by Caroline Leach | Jan 23, 2016 | Social Media, Work/Life
Are you looking for more fun in your life? Would you like to connect with friends and family? Do you want to research the fastest growing social network?
Those are the reasons I joined Snapchat today. I want to learn how I can use it in my personal life. And I’m interested to see how businesses are using it to build their brands.
It’s a feeling not unlike the one I had upon joining Twitter. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. I didn’t fully know why I was there. I couldn’t yet articulate what I wanted to accomplish.
And that’s okay. Part of learning why you’re in a social network and how you can use it for personal and/or professional objectives is to experiment and play with it.
That reminds me of Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick‘s opening to their book The Art of Social Media.
“We are in the trenches of social media, not in a “war room” back at headquarters,” they wrote. “We acquired our knowledge through experimentation and diligence, not pontification, sophistry and conference attendance.”
That’s what I’m doing with Snapchat. I’m learning as I go. I’m making mistakes along the way.
And while I’m not quite ready to share “how to be social” in this network in the way I did with LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, that day will come.
Today I set up my profile and found a few friends. To maintain at least a few boundaries, I didn’t click on younger family members or professional colleagues.
To my surprise, a handful of my Facebook friends were on Snapchat, so I connected with them. And I convinced my spouse to join, so we could learn together.
In the meantime, there was an unexpected benefit to joining Snapchat.
Not surprisingly, my daughter doesn’t want to interact with me in social media.
But when I told her I joined Snapchat, we had fun looking through her Stories and Snaps together. She showed me how captions and geofilters work.
Best of all, she finally followed me in Instagram. And I was able to follow her back for the first time.
Now I just need the next big social network to come along, so she’ll be my friend in Snapchat.
by Caroline Leach | Jan 17, 2016 | Leadership
On this Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, I’m endlessly inspired by these timeless words from Dr. King:
“If you can’t fly then run
If you can’t run then walk
If you can’t walk then crawl
But whatever you do
you have to keep moving forward.”
by Caroline Leach | Jan 10, 2016 | Corporate Communications
The Golden Globes is a great reason to gather with family and friends.
It’s fun to celebrate favorite movies and TV shows, rooting for favorite performers.
And if you’re a communicator and marketer, like me, it’s entertaining to listen for the best speeches of the evening.
The winners in my book? Sylvester Stallone for Creed and Lady Gaga for American Horror Story: Hotel.
Show emotion. Sly looked stunned when his name was announced, sitting in his seat for a few moments before he stood up. (The standing ovation may have begun before he stood up himself.) And his first words were about his genuine surprise.
Lady Gaga pulled her hand to her mouth, stopping time for a moment as the win sunk in. And among her first words were, “This is the biggest moment of my life.”
Shine the light on others. Sly endeared himself to the whole world when he said, “I am the sum total of everyone I’ve ever met.”
Lady Gaga said, “Because of you I was able to shine.” And, “Thank you for sharing your talent with me.” And, “You guys pick me up every day.”
Be brief. The best speakers leave you wanting more. Not wondering if they’re going to say something memorable (eventually), or wrap it up and be gone. Not so with Sly and Lady Gaga. I would have been happy listening to them speak for hours.
And that’s the art of a great acceptance speech.
by Caroline Leach | Jan 9, 2016 | Marketing & Analytics
What are great blogs for marketers?
And why read blogs anyway? Because they’re a quick, timely and entertaining way to learn about the latest trends in marketing and get interesting viewpoints on how the field is rapidly evolving.
Researching top marketing blogs reaffirmed 2 things. First is my devotion to 3 blogs marketing-related blogs. Second is 3 more I’m adding to the blogs folder on my iTools (the collective name for my personal iPhone, iPad and MacBook).
3 long-time favorites –
Seth Godin. Also known as “Seth Godin’s riffs on marketing, respect, and the ways ideas spread.” Ever since Linchpin, I’ve been a fan. His post, Don’t snow globe me, bro, not only helped my former Corp Comms team focus on what’s most important. One of my team members was so inspired she had a snow globe made for me.
Chris Brogan. Also known as “media, marketing, lead generation and customer acquisition strategies for business.” Ever since Social Media 101, I’ve been a fan. And I’m endlessly inspired by Chris’ perseverance – with blogging and with life.
Harvard Business Review. Also knowns as “ideas and advice for leaders.” Ever since I found back issues in a colleagues’s office, I’ve been a fan. So many terrific thought leaders – Umair Haque, Peter Bregman, Heidi Halvorson, Alexandra Samuels, Tom Davenport, Dorie Clark, Tony Schwartz, Karie Willyerd and more. Now I’m following posts on marketing, market research, analytics, branding and data.
3 new favorites –
Ryan Holiday. Also known as “meditations on strategy and life.” Ever since I visited Ryan’s blog, I’ve been a fan. Of all the marketing blogs I searched – and there were dozens – this captured my attention. I clicked through post after post, and link after link of this author, marketer and entrepreneur.
Ann Handley. Also known as a “content marketing keynote speaker and best-selling author.” Ever since Everybody Writes, I’ve been a fan. Her expertise is digital content marketing. She’s the chief content officer at MarketingProfs, with marketing resources for marketing professionals.
FiveThirtyEight. Also known as “using statistical analysis – hard numbers – to tell compelling stories about elections, politics, sports, science, economics and life.” No, it’s not a marketing blog. But since my new role is in market research, reading this blog launched by statistician Nate Silver is another immersion strategy to accelerate my learning project.
What are your favorite marketing blogs?
by Caroline Leach | Jan 8, 2016 | Change, Work/Life
How’s your life going a week into the new year?
Are you firing on all cylinders? Energized by your dreams of creating change in your life? Or does it feel like ages ago that you embraced a bright, shiny new year, with all its possibilities?
Perhaps we’re expecting too much from a single day. Perhaps we’re trying to do too much. Or perhaps we didn’t plan for life’s unexpected twists and turns.
But perhaps New Year’s Day is as much as state of mind as it is a date on the calendar. How could you bring a New Year’s sensibility to all of your days? Here are a few ideas.
Set yourself up for success the night before. Wrap up your tasks for the day. Note your priority actions for tomorrow. Straighten up your surroundings. Pack a delicious lunch. Set out the stuff you’ll need for tomorrow. Get a good night’s sleep.
Have a plan. Don’t put everything on your list for the day. When I do that, my eyes glaze over and I don’t know where to begin. Start with 3 to 5 priority tasks. Pick one to tackle first thing. Your most difficult one. Preferably in a 60- to 90-minute uninterrupted block of time.
Expect the unexpected. When you over schedule, there’s no slack in the day to roll with the punches. This week, for example, we (finally) had rain in Southern California. That meant traffic was heavier and more time was needed to get to the office. Plan some unplanned time to make up the difference.
Enjoy the adventure. Take in the sights and sounds of your surroundings. Look up from your smartphone. Look people in the eye, smile and say hello. Be present and make note of what’s happening from moment to moment.
Stop the doom loop. If you hear yourself spiraling into a sea of negativity, tell yourself to stop. Replace those thoughts with more positive, optimistic ones. If you feel embarrassed about a mistake you’ve made, remember that most people are thinking about themselves and won’t even notice.
Cut yourself some slack. Focus on the good in your day. Remind yourself of what you did accomplish (hopefully your top 3 – 5 priorities), rather than what you didn’t. Speaking of “priorities,” did you know when the word first entered the English language in the 14th century, it was singular? That’s right. You could only have one priority. Not multiple ones, as we have today.
Be kind to yourself — and others. Often we can get so wrapped up in our own challenges, that we fail to notice others are struggling with the same things. Or even more difficult problems than our own. It’s safe to assume that everyone we come in contact with is carrying a heavy load. Be nice to them. Smile. Offer a kind word. That goes for you, too.
Act the way you want to feel. This is my favorite of the “Secrets of Adulthood” from Gretchen Rubin and The Happiness Project. If you want to feel happy, start acting that way. If you want to feel grateful, think about your blessings. If you want to feel more positive and optimistic, start acting that way. It takes a deliberate choice and less than a minute of your time. That’s a pretty good return.
Remember that today is your new year’s day. And tomorrow. And the day after that. Make it count. Make a difference. Make it fun. Because all of our new year’s days add up to our lives. What kind of a life are you living? You don’t have to meet every last goal for yourself before you start enjoying it. Decide to make each moment special, for yourself and everyone around you.
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