heartharmony.com.au

It’s been a while between blog posts. Why? It was time to stop, look around and listen for a while. To recalibrate myself.

And during my self-imposed silence, I have spent a fair bit of time on social media – mainly just watching to see what people were talking about … and more importantly how they were talking about it.

And there is one of the trends that I observed that I am still trying to come to grips with. It is the increase in vitriolic, bitchy, no-holds barred comments by adults  about other adults. You can see it most when they discuss politics or the latest reality TV shows.

No longer do people discuss the merits of a policy or the quality of a performance. What is discussed is the personality, the hair, the make-up, the clothes … and not in a nice way, but in a way that makes “Mean Girls” seem like Snow White. For example, last night during “The Voice”, one Facebook debate started with how much people disliked the personality and voice of  one of the judges and progressed to include discussions of how a bullet would fix things.

We see it regularly when a female politician makes any form of public announcement – it is regularly greeted with catcalls and the slavering of hounds baying for blood. I know I have already advised both of my girls not to even consider politics as a career – it is now only for people with hearts and hides of stone. Anyone who truly cares, or has even the hint of softness and gentleness is seen as fair game (no matter which side of the political fence you sit on).

And no aspect of online life seems off-limits. Businesses and newspaper reports have always attracted their fair share of Trolls. But lately it seems as if the Trolls have taken over the building, leaving few in their wake.

So what? So what if people blow off a bit of steam? Isn’t it just harmless gossip between friends? Aren’t they just saying what everyone is really thinking anyway?

Martin Lindstrom in his book Brandwashed reported that “72% of people believed the first source of a story was more authentic than subsequent tellings”. So this means that people tend to believe the first thing they hear about someone or something (positive or negative). Gossip colours subsequent interactions.

In my many years dealing directly with people in relation to discrimination or harassment cases, often the first response of the person being investigated was  “I was just kidding around – can’t they take a joke?”  Yes, it has given rise to accusations of the fun police or political correctness gone wrong – but in the main, the jokes are not funny and actually hurt people.

And when the culture of gossip, harassment and bullying is not addressed in a workplace, it expands. It becomes the norm. It affects productivity. It creates turnover. It creates illness.

That is why in a workplace, managers have to take explicit action. But what about in something as wonderfully free as the internet?

If you are a parent, you will have heard about cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying has been defined as “when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person”. It “may also include threats, sexual remarks, pejorative labels (i.e. hate speech), ganging up on victims by making them the subject of ridicule in forums, and posting false statements as fact aimed at humiliation.”

As a parent you lecture your kids about the dangers of cyber-bullying. We worry about the potential implications if our child is bullied or a bullier. We read the stories about suicides and self-harm after cyber-bullying incidents. And we want our schools to take direct action if there is any cyber-bullying between students.

So, at what point does it become OK to cyber-bully others over the net. Is it when the kids turn 18 or when we become parents ourselves?

Is it when someone goes into the public eye as compared to being at home?

Is it when someone does something, says something or achieves something that it is ok to carp, criticise or otherwise “slag off” at them?

At what point is it OK for us to tell our kids not to do something, and then do it ourselves?

In my silence I have observed my own behaviour – and haven’t been OK with what I have seen. There have been days when I have posted my anger or annoyance at someone or something. Would I say that same thing to someone’s face? I am ashamed to say, “No”.

Now, this is not meant as a post to belt up on haters online. But more a suggestion to stop and take a look around. And see if this behaviour is OK with you.

Me, I prefer not to be an angry or bitchy SOB. I prefer to not add hate into the world. And I prefer to be a better role model for my kids. So I will be making some changes in how I respond to things.

Perhaps Grandma was right all along. If you don’t have something good to say – don’t say anything at all.

exuberantly yours

Ingrid

Heart Harmony – We put your business into words

It’s election time up here in Queensland – and it is one of the most long drawn out campaigns in memory.  The trouble is that when elections are called, many small businesses suffer. I have been speaking with many tradies and other clients and they all say the same thing. Once the election is called, everything dies! Most people are really struggling, with numbers at similar levels to after the big floods up here in Brisbane.

A few years back I wrote this article – it pays to blow the dust off it and reprint it here.

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Over the years I have closely observed small businesses on the lead-up to an election.   There are some very clear business trends that smart small businesses need to know and work within. Elections also provide businesses with a money-can’t-buy education on the latest in marketing trends.

Let’s start with the business trends. The most obvious is a business to government slow down – by that I mean in the lead up to an election the incumbent political party goes into caretaker mode and generally will not make any significant decisions or grant major contracts. If your business is one that relies on government contracts – you need to plan for this slow down to kick in at least 6 months before the scheduled election due period.

Depending on the election result, you can face a few months of transition as Ministers and senior executives swap chairs before finally having your project see the light of day again.  Smart businesses never just rely on government contracts as their sole source of income and plan to share the revenue load during an election year (or at least allow for an extended holiday at that time!)

One less obvious impact is on business to business trade. Many businesses tell me that in the lead up to an election their business to business trade also dries up.  The effect doesn’t appear to be limited to particular industries only.

There is no apparent logical reason for this to happen. Perhaps it just reflects the uncertainty businesses feel about election results and potential changes of government. Businesses may be choosing not to invest in new machinery, business services or new technology until after election results are clearer and they know the potential impacts on their business. All of this is purely conjecture on my part as I have yet to see any formal studies of this impact.

So how should small businesses cope with these fluctuations?  You know that there will be elections within certain spans of time every few years. Savvy business owners factor this into their marketing plan for that particular year and offer special promotions to keep their business to business market buying at that time.

They also take advantage of the ready made marketing theme for their promotions. For example one local plumber in my area has had a banner made “Vote 1 Bell Plumbers” and then shown a ticked ballot paper style of features of his business that appears on local street poles around election time. Because it is different than the normal “Vote 1” posters, people stop and look at it. What could you do along those lines to use the election theme to market your business?

The other thing elections do for small businesses is to give you a free lesson on the latest trends in marketing. Take a very close look at the major parties campaigns and dissect them for ideas and strategies that they paid hundreds of thousands to acquire.

Next you need to listen to what the major candidates say. They have carefully rehearsed “sound bites” about their major policies. I liken this to the political version of an elevator speech – where your business gets 3 minutes to sell what you do to someone when you meet them for the first time. Listen carefully to how the politicians are structuring their sound bites this election for some tips for your next elevator speech.

Smart businesses will also have seen over the past few elections the increase in “branding” of political party how to vote signs. The major parties now all specify background photo colours, fonts and layout to provide a consistent feel even though each candidate is different.  It is a great technique you may want to adopt to provide a consistent theme across your diverse product range.

Take a close look at photos used in political marketing material. It gives you an instant education on how to build credibility from a photo. You will notice all major candidates are wonderfully neat with no hair out of place, immaculately groomed, exceptional make-up and generally a warm but not cheesy smile.

Check who the politicians are photographed with and in what locations. You will notice many of the photos of the smarter politicians show both men and women, and a mix of racial diversity as well as age diversity in the shots. What that does is to create instant rapport with the viewers – the politician is with people “just like me” so they must be OK. What do the shots on your website and your marketing material say about what sort of clients you work with?

I love election junk mail – you can get a fantastic headline swipe file from the mail as well as tips on layout and design of your copy.

However, the blizzard of politicians visiting every committee, networking group and shopping centre has started in earnest. At times the candidates outnumber the actual committee members in some local groups. But … it highlights the importance of networking as a marketing strategy. I love chatting to all the local candidates to hear their views on things and to pass on my two cents worth of ideas (and forming networks of my own).

I must admit I am not convinced about the marketing effectiveness card tables with the vote 1 signs on the side of the road combined with people under umbrellas reading books. I know pizza companies have adapted this strategy by having staff wave discount placards at cars going past. However, you may want to consider the traffic safety aspect of this before adopting it.

So – as you can see, elections have a mixed effect on business. Plan for the negative impacts and embrace each piece of political marketing you see as a priceless education.  It makes surviving the lead up to an election a heck of a lot easier.

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And one more thing, this year I have added a nice shiny new sign to my front door politely asking that salespeople, canvassers, cold callers, and evangelists please do not knock. It is only a short way into the elections and so far the politicians are outperforming the Mormons in terms of door knocking!

Hang in there everyone!

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

As a kid, did you ever play cowboys/cowgirls?

I confess I lived in my little red cowgirl outfit, riding on our horse shaped see-saw, and playing with non-politically correct guns (… and yes they did progress to bigger things – I used to spend hours sitting on the back step next to the cement pond, shooting the pegs off mum’s clothesline in suburban Campbelltown … but I digress).

Even back then, I only ever wanted to be a white hat cowgirl. I always wanted to be the good-guy – the one chasing the bad dudes into the sunset.

Not much has changed. In the world of SEO, the people that help websites appear well in search engines by honorable means such as darn brilliant content and loads of it, are called White Hats. So it seemed normal that when I went into the world of SEO copy, that I would logically follow the approach of being a White Hat SEO copywriter.

But over the holidays I had a huge aha.

White Hats can also apply to other forms of marketing. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I am tired of copy that makes me feel afraid, bad about myself and the world we live in. I am tired of copy that pushes endless consumerism of stuff that we don’t really need. I am tired of copy that pushes false scarcity in order to make us buy now. And I am tired of copy that puts people down or is so beige that you have no idea what the person is really standing for.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not taking my six-shooter and galloping off into the sunset. I just think there has to be a better way.

Over much of last year I noticed a subtle change in my business. I was more choosy of my clients – I only took on people where I could see their spark of uniqueness and passion. Where they had a gift they were called to share with the world … but they just were stumbling over how to put their uniqueness into words.

In the past year I started only working with businesses that offered an honest service or product, that cared deeply about making their customers lives better (sometimes even at a cost to their own business). And I started only working with people who wanted to make people feel good about themselves – and not resort to fear mongering, dirty tricks or mind games to manipulate people to buy or sign up for stuff.

I think I have always been drawn to that approach. In my decades in Human Resources, my greatest joy was seeing the uniqueness or spark in someone, and helping to fan the spark into something brilliant through coaching, mentoring, leadership development, and helping to systematise things that were getting in the way of them being all they could be. I loved watching people realise that honest conversations were more powerful and created more sustainable change than manipulation, back-biting or politicking anyday.

I believe there is a way to share people’s stories and messages in a positive, ethical and sustainable way – so that the people they need to make a difference to can actually find them.

And my aha?  I want to wear my white hat all the time!

So, who else wants to play? Who else is a dreamer and wants marketing and leadership to be white hat all the time? What would that look like to you?

I would love to hear your thoughts partner.

Ingrid Cliff

Freelance Copywriter & White Hat Cowgirl

Heart Harmony – We put your business into words

I love Buffer. It is one of my favourite apps of 2011 … and it now comes with some funky new features. Yes, I loved the addition of Facebook to Buffer, but now you can add content straight from Reeder, Zite & Flipboard.

Rather than me go on and talk you through how to do it, Michelle MacPherson (one of the internet marketing people I follow with interest), has put together a useful video showing exactly what to do and how to do it.

Enjoy the new Buffer features!

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

I love the online world … My kids joke that my PC is hot-wired into my veins. There’s loads of places where the online world is revolutionising retail, but there is one situation where online struggles to compete with offline retail. Where? When there are problems with a product.

Over the past few months I have indulged in some online retail therapy. I picked up some clothes from the US (as most Australian stores don’t stock clothes for tall women). I religiously checked the measurements, but when they arrived they were 2 sizes too large. Unless the US has different tape measures than Australia does, this was a bit of a worry. So I had to return them for a refund. Cost of clothes $120 – cost to return them via post $75 = One lost customer.

I also picked up some smoke alarms online in Australia. One was faulty and had an annoying habit of going on a beeping rampage every few weeks (with no smoke or fire around). Usually replacing the battery every fortnight quietened the racket, but last week nothing worked. The problem was the alarm was about $85 to buy online plus postage. Then I had to pay for the electrician to install it (it was hardwired in). To return it would mean getting the electrician back out to remove it and seal the wires. Posting it off. Then paying for the electrician to come back and install the replacement. It wasn’t worth the hassle, so I threw the faulty one away and went to Bunnings.

Online sales of products are fine when things go well, but they can’t compete with local bricks and mortar businesses in fixing problems when things go wrong.

Smart businesses who are competing with online retailers should pay heed. One of the greatest sales strategies is fear.  Combine fear with guilt or regret, and you are more likely to get action. Martin Lindstrom in his book “Brandwashed”, highlights that studies have shown that women are more prone to fear and guilt than men are. Remember, more online purchases are made by women than by men.

If you are a bricks and mortar business, competing with online retailers, then perhaps one of the strategies you could choose to adopt is the fear of what happens if there is a problem if you bought the product online. How will you deal with the hassle, inconvenience and cost of fixing it.

“Safer than buying online” could be one strategy you adopt – particularly if you add in the increasing hacking of major company websites and leaking of credit card information (Stratfor is just the latest example of a hack causing major problems for online purchasers).

I have started seeing some smart travel agents adopting this strategy. The line they are taking is, “Sure you may get cheaper flights online, but what happens if there are airline strikes, flight cancellations or natural disasters – booking through a travel agent makes getting you out in those situations much easier, faster and safer”. A very convincing argument.

And if you are an online retailer, you need to be conscious of these fears. Make sure you encrypt all payments and data in your system (and tell your clients about it). Publicise your easy return policy – pay for postage of returns and refunds.  Unless you take direct action, bricks and mortar retailers will begin to regain ground.

Where else do you see that traditional retailers have it all over the online retailers?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

One of the things I love about Christmas is the chance to slow down and chat with friends and relatives. One of our debates this year focussed on the 2012 elections, and who were good candidates in our local areas.

This raised the fascinating thought – if elections test the preferences of the electorate, what would happen if every ballot paper had a box that could be ticked – “None of the above”.

Think about it for a minute. What would happen if we treated an election as a true market research test – where we were provided with a range of options, including the option to say, “Actually I don’t want any of the candidates presented”.

“None of the above” could be treated like a third major party – if it won the majority vote for an electorate, all the parties would have to go back and start over:  finding new candidates and doing a better job of explaining what they offer.

Yes, it would be organised chaos for a while – but it would be interesting to see what changes the major political parties make as a result. My guess is the rate of informal votes would dramatically drop and we would see some interesting shifts in policy and the choices of candidates.

What do you think – should we have a “(c) None of the above” option in elections?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Writer

I talk with many business owners throughout the year. Many of them have big dreams, but only a few follow them up with action. There are always reasons why they can’t pursue their dream.

That’s why I love this video. First of all there is only 2 musicians. 2 … that’s it. The bands that make it big are the ones with a full band, complete with lead singers, back-up singers and a lot of pizazz.

And these 2 musos don’t exactly play the world’s sexiest instruments. One plays a piano – the other a cello. Guitars and drums – sexy. Cello and piano … ?

Normally people in their millions don’t stop to watch a cellist or a piano player.  But put these two guys together, add in dreams, a bit of determination, a splash of creativity and darn hard work, and you get …

At last count nearly 3 million people have watched them play, and a percentage of them (me included) have gone on to buy their music.

If just two guys, playing highly unsexy instruments can do this … what’s your excuse?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

PS: If you want a laugh, then watch this video of theirs (shows they can also laugh at themselves and their craft!)

The only constant about Facebook is their joy of changing things. Many businesses have embraced Facebook Pages as a way to build a community around their business, but the latest round of Facebook changes seem to be having an impact on many business pages with many businesses pages commenting that engagement on their pages had dropped away recently.

Facebook’s latest change surrounded your newsfeed – where it presents to you stories that it thinks are the most important to you. You can change to see all the stories … well sort of.

Over the past few weeks I have been watching what is appearing in my newsfeed and it appears that Facebook only feeds some of the business pages people have liked into the feed – not all. The majority of posts on business pages are not appearing in the newsfeed. This has a significant potential impact on a number of my clients.

So I ran two different experiments to test the issue:

1. The “Like rampage”: I tested to see if I actively liked or commented on a page, whether or not subsequent posts would appear in my newsfeed – testing the idea that perhaps they were only showing information where I had actively engaged with the page.

“Liking” a post on a page had zero result on later page posts appearing in my newsfeed. If I made comments on a page, there was an increased chance that all the subsequent posts would appear in my feed (but no certainty).

2. The “What am I missing” test: In this test I created a List in Facebook of all the pages I had “liked”.  I checked the new List results to see what I had been missing. At least 90% of all updates were not appearing in my regular newsfeed.

All I can hypothesise is that Facebook is actively giving preference in the newsfeed to people and not business pages – which means that there is a high potential that a large proportion of the people who may have “liked” your page are not seeing any of your updates in their newsfeed.

If people can’t see your updates, they can’t engage with your business.

My personal campaign against being told what I am allowed to see …

I am not a big fan of arbitrary censorship, so I have now created a “Mega Newsfeed” List – with all of my friends and all of my pages – it is not elegant, but at least I see everything and can make choices about the information I choose to engage with.

If you want to see everything as well, here’s a quick primer in creating your own Mega Newsfeed.

1. Start by clicking on the word “List” in the left hand column of your Facebook default page
2. Click on + Create a List in the top right hand corner
3. Name it and then click “Create”
4. Click on Manage List and then choose Add/Remove Friends
5. Manually click on all your friends (a blue box and tick will show) – Click Done to Save it
6. Click on Manage List and then choose Add/Remove Friends (again)
7. This time click on the box top left that says “Friends” and then change the drop down box to Pages.
8. Manually click on all the Pages (a blue box and tick will show) – Click Done to Save it
9. Once you have your list created, hover just to the left of it and click on the pencil. Mark your list as a favourite. It will then move to the top section of your FB page.
10. Once again hover to the left of it and click on the pencil to rearrange the order. You can move it right to below the Newsfeed. When I go to Facebook, I now ignore my general Newsfeed and just go to my list. I also go through my list once a week and add in new friends and pages (did I mention the workaround is not elegant!)

I would love to hear what happens when you create your own List – how much have you been missing?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – SEO Copywriter

I was sent a challenging email today – challenging in that it made me stop and think. I have taken out the anti-Asian rants and kept the essence of the message – which can be boiled down to … This Christmas Shop Local.

As the holidays approach … this year will be different. This year Australians will give the gift of genuine concern for other Australians. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by Australian hands. Yes there is!

It’s time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in overseas produced wrapping paper?

Everyone — yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local hair salon or barber?

Gym membership or personal training sessions? It’s appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn’t appreciate getting their car detailed? Small owned detail shops & car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

For the Gardeners on your list – how about some lovely healthy pot plants or plants for the garden or even a gift certificate from the local lawnmowing man.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down  a large flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants — all offering gift certificates. If your intended isn’t the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local cafe. Remember, folks this isn’t about big National chains — this is about supporting your home town with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn’t use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the Australian working guy?

What about a gift certificate from a local home handyman for some chores to be done around the home?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mum? Mum would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

Someone’s computer could use a tune-up, & I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up & running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool & knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, & pottery & beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. How about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

You see,  Christmas is now about caring about Australia, encouraging our small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. When we care about other Australians, we care about our communities, & the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine. THIS is the new Australian Christmas tradition.

I love the concept. This year, instead of buying things – think about supporting local services and artisans. Buy services and experiences as gifts; and remember that psych studies have shown that experiences bring more happiness than things.

Small business has done it tough – and many areas of Australia have been tested by natural disasters. So think about spending at least a portion of your Christmas shopping budget on local goods and services. Perhaps you will help one small business keep its doors open, or one more person keep their job.

What do you think? Can Santa shop locally?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

I love humour … a good comedian is the ultimate wordsmith and they are also one of the most creative people on the planet.

Which is why when they talk about creativity and the creative process, I listen.

Recently I watched this video of John Cleese speaking at a creativity conference. In this speech there is barely any humour, just extremely well considered and thought through strategies on building your creativity.

I originally shared it on my Heart Harmony Facebook page – but it was too good not to also share on this blog.

Enjoy …

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Brisbane Copywriter