The Beauty in Networking and Relationship Building

"Networking is not about collecting contacts! Networking is about planting relations" -Michael Rajiv Shah

I have made it to my final post for this term, though I hope to continue blogging in the future! We have explored various topics of leadership and media strategies this term. I, now, have just one more class to finish to complete my Master's in Strategic Communication and plan to graduate in March 2019. Hopefully, you have been able to take something useful away from at least one of my posts over the course of the last few weeks.

I want to leave you with something that will be useful to you no matter where you are in your career as a leader, and that is the importance of networking. When I was in my undergrad, I didn't really think much about networking and did not feel as though it was emphasized enough. Any time that you are in a room full of people, an event, or job fair, you have an opportunity to network and meet new people whom you have never met before. You have an opportunity to make real connections with people and leave lasting impressions for them to remember you by.

Networking is just as much about giving as it is receiving. Probably, one of the most neglected things about networking is the follow up after the initial introduction. If you are coming back from an event with an handful of business cards that you do not intend on following up with then you are not doing it right. Reach out to your new contacts and see about setting up a one-on-one so that you can get to know each other better and learn about their business, what they do, and how you can help. Perhaps, invite them out for lunch. As a chamber ambassador with my local area chamber of commerce, I like to invite new contacts as guests to our monthly meetings or gatherings. Being a part of your local chamber in any sense is a great way to get to know those in the community.

Having that constant presence in the local community and building upon these connections and relationships helps a lot. If someone knows someone looking to go back to college, I hope that he/she will send that person my way for assistance. Likewise, if I know someone in need of a good realtor or architect, I know exactly who I can refer them to. Pictured above you will find me (on the left) and some of my fellow ambassadors meeting for lunch for the first time since Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle. I have had the pleasure of knowing several of them for a few years now and would even go as far as to call them my friends. It really is a beautiful thing to be a part of this group full of amazing leaders, to learn from them, and grow with them.

Now, get out there and show me how you network. Be intentional in your efforts to meet people and to talk about you or your business, and do it as often as possible. You never know who you will meet until you try!

I would like to say thank you to all those who have supported me along the way. If you have read my blog, liked my blog, shared my blog, or even left comments on my blog. Or, if you have given me any words of encouragement. THANK YOU! This is not goodbye, but see you later!

The Power of Social Media in the Midst of Hurricane Michael

On October 10, 2018, the Florida Panhandle was hit by a force like nothing it had ever experienced before. Homes and businesses destroyed, trees and power lines down everywhere you look. It is nearing two months in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael and the community is doing everything it can to hold on to any sense of normalcy. But, I must admit that it is still pretty gloomy around here, but I try not to dwell too much on it and focus on the progress that is being made. Lineman, both local and from afar, worked diligently to return power back to the community. After about 4-6 weeks, power was fully restored with some occasional brief outages. The response after the storm has been more than I had ever anticipated. Before, during, and after the storm, the local government did a great job in keeping the community informed through text alerts and through social media (specifically, on Facebook). With all the power lines down, many people were left with out a way to call for emergency services during the storm or contact their loved ones once it passed to let them know they were safe. Calling or texting was out of the question, so when all forms of communication are out the window what does that leave us with?
 
That's right, social media. Those of us lucky enough to still have cellular data were able to make our needs and status known through Facebook. One local family almost didn't make it after having to seek refuge in their vehicle following the loss of their roof. Chelsea Cottle, along with her fiance and baby daughter Rain, were in desperate need of shelter from this merciless storm. With no other options, Chelsea took her pleas for help to Facebook along with her address and the hope that someone would see it and come rescue her small family. The initial post was shared upwards of 1,000 times making its way across the U.S. before eventually getting back to a local officer here in Bay County. Upon seeing Chelsea's plea, the officer and his partner immediately took action to rescue them. It seems that Chelsea took a hopeful chance on the viral nature of social media and won. Al Roker, from the TODAY Show, highlights this story here.

In the aftermath of the storm, social media has become a primary source of information and communication for both individuals and organizations alike. Thousands were informally reported missing to the local authorities and the Red Cross, according to the Tampa Bay Times, due to lack of communication just two days after the storm hit. However, Bay County, Florida Emergency Services were quick share updates such as the one below to keep families informed as best they could. In a prior post, I touch upon my own experiences in the storm and how I was one of few who were able to stay connected during and after the storm.

Businesses and organizations also used social media to provide residents with information about openings and available services, FEMA locations, shelter locations, food/supply locations, and health clinics. The City of Panama City and the local chambers of commerce continue to post daily updates and information about local events during this state of crisis. The whole experience has brought me to the realization that many of us, if not all, would have been lost without these updates from social media. Social media is how I stayed connected to my family, friends, colleagues, my son's pediatrician, and his school. It is how we know that progress is being made. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless. 

In times of crisis of this magnitude, it is important for our federal and local government leaders and organizations to keep residents informed of what's going on in our communities. I am beyond proud of how our local leaders have stepped up to plate. The Florida Panhandle was not prepared to face Hurricane Michael, and could not have predicted the shift in trajectory, but they were prepared to support their communities to the best of their means. There is a long road of recovery ahead but we will rebuild and come back stronger than ever as long as we continue to stay connected.

The ups and downs of product placement

In a world where we are constantly bombarded by advertisements, both in real life and online, product companies have to find creative ways of putting their products out there and sharing their message. Those of us who fall in the generations of Millennials, Gen-X, and Z are not as prone to succumb to the more blatant attempts of advertising campaigns that stem from billboards, commercials, and social media. Social Media advertising seems a mere inconvenience to our day-to-day scrolling activities. To appeal to this market, advertisers are going to have to be more strategic going forward by reaching us through the things we like which may include movies, shows, and sometimes through our favorite YouTube subscriptions just to name a few. The point is that we like our entertainment and we just do not respond well to straight-forward and/or in-your-face attempts at getting us to spend our money.

Product placement in movies or television programs has long been one of the subtler forms of advertising. Some of the most memorable examples of product placement in film include Reese's Pieces in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Dr. Pepper in Forrest Gump, and Twinkies in Zombieland among others. The idea of product placement is obvious. As consumers, when we see one of these products in film/TV, we subconsciously have an increased awareness and/or liking to that product. Are we going to immediately go out and purchase a bag of Reese's Pieces after watching E.T.? Probably, not. However, being a relatively new candy product when this film was released in 1978, Hershey reported a 65% increase in product sells just a couple of weeks after its release.

Partnerships between product brands and the film industry can be mutually beneficial. In exchange for what is probably a very large fee which will assist in funding the production of a movie/tv show, you could have your product displayed in a way that will increase brand recognition while placing it in a positive light. Oftentimes, the sponsor will, also, agree to promote the production in its own advertising campaigns. Continuing with the E.T. movie (because, why not?), Hershey's also placed advertising of the Extra-Terrestrial on its packaging. It would be plausible to say that this affiliation caught the attention of consumers and contributed the increase in sells.

Though it is common practice to request permission from a company before displaying their products due to legality reason, it is not unheard of for them not to seek that confirmation. Popular Netflix show, Stranger Things, gave us some major 1980s product vibes showcasing Hunt's Pudding (Snack-Packs), Sun-Maid Raisins, and Mrs. Butterworth's Syrup which makes the perfect companion to the Eggo Waffles that has found itself in a recurring role in the hit show. What may come as a surprise to some is that Eggo was not in on this deal, but they milked it for what it was worth by tweeting out stills from every scene that their displayed their product. Why not? It's free advertising that shows their product in a positive light and later led to a partnership between Eggo and Netflix. Being a popular show among the Baby Boomers to the Generation Z's and beyond, I'm sure that many of us were saying "Leggo my Eggo." According to ArtPlusMarketing, while we do not know exactly how much Kellogg made of this starring role, there was a peak in Google searches for "Eggo Waffles" which correlated with the release of seasons 1 and 2 of Stranger Things. I know I got my Eggo on though.

One of the downsides of unauthorized product placement is when it places the product in a negative light to viewers. Let's take, for example, the movie Flight which stars leading man Denzel Washington, who's an alcoholic flight captain. Budweiser and Stoli vodka are two of the well-known products that were displayed in the film without the requested permission from the film maker, Paramount Pictures Corp. Neither brands were too happy about this, and if you have seen the film then you know why. According to The Globe and Mail Inc., Anheuser-Busch reached out to Paramount to ask them to remove its Budweiser brand from the film. William Grant & Sons (producer of Stoli vodka) did make a statement but did not approach the corporation about resolving. Also, it is important to note that it doesn't appear that either brand sought legal action against the film. This is, in large part, due to the fact that it would be on their dime to defend their brand along with the chances of not winning the case. 

Personally, I believe that product placement should be about conveying the message of the movie and not necessarily the product. Stranger Things meticulously tried to use products that were popular to the 80s to give viewers a sense of that time frame. Flight was about an alcoholic pilot who was charged for being under the influence during what could have been a very deadly crash landing. He saved those people but he still went to prison and probably will never be a pilot again, because he broke the law. It was about his story and I feel like people come away from it with the message to not drink and operate heavy machinery. They could have chosen to use Bud Light instead of Budweiser. Consumers, through social media and the like, are easily able to put their opinions out there regardless of these influences from film and TV.  No matter your opinion, product placement is a unique way of getting your brand noticed by generations who are not so easily roused by the buy-me-now traditional advertisement.

Thanks for reading! I hope you will come back for next weeks post where I will be covering a topic on media strategies, crisis, and change.

Everyday leaders create lollipop moments

Leadership is not just about captivating and engaging an audience. Nor is it about being in a position of leadership that requires you to supervise a team of staff members. Great leaders seek to inspire any and every one they come across through positive interactions and by being kind. Many of you, whether you know it or not, have impacted someone's life in a positive way. If you are uncertain then it is likely that that person has not told you yet. This week I was inspired by Drew Dudley's Ted Talk on everyday leadership which emphasized the notion of creating and acknowledging the "lollipop moments." A lollipop moment could be just a simple remark or gesture but to the person on the receiving end it could be just the confirmation he/she needed.

When I was in my junior year of college at Troy University, I met a young lady who was in her final years of high school. I was working part-time as a test proctor for the university at the time and she was there visiting with her grandmother. She was interested in hearing about my experiences at the university and what the classes were like. Though I do not recall too much about the conversation itself, what I do remember is her enthusiasm for learning. I did not realize it at that time, but that conversation inspired her and made her want to be a TROY Trojan. I never saw her again after that. However, a few days later, I was sent an email from the girl's grandmother, who happened to be a faculty member of the university.  The message was sent as a thank you for talking with her granddaughter and to share that she is now considering Troy University. I share this story with you because I do not and did not consider myself a leader in any sense, yet because of that acknowledgement I know that I have, at the very least, inspired one person in my lifetime to go after something great.

In my senior year at TROY, I found myself being inspired by one of my professor's, Dr. Robert Moore. See, I really didn't have any plans to continue on to grad school and didn't really want to. I have always been my toughest critic and would second guess myself on certain assignments even though I have always done pretty well in school. Plus, I was just ready to be done. I had met with him to discuss my final paper, which I had made a high B on. As we were talking, he had shared with me that out of all his students that I was one of the few who he could see going on to be successful in graduate school and that I had a lot of potential. Right then and there sparks fired and I knew that I would not stop there. Dr. Moore's belief in me was inspiring and it gave me the confirmation I needed to keep going in my pursuit of knowledge and professional development. I do not believe that I ever had the chance to thank him, but, perhaps, one day he will see this and he will know the impact he made on me. Thank you, Dr. Moore!

These seemingly small moments can lead to some pretty amazing things and can also inspire others to pay it forward. I have been in the presence of some pretty great speakers in my life who know how to engage an audience and inspire others to pave their own way. I have, also, been fortunate enough to be under a great leadership team that motivates and supports each other to meet their goals. However, as I reflect upon my own lollipop moments I realize that these were the moments that led me to where I am today. We are all leaders in our own right to somebody.

Thanks for reading! What are your most memorable lollipop moments? Feel free to share them in the comment section below. Until next time.

Are you even listening? The value of being present

Have you ever been in mid-conversation with someone who obviously wasn't listening? Call them out on it and they will be quick to say "I'm listening", right? But, then they cannot recall what you said and ask you to repeat something. Perhaps, he or she was responding to an important email or text, or even paying a bill. Or, perhaps, just checking a notification or playing a game. It often has something to do with a person's phone or device. Let me ask you this, have you ever been that person? I know I have been guilty of this on more than one occasion. My older sister was actually the one who called me out on it. She often calls it selective hearing. Whatever the reason, this occurrence is a sign of poor listening skills and one that we see every day. If you are not actively listening and trying to understand and interpret the messages you are receiving from others, then, in retrospect, are you even present in that dialogue? Or, are you just staring off into the digital space?

(Wow, A star!)

For one of my other assignments this week, we were assigned a book by Dr. John Kline titled Effective Listening. Though it was published in 1996, I couldn't help but consider how our society's obsession with technology and how our smartphones have added another barrier to active listening. We are constantly multi-tasking between work, life, family, phone (and all that involves), and communicating with various people through our personal and professional relationships. Yet, out of all the communication skills we were taught in school (reading, writing, speaking), very few have had any formal instruction in listening according to Dr. Kline. As such, there are not many who practice the skills needed to be an effective listener. This is, likely, because most people consider themselves good listeners.

Whether we realize it or not, our attention can be easily diverted by a combination of external and internal stimuli. We, ultimately, choose what we allow to thwart our attention from attending to an open email message, listening to a guest speaker at a networking event, or being a listening ear for a friend. Dr. Kline's book provides a lot of helpful tips that can help anyone hone in on some effective listening skills. The best place to start would be by recognizing the barriers that keep you from being attentive whenever you are listening to a speaker or receiving a message through email or text. Awareness is key. Rick Goodman, in his blog post, provides five common barriers that prevent us from being active listeners in our exchanges with others:

1. Trying to be a mind-reader: Do you try to deduce what someone is trying to say before they get their point across?

2. Judging prematurely: Kind of speaks for itself.

3. Filtering: Are you filtering out information that you do not want to hear?

4. Jumping in with advise: Are you quick to jump in with suggestions or solutions?

5. Correcting: Are you a fact checker?

In my professional life, I consider myself to be an effective communicator, but as I recognize some of these barriers in myself in my exchanges with others I, too, realize that my active listening skills are not quite up to par. Do any of these behaviors seem familiar to you? If, so then you and I are in the same boat and could probably go for a little of Listening Skills 101. Most of us listen to react and we do not often wait to gather all the information before responding.

For anyone looking to learn more about effective listening, I would definitely recommend Dr. Kline's book. But, when in doubt, follow his golden rule, which I will leave you with here: Be the kind of listener you want others to be when you are talking.

The Importance of Word of Mouth Marketing

Have you ever managed or worked for a small business or organization? More specifically, have you ever been involved in marketing efforts of a product or service? If your answer is yes, then you are likely to understand the value of consumer relations and referrals through word-of-mouth (WOM). The customer's will forever be an organizations greatest marketing ambassador's. When people are satisfied with a product or service, they are more likely than not to tell someone, a friend or relative, about it. Then, that person tells someone else and so on. The existence of social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, have added a whole other element to the meaning of WOM. When considering word-of-mouth marketing online, Social Media Today tells us to think of the snowball effect. For example, you start with an interesting Facebook post and it garners impressions from a few people who then share it. Before you know it, the post is creating a bit of a buzz. It is much more than just trying to gain referrals and sales. It's about giving customer's a memorable experience and engaging with them beyond that experience both in-person and online. Connect with them beyond the initial experience and increasing brand recognition.

In today's post, I would like to offer some tips that may help elevate your WOM potential on social media. But, first, I would like to address what makes some marketing campaigns more or less inspiring than others. It is all in how we communicate our purpose and belief not to those who need what you are selling but to those who believe what you believe. Simon Sinek, in his TedTalk on how great leaders inspire action, describes what he has deemed "The Golden Circle" which correlates to how the general population thinks and communicates their messages to consumers. The concept, derived from a biology standpoint, reflects the three major components of the brain: the neocortex and the two middle limbic brains. A common factor said to be found among inspiring leaders and organizations, according to Sinek, is that they "all think, act, and communicate from the inside out." The majority of us, however, operate from the outside in. It is really quite fascinating! I had a bit of an epiphany about the Golden Circle and how it could be implemented to help create or reinvigorate marketing messages to ensure the prioritization of the WHY. You could even re-train your brain!

 

For instance, if I were to create a short message for the promotion of Troy University's online programs, I could say something along the lines of: We offer a variety of online degree programs (WHAT), in a flexible and easy to use format convenient for the non-traditional student (HOW). Want to get signed up today (WHY)? Not very inspiring, is it? Instead, I could say this: At Troy University, it is our goal to inspire the future leaders of tomorrow and invest in their success (WHY). From the start, you will have a team of staff and faculty members to guide you through each step in the process and the resources available to you (HOW). Our online programs are formatted into flexible 9-week terms convenient for the working adult (WHAT). This message would, no doubt, resonate better with audiences who believe in the promotion of higher education and professional development.

Social media has proven to be an efficient means of further communicating and engaging consumers. Not only does it give you a platform to talk about your product or services, but it also provides your customers a platform to share their experiences, good or bad, with their friends. People are more likely to trust the views and opinions of their friends. With the recent outages with Verizon Wireless services in the Florida Panhandle as a result of Hurricane Michael, a few of my friends have taken to Facebook to address their frustrations in the lack of support from the company. More could have been done to ease customer concerns. Verizon could have responded openly to these frustrations. Many victims from the storm are turning to their competitors that have provided hundreds with free phones and services so that they can communicate with loved ones and access disaster relief resources. The lack of public response from Verizon is not a good look.

 

Maintaining good relationships with your  customers' is of the utmost importance. If you use social media in your business, then you know that the majority of your following are your customers. Forbes suggests that marketers follow the three E's: Engage, Equip, and Empower into their social media platforms.

Engage: It seems I have used this term a lot, and for good reason. Make an effort to create unique posts that show them what makes your business interesting and post as often as you can. Engage your followers in conversations by posing a question in your post and respond accordingly. You may even decide to do a monthly giveaway to encourage engagement.

Equip: Provide important information about your product or service. Let them know when certain promotions are available and/or opportunities to get involved. Share customer success stories if and when able. And, every now and then, maybe even add a spark of humor because it can be refreshing.

Empower: Tell them how important they are and how much you value their opinions. Find creative ways to engage them in sharing their own experiences. We did this by reaching out to local TROY Alumnus in our community and asking if they would allow us to write up a student spotlight on our blog about their experiences with the university which we would share on our social media page. We would, also, ask them to share it with their friends. They always seemed to enjoy the recognition. Plus, it gave their business/organization a plug as well.

 

Have you adopted online learning into your life?

Hello, again! I told you that I would be back! So, here I am! For those of you who may be new to my blog, my name is Savannah and I am a graduate student pursuing my Master of Strategic Communication degree at Troy University. In my professional life, ironically, I also do a lot of networking for the university and promote their online programs to the people of the Florida Panhandle. My experience encompasses many roles including but not limited to relationship building, partnership building, public speaking, and social media management. I started blogging for the first time ever just over 10 weeks ago as a part of my previous class where I covered various topics on emerging media. Hurricane Michael caused quite the stir, no pun intended, for everyone in the panhandle era. It has literally disrupted many lives, mine included. I'm currently playing catch-up in my studies as I type. I chat a little about my experience in the storm in my last post.

Over the course of the next 8 weeks, I will carry on with my blogging efforts as I endeavor to further develop my writing style and create my footprint in the digital sphere. Only this time, I will be addressing numerous topics regarding leadership and media strategies. You can expect to hear from me at least once a week during this time. I often like to relate the week's topic to some of my own experiences, and sometimes just a dash of sarcastic humor which may or may not come paired with the appropriately deemed meme. I’m often asked how I manage grad school on top of everything else and my go-to response is usually somewhere along the lines of “by taking one class at a time and pacing myself” but, also, this:

Luckily, for me at least, I am nearing the end of my program and will just have one more class left after this one. Yay! This past week, we have been discussing Everett Roger's Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory. Rogers defines diffusion as the process by which innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system. With every new innovation, or adaptation to an innovation, brings with it an adoption curve. I found myself particularly interested in the breakdown of the social system into segments, based on their propensity to adopt or reject a specific innovation, which include: the innovators, early adopters, early majorities, late majorities, and laggards. I couldn't help but relate these segments back to the students that I have encountered. Each of them at different stages in their lives and each with a different attitude toward online learning. Which are you?

Being a millennial, myself, I was quick to adopt the online learning technology late into my undergraduate career which would put me in the category of early adopter. And, if you can tell, I haven't looked back. It has been my job to share the online learning experience with others. Some, like myself, have been early adopters who have done their preliminary research and may have taken online classes before so they do not need too much convincing. Those in the early majority need more confirmation because they are often concerned about the cost difference in online versus in-class. In these cases, I will usually spend a little more time going over financial aid, scholarships, and local partnership eligibility. Late majority and laggards could very well be placed in the same boat as both groups require a lot of time and communication. Sometimes, even after months of communications a prospect will turn cold. Some are too afraid that they will not be successful, while others it strictly comes down to cost and the desire to not acquire student loan debt and I get it. This brings me to an important aspect of the DOI theory, which is re-invention. We must always strive to evolve our online learning technologies and the resources available to our online students. Personally, I think Troy University has done a phenomenal job with this as they have continuously made improvements to the technology and resources, but there can always be improvements to any innovation.

Have you adopted online learning into your life? Why or why not? 

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed my post and would like to follow me in my blogging pursuits then you can do so at https://savannahchats.blogspot.com/. You can also check out some of my previous posts if you like. Until next time!