Connect Social Networks Site

Marketing a business through social media is essential for

the modern-day market. Social media can help people feel connected to each

other, institutions, companies, and small businesses. By creating a social

platform for business, brand awareness can spread by using an organic method.

Best Social Platforms

There are a variety of social media platforms to choose from

when it comes to marketing. While they may look similar at first, each site can

have slightly different benefits depending on a user’s needs.

Benefits

Social platforms have several key components that are ideal

for any business.

Finding Joy In Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

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What’s Your Signature Response to Problems? written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

One of the ways to create goodwill, positive buzz, and happy customers is to exceed expectations. Responding proactively to problems is, in my opinion, one of the easiest ways to exceed the expectations available.

Problems happen, that’s a fact. You can choose to respond to customer challenges, problems, let downs, screw-ups, and mistakes in one of two ways. You can ignore them and create the kind of friction that drags your trust into the ground or you can respond in such an over-the-top, out of control, nobody does that kind of way that can turn problems into gold mines. If you want to exceed expectations, choose the latter!

For the longest time, Nordstrom had a policy that granted refunds with no receipt, no time limit, no questions asked. A variation of that policy still remains today. This policy is often an example given whenever someone talks about customer service. But it’s really a signature response to a customer problem, and it’s become something that creates incredible word of mouth for them.

Creating what I call your signature response to problem-solving takes a little thought, planning, implementation, and even training, but it can become a very valuable tool for your organization. I’ve mapped out four things you can do to quickly, proactively, and creatively address customer problems with a signature response of your own.

1. Invite and reward customer feedback

The first step to making problem-solving a core marketing system is to encourage your customers to tell you when something’s not right. This may sound like a simple thing, but there is plenty of research that suggests somewhere near 90% of your customers experiencing an issue will simply go away quietly unhappy.

You should clearly state in all your marketing copy that you welcome feedback and won’t rest until your customer is thrilled. Spell out guarantees, return policies, and make it very obvious how to get in touch with you via phone, mail, live chat, web, or email. You should also build satisfaction surveys, results reviews, and even random phone follow-ups into your standard operating procedures.

Of course, it’s not enough to just ask for feedback and then send it down a black hole; you’ve got to respond.

2. Create a response

In order to get the full impact with this idea, you need to design the manner in which you will automatically respond in order to solve a customer problem. Some of this can and should be handled through clearly spelled out, no strings attached, guarantees, and return policies, but you need to add some flair as well. Adding some creativity in this step is how you turn a response into a signature response. For example, does the CEO show-up with a bouquet of flowers, does the customer immediately receive a month of service free and a dedicated service rep to help guide them through the challenge, do you do whatever it takes to make it right?

The key here is to do something that gets the customer the result they are after but also offers a little ‘wow’ that they can’t help but notice because it was unexpected.

Occasionally, we receive notes from customers who have purchased one of our products but feel it isn’t what they thought it would and want to return it. We cheerfully refund their purchase price, but instead of asking them to return it, we ask that they make it a gift to another business owner. It’s a pretty simple thing on our part, but it really creates a warm response each time we offer it.

3. Act quickly

Speed matters in problem-solving – especially in a technology-filled world that caters to and sustains our desires of instant gratification. You need to act quickly. A fast response time makes customers feel that their concerns are important. In a study by CMO Council, the most important attribute of a good customer experience, according to the customers themselves, is a fast response time.

Zappos is well known for its incredible customer support. They have live chat, email, phone, and social support available 24/7. Customers expect their problems to be solved and fast – it’s another prime example of a signature response they designed for themselves.

4. Empower your team to fix the problem

Another really important piece of the problem-solving puzzle is blame. When you make a mistake, admit it, and move to fix it. When your customer makes a mistake, well, move to fix it. There’s no gain in getting the customer to admit they were wrong, even when they are. One of my favorite business expressions said to my staff in my best dad voice is: Fix the problem, not the blame.

The way to make sure that your signature response to problems is actually delivered as designed is to empower your staff to fix the problem, not the blame!

Let them know that while you have a set of policies designed to make their life simple and your business profitable, they can do what it takes to make the customer happy. Now, if that makes you more than a little nervous that you will be taken advantage of then perhaps you need to refine whom you are attracting as customers. There will always be people who try to take advantage of your willingness to please, but the key lies in setting the proper expectations upfront in all of your marketing messages.

Saving a deal gone bad by reacting in a way that is generally unexpected is how you create positive buzz and customers for life.

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Today’s average office environment does not exactly suffer from a lack of communication channels. A nearly constant drip-drip-drip of emails, Slack exchanges, text messages, video calls, and impromptu hallway conversations can easily overwhelm. Not only is bouncing back and forth between communication channels stressful, it can be incredibly inefficient and time-consuming.

Picking the right channel for workplace communication can help ensure that your team keeps running on all cylinders. Is the message you’re sending best delivered via Slack, email, or — gasp — in person? Use these suggestions to untangle communication lines and keep your team focused on the task at hand rather than attempting to decipher your message.

1. Use the Right Tech Tools

Many workplace communication issues can be addressed through the thoughtful implementation of the right tools. If you want to stop answering the same questions over and over, implement a company wiki. This software solution can contain nearly all the information your team will ever need to access, all in one place. Keep it updated, and it will be an invaluable asset.

You should also consider implementing project management software. When employees share a single platform, they needn’t waste time spent sifting through lengthy email chains and direct messages. Instead, communication is project-specific and tracked within the software.

Nearly all platforms allow system administrators to assign roles to each user to help avoid confusion and streamline productivity. Managers can map out project details and assign tasks to specific roles, avoiding email entirely. As soon as assignments are made, the team can get straight to work.

2. Improve Meeting Habits

Research suggests that up to 15% of the time spent in an hour-long meeting is wasted just setting up the equipment. In fact, tens of billions of dollars are squandered each year on ineffective meetings. Lack of preparation, drifting from the agenda, and meeting more frequently than necessary are all virtually guaranteed to waste time and confuse teams.

The first step to addressing this waste is to reconsider how many meetings you hold. Some teams thrive with weekly or even daily meetings. More often than not, though, it’s better — and much less complicated — to replace meetings with effective communication throughout the day. (There’s a reason “This meeting could have been an email” is an increasingly popular catchphrase.)

Schedule meetings somewhat begrudgingly. Is there a better way to communicate? Can meetings be reserved for special events, training, or quarterly recaps?

The next step is to create consistent, clear practices around meetings. Provide an agenda that sets time limits on topics to be discussed and stick to it. Check a few hours in advance to make sure all key participants will be able to attend that day. If not, reschedule the meeting or cancel it.

3. Develop Communication Protocols

In the absence of a plan to direct communication traffic, channels will quickly become cluttered. Anyone who has stopped working to check a message that had absolutely nothing to do with them knows the impact this has on productivity.

Linear communication protocols are common in larger organizations. Employees are instructed to speak to their managers but are not given permission to “jump the line” and speak directly with board members or the CEO. Flat organizations such as startups and family-run businesses can come up with more relaxed, but still straightforward, communication protocols. This will help ensure that an employee question or comment will go — on the first try — to the person who can best address it.

4. Require Your Team to Share a Calendar

Another tech investment to consider is an online calendar for your team. An online calendar helps your employees better manage their own time, but it also improves communication. When you can see a colleague is in a meeting, you won’t call their cell phone. You’ll also know to send an email they can respond to afterward rather than a Slack message that begs an immediate reply.

Look for an online calendar solution that can be easily shared and has scheduling links. Scheduling links allows everyone on your team to share their availability with co-workers and clients. This virtually eliminates those annoying back-and-forth emails as you try to coordinate schedules.

A shared team calendar can also record due dates and submissions, providing information that might otherwise generate an email or phone call. Any asset you use to cut down on short bursts of messaging will do wonders to declutter your communication channels.

5. Break Down Communication Barriers

Identify the communication problems within your organization. Are employees afraid to talk to you? Is a lack of camaraderie on the sales floor leading to miscommunications and frustrations? The first step is to uncover and track these issues without moving too quickly or assigning blame.

Encouraging team bonding outside the workplace tends to break down boundaries and help team members loosen up. Consider sponsoring a team dinner after hours or take the crew out bowling. Talking to each other more naturally outside of the office encourages better communication during the workday. Over time, employees will feel more comfortable addressing their questions and concerns with you as well.

Another way to break down communication barriers is to host a training seminar. The introduction of a new software package, for example, can provide a good opportunity to hold a workshop where communication protocols are reinforced. While being careful not to single anyone out, offer examples of poor communication side by side with an effective counterpart.

6. Promote Transparency

Transparency in the workplace promotes trust, collaboration, and accountability. Each of these attributes provides a boost to overall morale and dramatically improves communication.

The best way to promote transparency in the workplace is to start at the top. Strive to be consistently open with employees regarding policy changes, expectations, and company stability. If applicable, seek out opportunities for one-on-one time with every employee, while being careful to avoid the perception that you are micromanaging.

Transparency promotes a healthier, happier workplace. Your employees will communicate far better in an environment where they feel safe and included.

7. Review Hiring Practices

By assessing communication skills as part of your standard hiring practices, you can frequently nip future communication issues in the bud.

In addition to assessing verbal communication during an in-person interview, ask all applicants to complete a short, handwritten Q&A on the spot. Depending on the position, you might even require a written exam. Do your best to screen applicants for the right balance of tangible skills and communication prowess.

Don’t wait until you can’t take it anymore to begin untangling workplace communication issues. It might be tempting to sidestep these as “not a priority” when a client project is making its way toward completion. While it’s fine to prioritize, don’t let communication snafus fall off the table, either. Unaddressed, they tend to come back to take a bite out of productivity.

The post How to Untangle Messy Workplace Communication appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Original source: https://socialmediaexplorer.com/business-innovation-2/how-to-untangle-messy-workplace-communication/

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Growing A Niche Focused Coaching Business With Ann Gusiff written by Sara Nay read more at Duct Tape Marketing

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When it comes to maintaining one’s physicality, one of the best tactics of doing so is by stretching, as it’s beneficial for one to stay healthy. Mexican lawyer, Diego Ruiz Duran, encourages people to make stretching become a part of their daily routine. One of the most appealing aspects about stretching, aside from the effects it brings, is it’s one of the most simple forms of exercise that almost every person can do.

With that said, this article is to educate readers on the benefits of stretching why everyone healthy enough should partake in it.

It’s also a good way to get people to be more motivated in working out, as stretching is an opportunity to help get a person to work out in other ways also. It’s worth mentioning that stretching is also essential when partaking in sporting activities, as it’s beneficial for one to keep their muscles strong and flexible. However, stretching isn’t just for those who participate in a high level of physical activities, it’s for doing pretty much anything physical, in general.

As one can search online for reliable information on the concept of stretching, one specific source that discusses such a subject is Harvard Health Publishing, to which they have an article on the importance of stretching and the great effects of partaking in such an activity.

“Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints,” stated via Harvard Health Letter. “Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they are weak and unable to extend all the way. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage.”

For those who decide to start stretching more often, there is crucial information one must learn when deciding to do such a thing. While stretching is highly beneficial, there is a certain moderation that is required when doing so, as the same can be said to any form of physical exercise.

When stretching, it’s important to get enough time to warm up one’s muscles, while also making sure one does not stretch too much. Too much stretch could result in an injury if done wrong, which is why moderation is needed when dealing with one’s physicality.

“All it takes to warm up the muscles before stretching is five to 10 minutes of light activity, such as a quick walk. You can also stretch after an aerobic or weight-training workout,” stated via Harvard Health Letter.

“Hold a stretch for 30 seconds. Don’t bounce, which can cause injury. You’ll feel tension during a stretch, but you should not feel pain. If you do, there may be an injury or damage in the tissue. Stop stretching that muscle and talk to your doctor.’

From taking on any type of physical exercise, one should always consult a doctor if it’s crucial at any time.

The post Benefits of Stretching appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Original source: https://socialmediaexplorer.com/content-sections/tools-and-tips/benefits-of-stretching/

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How to Fully Optimize Your Google My Business Listing written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

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Henry Ford, the great industrialist and credited as the man who almost single handedly popularized the Automobile once said, “If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own”

Meanwhile, Winston Churchill once said, “Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.

Most people, including philosophers, would say that the truth about the importance of different points of view falls somewhere in the middle between those two tactics.

Shalom Lamm, a Real Estate Developer and Chief Executive Officer for Operation Benjamin which seeks to locate Jewish Graves from American Military Cemeteries and were buried under non-Jewish traditions and repatriate those graves certainly believes so.

His father Norman, who served as a Rabbi for 25 years, in the US, shaped his beliefs.

His father taught him that tolerance was one of the highest virtues of a person and an essential teaching of the Jewish faith.

Without being able to bend one’s views and be tolerant, most people fail miserably at getting along in the world.

And in business as well, as Henry Ford said, being flexible not only opens one’s eyes to a different point of view which may at least have very valid points, but give and take, in both business and politics is often a key element to winning the majority of your requirements in a negotiation.

On the other hand, if you clutch too tightly to your personal views, not only will reasonable alternatives tend to escape one, but the other party is liable to take a viewpoint of stronger resistance as well.

Understanding another’s point of view is essentially a matter of respect. The more respect shown to the other person, the less they feel that opposing points of view are a personal attack.

As business author Stephen Covey says, “When you really listen to another person from their point of view and reflect back to them that understanding, it’s like giving them emotional energy.”

Not only is Stephen Covey right, but that breath of emotional energy may be enough so that they relax emotionally and begin to comprehend in returns.

When both parties are relaxed and see negotiations as a discussion and not a war, miracles can happen.

Unfortunately, being cognizant of the other person’s point of view is not something most people learn in school.

And in fact, many great negotiators often learn to begin to open their minds only after failing at a number of important negotiations.

If they are lucky, they will have a wise mentor that will teach them the art and science of being open.

Most people with an over exaggerated of their own opinions come to negotiate from a scarcity mindset there is a limited supply of anything, be it money, or freedom, and that one needs a clutch tightly to obtain their share.

Actually, it’s the opposite. The more open you are, the less it turns out there is a limited supply.

The post Importance of Understanding Different Points of View appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Original source: https://socialmediaexplorer.com/content-sections/news-and-noise/importance-of-understanding-different-points-of-view/

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Weekend Favs March 6 written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

My weekend blog post routine includes posting links to a handful of tools or great content I ran across during the week.

I don’t go into depth about the finds, but encourage you to check them out if they sound interesting. The photo in the post is a favorite for the week from an online source or one that I took out there on the road.

Shalom Lamm knows that while planning to start a family, the advice on child development will flood one’s general head space. Words of commonplace ideas for swaddling techniques and what milestones to prepare for will spew like geysers from every conceivable direction. But the most important piece of guidance for raising a child is one that cannot be found in a book or twisted among the mouths of loved ones. Remember, bringing a person into this world is just that, bearing and raising a person. Not a baby, not a toddler, a human life that will ultimately grow into, with all hope, a functional human that contributes to society.

Ultimately, the sleepless nights of the newborn phase dissolve into the seemingly frustrating phase of toddlerhood, where the building blocks of teenage problem solving begin to form. Pay attention to those toddler years. The parts of the brain where emotions meet reasoning have yet to be connected. Parents and guardians can help develop proper coping skills or guiding a child through their emotions to be able to self-regulate or more calmly express their thought process is an invaluable tool that sets the building blocks for being an emotionally available adult.

“Do as I say, not as I do”, is an outdated phrase that only models to growing minds that people spend time doing what they find value in, despite what is being said of what someone values. A big area where modeling the importance of chores can be shown is in day-to-day life and recognizing when chores need to be completed. Kids learn the gravity of a good attitude towards situations through their modeling guardian. While doing mundane chores with a “joyful heart” may seem silly and trite, the general sentiment of doing the laundry with a pleasant scent can result in having a favorite shirt to wear and enjoying the warmth of it fresh from the dryer. Not every task on the path of life is enjoyable but demonstrating ways to find flecks of things to look forward to in those less enjoyable moments provide an excellent guidepost for productive and enthusiastic future adults. The best way to hit home a point is by incorporating the attitude or behavior you wish to see reflected into daily life. Shalom Lamm is a strong believer in this method and tries to teach the importance of politeness and kindness to other humans by demonstrating grace and going the extra mile for their fellow man.

Parenting is hard. An otherworldly kind of hard. If the goal is to raise balanced, strong, emotionally thriving humans then, as the parent, those things need to be shown and reflected for the kids. To accomplish that, there is a huge overhaul process of unlearning the restrictive and destructive behaviors adopted thus far and relearning healthier habits to then be able to teach them. It is double the work and a real victorious moment for any parent willing to take on the challenge.

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Original source: https://socialmediaexplorer.com/content-sections/news-and-noise/how-to-be-a-responsible-parent/

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