Please stop doing this.

What’s the point? It’s not being social, it’s being lazy. It’s like if one of your friends phoned to talk just to you, but then added his mom to the call so that he wouldn’t have to explain all the stuff that he’s been doing in the last week a second time.

There are hundreds of social networks out there – for businesses there are MANY of them that have a better social reach than Facebook – so don’t think that you’re covering two birds with one stone. Take the 30 seconds to retype something, or better yet, share something different.

Your friends and customers will notice.

The marketing world is full of carrier waves. Digital marketers call them channels, print marketers call them publications, social media marketers call them networks – but they all do the same thing. That’s why the core of any marketing must be the message – and that’s what you need to be focusing on when you are marketing your business.

It often surprises people who meet me in real life when they discover that I really like print marketing (such as advertorials), or that I believe in direct mail. I’m seen as the social media guy that they met on Twitter. That’s fine, I do love working in the social media space – it provides almost instant feedback on my efforts and it keeps me from being lonely. In truth, I like all forms of marketing – because I love working on getting down to the message of products and services.

Work on your core message, discover what makes you unique, learn about who your customers are, and then craft a message that reaches out to them. And then choose the carrier signal that is most likely to spread your message to your customers. That’s how you succeed in marketing, and that’s how your business is going to grow. So next time you hear someone say something like “Twitter is the next big thing in marketing”, don’t you believe them. The next big thing in marketing is the same as the last big thing – content. There might be new ways to share that information, but it doesn’t change anything about marketing in any meaningful way.

Don’t get me wrong – there is nothing wrong with new tools. I love new tools, and I love teaching other people how to use them effectively. But don’t expect a tool to fix your problems by itself. You still need someone who understands the problem to use the tools correctly. And you might be surprised at just which tools a professional will select.

The best part of this commercial is that the punch line is ALSO the Unique Selling Proposition. It’s perfect. Well done Kmart.

I’ve spent a considerable amount of time coming up with ideas for direct mail campaigns and writing copy for direct mail pieces – and then I’ve referred my customers to other sources to have the pieces printed and mailed out. Inevitably, I lose some measure of control and oversight of the project. Well, I’ve fixed that problem by partnering with VistaPrint to provide top quality printing solutions for my clients. I still love using local printers when possible, but this partnership allows me to have high quality documents printed for you at great prices, and shipped back to your location FAST.

Second, I’ve become a Registered Partner of Canada Post. Now, in addition to providing you with great ideas for a direct mail campaign and creating copy that sells, I can also handle all aspects of the mailings – including determining the demographics of who receives the mail. For example, I can now create custom mailing campaigns targeting by age, income, marital status, home type, number of people who live in the home – and more.

I’m like a one-stop shop for direct mail services. I’m really excited by this opportunity, and I hope you are too. So… let’s get to work!

P.S.

This also means I can help you with other print services such as brochures, booklets, and flyers for purposes other than direct mail. I work with a couple of amazing graphic designers who can create jaw-dropping designs for you, and I can also take advantage of the templates that are offered by VistaPrint. Let me know how I can help you grow your business by giving me a call at 306-551-1701.

On Saturday, March 23, 2013 at approximately 7:30pm two members of the Regina Police were involved in a foot chase with a suspect of a severe physical assault. During the chase, the police members entered a yard that contained a dog. An altercation between the dog and officers occurred and ultimately, the dog was shot and killed.

This could not have been a more controversial event. Crime, private property, animal rights, etc – all of these things have converged on one story and the case has gained international attention. It has become a PR nightmare for the Regina Police Service.

As a result of this incident, the Regina Police Service (RPS) Facebook page was flooded with people posting comments that were filled with hate. The shear volume of comments that were being posted overwhelmed the RPS and eventually, the page was removed.

One of the biggest concerns I hear from business owners is that being on social media will somehow expose them to incidents like this – that their business will become a victim of some kind of international incident and they will have to pay the price. It’s just easier, they say, if I don’t participate in social media.

There is a serious flaw with this type of thinking - it implies a belief that people will not talk about the event if you aren’t on social media.

The owner of the dog that was shot, a Mr. Peter Cote, took a photo of blood stained snow and posted it on his Facebook page. Here’s a screen shot:

As of right now, that post has been shared more than 850 times. The comments on those shares are not positive – they almost universally mock and express negative views of the Regina Police Service. The point is this – people are talking about you on Facebook whether or not you are there. Whether or not the RPS has a Facebook page, this story has grown legs.

In general, if you have a presence on social media, you have an opportunity to engage the people who are saying negative things about you. You can offer an explanation for what happened, ask them for their patience, and in this case, tell people who are concerned that you are investigating the incident and keep them up-to-date on the investigation. Your Facebook page doesn’t open your brand up to criticism online, it simply gives you a voice in those conversations.

Now, let’s be clear – there are people who are upset about something that you have done, and then there are angry mobs wielding pitchforks and flaming torches. One of those groups can be talked to and reasoned with, the other can not.

In the case of the RPS and this incident, they were dealing with an angry mob that could not be reasoned with and who were simply running out of control. Think of the Vancouver Riots – no amount of pre-planning would have prevented angry, probably drunk people from running out of control. In the same manner, I’m not convinced that the RPS could have prevented angry people from flooding their page with comments when faced with a PR crisis.

I think that the RPS did the right thing by temporarily removing their Facebook page. I hope that they unpublished their page, rather than simply deleting it, and I hope that they bring the page back soon. The Facebook page did not cause this PR problem. But in the meantime, there is a person in the hospital who was severely beaten whose attackers are running free. There is also a new case of a 27 year old woman who has gone missing in the city. In both of these cases, especially the case of the missing woman, an RPS Facebook presence sharing pictures and details could help to move the investigation forward.

There are alternatives to taking the page down of course, and if the Regina Police Service had an unlimited budget and access to unlimited manpower, they could have implemented some of those alternatives. But they don’t. And to make matters more difficult, the event we are talking about involves a criminal investigation – so in many ways their hands are probably tied. I think that most of this outrage will blow over by the weekend, and I’d like to see the page back next week.

I’m surprised that the story of the RPS Facebook page has spread so quickly, but it does offer social media professionals an opportunity to watch and learn from the way things are handled. What are they doing right? What are they doing wrong? What are the long-term implications?

But what do you do when the proverbial feces hits the ceiling mounted air circulation device?

Usually when a company runs into problems on social media, it’s because the person behind the Twitter account typed something stupid. This is something I’ve addressed many times before, because EVERYBODY tweets stupid things from time to time. In almost every case, the answer is to delete the offending post or tweet, and then apologize. In time, it will blow over. But what if the problem is even bigger than that? What if your company causes the death of a bunch of people, like what happened to Maple Leaf Foods in 2008 when a Listeria outbreak caused the deaths of 22 people?

Or, what happens if a member of the Regina Police Service shoots a dog in a private citizen’s backyard?

First, let me be clear that I’m not passing any judgement on the police officer or the actions of the police officer. There will be an investigation, and the truth will come out. Instead, I want to talk about the way that the Regina Police Service handled their social media – specifically their Facebook account.

This was the right call in this situation.

Some people will say that this is exactly when social media should be used – so that the public can have their say and get their message out. And I agree. Except when this happens:

A Social Contract

There aren’t enough police officers, members of the military, or Boy Scouts in the world to keep the rule of law if people don’t act appropriately. We have a social contract in our society.

“Thomas Hobbes famously said that in a “state of nature” human life would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”. In the absence of political order and law, everyone would have unlimited natural freedoms, including the “right to all things” and thus the freedom to plunder, rape, and murder; there would be an endless “war of all against all” (bellum omnium contra omnes). To avoid this, free men contract with each other to establish political community i.e. civil society through a social contract in which they all gain security in return for subjecting themselves to an absolute Sovereign, preferably (for Hobbes) a monarch.”

~Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract)

We have a society with free speech not because of the things our politicians tells us, but because we all agree that we should have a society with free speech. We have a society with laws because we all agree that we should have a society with laws. There aren’t enough police officers to actually ‘enforce the law’ as we like to say – just enough to enforce the law among people who have chosen not to abide by the conventions of our society.

In social media terms, our job is to engage stakeholders in discussion. But there are times when discussion is no longer what is occurring. Mr. Perrini, from the clip above, shows his location as Tuscon, Arizona. Mr. Perrini is not a stakeholder of the Regina Police Service, nor are his comments discussion – they are inflammatory and designed to evoke feelings of anger and malice. Then there are these two:

Again, these are not topics of discussion. The Regina Police Service can not debate, educate, or engage with people who make comments like this. So they did what I would do – created a post which says that they are closing the account temporarily and explaining exactly why they are doing it.

I honestly don’t know what happened in that yard – the incident is under investigation, and the truth will come out. But this post isn’t about the truth, it’s about people posting hateful things on a Facebook wall. And in your business, you don’t need to let people post hateful things on your Facebook wall. It is not your responsibility to provide an outlet for people to vent. So, let them know that the conversation has taken a turn that you cannot abide. Thank them for their opinions. And lock the wall down for the time being. Step away from the Twitter. In time, people will calm down, and things will return to normal.

The Aftermath

So, in my professional opinion, the Regina Police Service did the right thing by closing their Facebook wall for the time being. I stated above that the incident is under investigation – and that is a key factor in all of this. The Regina Police Service is going to have to come back online and tell everyone the results of that investigation. And when they do, they are going to get a load of hate mail again. When they do that, they will need to realize that this time – they have started the conversation, and they are going to have to let people say what they want to say. Here’s how I would handle that:

Create a single post which states that you will be sharing the results of the investigation. Admit that not everyone is going to be happy with the results. Ask them to keep their comments respectful and within the post – not on the wall, or in the comments of other posts, etc. And then tell the people that their opinions are important to the Regina Police Service, but that they will only be taking comments on this post for 48 hours, after which the comments will be archived and the comments turned off. In truth, they’ll probably have to simply delete the post after recording everybody’s comments.

And that’s it. You can’t make everybody happy in every situation. Sometimes, you need to pull the plug on social media for a short time. But before you do it – you need to make sure that you are completely transparent as to why you are doing it. Even something like this will blow over in time. However, if the RPS had kept their page active, had continued to let people from around the world vent and shout, eventually someone would have done or said something which could not be forgotten – a criminal threat perhaps – and that would not have simply blown over.

As much as the internet allows us instant access to the sum of the world’s knowledge and the ability to communicate instantly with anybody, anywhere – it also affords us one other luxury: the ability to take a moment, gather our thoughts, and let cooler heads prevail. When you are responsible for a Facebook page, it is your responsibility to make sure that sometimes you give people the opportunity to cool down.

1. Social Media

I cover all aspects of social media work. I can come in to your office and talk about social media and how to use it, I can teach staff how to use social media for business, and I can manage your social media accounts. I can also help you with social media marketing plans, strategies, and measurement. Basically, if you aren’t 100% satisfied with the way that your business uses social media, we should talk. I’m available by the hour, by the day, or for longer-term projects.

2. Marketing

You have a business and you need to get the word out – I can help with that. I do web copy and press releases to start getting the word out about what you do. I provide online presence services – getting you registered with Google places, starting the process of you being seen in search engines, etc. I can even help you get a presence on the web with a simple WordPress website and some customization. If you need more, I also know great companies which I can refer you to so that you can have the site of your dreams developed.

3. Writing

This is what started it all! Some people are afraid to ask, but I’ve written things as brief as a half-page letter, and things as complicated as 50+ page government proposals. So whether you need professional correspondence, biographies, long-copy, short copy, proposals, annual reports, or letters to the Easter Bunny – I can help. No job too big, no job too small.

It’s so simple! Just pick up the phone and give me a call at (306) 551-1701 or drop an email to ryan@arholota.com. I work with clients across the world – 5 continents so far, including countries in Asia, the Middle East, and semi-regular contracts in the UK – so don’t let a little distance bother you. Let’s get some work done!

Zuck Money – From The HuffingtonPost.com

The last time I checked, the point of having a business was to make money for yourself (and investors, shareholders, etc), not to find every opportunity to give it away to someone else.

And yet, I constantly see people throwing away money on Facebook ads. Now, don’t get me wrong – Facebook ads are a good thing. If done properly, they give you exposure to large numbers of people in your target demographic. But if done poorly, there is no easier way to flush thousands of dollars down the toilet.

Balancing Content VS Likes

Before you spend any money getting Likes, you must have some content on your page – and it has to be good content. Yes, kittens rule the internet, and yes, they can help get people to Like your page, BUT – you also need good content about your business and the services that you offer. If you haven’t posted about what you do, how can you expect any of the 500 Likes you bought to translate into any value?

I never, ever, advocate buying traffic to your website. It is so much better to have 200 unique visitors every month who actually care about what you offer than it is to have 20,000 who live overseas, can’t buy your product, and have no need for your product. Sites such as fiverr.com allow you to buy ‘traffic’ and Likes for pennies, but what’s the point? Similarly, setting a Facebook ad spend to $200 a day will get you tons of Likes, but there’s a catch. Facebook users are smart. Every day they get a few items in their streams from ads or friends that ask them to Like a page. And they do. But then they go to their settings page and hover over the Liked button and deselect ‘Show In News Feed’. Congratulations, you’ve just blown your ad spend. You’ve got a new Like, but you don’t have a new prospect.

Here’s the scoop – about 16% of the people who have ‘Liked’ your page will see any given Facebook post – assuming that you’re doing zero advertising. Once you start to spend with Facebook, they tweak their algorithm to let more and more people see those pages. How many more? Only a select few within Facebook know the answer to that. I think it’s safe to assume that the more Likes you have, the more you need to spend to move the needle.

If you are using Facebook as part of your marketing mix, and I think most businesses should be, you need to be smart about it. Remember that the goal is never to get more Likes on social media – its to get more money in your bank account. It is much better to spend less over a longer period of time than to spend it all at once. Your traffic will be more stable and more likely to convert to sales. If you keep the content on the page fresh, those people will be more likely to stay tuned in for the long haul. And, if you keep that content interesting, those people may share it with their friends.

THAT is where there real power of social media takes over – word of mouth, and referrals from friends. If you are planning a significant ad spend (significant in terms of your overall marketing budget, not in terms of actual dollars), you should talk to a social media professional. We do this all the time, and can use the lessons that we’ve learned to save you money.

I’ve ordered hundreds of things online. But recently I received the most amazing email from one of the businesses that I support – Randy’s Ring & Pinion.

After searching locally for some small items to help me install some performance parts in a vehicle’s differential and coming up short, I turned to the internet. I found exactly what I was looking for, at some of the most reasonable prices I’ve ever seen. I placed an order, and received shipment confirmation later that same day, along with a UPS tracking number. Pretty standard stuff.

Searching for the tracking number on UPS.com led me to discover that the item was scheduled for delivery on Wednesday, February 27th. On February 27th, at the end of the day, I received this email:

Thank you for doing business with Randy’s Ring & Pinion.

You should have received your recent order within the last few days. If you have not, please contact us at the phone number below.

We’re following up to ensure that you’re 100% satisfied with your product purchase and that our service and expertise has met your needs. If there is anything more we can do to serve you, here are a few ways to keep connected with us at Randy’s.

Phone: You can call us at 1(800) 347-1188
Website: www.ringpinion.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/#!/RandysRingPinion

Your feedback is appreciated. Please take a moment to fill out the survey and rate our performance: EDITED

Thanks from everyone here for shopping with us. Trust Randy’s to handle all of your differential needs.

Holy crap! What a simple thing for them to do, and what an impact it has! It lets me know that even after the sale – even after I’ve been billed, the items have been put in a box, and the box has been shipped to a foreign country – the fine folks at Randy’s are still there for me, willing to help me out if I have any issues.

Why isn’t everybody doing this? Why aren’t you doing this?

“Do what you say you are going to do.”

I recently turned down working with a client because, although it would have been a very lucrative contract, they had proven in the past that I could not trust them to do what they said they would do. I’m going to be really blunt here. Everybody fucks up sometimes. It’s inevitable. But if your company has a history of doing the wrong thing, of consistently being hard to deal with, not paying on time, or not delivering the service that you promise, why in the world would anybody ever want to deal with you?

I am amazed that people would spend thousands of dollars on a marketing campaign, and then seemingly go out of their way to make all of those new customers angry. And yet, this seems to be the way that a lot of companies do business. The irony of it all is, if you took 20% of that marketing budget and just put it towards fixing the wrongs you have done in the past, you would see a much better return on that money.

My last couple of posts have been about integrity, and many people would assume that this has nothing to do with marketing or writing. But the reality is that it has everything to do with marketing and writing. Your business does not exist in a vacuum, and people talk about the things that you do.  That single customer that you let walk out your door is going to talk about their experience, and yet I’ve personally seen business owners say things like ‘thank God he’s leaving’, or ‘oh no, this guy again’, when the person’s problem really isn’t that big of a deal.

I took my first employer sponsored management class in 1995. It covered a wide range of topics, but the one that stood out was that a happy customer tells 3 people, while an angry customer tells 10 people. I have no idea how accurate that number was in 1995, but searching on Google today shows that the common wisdom is that an angry customer tells 3000 people. I doubt the number is really that big (there’s a book with that title that has likely influenced search results), but with Facebook and Twitter, the number is certainly more than 10.

Apologies are free. Throw in a $10 Starbucks gift card for more serious cases, or a $100 restaurant gift card for the most serious cases. And then stop pissing people off – do what you said you would do.