chance.

8. Be responsive. Decide consciously what to do with feedback before responding, instead of reacting with the first thought or words that come to mind.

9. Be selective. Once you’ve decided what to do with the feedback, be selective and willing to let go of any hurtful feedback. This usually doesn’t have anything to do with you anyway; it’s a reflection of that person’s own happiness, state of mind and comfort with themselves.

10. Be loving. Be loving of your critic and ESPECIALLY of yourself. Plan some self-care treats for each and every time you publish a new piece of work. Regardless of the outcome, you deserve it!

The above points were adapted from: 10 Tools for Dealing With Criticism and Rejection. I wrote it for songwriters and other artists who submit work for contests or auditions and don’t always get the results they hoped for.

I’ll be examining the links between creativity and blogging on June 9th and July 14th on our next two Content Mastery Action Day presentation calls. I hope you can join us!