A “Value” Intervention

Let’s re-frame Value. It’s tripping up too many of us trying to use social media to establish our personal brand. So if you’re obsessed with “adding value” or constantly asking your followers if you add value then I hope this helps.

Start by wiping value from your mind.

Focus on being you and sharing what interests you.

That means be entertaining, funny, silly, curious, knowledgeable, bold, daring, insightful, droll…. What I mean is

replace the noun “value” with any adjective you like.

Do that and your voice, your contribution and even your content will be easier to share. I say let you out because your unique POV is your benefit to me and others.

As you replace value from your vocabulary also stop looking at how many people viewed your idea/post/words/etc. Views alone are a useless metric. A view is 3 seconds for Facebook and Instagram videos and a split second on Snapchat. In other words,

Views don’t equal your value.

I’ll take 2 comments/chats over 200 views any day. Why, because a response means a connection. Something I did made an impact. Views won’t be part of our obsession with value if we don’t give them so much weight.

Is my argument still not working for you? Still desperate to define your value? Well, make it easier on yourself — replace “add value” with “make friends.” You already know how to do that, it’s in your DNA.

A good way to make friends and meet people is to turn the camera off, put the pen down and just react. Spend time watching, listening and getting involved in other people’s trials and triumphs. Be human and you’ll naturally be providing comfort, support and expertise (aka value) without even thinking about it.

That’s a real benefit and you don’t have to work hard to do it. Invest time making friends and your audience will grow organically. Let others fret about value, you just let you show through.

Cheers.

10 Suggestions to Simplify A Project

Because creativity isn’t easy and problems can be complicated, here are 10 suggestions to help you simplify any project.

10. Write a list on paper to prioritize deliverables and what’s important to communicate. Putting something in your own handwriting makes it more manageable. (Note: this list is typed)

9. Cross out 88% of that list you just made. Cull it down to what’s most important to deliver or communicate.

8. Merge similar ideas together. You know, what I should have done with points 10 and 9.

7. See if you can explain your concept in one sentence. If you can, then you’ll realize this second sentence is unnecessary.

6. Aim for clarity. 1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1 is the same as 4+4 but it takes way longer to add.

5. Grab a blank sheet of paper. Nothing refocuses the mind like the fear of filling an empty page.

4. If your solution is complicated, start removing pieces. Pull your idea apart like Jenga until it holds up but doesn’t fall apart.

3. Think of the one person who usually understands your ideas. Don’t show anything that person. Show it to their polar opposite. If someone who is unlikely to get “it” gets it, you’re on the right path.

2. Take a break. Let your subconscious do the work for a while.

1. Ask for help. Even Yoda had a teacher.

Snapchat For Social Good: 4 ideas to spread the message

A recent #ChatSnap focused using Snapchat for Social Good. Since Snapchat doesn’t have any native sharing ability yet (RT, RePins, Likes, etc.), it isn’t the easiest platform for your friends and followers to directly spread the word on things you care about.

All is not lost though. There are ways to help spread social good projects on Snapchat. Here are 4 quick thoughts that I jotted down after the ChatSnap.

1. Offer to let your friend do a SnapSwap or Takeover of your account. Give them 6 snaps (or 60 seconds) to tell their charitable/social-focused message to your community.

SnapSwap Time!

2. Promote their social charity with a few snaps of your own. Don’t forget to add context or “the why” so it’s clear why you feel your friends social effort is important.

3. Screenshot any links or hashtags a friend adds to their snap stories then post them on other social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

Manually add Snapchat links & hashtags on other networks

4. Add a personalized message via chat as a way to send info to a small number of your Snapchat friends. I wouldn’t spam all your followers, just pick a handful that you think would appreciate or rally around the charity.

Lastly, #ChatSnap is a weekly Twitter Chat about SnapChat hosted by Kris Gillentine. Join in. Details below.

What to do when you have to adapt someone else’s work

When you’re a social media creative, sometimes your brief is to come up with an original idea, and sometimes your assignment is to adapt someone else’s idea. This post deals with what happens when you’re asked to do the latter. Transforming someone else’s work or campaign into something that will resonate on social platforms isn’t easy, but here are some tactics that can help.

1. Don’t resize. Do adapt. Establish up front with your internal team and clients that your job is not to just resize assets. Your goal is to make sure the idea you’ve been handed will be engaging and sharable. Social is a different animal than traditional, digital and in-store, you need some wiggle room in order to transform a campaign that may not be ideal for social media into something that is. (Obviously, it can take awhile for this point to sink in, so keep at it.)
2. Augment. Add to. Repurpose. When you first look over someone else’s campaign, take the time to learn about the strategy and the important things being communicated. This will help you fill your blank piece of paper with strong ideas on how to repurpose and enhance. (Plus, the more you know about what inspired their campaign, the better you can defend yours.)
3. Review the flat art. Demand the assets. Request all the files, layered PSDs, and video and audio splits that you need. Having the complete files can be your springboard for creating work that you know would better fit the platforms. For example, you can take a layered PSD and create a video that can run on Facebook, Vine or Instagram. Simply taking a flat image and turning into a video usually makes it more interesting and engaging.
4. Make it snackable. Many advertising ideas that are perfect for a TV spot or banner ad, just don’t translate. If the idea you’re trying to adapt is complicated or requires explaining, it probably won’t click. So edit, shape and focus the work so it’s super simple to understand and enjoy as people scroll through their feed. Hence, snackable.
5. Do what they ask, then do it better. This contradicts my first point, but it’s a fact of the business. Sometimes you’re explicitly told, “Follow our creative direction exactly.” So, act like a pair of hands and do that. Then spend time making something that wasn’t expected. When you can demonstrate how you’ve made their idea more appropriate or engaging for social media, you earn major points. And sometimes your idea wins. (When it does, make my first point will be easier to get across next time.)

Good luck.

Please share any ideas and strategy that you think works in the comments. I’d love the advice.

To post, or not to post organic content on Facebook

Ever since Facebook started making brands pay to play, organic reach and content have declined. In response, many brands have abandoned these posts altogether. Boo-hiss! I don’t believe organic posts on Facebook are dead, but I do think their purpose has shifted. While I agree that brands don’t need to post as often, there are some good reasons to keep organic posts on the editorial calendar. 

1. To stay on the radar. One reason brands began to notice the decline of organic reach was because their customers noticed. Most fans don’t know about Facebook’s algorithm changes, they just know the brands they follow have suddenly dropped from their newsfeed. If your brand is only promoting or sponsoring content now, you’re missing an opportunity to connect with your passionate fans. Even if an organic post is lower on the newsfeed, you’re still on the radar.

2. To find your core fans. One silver lining from decreased organic reach is that organic posts make it easier to discover your true core fans. Pay close attention to who is interacting with organic content. Examine which posts resonate and the type of comments people leave. Use this input to design content that makes them stronger, more loyal advocates.

3. To promote exclusives. Another upside of the decline of organic reach is that organic posts are more exclusive. Smaller reach = exclusivity. Try using this to your advantage with posts that feature special offers, content or exclusives. Loyal fans will appreciate this and share it.

4. To experiment. Why not use organic posts as a testing ground for new creative approaches? This is a low risk way to try out new concepts, themes and tonality. Or to soft launch new campaign ideas or visual directions. If this new creative resonates, you can expand it, and even promote it later on.

5. Because you never know. I don’t believe brands should inject themselves into every trending hashtag or hot topic, but there are times when it just makes sense. If a brand has maintained a mix of organic content, then it won’t look strange to fans and followers that you’re suddenly posting about a popular trend.