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Jason Debacco

NEXT 9/26: Ian Utile: How to Use Live Streaming to Win Customers (the Real Skinny!)

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You’ve heard us say it before – accessibility (not content) is the new king.

That means pull back the black curtain. Reveal what’s behind the scenes. 

Show them your… Human :-).

And there’s nothing like a live stream to keep it real.

Join our next Lately Live with live stream expert Ian Utile – Father. Friend. Futurist. Founder. AND… CEO at attn.live – exploring how live streaming can amp up your engagement, build authenticity and bringing your brand personality to life – a.k.a., how to create success – before and after, as well as live. 

It’s not as scary as it seems. Promise! Join us, won’t you?

SIGN UP HERE

It’s free. You can join live or we’ll send you a replay link, later. But you have to sign up.

About Ian

Ian Utile is an optimistic futurist that persuades people to create a better tomorrow. He is the CEO of attn.live, a live streaming platform where content creators are able to automatically post podcasts to YouTube, Facebook, Spotify, Apple iTunes, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Microsoft Cortana. He was the co-founder of Kukui who was ranked the #1 fastest growing company in San Jose by Inc. as his team scaled to $10M+ ARR before being acquired by a private equity firm. His heritage inspires him to build a legacy because his ancestors have raised their families in the San Francisco Bay since his forefather (Lieutenant Moraga) founded the city of San Jose in 1777. He is an “entrepreneur in residence” for four different organizations like the innovation hub inside of Twitter HQ. You can connect with him directly @ianutile on all social media sites.

In short: he’s a rock star, an optimist and an innovator. And we are THRILLED to have him as our guest.

DO. NOT. MISS. THIS. 

How To Put the “Human” in Your Customer Service

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We’ve all been “just a customer.” On the phone with your cable company (blahrg), at the post office, in a restaurant — whether indignant, blasé or robotic, that distinctly “just-a-customer” treatment from a seemingly inhuman human is universally frustrating.

So we set out make Lately’s customer service 100% world-class (even though the world doesn’t quite yet know about us :-)).

Sounds easy enough: treat customers like family — everyone knows that. 

But all relationships travel a two-way street. Meaning, “just a customer” isn’t only someone a business doesn’t know. It’s also someone who doesn’t know the people at that business. And it occurred to us that to truly be world-class, we’d need to get our customers to think of us as family, too. 

How do you get customers — a.k.a. people — to care about you? Be human.

Rule #1 – Talk and Write as We Actually Do

Emojis, contractions, idioms, hyperbole, exclamations and all manner of naturally human vernacular (including the occasional spelling errors!) is the Lately way… Formality has no place in our brand of human, “warts and all” is our motto and Emily Post is not our queen.

When we communicate genuinely, our customers do, too. Which means we learn more, faster and can help, better. 

Rule #2 – Share a Little Life

We have kids, wives, husbands, girlfriends, stepmoms, half-brothers, younger sisters, nephews, dachshunds and unwanted groundhogs. We also love rock n roll, making tie-dies, playing rugby, swimming with sharks (really!) and shooting traps.

We’re on a first name basis with every customer and do our damndest to get to know them. We’re personally connected with nearly every one of our customers on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter (including me). And we’re proud to say that many of them have become friends.

When we let our customers into our worlds, they reciprocate. Which helps us both gain a greater understanding of all the factors that may impact someone’s marketing workflow but also to gain the trust that we’ve got their back — because that’s what humans do.

Rule #3 – Own Up

Saying sorry is easy. Saying sorry and meaning it is harder. And when you’re a startup, you say sorry a lot (hi, customers reading this now who are nodding their heads). 

But sorry alone doesn’t cut it. Because our customers take a gamble with us. We’re new and they’re willing to try us out. We know this is a BIG deal. 

So when we make a mistake… man, oh man, you should see our Slack threads. It’s a team event, trying to figure out the best way to solve and apologize, let me tell you. 

Which is why it’s essential our customers know that we mean it. We must be upfront, honest and give thoughtful explanation. We must also express empathy. No scripts. Just a real, human apology. 

And we of course must make amends, whenever possible. 

And if the mistake isn’t ours? We still say sorry. Because we are. 

When we apologize, genuinely, our customers are more forgiving. And boy are we grateful. After all, we can only learn from mistakes if we’re allowed to make them. And that’s what being a startup is very much about.

So, thank you, wonderful customers, for letting us. 

Tamara McCleary: How to Get Your Staff to Use Social for Your Business – and Do it Right

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There is no better marketing tool than your own employees. 

Not only are they your biggest fans (if not, you have probs!) but they’re also the most knowledgeable about your business — and hence, the most trustworthy.

But how do you convince them to use social media to promote your business AND do it right?

Tamara McClearly, one of the top social media influencers in the world, tells all on our next edition of Lately Live.

About Tamara McCleary
Tamara McCleary is CEO of Thulium, a global social media analytics and consulting agency, driving Smart Social through proprietary data analytics and award-winning storytelling. Tamara ranks in the top 1% in influence globally. Named the #1 most influential woman in MarTech by B2B Marketing, recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of 10 Online Marketers to watch, and named a Top Digital Marketer by Brand 24 in 2019. Featured multiple times in Forbes for her pioneering influencer marketing strategies on social media for B2B and Enterprise, Tamara serves as a unique advisor to leading global technology companies such as SAP, Mercer, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Cisco, Dell, AWS, RSA Security, IBM and Verizon Enterprise.

In short: she’s a total badass. And we are THRILLED to have her as our guest.

DO. NOT. MISS. THIS.

Neal Schaffer: Social Strategies for Business – What Really Matters

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Is your social strategy stuck? Wondering what to prioritize? Confused about what REALLY matters to your bottom line?

Enter Neal Schaffer, the leading expert on helping businesses implement sales and marketing social media marketing strategies, influencer marketing campaigns and social selling initiatives that CHANGE. THE. GAME. 

Don’t you want to know how to maximize social media ROI, understand the impact of mobile and leverage employee advocacy to drive your brand?

Heck yes you do!

Neal Schaffer is a leader in helping educate executives and professionals on social media as well as in implementing successful social media strategies for businesses. CEO of the social media agency PDCA Social, social media educator at Rutgers University and the Irish Management Institute, social media keynote speaker who has spoken at hundreds of events on four continents, and author of three social media books, Neal is a true innovator and influencer in the growing world of social media for business.

Mike Gingerich: How to Leverage Social Media for Lead-Generation

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Amazingly, loads of businesses STILL think of social media as just another way to “get the word out,” when it’s actually a powerhouse for finding and converting leads. Case in point: we here at Lately switched to only organic social media and in six weeks, increased our leads by 200%. 

How? By being uncommon and adding value. Just like our next Lately Live guest, Mike Gingerich, recommends. Join us on Thursday, July 18 at 12 PM Eastern/AM West when Mike pops by to share the tips and tricks he uses when it comes to harnessing the true value of social media for your business. 

Mike has a proven track record of providing innovative strategy consulting for businesses. He is President of a web development & marketing agency, and the co-founder of a leading Facebook Page app service for lead capture. He is a noted Facebook Marketing speaker, a blogger forSocial Media Examiner, an international business consultant, an author, and all all-around great guy.

Todd Wilms: Championing Startups, One Founder at a Time

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Are you a visionary? A trailblazer? A founder? Or maybe you have dreams to become one and are just looking for the right encouragement? 

As a CMO-turned entrepreneur, Todd created FoundersPlace.co to champion startups. Hooray! He also podcasts, speaks, and consults with companies around the globe to help founders find their market, grow, and add value. Todd’s first book, Beyond Product, an entrepreneur’s marketing handbook, is a true layman’s guide with insights and best practices from over 70 founders… including Kately!