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Wylie & Co.

A Strategic Partner For Your Marketing Goals

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Pro Tip: Stay Grounded

We all know the importance of social media in our day-to-day lives. It keeps us connected to family and friends, introduces us to new and interesting concepts and products, and allows us to interact with our favorite brands and people. But there is a dark side to it as well.

It’s important to set boundaries not only for our kids, but for ourselves as well, when it comes to social media. Adopt best practices to keep you grounded; that photo you just took of your child’s home run doesn’t need to be posted immediately – try to be more present and in the moment. Enjoy life.

Entrepreneur recently shared an article on setting social media boundaries to keep your mind – and daily life – healthy.

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Are You Stuck In The Middle Status Conformity Trap?

I’m a bookworm. I feel no shame in saying that. Lately, I’ve been engrossed in Originals: How Non-Conformists Move Through The World by Adam Grant. I’m about halfway through but one of the concepts that stuck out to me was the idea of the middle-status conformity effect. Grant writes that in looking at the hierarchy of an organization, those at the top felt they had more freedom to deviate from the norm and be trailblazers. Likewise, those at the bottom had little to lose and everything to gain by bucking the status quo. It was the folks in the middle — who incidentally make up the bulk of the employees — who felt they had the most to lose from rocking the boat and thus fought to maintain the norms so as to not jeopardize their standing. So basically, we have a ton of middle managers out there who are not thinking outside the box and who are much more likely to also shoot down new and original ideas from their subordinates. Not great for business, right?

This concept was striking to me because I’ve seen it play out with clients time and time again. Hell, I’ve felt it myself. When I first went out on my own as an entrepreneur, I had nothing to lose. I tried new ideas, pivoted my business when it wasn’t working, failed and tried and failed again. But as I continued to grow my business and become more known for the work I do, I felt much more nervous about trying completely new things or adding new aspects to my business. I had more to lose if things didn’t work out.

The same is true for the business owners and brand managers I talk to who are struggling to incorporate more of themselves into their brand. Who feel compelled to do things in a different way to better connect with their core customers but fear alienating their other customers or facing backlash from the general public. So they continue to do things as they’ve always been done and as a result don’t stand out in the market. It’s hard to take a risk when you’ve reached a certain point in your life or business, even if that risk will bring more gains.

Are you a woman of color looking to reconnect with yourself and form new bonds all while going on an adventure? Check out Color Outside: a 4 day adventure retreat for women of color.

For the past few months, I’ve been working on an adventure retreat for women of color here in Salt Lake City. If I’m honest, I dragged my feet on creating the experience even though I knew I really wanted to because I felt that it didn’t make sense with the current structure of my business. But once I cut through all of my own negative self-talk and doubt, I realized that advocating for more diversity in the outdoor space was in fact very much in line with the core values we practice here at Wylie & Co. I think it’s important for all spaces to reflect the richness and diversity of our actual world. Representation matters and I’m excited to help do my part to change the face of the outdoor industry by hosting adventurous women of color here in Salt Lake City at the end of September for a 4-day retreat. I’ve already seen the positive results from organizing the retreat and am excited about the new opportunities and avenues this will open up for my business.

Do you have an idea for your brand that seems out there but is connected to your brand’s core values? What could you do to start moving that idea forward? The world, after all, belongs to the Originals. Don’t get stuck in the middle status conformity trap.

Are you a woman of color looking to reconnect with yourself and form new bonds all while going on an adventure? Check out Color Outside: a 4 day adventure retreat for women of color.

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Pro Tip: There’s More To Social Media Than Facebook

Facebook is not the only social media platform, and it may not even be the best one for your business. Diversify where you’re sharing your content. See which platforms work best for you. You may be surprised to find a platform that you never considered brings your business the most engagement.

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Pro Tip: Show Off Your Personality

Serious, playful, snarky, or helpful…do you know your business personality style? It’s important to know because it’s how you connect with your audience.

It’s also how you decide what to share on social media. If your business personality is serious or technical, you’re probably not going to be sharing memes or recipes with your audience because they won’t resonate with them. Be honest, consistent, and target your super fans. If you screw up once or twice? Don’t worry. Loyal customers will forgive your mistake.

And remember, everything is personal.

 

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Why Customers Will Forgive Your Mistakes

When I talk to brand managers and other social media strategists, the #1 reason they give for not wanting their brand to take a stand on issues is that they’re afraid of doing the wrong thing and being on the wrong end of a backlash. I’m not going to lie. This is a valid concern. We see it happen time and time again where “well meaning” brands dip their toe into an issue and it backfires. It happens. But I still counter that having your brand have a discernible set of core values that it stands behind is far more beneficial than risky.

Dove is one of those brands. They’ve made it very clear over the last decade that they stand behind all women embracing their real beauty. They’ve launched campaign after campaign. They’ve started the Dove Self-Esteem Project with the mission to ensure that the next generation grows up enjoying a positive relationship with the way they look. Most recently, they’ve partnered with Shonda Rhimes to start Real Beauty Productions, a new collaborative studio that will create stories based on real women’s lives and experiences.

Dove is absolutely walking their talk.

Why there is no backlash from women who love the Dove brand, even when the brand makes mistakes

And so, when the UK arm of the brand released a line of Dove Body Wash bottles that were designed to resemble the many shapes of a woman’s body (a short & curvy one! a tall & slender one!), it was a little weird. It seemed like they had gone a step too far and were looking for cheap, surface wins rather than the deep, engaging ones they had been known for. It was a misfire. But you know what, that’s ok. Since Dove had committed to doing the work for women and young girls and has continuously shown their dedication, it was not so terrible for them to shoot and miss on one campaign. Also, since they’ve put countless hours and dollars into researching these issues and have hired teams of women who understand these concerns, their misstep wasn’t insulting and hurtful.

When you’ve clarified what it is your brand stands for. Go deep into it. Research the issue, hire people who understand it and who have lived it. Start small and continue conveying why it’s important to you and your brand. Then one day when you make a small mistake, your community will be there for you and it’ll just be a small blip on an otherwise amazing brand story.

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Pro Tip: Use Common Sense

Tone can be easily misinterpreted in email and on social media. USING ALL CAPS is an example of this – in email and on social media, this represents anger. Another example is that you may post things that are meant to be snarky and fun, but they may also come off as mean or judgmental.

Be very careful with what you say (and how you say it.) And remember, everything is personal.