Lately Blog Platform

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. 

Todd has helped so many businesses revamp and rethink the way they operate. He transforms businesses and leaves them on a new path to success. So you could say he knows a thing or two about the do’s and don’ts of marketing. His mountain of experience has gifted him with tons of important advice he’s nice enough to share with us so we can use it for our own lives and businesses. 

More Than Just a Product

Let’s say you’ve just came up with this totally amazing product or service, hurray for you! But what most people forget about is the need to develop a strong team around them to help take that idea for a product off the ground. 

Todd’s take on this is, “I think most people go into it believing that they’re creating a product, that they’ve got this great idea for a product or a service that they’re going to create and what they don’t realize is what they’re really doing is creating a business, and that business is the infrastructure around the product to help them make that product successful to help customers actually enjoy that product”. 

While you may be super excited about the great new thing you’ve come up with, you have to understand that in order to be successful you need to make sure you have the tools and the support to help that thing take off and to see the best results. 

This isn’t the only mistake people make regarding marketing, one of the largest issues facing individuals is the “need for speed”. 

We live in a fast paced world nowadays, with so many companies and so many options, it seems like you have to act fast or not at all. But this gets tricky when it comes to marketing and selling, where rushing can hurt you way more than it could help you. 

“One of the biggest challenges for organizations is there’s this pressure of, I found my customer. Now I’ve got to go in and win. I’ve got to go in and conquer the marketplace. It’s a zero sum game I’ve got to go in and make this thing happen. And so this rush to go in and do that misses the mark”. Todd illustrates this problem perfectly. People are so fixed on closing a deal or grabbing as many customers as possible that they fumble the ball and don’t get the outcome they would’ve wanted initially. 

Situations like these could be so easily avoided with the help of other people around you. Mentors and people who have faced similar issues as you are your best friend when it comes to avoiding silly mistakes and making sure you’re on the right path. 

Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

While that song was about drugs… I assure you this conversation was not. You’re probably on the wrong website if that was what you were looking for. 

But it’s true! The more people around you, advising you and guiding you, the better your outcomes will be. Having at least one impartial person who knows the industry you’re in to hear your ideas and bounce questions off of is crucial in a business like this. 

But how do I get those friends? How do I build those connections? You may ask. Well, Todd’s got you covered!

“Take an hour at lunch, to go have a coffee with somebody who’s going to be that great advisor or mentor to help you grow your business, go have a drink with somebody once a week, and spend a little bit of time talking to somebody else who’s going to give you that unique rich perspective and start to collect those people around you that will support you and help you grow and build that board of advisors, whether it’s formal or informal”. 

That’s all it takes to be just one step ahead of the competition! 

I know you probably feel smarter already, but what if I told you… Todd had even MORE brilliant things to share with us. I know, I know, sounds too good to be true. See for yourself by listening to the full Lately Live episode here: https://bit.ly/2YVxlm2

More About Todd Wilms:

Todd Wilms has worked at a ton of incredible businesses (PayPall, eBay, SAP, and PeopleSoft just to name a few) so you could say he knows about what he’s talking about. He has used his gifts in marketing and social strategy to completely transform companies and leave them stronger and more successful than they ever were before. Todd is also is an amazing author, his new book Beyond Product reached #1 on Amazon’s Hotlist. Learn more about it here: https://www.foundersplace.co/beyond-product-the-book/. You can also check out his website at www.toddwilms.com to get more of his amazing insight into the world of marketing. 

We all know how important it is to use social media to help grow your business. If you watched the past two episodes Lately Live with Neal Schaffer and Mike Gingerich you’ll know all about it. And if not, pause reading this and go check those out. It’s ok, I’ll wait…

All set? Ok great let’s go. 

So social media is MEGA important. But how can you take it a step even further by making sure your staff is using their social media to help boost engagement for your brand? Why is this important? How can they use social media successfully? Well, sit back, relax, and let Tamara answer all your questions. 

What Platforms to Use, When, and How

You may have LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram downloaded. But are you using them correctly? If you’re posting tons of PR information to your twitter, never use Instagram stories, or are posting tons of personal posts onto your LinkedIn… LISTEN UP! 

You have to really learn how to correctly use the platforms you’re on, because if you use them incorrectly, you might as well not be posting at all. 

Take LinkedIn for example, one of the most important platforms for businesses and business owners alike. It is SO important for you to be using it in the right way. 

Tamara explains it perfectly, “LinkedIn is the boardroom. LinkedIn is your business meeting. LinkedIn is your sales meeting, your marketing team meeting. That’s where you don’t post pictures of yourself and your buddy’s going to the big brew bust you know, that’s not the platform”. 

Also, how do you know your posting the right amount of specific posts? Are you posting too much just about your personal life? Too much boring, not flashy info? Not enough posts that get engagement? Tamara has the answer for you again!

“This is what makes it really easy to be on social media, 40% of your content is sharing other people’s stuff that YOU admire, that YOU like, that YOU really enjoy their content”.

Now that you know how to use social media, you can teach your employees how to use it right.

The Power of the Employees.

Employees are a necessary part of every business. Their presence online matters more than you’d think. You may think people would only want to hear from the CEO or the main head honchos, but that’s actually not the case. 

While listening to the CEOs of the companies you follow is important, the employees are the ones who will give you the real insight into the company. CEOs and owners of companies eat, sleep, and breath their businesses, employees usually do not. They’ll offer a more impartial opinion and tell you the real truth about the companies you’re interested in. Employees that are happy and passionate show the brand as a whole in a positive light and will make people more inclined to support. 

“We believe what employees say because they know the inner workings of the organization. They have the scoop, they have the skinny, they have the dirt. And if they seem to be happy, they seem to love their organization, they seem to be excited about things… that is so flipping attractive”, Tamara says. And she’s completely right!

So now hopefully we can all use our social media a little bit smarter. And we can encourage our staff to get on as well and share the love! If you want to hear more of all the social media goodness Tamara McCleary had to share with us, feel free to listen here: https://bit.ly/3dEDQNX

More About Tamara McCleary

Tamara has been featured multiple times in forbes for spearheading influencer marketing strategies through social media, she has been named the #1 Most Influential Woman in MarTech by B2B Marketing (we LOVE some girl power!), and acts as the CEO of Thulium, a company that focuses on the ROI of Social Media. She has done it ALL. You can learn more about her amazing company here: https://thulium.co/

Mike is all about helping people and businesses grow. He uses his expertise to help small and medium sized companies navigate through the ups and downs they face in the crazy world of business. And he’s also pretty great with overall life advice. 

Trust Me.

If there’s one thing that’s crucial for getting someone to invest into learning more about your company or purchasing the product or service, its trust. People tend to buy from people they like, especially when you’re talking about small or medium sized companies. The more genuine and friendly you seem, the more open people will be to trusting you. Mike details this development of trust perfectly, when he says:

“They have to know you, they have to begin to like you. And you move to a deeper level where they trust you. And when they have moved down that pathway a little further, then they’re ready to, you know, come over and hear from you in a more personal way and on like your website”. 

People want to support people they like and respect, and they’re going to want to know they can trust you with their hard earned cash and know that you’ll deliver on your side of the bargain, with whatever product or service you offer. 

Simply put, “People are going to do business with people they feel comfortable with”. And quite perfectly put, may I add? 

The Purpose of Social Media.

Besides wasting your time scrolling on Instagram and Twitter while avoiding all your real world responsibilities, social media has become integral in the world of business and marketing. But it’s the way you use social media that will really make you or break you. 

Tons of people use social media the wrong way. It is NOT a place to try and make sales. As Mike says, “The purpose of social is not sales. The purpose of social media is for people to have a place to engage with others and so you got to use it that way”.

Social media is a place for you to engage with your audience and build that trust. Like we talked about before, remember? You won’t see the results you want by heavily relying on social media for sales, because social media isn’t a place people usually go to make purchases. For most people, social media is an escape, not a place they are expecting to drop a few hundred dollars on a product they know hardly anything about. 

So use your platforms wisely! Build that trust with your audience, make them aware of your products or services and then give them a website to easily find so they can learn more to see if that product or service is for them. Give them a way to keep up to date on your business like a weekly news blog via email, or an email list to be notified for future releases of new products or updates. The interactions can start on social, but rarely end there.

Now, hop on your social platforms and see if you’ve been utilizing them in a smart way or if you have a little more work to do! And whatever you do, don’t fall down a hole or random videos and wake up out of your trance 2 hours later. Trust me, it can happen. Also, if you want to hear everything else Mike and Kate had to chat about, you can listen to this episode of Lately Live here: https://bit.ly/2LAuneR

More About Mike Gingerich 

Mike has a seemingly endless pool of advice to give to absolutely anyone to help them grow, and who doesn’t want a little extra healthy advice from a master of the business? I’m serious, try to name one person. Since you probably couldn’t, and you probably want more of his advice already, head on over to his website mikegingerich.com to soak up all the information you can! You can also find out more info on his many amazing books on his website as well. Happy learning!