Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

The Case for NOT Automating

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This morning I was checking Twitter as I do every morning. A friend of mine “tweeted” and said “what is this thing going on all over Facebook today?”

And then I knew what I’d been assuming for months. This person is never on Twitter. They have automated all their Facebook posts to also post on Twitter. And now they’ve alienated their Twitter audience.

I get it. As a business owner you HAVE to automate processes because there aren’t enough hours in the day to be everywhere. Which is why I strongly encourage you to JUST use the social media you will USE. Why would I follow someone (or fan their FB page) if I’m clearly just a number and they aren’t interested in actually engaging with me? Epic fail.

When I’m working with clients, there are many times we talk about WHAT we want to automate with social media. If you think I individually post my blog to all my social media channels, you are incorrect. When this post goes out, I’ll probably still be in bed, let’s be honest. And thanks to the wonders of WordPress, I can write this post a week before it goes out and have it all scheduled and not think about it again till it posts. Sometimes scheduling social media is really handy. And sometimes, it can backfire and alienate an audience you were hoping to cultivate.

If you want to be on Twitter, be on Twitter. If you want to be on Facebook, be on Facebook. If you want to half ass it, your audience will know and wonder when else you half ass stuff in your business.

Pop Culture Roundup – Winter Edition

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Alright, this move has been a little crazy for my pop culture intake. A few more podcasts, less reading, and I didn’t see a single Oscar Nominated movie this year (but NEED to see Birdman & Boyhood!) Here’s what I have had time for…

Podcasts

This American Life – The 2 part episode on “Cops See it Differently” was really fascinating. This continues to be a hot topic in America and listening to police departments that are working to change was really interesting.

Ask Me Another has kept me sane while driving around and walking Hank. I love me some pop culture trivia and this always keeps me on my a-game!

The Nerdist – My Favorite Podcast celebrated their 5th Anniversary with a great live podcast, the Simon Helberg podcast was also great and made me want to check out his new movie.

TV

The Americans – my favorite drama of the past 2 years is BACK and has some crazy intense challenges this year. Converting their daughter, EST, turning a CIA agent’s daughter, it’s good stuff. I love this show.

Justified – if you don’t watch this show, you’ve missed out on a GREAT TV experience. Do yourself a favor and watch the second season wiht Margo Martindale. It’s one of my favorite seasons of TV ever. This is the final season of Justified and it’s all coming to a head with Raylan & Boyd and I am loving every minute of un-mustachioed Sam Elliott.

Parks & Recreation – That was PERFECT. Exactly what I wanted in the ending to my very favorite show of all time. I feel the need to fill the void in my heart with all the eggs and bacon.

Broad City, This Week with John Oliver, Black-ish, The Walking Dead, and Empire (holy woah do I love Cookie Lyon!), are all keeping me occupied in between unpacking and getting settled. What’s on your DVR that you’re loving lately?

Reading

The short answer is, NOTHING. But I did find my new comic shop down here and have secured a box so there will be no lapse in my comic book delivery, I know you were all worried (thanks dad!). Now that I have some reading nooks and the house is coming together I’m hoping to get a bit more reading done, my proximity to Powell’s demands it!

Changing Expectations

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imagesEarlier this week Hank & I were on our walk and I was listening to the This American Life podcast called “Cops See it Differently.” It was interesting to listen to BOTH sides of the story on this incredibly complicated and controversial matter. And I started thinking of it from a business perspective too. When police officers showed up in a neighborhood and asked questions and asked “hey can you call in when you hear gunshots? We’re here to help you and stop that from happening,” the neighbors would agree to do it, and started to see them as HELPFUL.

We aren’t hearing much in the way of helpful officers these days, which is the point of the podcast episode, talking about ways they’re trying to change in communities.

Two weeks ago while I was getting the house coordinated I had to call Comcast (queue terrible music now), and was SHOCKED when I had a great experience with them. I had a question about a promotion and our upcoming transfer. He answered my questions, I wasn’t on wait for long and I left pleasantly surprised that Comcast left me feeling good about my experience.

As a business owner it’s easy to get caught up and drop the ball on a piece of the project or with a certain client. I know I’ve done it. But by changing that and providing GREAT customer service you can change the mind of someone really quickly. All you have to do is start. Don’t tell me you’re going to start (like my pet peeve of “enjoy our monthly newsletter,” once and then never to be heard from again…) JUST DO IT. Show me don’t tell me. Provide the kind of service you expect from others. We don’t continue to hire people who provide bad service, unless you’re locked into a contract (ahem, cell phone companies, alarm companies, DocuSign, etc.).

You can turn around that cranky client by simply showing up and doing what you’re supposed to do. Try it.