I get it!  There are so many deadlines, and priorities that are grabbing your already over taxed and over loaded schedule…. but when does social media make it to your priority list?  It feels so overwhelming.   How do you start and what services do you spend time investigating?   Do you wait until your brand, or your company has to quickly respond to a negative customer experience without understanding the tools?  Do you think that social media is just a fad that will eventually fade away?

Do yourself a favor and invest 4 ½ minutes to watch this Socialnomics09 video: youtube Socialnomics 09 Video

Just a few of the things that jump out at me from the video are:
• Social media has overtaken Porn as the #1 activity on the web
• Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers by 2010
• If Facebook were a country it would be the 4th largest country
• 80% of the companies use Linked In as their primary recruiting tool

While social media is rapidly becoming the new word of mouth you need to be prepared both professionally and personally.  If your company is living in the land of denial then it is up to you to invest in yourself and understand the “fad” called social media.   No one can predict the outcome that social media will bring to business in the future but we all know social media is here to stay and the impact on business is already mind-boggling.

Social media is not as scary as it sound.  Social media is another tool in your communications bag that you need to understand.   Where do you begin?  Many colleges, universities and professional organizations are offering classes, Amazon has books, You Tube has videos, and of course there are the Gen Y folks who are ready and willing to open up and show you what really is going on in the world of social media.  Social media is about connecting with people … albeit in a bit different fashion then we are used to.   The world is changing and it is getting updated anytime from anywhere – probably by the person sitting next to you. Don’t run, don’t hide, invest in yourself- perhaps this can be an early New Year’s Resolution.

Having spent the better part of the last year networking I am appalled when I hear some of the horror stories of today’s interview process for a new job.  Granted there are sometimes hundreds of people who are applying for one job, and I know it is impossible to give a personal response to each of them, but no response at all?  Since when is that a good idea?

Here is another one- you have an interview (either phone or in person) and you are told they will get back to you by “X” date.   Well “X” date comes and goes and guess what, no call, e-mail, letter, text…nothing.  So you start following up, once, twice, three times- (you see where I am going with this) but still nothing.  Since when is it okay to treat someone with so little regard?  How hard can it be to send a simple e-mail or return the call of someone who is curious about their status?  Remember this is someone who is interested in your company!   What does this lack of common business courtesy say about your company brand?   Is this the image you want to portray?

You can try to blame the economy and the increased number of applicants for your poor performance, but wouldn’t you rather be known as a company who has respect for it’s potential employees along with respect for its customers?

While the economy is a bit shaky now, things will turn around and people do talk- especially when they network.  There are some very talented people who are getting the run around today.  Maybe you are sitting there thinking, so what is one or two people bad mouth our company who cares….. well most likely it is more than one or two and they tell two friends and so on and so on.  And that doesn’t even count what is being tweeted about your company.

At the end of the day how do you want your company to be remembered?    Relationships are still the key to success and your brand image.  Why not make your brand stand out and do something old fashioned– have some manners!

When I speak of power what I really mean is are you taking control or your marketing efforts or are you allowing the current economic climate  to dictate your marketing efforts?  Now is the time to look at your marketing programs and people.  You need to ask are your programs delivering the ROI you expected?  What is motivating your customers to continue to work with you?  Are you truly delighting your customers, or is it just a “comfortable” relationship?  How can you capitalize on your successes?  Have you also asked yourself do you really have the right marketing team in place?

Too many companies are not asking themselves the tough questions beyond the “how are we going to survive the recession?”  Instead of “just surviving” you need to find a way to thrive.   Business models are changing daily, are you working to understand them?    Are your marketing people doing all they can to educate themselves on new marketing opportunities?  Are you being challenged by your marketing people with new ideas on how to best communicate to your customers and your internal employees- or are they just doing the same old thing?  How about social media- do you really understand what is available?

Great companies are asking those questions and more.  They are positioning themselves for the future by getting their resources in place, investing in their people and their product or service offering.  Take advantage of the recession and be proactive.  Your competition most likely has cut their marketing efforts back too.  Don’t be shy now– BE BOLD!

It may not be as expensive as you think to continue your marketing efforts.  Shift from expensive advertising to more public relations activities, speak at conferences, write compelling success stories featuring great or unique customer applications, update your website with new content, support a local charity, expand your presence into social media – all of this is just the tip of the iceberg!  Take time now to meet with your customers and have an honest discussion on what marketing programs are really working for them and/or what changes need to be implemented.  Have someone outside your industry take a good look at your website and give you feedback to ensure the message you want to send is getting received as you intended.  Now is the time to truly be open to honest feedback and ideas that are probably outside your comfort zone if you want to position your company to thrive.  

The fact is we are in a recession and times are tough- but if you ignore your marketing efforts now you will not have the power to capitalize on growth opportunities as soon as the recession begins fade.

“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure.” —Norman Vincent Peale

 I had an interesting conversation the other day regarding sabbaticals.    The person I was speaking with mentioned their company would not be interested in anyone who had a break in their service for a sabbatical.  At first I thought  the company wanted to ensure that the person who joins their organization  kept their skills sharp, and was up to date on the latest technology etc.   It didn’t take me long to change my mind….

After our conversation I thought about the comment regarding the company’s feelings on sabbaticals…and then I said out loud  “Are you kidding me?”   There are so many people who take sabbaticals for a variety of reasons; illness in the family, education, travel, rejuvination, thoughts of changing industries and the list goes on.   The idea that a company would not be interested in someone because of a sabbatical is antiquated. 

I think about my own sabbatical and how much I have grown in both my professional career and as an individual.   In the two years since I chose to leave my position I have been blessed to have the opportunity serve on the board of my church, become the marketing chair of our annual fundraising event, created DVD videos for events, learned about new tools for marketing and promotions,  consulted on a some interesting projects including a new business launch,  and have had the ability to meet some of the most incredible people.

The opportunity to meet and get to know so many talented people has been the most amazing part since taking a break from the corporate world.  Had I not placed myself outside my comfort zone I would have continued each day going to my job, putting my nose to the grindstone to work hard …but I would have remained with my head in the sand. 

How many people are guilty of working really hard, and not getting out and networking, or taking the time to join an industry organization, or dare I say – meeting anyone outside the four walls of their corporate building?  Let me tell you while you may be working so hard to get ahead  - you are doing yourself a huge disservice if you don’t take some time and invest in yourself, whether that is networking, attending industry events or taking a class.  You need to get out and breathe the air outside your building!

So as I think back to my conversation, I realize the funny thing is my skills are sharper now, my contacts are much more diverse, and I have more knowledge on new trends such social media all because of my sabbatical.   My plan is to continue to learn and invest in myself, but more importantly share my knowledge with individuals and companies in the future. 

Of course , now I wonder in a world that is quickly evolving how companies who claim to be very progressive will survive when they are still so routed to their past ideas… for better or for worse.

Every day we here more and more distressing news about the state of the economy, companies melting down, Wall Street spinning out of control so I ask “Where is the good news?”  I know there is good news being written everyday about companies, so where is it?

I met with a company a few months ago that is doing wonderful things in the healthcare arena.   They are definitely leading the charge in the care of patients- yet where was their good news?  Their website had some good, but definitely dated news, so before my meeting I researched the company and found a number of good news articles written about them that were not listed on their website.   As a matter of fact, I even found some of their own press releases that were not listed on their corporate website!!!   At the end of the meeting I handed copies of these articles and the company’s own press release to a marketing executive and mentioned that they were missing an opportunity to build upon their established brand by not having them listed on their corporate website.

I decided to check the company’s website a few months later and was surprised to find the articles were still not posted!  Now I know the company initially planned to launch a complete redesign of their website and did not want to spend too much time populating the current website,  but that was put on hold when the economy hit the skids.  OK, I can understand not spending the money to completely redesign the website but not listing articles that make your company brand image even stronger?

 Your website is your company- you have potential new clients looking at your site everyday.    In these trying economic times companies are missing even the simplest ways to set themselves apart from their competition.  All I can say is OUCH now that is a missed opportunity!

What ever happened to communication?  In this time of daily corporate RIF’s (an overly polite term for lay off), I am amazed at the number of companies that fail to communicate with their employees.   More often than not employees know a RIF is coming it is just a matter of when will it happen, and who will be affected.   If you are one of the lucky few to keep your position you are undoubtedly wondering how will the RIF affect my job.

So many companies today are neglecting to follow up with the employees who are left “holding the bag”.   The biggest impact on moral is not always the initial RIF, it is how management handles the situation after the RIF has happened.   What should you be doing if you are faced with a RIF?

• Have a meeting.  Meet with your employees and speak frankly about the situation.  Hiding your head in the sand will only perpetuated the FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt). Make sure your messages and agenda has already been communicated with top managers within your organization, as they will be the ones fielding many of the questions.

• If you can’t meet with all your employees at once set up a video call, or in worst case a conference call.  Seeing is believing.  Top management needs to show concern for those who were part of the RIF, AND those left behind.  Address the situation sincerely and honestly,  it will build respect from within the organization.  If you have employees that are out of the office on the fateful RIF day – make sure the manager or VP of the group contacts them immediately.  Nothing is more embarrassing to a sales person who in a meeting with your customer trying to reach their inside person only to find off they were just laid off.  It certainly does not help the salesperson’s credibility!

• Look to the Future- be honest work loads will increase, certain programs may be cut, and changes will need to happen.  Be as specific as possible the sooner you set the agenda and everyone is aware of it the sooner you can move forward as an organization.

RIF’s are hard on all levels; management, employees and customers.  Remember your employees are the people in daily contact with your customers they are the ‘face” of your company.

Communication during a time of uncertainty is key to health and success of your company brand!