Relating To Others Is Crucial In Social Media

My Thanksgiving was pretty enlightening. I will probably be fired from my family for writing this, so I hope there is someone out there willing to adopt me! The holiday began with my flight being cancelled. Considering my awful experience with Delta (Read more about that here: http://marjijsherman.com/updated-deltaassist-proves-its-bark-is-bigger-than-its-bite/), I was not very confident I was going to get to my family at all.

Then I found out I was only booked as standby on my rebooked flight. This was an interesting moment for me. I had the ability to send out a Tweet to 114K people that would tell the world just how much I hated Delta. In my moment of realizing I took at $70 cab ride to an airport that I might not even be flying out of ON Thanksgiving, it was incredibly tempting. I resisted, and sent out an only partially frustrated Tweet.

Three hours later, after tons of drama between everyone stuck at La Guardia on Thanksgiving and the airlines, a God thing happened. I was able to be booked on a flight that would arrive sooner, and land in a city closer to the town my family lives in. Oh, and I also received a voucher for taking it. Boom.

Now, what would have happened if I had sent out the profane, aggressive Tweet I wanted to about Delta in my moment of anger and frustration? I would have looked like quite an ass when I ended up being booked on a better flight, and received an reward for my patience. (Kudos to Delta’s social team for being awesome, online and alert during Thanksgiving, btw.)

Now, back home, my mom was struggling to make a homemade Thanksgiving dinner by herself, since my original flight was cancelled. On top of that, she was trying to cook the turkey around my constantly changing arrival time. She handled it like a  pro, though, and was able to get me at the airport.

Then, we got home, and realized someone had turned the oven off in the midst of getting Marji from the airport. Needless to say, we had an amazingly delicious Thanksgiving meal full of wonderful sides, but no turkey.

Then came family photo time. And that is the moment that the family feud began. Grandpa announced the household that he would no longer be in any photos that would be going on the internet. Period. (Mind you, these photos were for my Instagram.) A rant than ensued that photos do not belong online, blah, blah, blah, with a lovely finale of how incredibly ridiculous ALL social media is.

I stood there, speechless. While this might sound just like a typical rant from a 90 year old man to anyone else, this was a direct hit on my very profession from one of the most important people in my life. As I sat there in complete shock, my mom took took over the conversation.

It was during this discussion that my mom said something that absolutely blew my mind. My lovely mother said: “Dad, remember the photos that Mom used to keep in her wallet of Marji and the girls? She loved to take them out and show them to everyone she talked to. Marji posting photos of us on Facebook is no different. She wants people to see her family, just like Mom wanted to show off her grandchildren.” Boom. Five minutes later, we were posing for photos with the mutts.

I was so engrossed in taking his outrage over my profession personally, that I didn’t even do MY JOB of relating social media back to him. I just gave up. I think this happens more than we think with social media. Instead of being patient and trying to figure out a new way to describe it to company, boss or friend that might not understand it, we blame them for being ignorant and walk away. Yes, we have a responsibility to be experts in our field, but we also have a responsibility to educate others in ways that relate to THEM, not just to us.

Thank God for a patient mom that could step in during my moment of frustration and my own form of ignorance, and relate social media to a conservative, 90 year old man. Thank God for people that have the patience and understanding to rephrase concepts and ideas in relatable ways. We all should try to be like them a little more.

Do you have any analogies that have helped during your moments explaining social media to companies, bosses, friends, family? Comment below 

– Marji J. Sherman

5 Easy Ways To Convert A Consumer Via Social Media

So I have a bit of an obsession with red lipstick. I also have a bit of a loyalty towards my cosmetic brands. However, the way I found my very first red lipstick was a little less routine than how I usually find my cosmetics (word of mouth/reviews). It was about this time a couple of years ago, and I wanted a bright red lip for the holidays. So, I waltzed right into a Sephora and took a stranger’s word as to what was THE BEST re

One of my Instagram photos sporting Red Burlesque lipstick.

d lipstick. Paired with a waterproof lipliner I also fell in love with that day, I have never strayed way from the two brands –> until now.

For whatever reason, tons of people ask me what lipstick I use. From Twitter followers, to people in Walgreen’s, I get asked what brand of red lipstick I rock. Being a social media strategist, I found this was the perfect scenario for a lipstick brand. Here you have a girl who wears your lipstick all of the time, calling you out on Twitter on a regular basis to her 100K + followers. Perfect opp, right?!

Here’s the kicker — that little lipstick brand NEVER responded to me. They did not even do as much as favorite one of my Tweets. WTF. I have been an advocate for their brand over and over again through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. and NOTHING. Nada. While a little put off, it didn’t mean the world to me that they didn’t respond, because I still loved their lipstick, so whatevs.

Then a little brand named Red Burlesque made a genius social media play –> They sent me a spicy, energetic Tweet about loving the red lipstick I wore, and said that if I DM’d them, they’d send me some of their own to try. As if that wasn’t enough to pique my interest, they found me on Instagram the SAME day and left non-salesy compliments on some of my Instagram photos. How could I ignore this brand that was complimenting me and not pressuring me into buying something? I wrote back that I’d love to try their brand, but could not decide on a color. They chose two for me right away and asked me for an address.

Now, this was when I was in the middle of my massive move to NYC, without an address. So, I completely forgot about it. However, during this time, they continued to leave tactful comments on my Instagram photos and respond to some Tweets. When they saw I was finally in NYC, they sent a friendly reminder DM and gave me their CEO’s email to send my address to. Once I had my address, I emailed the CEO, who quickly emailed me back, and within a FEW days I had two lovely lipsticks from AUSTRALIA.

A week later, let me tell you, I will NEVER go back to that old brand. Not only am I super impressed by the social media prowess of Red Burlesque, I am SUPER SUPER impressed by how long their lipstick stays on compared to the other one AND how much better of a red it is!

With a few simple steps and the cost of two lipsticks (and shipping from Australia  ), Red Burlesque gained an influencer relationship that already has provided them numerous genuine Tweets, Instagram posts and now this blog post. Genius, am I right?!

I completely get that not all of you wear red lipstick, but here are some incredible lessons to be had from Red Burlesque’s cheeky interactions with me:

• Do your research.
  • Red Burlesque must have searched hashtags relevant to red lipstick on Twitter and Instagram. I use #redlips frequently in Instagram posts. Instead of searching through followers, or basic old hashtags, Red Burlesque did their research to find users using any and all hashtags pertaining to red lips. Research allows you to find new consumers that might not know about your brand in the first place, but use a product similar to what you sell. This narrow targeting can help you gain followers and consumers on a huge level.
• Be genuinely interested.
  • Red Burlesque did not just chat with me about red lipstick. If they had, I would have been turned off about them just trying to sell me something. Instead, they liked other photos on my Instagram and kept a friendly, non-salesy conversation going with me through comments and Tweets. Acting genuinely interested in potential consumers helps build trust and cultivates their interest in you, as well.
• Don’t ask for anything.
  • Red Burlesque was not pushy with me about trying their red lipstick. They obviously suggested that I did because that was their end goal, but they did not keep pushing the subject. On top of that, once I provided my address, they did not beg me to Tweet about it, or Instagram a photo of it. This is SO crucial, especially when dealing with influencers. The more forced an influencer feels about talking about your brand, the less they will. By not asking for anything, my social media posts about the brand were able to be more genuine, and that probably felt better to Red Burlesque, too, that I was genuinely a new fan of the brand.
• Provide security.
  • When I didn’t respond with my address at first, Red Burlesque was smart by offering the CEO’s name and email address to send my address to. Providing your consumers with a credible name and face will help you get their address and secure info you need to send them products.
• Be confident in your product.
  • As my mother said, “They had to be 100 percent secure in their product to just up and send it to you like that, knowing you already had a red lipstick fave.” –> She is absolutely right. Red Burlesque knew they had a good product, so they weren’t afraid to offer it to someone already in love with their lipstick. As I mention in a previous post (http://marjijsherman.com/im-calling-bullshit-social-media-≠-magic-bullet/) you have to have a STRONG product before you can have STRONG social media.

Another lesson to be had here? INTERACT with your brand advocates –> especially the ones that naturally gravitate towards your brand! My previous lipstick brand made it SO EASY to switch by never responding to me, and, luckily for me, the thief provided a product so much better than the original.

Next step: Eventually get a new profile pic on Twitter with a Red Burlesque lipstick in it, so I can start proudly answering those numerous questions about what lipstick I wear.

– Marji J. Sherman

How To Be Truly Authentic In Social Media

It's interesting have over 100K followers on Twitter. To some people, it means absolutely nothing because they've barely even heard of Twitter and have no idea how it works. To others, it's unbelievable and there must be some super malicious, sneaky way that I bought my way there. Then, the ones I love dearly, they wholeheartedly understand social and are willing to have a down to earth convo about it. Perhaps the oddest thing that's come of it, is the question of whether I am actually who I am on Twitter in real life. The first time I was asked this question, I was completely caught off guard. Why the HELL would I cultivate a Twitter following and write blog posts every week under a fake personality? I honestly thought the person was just messing with me, and laughed it off. Then, they asked the question again.

Here's the deal --> You'd have to ask one of the 100K that knows me in real life AND follows me closely on Twitter to get an unbiased answer-- and it's really hard to find someone that follows my every move on Twitter AND my every move in real life. If that person exists, I am concerned for their social life. However, my biased answer is that Twitter is simply an online reflection of moments and thoughts I have in real life, in real moments. I don't tweak it to sound cooler, or exaggerate to get more rise out of my audience. First off, I'm smart enough to know that I am likely to run in to some of my followers in real life and having two separate personalities off and online would cause some issues. Second off, I started my Twitter account and blog for ME to write about MY experiences-- not to gain a ton of followers. And, if I ever and to give only one piece of advice for anyone in social who wanted a big following-- that would be it --> Do social for yourself and stay true to yourself, and the followers will come. Sounds corny, but it's true. Granted, I have to remind myself that 100K people are going to read what I put out there, so I have that extra layer of awareness, but, unless your my significant other, BFF, or in my immediate family, that extra layer exists anyways. (I.e. "Never say anything you don't care if the whole world hears.")

I've seen the exact same thing work for the brands I've worked with. The moment they decide it's about gaining followers, they lose their engagement and interested of the followers, which does NOTHING to gain more followers. However, if they stay true to their brand through thick and thin --> followers stay with them through thick and thin AND recommend the brand to friends. This, my friends, is called being authentic.

Authenticity is not framing a photo so it looks authentic to the audience. It is not signing up to a do a charity event and blasting out on all your social channels that you are such an amazing brand for doing a charity event. Authenticity is not learning the lingo of the fans you want to attract and starting to use it in all of your messaging.

Authenticity is producing content and conversations that tie directly back to the core values of YOUR brand. Sure, you can tweak copy and images to appeal to a certain demographic, but at the end of the day those copy and images better also directly link back to the brand, or you've done nothing but create some fake persona of your brand that you are now going to have to struggle to live up to and might even be called out for.

Social is simply a tool to amplify your brand-- so don't give into all of the trends and the new buzzword of "authenticity" that is being misused all over the internet. If you really want to be authentic, figure out who you are as a brand and go out and do things on social that represent those values. If that means volunteering at an event and covering it on social-- cool. However, if you just volunteer at event to follow the "authentic" trend, then you are NOT being authentic --> you're being  a poser brand, and BELIEVE ME, that will show through at one point or another, and completely backfire.

Yea, I have over 100K followers on Twitter, but that's not because I set out to have thousands of followers on Twitter --> It's because I set out to show the world who I am as a person and share my beliefs and opinions and expertise on topics I'm passionate about. It's because I listen to my followers and ask them how their day is going as well, and I am GENUINELY interested in their lives, as much as they are interested in mine. It's because, no matter how dicey or great or unbelievable life gets, I share that will them. I give them an authentic piece of myself, and they follow me back.

You want a huge social community for your brand? Start by being a brand that is true to itself, and understands and lives the true meaning of authenticity -- not the buzzword version.

- Marji J. Sherman

Keep It Simple In Social Media

When I started my first job in NYC, I never missed the opportunity to pick up an Inc., and lust after the new business ventures and advice featured in the magazine. Something about Inc. and I just clicked. So ---> I was absolutely starstruck when a writer for Inc. followed me on Twitter. Yep, that's all it takes, people.

So you can only imagine my level of shock when he asked to interview me. I had to read the Tweet a couple of times to make sure he meant me --> seriously?! What in the world would he want with me?

A few weeks later, the article was published on Inc. and the replies came in drones (read full article here --> In the Game of Twitter-World Domination, Meaningful Engagement Is a Touchdown). I was, again, in shock. Not only was I in an article on Inc., but people were actually loving it! However, the replies surprised me. The most common one was thanking me and the writer (the lovely Mr. Bill Carmody) for keeping it simple yet relevant. People LOVED that they could read the article and immediately act on everything within it, without employing some social media guru to read between the lines. For me, I wasn't trying to make it easy on the reader --> I was just sharing the valuable things I knew about Twitter (and I had an excellent interviewer!).

What can we learn? KEEP IT SIMPLE. I love sharing Don Draper's famous quote, "Keep it simple but significant." It's one my most Tweeted quotes! Why? Simplicity is attractive on social media. Simple leads to connections because simple allows people to easily, efficiently respond and participate in conversations.

Now, I'm not saying you should go dumb down your company and try again on social. I AM saying that you should not waste time trying to come up with the most elaborate social strategy in the world just to say that you have the most elaborate social strategy in the world. The focus should never be at creating complexity on social. If your contest takes more than one glance to enter, people won't enter it. If your conversation takes a dictionary and Wikipedia to participate, people won't participate. No

I'm not saying elaborate social strategies aren't effective. I've seen many complex strategies that worked well for that brand. I am saying that the initial give from your consumer needs to be matched by the value you are giving them as a brand. If you are providing them with an awesome free trip to Europe for a month, then maybe they will stay interested long enough to follow through with your Instagram hunt. However, if you're just wanting them to follow your Instagram hunt for the hell of it, or a small prize they could have picked up at the 7-11, then don't expect many of them to follow through on it.

Simple resonates. Simple doesn't mean that you have to speak in layman's terms and really, REALLY spell it out for the consumer. It just means that you need to be direct, cut the flowery bullshit and gimmicks, and provide your consumer with valuable content right off the bat. Don Draper's quote doesn't end at "make it simple" --> he adds BUT SIGNIFICANT. Using a straightforward approach in social media will help make you more significant to your consumers by allowing them to more effectively engage with you. By clearly outlining what you want from them, or what you can give them, you pave the road for meaningful relationships.

What made my interview with Inc. successful? I was straight to the point and didn't try to sell some bullshit philosophy. I explained exactly what I do on a daily basis with my own Twitter account --> no gimmicks, just heartfelt experience.

Try a more simple approach with your consumers and see what happens. They might just actually join the conversation, and maybe even start joining the conversation. If you're really lucky, a writer from Inc. will reach out to you ;)

- Marji J. Sherman

5 Road Bumps That Warrant Altering Your Social Media Goals

2013 was a huge year for me. 13 = my lucky number --> I was born on Jan 13th. On Christmas Eve 2012, I reflected on over twenty things I wanted to happen in my life in the next year. Low and behold, by Christmas Eve 2013, I had accomplished damn near every one of them --> much to my own surprise. See, I have an excellent habit of achieving goals...OVER-achieving goals. This is most likely due to my Type A personality and slight case of OCD. I set my sight on something, and I go and get it.

However, my goal accomplishments of 2013 did not yield the euphoria I expected them to. In fact, my rigidness on achieving those twenty-something goals written on a cold night in 2012, led to some very staunch life lessons. You can see bits and pieces of these life lessons throughout my blog posts from the past year and a half. While I don't believe in regrets, and am incredibly grateful of the wisdom gained from the consequences of sticking to my goals no matter what life threw at me, it got me thinking --> Had I been more flexible in my goals, altering them with the ever-changing tide of life, I could have had a bit of a less bumpy path.

Similarly, this is something I see again and again with clients. They set goals, content calendars, big campaigns for their year on social media, and then refuse to deviate from them as the year unfolds. While I appreciate the dedication to goals, the very same dedication I identify with in myself, sticking to the them can often create a mess, or even worse, box a company in so they look years behind in the social universe.

Here are some road bumps that can occur within a year that are worth altering your brand social goals for:

• A New Social Network 
• Social media changes FAST. It is almost a guarantee that the network you put all of your focus and spend on at the beginning of the year will be beaten out by another network by the end of the year. If you start a campaign on Facebook that is tied to a million Facebook metrics, and you see that another network is of more interest to your consumers, SWITCH NETWORKS. Modify your campaign to fit the network your consumers are on.
• Unexpected Reaction To A New Product
• Sometimes you expect a specific conversation to grow around a new product, and once it his the social waves it starts a completely different conversation than you ever expected it to. GO WITH IT. Follow the conversation that fans started, and be grateful you have fans interested enough in that product to start organic conversations about it. Don't be so rigid with your campaign plan that you ignore what the consumers WANT to talk about.
• Current News
• When I was interning, I was required to read the news for at least thirty minutes everyday when I got to the office in the morning. This was the BEST assignment ever. Not only did it give me topics for cocktail parties, it gave me a heads up on what social conversations needed to be altered for the day based on what was happening in the world. You can see hundreds of examples of companies that stuck to their goals and original messaging through HUGE world news and happenings, and received HUGE criticism and detachment from their fan base. Keeping an eye on world events should be one of your top priorities as as a social professional.
• A Rocky Road
• Yes, rocky roads can teach us all a little something, but if achieving your goal and metrics is leaving your social community hostile, or empty, then it's time to ditch it. An example of this is putting all of your manpower behind audience development, while falling behind on consumer engagement. Yes, you might get the number of fans you wanted, but does it matter if you're getting called out for your lack of engagement with fans?
• Tacky Transparency 
• The moment a consumer recognizes they are just a pawn in your end goal, you are finished. First off, the consumer should always be at the top of your mind when creating a social goal, or you shouldn't be practicing social media. Taking that a step further, you should make sure your goal is so flawlessly executed that the consumer never feels like they are just a piece of your strategy. If you sense consumers are catching on to what you are trying to accomplish in social, and start to feel like minute pieces of a puzzle for you to gain money or exposure on, tweak your goal. Effective social strategies mean the consumer is never aware of the bare bones of the strategy, or their role in it from a business standpoint. They should always feel like they are having an authentic, enjoyable experience with your brand. 

Goals are awesome. I will probably do a post soon on how to set effective social goals. However, flexibility is just as important as setting goals when it comes to social media. The social media playing field is changing ALL OF THE TIME, and you need to make sure that your goals are fluid enough to change with it. You can't predict social conversations like you can predict other parts of business, and you need to make sure you are leaving room for that little fact in your strategy development sessions. Otherwise, you might end up learning some pretty tough lessons in front of the entire world.

- Marji J. Sherman 

5 Rules Of Ethics On Social Media

I'm in the middle of a move right now, so the last few days have been full of selling everything from my three bedroom house, packing boxes to ship to NYC, working overtime, and making sure to get all of the logistics down from moving from rural Wisconsin back to the big city. So-- you can imagine my shock when this floated through my Twitter feed yesterday afternoon:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is MY journal. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I consistently journal at my age. I'm a writer at heart --> always have been, always will be.

My initial thought was that someone had bought my blank journal the movers must have taken to Goodwill, and they were sincerely thanking me for it. Then, I saw the gold 'Newport Beach' writing on the front, and realized it was my most recent journal, with real-life, really personal, entries in it. Then, I saw the hashtag --> #TeamScott --> Scott happens to be someone written about in that journal. That's when I started freaking out.

I called Goodwill, told them to hold the journal until tomorrow, and asked them not to get the two who Tweeted it in trouble. However, after I slept on it, I noticed that the two in the photo are laughing with my journal in hand, and that Tweet is one of two from the Twitter account they used, AND that Twitter account only has two followers (as of today). Sketch.

I thought it was important for Goodwill to know about this breech of privacy, and had this conversation with them:

I'm sorry --> REALLY?! Your employees posted someone else's journal online, while at work, while wearing YOUR company's t-shirts, and you are just going to have me contact local or regional?! No response would have been better, as my community kindly let them know:

Now some of you might argue the two employees are genuine with their thanks, and some might argue they are pulling my leg. Regardless, here is what they should have done: Follow me on Twitter and ask me to follow them back and DM them because they found something of mine, or send their inspirational message privately (if genuine).

Since they did not do that, Goodwill should have given a more genuine apology and offered to handle it themselves instead of putting work back on to me. It seems that they can easily Tweet someone's personal details, but they can't Tweet help to clean up their own mess?

Just around this lovely scenario, here are 5 rules to make sure you are staying ethical with your social networks:

1. Get permission --> If you want to share someone's property or information, ask them first.
2. Keep emotionally sensitive feedback private, unless you know the other party and their comfort level with the information being public.
3. Work is still work, even on your personal profile --> Draw the line between your work social media and your personal social media. Don't share sensitive information from your work on your personal social network.
4. Ask if you're okay with the entire world seeing what you are posting on social (seems like common sense).
5. If you have ANY questions at all on the sensitive nature of content, DON'T SHARE IT.

What are your thoughts on this? Comment below.

Update: After publishing this post, Goodwill reached back out and had this conversation. There was no apology or recognition of wrongdoing when I picked up the journal from my local Goodwill store.

Update #2: Received this welcomed response from another Goodwill handle.

Update #3: Received this apology from original Tweeter:

- Marji J. Sherman

Using Social Media As A Cohesive Tool Across All Media

I announced I was moving back to NYC strictly on Facebook yesterday. I tend to post important personal things first on Facebook, since most people that know me IRL are Facebook friends and not necessarily Twitter followers. Naive little me was caught off guard when this personal announcement  was suddenly ALL OVER Twitter. Well no shit, Marji.

The most ironic thing about this is that a lot of brands I've worked with struggle with the understanding that it is not about having a NETWORK strategy --> It is about having an OVERALL strategy. I've literally had clients that want me to release news on one social network, but not acknowledge it on another. Or, they want to talk about something publicly, but not acknowledge that same conversation in written social media conversations. What?!

The problem with that is once news is publicly released, you cannot control the public from speaking about it. They have a right to be excited and talk about whatever you chose to put into traditional media on social media, or whatever you put on Facebook on Twitter. In fact, it's AWESOME if they choose to do this. Isn't the point of social having authentic conversations with your consumers? Some brands would die to have consumers just happen to start up a conversation about them on social.

I found the most important thing when coaching brands through this idea was explaining to them that once the conversation has already happened, whether it be in traditional media, in a press conference, or a T.V. spot, it is automatically social. You have to understand that after you discuss something on ANY outlet, it is free game in the social media landscape and has to be addressed. If you don't want it on social media, then don't talk about it in the first place.

Then, comes the next step that it is not just about keeping conversations to one network. You have to create a strategy that allows fluid conversations across all networks, and even across all digital and traditional landscapes. You want consumers to feel like the brand they see in a magazine, is the same brand on TV, and the same brand having conversations with them on social. Having this cohesive brand strategy will allow consumers to identify more with your brand, and set expectations for them. Yes, messages need to be tailored to each network, but, at the end of the day, it needs to be the same message and same brand the consumer is finding on all networks.

Social media is NOT just about social media. It's not a separate department that should be siloed off somewhere. It's a critical tool that can help amplify messages already being sent out through other media. I mean, just break the world apart (elementary, I know) --> Media that is social. Brands can try to fit in a box, if they like, but they will soon find out that it is not a controlled environment where they can harness every single conversation.

Oh, and, by the way, I'm moving back to NYC (Might as well cover all the bases ;) ).

- Marji J. Sherman

Millennials Kicking Ass --> Jay Mayo

A few weeks ago, a random person asked me if they could interview me for their podcast. Now, I don't just respond to any damn old request for a podcast. There was something absolutely uplifting and positive about this person I had never heard of, that I absolutely felt I had to do the podcast. Thinking it was about my professional work, I sent back what I was/was not allowed to talk about and told him to go ahead and set up a date. Then, I realized the podcast had absolutely nothing to do with my work and absolutely everything to do with the relationships in my life.

See, Jay Mayo is not just some random dude. Jay Mayohappens to run an incredibly successful business around the idea that everyone has a right to genuine, authentic love --> both of self, and others, called The R.I.G.H.T. to Real Love. After doing some research on him, he quickly went from some random person to someone I would love to be someday.

Then, I recorded the podcast, and absolutely went into a starstruck state. Jay Mayo is hands down the NICEST, most energetic interviewer I have had yet. He made me feel like I was walking on water the entire time, taking an apprehension I had of publicly discussing my relationships away. This man has got it going on, and he is only 29. His drive and ambition paired with business smarts breaks a million Millennial stereotypes. This, my friends, is a millennial kicking ass. Here are Jay's answers to the two questions that I think are most important when looking at his astounding career:

How did you get into doing your podcast?

I can sum up how I got into doing the Right to R.E.A.L. Love Radio podcast in one word: GOD.

To be honest, it is as simple as that. I began to seek God at the beginning of 2014, asking Him to please reveal my purpose to me. I wanted to know why He created me and what I was meant to do and accomplish during my time here on earth.

Looking back now, I wasn’t ready for the answer He provided. He revealed to me that I was to continue podcasting, but not the same way that I had grown accustomed to.

He showed me that there are singles who need to be encouraged to embrace their singleness and that there are billions of people who need their relationships to be improved and empowered. Once I finally submitted and surrendered to His will, the Right to R.E.A.L. Love Radio podcast was born.

Why is it important that you do it?

It is important that I continue my work with the Right to R.E.A.L. Love Radio podcast because, unlike the podcasts I had before it, it is not my podcast. It is God’s. I am nothing more than the vessel that He has chosen to do this work for Him, at this point in time. I am humbled, honored and privileged to have this opportunity.

Each day, I ask God to show me what He will have me do and to continue leading and guiding my every step. I never want to forget my position. I am a servant and I want to continue serving God and all of His children on this earth, in any and every way that He asks me to.

What's your advice for fellow Millennials? 

I would advise fellow Millennials to seek God, our Heavenly Father. Why? Because He is our Source and if we desire to truly fulfill our life's purpose, we must seek the Source. Far too often, we think we can acheive "true success" on our own. We can't. Without God, we will always miss the mark. So I advise every Millennial, who has a desire to leave a positive and lasting impact on this world and the next generation, to seek the Source. That's the only way that no talent, gift, ability, potential or resource they have been gifted with, by Him, will be wasted.

This is part of a series showcasing Millennials that are kicking ass in life, breaking the stereotypes. It was inspired by this article --> How Exponential Missed The Mark On Stereotyping Millennials. If you know of a Millennial kicking ass, email their info to Marji@ShermanSocial.com.

5 Expectations of Brands on Social Media

I traveled a lot this weekend, and after my nice little snafu with Frontier Airlines (more on that here --> If Your Brand Is A 24/7 Service, Then Your Social Media Needs To Be A 24/7 Service ), I had ZERO expectations of US Airways to acknowledge any of my Tweets. However, as a social media strategist, it's nearly impossible for me to not include the handles I know of brands. So, I kept US Airways' handle in my Tweet of an awesome sunset from my flight, and went on with my life.

Much to my surprise, LESS than an hour later, they responded:

 

Lesson learned? My low expectations worked to US Airways' benefit when they actually responded to my Tweet. There was a lot more value to it since I didn't necessarily expect it after expectations set for me by another airline.

Now, that's a perfect scenario, right?! Just have consumers with low expectations. However, Frontier Airlines didn't fair so nicely when I had high expectations set by their "Be A Social Animal" campaign advertised all over their terminal. Due to their extensive branding of their social networks, I was shocked when they DIDN'T respond to me until the next day, and even then, it was a catty response. 

I naturally am a high-expectation person, and I am in the social media industry, so I took to Twitter to find out if other consumers have expectations just as high as I do, and I found out ---> they do. 

Based on those convos, and my own opinion, here are my top five consumer expectations a brand should be aware of:

 

•  Consistency: If you can't be online all of the time, that's fine, but STATE IT SOMEWHERE. Provide your hours on your social networks and ad messaging that clearly states when people can expect you to be online. You will avoid MANY headaches and complaints by setting the expectation that you are just simply not a 24/7 social community. Be careful here, though. If your service is 24/7, then your social should be too.

 

• Authenticity: Stick to your brand values, and be real with your consumers. At the end of the day, they know it's another human on the other end of that Twitter handle, so you better have some resemblance of humanity and transparency. Don't try to fit into every social trend, or copy every brand that is doing social well. Find your own voice, and stick to it. Who knows, maybe then you'll become one of those brands that people drool over on social.

 

• Responsiveness: Why should a consumer engage with on social media if you aren't even taking the time to engage with them? Consumers expect a response when they reach out to you on social media, so make it a mission to get every question out there answered by your team. Period.

 

• Value: As with any social relationship, it's give and take. If you are taking your consumers' time, then you need to give them something in return. Make sure your content resonates with what THEY want, not just want you think they want. (Learn more here --> How To Produce VALUABLE Content In Social Media )

• Empathy: This is the hardest, but one of the most important, expectations to meet. As a brand, you are not a human. However, as a social brand, you need to have human qualities. Consumers want to feel understood when they write in about issues they're having with your products, and when they share a story with you on social about your brand. Empathy also means understanding when you make a mistake as brand, and owning up to it by understanding what that mistake cost your consumers. 

Most likely your consumers have some, if not all, of these expectations whether you set them or not. The word 'social' carries a lot of expectations with it, and it's critical that you meet them as a social brand. If you don't, you could end up with an angered consumer who writes a blog about it, or, even worse, end up with a consumer that decides your lack of social connection is enough for them to disconnect from your brand.

- Marji J. Sherman

How To Satirically Stereotype Millennials (And How To Stop It)

So AdWeek came out with a nice little segmented list putting us Millennials in even more specific hipster-boxes (Are These The 12 Types Of Millennials?) . My first thought was, "12?! That's a hell of a lot of groups to target." After actually reading the list my thought was, "WTF?!"

Perhaps the insult started when I found myself fitting best into the very first segment --> "Boss Babes". Okay, so let's give a great empowering title to women, and then degrade it by using 'babes'. Strike one. 

Next, I saw "Brogrammers".  Need I go on?! If anything, this list feels like a satire of the Millennial culture. There's words used in it I haven't heard since college, and even then they weren't cool.

How are titles like "The Underemployed", "Shut Out" and "Quarter-Life Crisis Millennial" supposed to give us any more cred in the current job force that already looks down on Milliennials as being a spoiled, selfish , lazy generation?!

This article comes at a timely moment for me, as I was just discussing this in a meeting this morning with a group of fellow Millennials. We all have great jobs, a strong work ethic and accomplishments under our belt --> and we are SICK of the media throwing us into a large trashcan and calling us all a lazy generation that's hurting the world.

So, what can be done?! There is obviously a HUGE stereotype out there that this article strongly speaks to, yet it seems, as with most stereotypes, only the negative qualities are amplified. The most grotesque thing about AdWeek's portrayal of this generation is the off-target photos it uses to illustrate us. From a girl that looks like she's taking a drunk selfie to another girl with her lollipop at work --> SERIOUSLY?!

Now I'm not saying there aren't real people out there that fall into all 12 of these categories, but I AM saying that the box they fall into isn't as boxed-in as AdWeek makes it out to be. Of course, these are generalizations, but COME ON. You seriously can't define empowered women with a more empowering title, or wicked smart tech geeks with a respected title?

I don't have a solution for counteracting assanine articles and stereotypes, except that each Millennial needs to speak LOUDER about the good they are doing, their accomplishments, their positive traits --> not only to show the world we're better than they paint us to be, but to encourage each other that no matter what the world (media) had to say, we are an ACTIVE, POSITIVE, ENGAGED generation working to solve problems that generations before created for us.

To start my chain of events, I am going to feature one Millennial bi-weekly that is doing AMAZING things. Then you can draw your own stereotypes and generalizations from real Millennials doing real things. Check back later this week for my first featured "bro", and if you know of any Millennials kicking ass, email me at Marji@ShermanSocial.com. Sincerely, your Boss Babe.

- Marji J. Sherman

Top 5 Qualities To Look For In A Social Media Hire

I fudged my way through my very first social media interview. I was a communications researcher coming from a firm on 42nd and Madison in NYC, and showed up to the interview hoping to fumble way through it by focusing on my mad research skills and how critical research is to social media. After a couple of months of searching for work in South Florida, I realized research wasn't as common as it was in NYC, and that, if it was, I had to speak Spanish and Portuguese. As I sat across from a CEO and a VP in a large room looking out on the perfectly landscaped grounds that are common in South Florida, I realized my time in NYC (and Type A personality) brought something way bigger than social media experience to the interview --> work ethic.

The pair complained about how they were having issues hiring anyone in the area that was willing to work after hours, or work at all, for that matter. Most recent hires they had stumbled into the offices up to a half hour late every morning, and left just before 5. So, while I was pretending to know more about social media than I did, and made promises that I, myself, wasn't even sure I could keep, they honed in on the fact that I was used to working until AT LEAST 9 at night.

I was hired on the spot, and started the next day, with a promise of almost a 25 percent increase in salary if I could deliver on promises of audience development and engagement by the end of the month.

I spent the next three weeks at the offices until 6, did a brief yoga stint, and then worked until 10. EVERY NIGHT. I researched everything I possibly could on how Facebook algorithms worked, how the best companies were structuring their social, what our fans were actually interested in. I tested tons of content, modifying and remodifying strategy over and over again. I promised the company a certain level of work by the end of the month, and I was going to deliver. Period.

At the end of my first three weeks, it was time for quarterly bonuses for the company. I was called into the CEO's office, nervous that my approach to social media might not be as profound as I sold it to be. Much to my surprise, he gave me a speech about how new-hires didn't qualify for bonuses until they had worked a full quarter, but due to my astounding work, I was not only getting a bonus, but a top-tier bonus.

He was right --> I had exceeded all one month goals set for me within three weeks. I couldn't quite believe it myself. Why had I been so successful? Probably because of my passion that developed for social media, probably because I was an excellent researcher, but most likely because I had a strong, STRONG work ethic.

A year later, it was my turn to hire my first social media team. I hired a fiesty, energetic girl who was excellent at writing but had zero experience in social media. I also added a boy still in school who also had little social media experience but awesome writing skills. Within a month, we were on the road to having a stellar social team. Why? Both had incredible work ethic AND passion.

Between my own first experience in social media, and hiring in my own team, I've realized that social media skills are FAR from what a hiring manager should be looking at when it comes to social media. Yes, they're nice to have, but they mean absolutely NOTHING when you can't get a hold of that skilled specialist when a crisis occurs after hours. So here's my breakdown of what's super important:

• Work Ethic
• Let's face it --> social media is not rocket scientist. You can teach skills, but you cannot teach work ethic. With the 24/7 nature of social media, you need someone on your team that is going to be willingly available to help at all hours.
• Passion
• Also due to the 24/7 nature, you need someone that LOVES social media. They don't have to be a skilled expert, but they DO have to be completely obsessed with how and why it works. If they're going to be living, eating, breathing it, then they need to be in love with it.
• Multitasking 
• Answering a million Tweets while on the phone discussing a new strategy is a common situation for social media specialists. They need to be able to be in multiple places at once, while still paying attention to detail and sending out the right messages. 
• Patience
• HUGE one here. There are some nasty people out there, and someone touching social media everyday needs to be able to handle them with grace. You don't need a social media crisis on your hands because someone went off on a consumer. 
• Empathy
• You can fill in any empathetic word here. Basically, you need someone on your team that understands humans. They need to CONNECT with your consumers on a level beyond marketing, so they can send out the authentic, genuine responses your consumers want without you micromanaging them.

There are tons of other qualities important to those serving on a social media team, but these are some of my top ones. Anyone can, and usually do, have social media skills. The skills can be taught --> the qualities that make social media professionals pros cannot.

As I learned at the beginning of my own career --> work ethic supersedes skills. You can teach yourself what you need to know.

- Marji J. Sherman

If Your Brand Is A 24/7 Service, Then Your Social Media Needs To Be A 24/7 Service

I do not like Frontier Airlines. It probably started when I realized I had to PAY for a regular drink, or maybe because my knees have bruises on them after being dug into the seat in front of me the whole flight. Or maybe, just maybe, it's because after suffering through a VERY delayed flight on Sunday night that turned pretty much into a redeye, they sent me an extremely cold, stoic Tweet that said their social media is not 24/7.

My hatred of their social team began when I needed to know if there was space on a certain flight for my dog. The flight was leaving that day, and I had already spent a half hour on hold to Frontier. So, I took to Twitter. Let's just say, I was way past needing to know if my dog could get on a flight by the time I got a response AND the response told me to call customer service. Okay...thanks.

So, my expectations were pretty low when I started documenting my delay in the Denver airport Sunday night. I didn't start to get pissed off until I was FINALLY walking into my flight in an exhausted haze, and saw this beautiful sign:

I stared at it for a moment, completely perplexed. Not only were they socially MIA, they had a call to action for you to engage with them?! Wtf.

When I still had no response when I finally landed in Milwaukee, I sent out this:


My flight thanked me.

I didn't get TRULY pissed off, though, until, after a sleepless night, I saw this:

So you mean to tell me that you have a business that operates 24/7 and I'm expected to get back to my house FIVE hours later than scheduled and go to my office on NO sleep the next morning, and your response is that you aren't 24/7?! Oh no, no, no.

Two things going on here --> Lack of connecting with consumers AND shitty understanding of social media (especially if you are still living in a universe where you can publicly make a statement that it's not 24/7).

I will most likely never fly Frontier again, and it's not because of the delay, it's not because of the crumb-filled dirty seat I had to sit in --> It's because I was looking for compassion and a personality and a timely response when I Tweeted them, and I got back a defensive untimely response. As a consumer, this tells me something about the brand, and it's something that I don't want to associate myself with.

Also, Frontier NEVER mentions their second handle that kindly keeps their complaints off of the handle they so lovingly advertise in their posters around airports. While using separate handles is a common practice for airlines, usually the customer service handle is clearly identified somewhere so customers know who to Tweet. 

Now, Frontier could easily say that I'm just one person and I probably hardly fly them anyways. HOWEVER --> They are one of TWO airlines I fly home on a consistent basis, and I have a pretty tight friend group that also makes frequent trips home, and are also getting pretty sick of the airline.

Maybe it's a lack of social media understanding, or maybe it's just because this is a company that is having issues right now that are WAY bigger than social, but ANY company, no matter what size, is remiss if they think how they treat one consumer on social media is negligible.

So far, I was finally asked to send my email address, which I sent last night. Of course, no one answered until business hours this morning, and I still have not received an email. When I had an issue with Southwest Airlines, I had a voucher, heartfelt apology and a complaint sent to LGA on my behalf within 40 MINUTES of my initial Tweet. (Read more about that positive experience here --> Why @SouthwestAir Wins at Social )

Lessons learned:

• Don't advertise your social media unless you're active on it when your consumers are active with your brand.
• Advertise the correct handle for consumers to contact.
• Don't set up a second handle just to keep negative conversations off of your main account. 
• Connect with the emotions behind your consumers' complaint and frustration, and tailor response accordingly.
• Immediately act on information you ask for (If you ask for an email address, take the conversation to email ASAP)

And, by the way, Southwest is the other airline I fly when I go home. Lucky me.

- Marji J. Sherman