clearly conveyed communications

Should You Work For Free?

Anyone who’s ever owned a business (or freelanced or done work on the side) has come across this issue. I’m talking about working for free, whether for ‘exposure,’ often vague potential future business promises or for a worthy cause. Should you do it?

Should I work for free? — Screenshot of shouldiworkforfree.com
Site created by Jessica Hische

I’ve run into this issue numerous times since starting my business, Clearly Conveyed Communications, last year. It’s amazing how many people want to help you by asking you to work for free. Of course, they usually don’t come right out and ask you to work for free. They’ll talk about how limited their budget is, or how they wish they could afford this type of marketing project or that social media management program. Then they may even come out and say, “I don’t expect you to do this for free. I’m just trying to figure out how to fit this in the budget.” And then they’ll randomly talk about all of the future potential business this could lead to from themselves, or more often from others, via the tremendous amount of ‘exposure’ your work will receive.

I’m a fan of the Say Yes to the Dress shows where consultants help brides find the wedding dress of their dreams. Why is this relevant? The #1 rule is that you never put a bride in a dress she can’t afford. It only leads to trouble. That’s why I’m willing to work with prospects and clients to find something within their budget that will still help them achieve their objectives. If they absolutely cannot afford anything that will help their business, I would rather walk away than take any amount of money from them for projects that won’t make a difference. That rarely happens.

Work for free or a full price but never work for cheap — Do you follow this mantra?
Pic credit: Nataniel J. Rosa

But I have walked away from situations where I was asked to work for free, either outright or not so directly. I always look at the big picture, but sometimes it’s just not worth it. It seems to me like working for free for people who don’t value what you do only leads to more offers to work for free — not paying work.

I came across a great quote on this subject while reading a post entitled, Giving it away just don’t pay, on one of my favorite blogs, Campari & Sofa.

“[My parents] also put my sister the pulmonologist through medical school, and as far as I know nobody ever asks her to perform a quick lobectomy — doesn’t have to be anything fancy, maybe just in her spare time, whatever she can do would be great — because it’ll help get her name out there.” –Tim Krieder

Should you work for free? I would love to hear your thoughts and personal experiences on this hot topic.

Have you ever worked for free and benefited from it? Or regretted it?

How do you handle it when people ask you to work for free — either directly or indirectly?

Always affordable but never cheap–
Jaime

Connect with me on social media (It’s not free but worthwhile when done right!):

A Picture’s Worth A Lifetime of Inspiration

crossing the finish line of my first half-marathon

This picture shows me crossing the finish line of my first half-marathon in 2011. It was so much more than just a race though. At this moment, exhausted and hurting, I realized that I could achieve so much more in life. No more just accepting the status quo. Since this picture was taken, I’ve completed two more half-marathons (and dozens of 5ks & 10ks), continued on my healthy journey, started my own business and sat down to think about what I wanted out of life — not just what everyone else wanted from me.

What was your aha moment? What’s your picture that’s worth a lifetime of inspiration? Please share! I’m looking forward to being inspired.

Cheers,
Jaime

Inspire me; connect on social media:

Brands Rocking Social Media In The Real World

The number one question I receive about social media has always been “But what do I post?” Business professionals and owners want to see the value in utilizing social media but are intimidated by the thought of how to develop a loyal fan base and keep these folks happy. So I thought I would share some cool uses of social media by brands as examples.

Online / Offline Integration—On a Budget

Recently, the local metro park system passed a renewal levy to continue receiving well deserved operating funds. The parks, which are popular in the area, wanted to say thank you to voters for their kindness. Budget is always a concern for an organization that depends at least partially on tax revenue for funds, and users of the Summit Metro Parks range across all ages, income levels, technology abilities, etc. Put another way, some users follow the social media-savvy park system online and via its app while others never turn on a computer. What to do?

THANK YOU, Summit County voters. Issue 2 was overwhelmingly approved by 75% Tuesday, November 5. #MunroeFalls pic.twitter.com/SeUgq8J5ge
— Summit Metro Parks (@metro_parks) November 10, 2013

The parks printed thank you signs and placed them by their park entrance signs, which are typically in high traffic areas. I actually noticed one a few days after the election on the way to my ‘home’ metro park for a trail run. It caught my eye, and I thought what a cool idea! Then the parks took pictures of a few of these signs and posted them to their social media platforms along with a heartfelt thank you to its fans.

This is just one reason why the Summit Metro Parks rock social media, and I’m proud to be a fan.

For more ideas, check out the Summit Metro Parks on:
Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube

Looking at the Big Picture (And Dancing to the Beat of Your Own Drum)

More and more brands are flocking to Instagram to take advantage of the popular photo and video platform. So how do you stand out? Check out Virgin Mobile‘s attempt to step back and look at the big picture.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jaime Shine 💬 Marketer (@jaimeshine)

As a former Virgin Mobile customer, occasionally I received alerts on my phone from the company with updates—a new app, news of note or a cool download. One of these alerts led me to check out Virgin on IG. When I clicked on the link, I immediately saw how the creative company used parts of several pictures to form a larger image. How cool is that?

As you’ve probably noticed, the Virgin Group companies like to color outside of the lines (and this author loves it). Need more examples?

If you’re looking for a good time, call Sir Richard.
The Virgin Atlantic Safety Video everyone’s talking about…
WWSRD? (What would Sir Richard do?) Check out his blog.

The King of Tech Even Fails In Style

If you’re familiar with technology at all, you’ve probably heard of Mashable. Founded in 2005, the self-proclaimed leading source of news, information and resources for the Connected Generation offers insight on social media, technology, business, entertainment and more. I receive emails from this tech giant (which is monumental for me because I generally opt out, not in) and had to laugh at a broken link I found this week. Yes, a broken link. Why? Because Mashable even fails in style. Check out the message below that I received when a story link was invalid. How can you not smile?

Mashable broken link message — The king of tech even fails in style!
(Screen shot from Mashable)

So there you have it… Three companies of all shapes and sizes rocking social media to fit their needs.

What do you think? What other companies are rocking social media or doing something different?

Feel free to share in the comments below, including your own company. If you have any questions or would like help with your social media efforts (on any level), please let me know. CCC would love to help!

Getting social,
Jaime

Rock social media with me…

https://www.pinterest.com/jaimeshine/ — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimeshine/

Who’s Your Biggest Fan?

my mom and I — My mom’s always been my biggest fan, but for once I was able to help her. Pinning on her corsage at my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding two years ago.

(Ed. note: It seems like Thursday is a more popular day for reading blogs than Fridays, so I’m changing the CCC blog publishing schedule. Posts will now appear on Tuesdays and Thursdays (instead of Fridays), so please update your calendars – and reading plans – accordingly. 🙂)

After posting a somewhat pessimistic post earlier this week (but ultimately positive, really), I felt like I should balance it with a much more optimistic subject. As I was scrolling through my WordPress Reader, I came across the Daily Post’s Daily Prompt: Cheering Section. This image immediately came to mind.

Why? My mom has always been my #1 fan. (I’m a lucky lady; my brother comes in a close second here. :)) She may not understand why I do something (like starting my business) or wholeheartedly agree with what I do, but she’s always behind me 100%. I hate to say that sometimes I take that for granted, but I think we all do.

I love this picture, because I’m helping her, as opposed to the other way around. It was taken by the excellent photographer at my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding two years ago. The female members of the wedding party were finishing up getting ready and my mom came in to see if we needed anything. I’m pinning her corsage on her (and no, I didn’t stab her). If any of you who know me wonder where my (lack of) height comes from, notice that my mom and I are the same height. 🙂 I have a lot of things to be grateful for, but my mom’s at the top of my list.

So who’s your biggest fan(s)? The person (or people) who always have your back? Your cheering section? The ones who will root for you no matter what?

I’d love to hear your thoughts below. It made me smile to write this post, and I’m sure it will make you smile (if only for a moment) to acknowledge your biggest fan (even if you’re having a bad day).

Always proud to be Dixie’s daughter,
Jaime

Speaking of fans, connect with me…

Embrace the Suck (Because What’s the Alternative?)

Life sucks. Not to be a pessimist, but sometimes it seems that everything goes wrong. Sure, there’s always that saying that someone has it worse than you somewhere, but quite frankly, that isn’t always the most comforting thought in the world when you have your own problems.

a cat having a bad hair day — We all have bad hair days;
it’s how we handle them that counts.
Pic credit: Melissa West

Today, I decided to run some errands. I ended up going to three grocery stores (plus Target, Walgreen’s and the mall), buying a few things twice and taking much longer than expected. Then I came home to put a new battery in my alarm clock (which I went to two stores to find), and it didn’t work. The clock itself is dying, which should have been obvious because the battery is only a backup. You think I would have thought about this while holding the alarm clock last night while it was still plugged into the wall. (If anyone needs any CR2032 3 volt batteries…) Wednesday night, I took a nosedive on our beautiful sidewalks during a night run. Last week, I missed Trick-or-Treat. Seriously, I completely missed Halloween this year. (If anyone needs any candy…)

“Accept failure. Enjoy it, even. Embrace the suck, for the suck is part of the process.” –A.J. Jacobs

So you know what I did? I threw the unneeded batteries in my drawer and went for a 6-mile trail run followed by 100 jumping jacks, 60 squats, a 60-second plank and 30-second high plank (with stretching pre-and post-run). Then I came home, made a green smoothie, had some trail bologna (a specialty in my world), updated the CCC Facebook page and sat down to write this blog post.

kicking toward the finish line — Running (and writing) makes me happy and clears my mind. What’s your medicine when things go wrong?

Life sucks. You’re going to fail, fall down and get beat. You have to deal with it and get up — again and again. Sometimes it’s really hard to do that when it seems like the odds are stacked against you. But I believe that we are all dealt a winning deck, eventually. If you keep working and working, things will work out. They may not be what you had planned, but they will work out. (For a real-life example, listen to Steve Jobs’s inspirational commencement address at Stanford in 2005 below.)

Honestly, this week has just been a microcosm of the past year and a half (and I left a lot out for brevity’s sake). I knew it would be the hardest thing I’ve ever done to start my own business, be my own boss and and build my client base. It’s been even harder than I expected (which somehow I expected, if that makes sense).

A 6-month battle with insurance companies over a mistake in my medical records while setting up personal insurance. People not following through on their word time and time again. Anticipated projects (and the paychecks) never materializing. Working for free. Being asked repeatedly to work for free (subject of an upcoming post). Coming from a background and an area where nobody understands what I’m doing (or why). We all have things that beat us up every day.

Are you feeling shitty? Down in the dumps? Do what makes you happy — whatever that may be. Don’t worry about what people think of you. If you’re a runner, run. If you’re a shopper, shop. If you’re a film connoisseur, catch a flick. If you’re a talker, call a friend. How long? Until the smile’s back on your face.

Cheer up. Yes, life sucks, but learn to embrace it. The suck is just one small part of this beautiful thing we call living.

What do you do when you need to cheer up?

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?

p.s. If you need to vent and a friend’s not available, feel free to vent below or hit me up on a social network. Seriously, I’m listening.

p.s.s. If you’re having a bad day and can’t bring yourself to comment, just throw me a like so I know you’re there. 🙂

Embracing the suck,
Jaime

Embracing the suck or riding a wave, connect with me…

Tweet Some Love, Gain Some Respect

We all have them in our lives. A babysitter that’s always available when you really need a night out. A loyal friend who’s willing to interrupt her day to hear your latest crisis over coffee. A lifelong customer who loves your business’ story. A super fan who engages with and shares your content more than you do. People who just make your world turn a little easier. Now there’s a cool, new way to thank them.

Recognize, reward, thank. Now you can gift Starbucks over Twitter. Brilliant move, @Starbucks. http://t.co/9Kzz2qfQli #payitforward
— Jaime Shine 💬 Marketer | Writer (@jaimeshine) October 28, 2013

Starbucks continues to embrace the digital realm and social media by partnering with Twitter to introduce tweet-a-coffee. After quickly connecting your Starbucks and Twitter accounts, you can easily send your loyal friend, awesome customer or super fan a $5 eGift card. Seriously, it’s that easy.

As a business owner, I immediately thought of some priceless opportunities for brands. Giveways? You no longer need to retrieve a winner’s physical address to mail swag, just a Twitter handle. Thanking loyal fans (and customers)? It’s easy on your end but is appreciated by the recipient. Your fans and customers will enjoy being publicly recognized for their loyalty, contribution to your digital marketing efforts and fabulous ideas. In turn, your business receives positive PR and the warm, fuzzy feeling associated with being good corporate citizens. And don’t forget about acknowledging employees!

@tweetacoffee to @LanceWyllie Thanks for always sharing and engaging with CCC's content (and just being awesome). Have a coffee on us!
— Jaime Shine 💬 Marketer | Writer (@jaimeshine) October 28, 2013

I had to try this new service, so I tweeted a coffee to one of Clearly Conveyed Communications‘s super fans, Lance Wyllie. Lance is always willing to engage in thoughtful conversation, add insightful comments to discussions (on the blog and Twitter) and is so generous with sharing others’ information.

The process couldn’t have been easier. After quickly connecting my Starbucks and Twitter accounts, I sent a personalized message to @tweetacoffee to @LanceWyllie (as seen above). Starbucks’ @Tweetacoffee account immediately tweeted Lance a clickable link to redeem his eGift card (which can be scanned from your smartphone or printed out). On the back end, Starbucks sent me a receipt confirming my purchase and separately emailed me when Lance viewed the gift. A seamless process.

It’s always exciting when a new tool becomes available to add to your marketing mix. Just remember: tweet some love, gain some respect.

How can you or your business utilize tweet-a-coffee?

Who would you tweet-a-coffee to?

Tweets from my (@jaimeshine) Twitter feed
Tweet-a-Coffee video courtesy of Starbucks

An espresso addict (and Starbucks fan),
Jaime

p.s. As an espresso addict, it’s hard for me to fathom people who don’t drink espresso or coffee. Rest assured, Starbucks offers tea, fruit juices, water, fresh bakery items, delicious breakfast sandwiches and oatmeal, among other favorites, for all of you non-coffee folks out there.

p.s.s. To help spread the word, Starbucks is giving a $5 eGift card to the first 100,000 people who participate in the tweet-a-coffee program before 11/06/13 and fund the purchase with a Visa card. Full details here.

Coffee lover or not, connect with me…

Find Your Place in the World

“It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” –Mae Jemison, Astronaut & Physician

Social Media on Weekends: Are You In Or Out?

Over the weekend, I was thinking about social media usage on weekends. (Oh, the irony…) We’ve all seen the statistics and recommendations that encourage us to be social 7 days a week and keep our businesses top of mind with readers beyond traditional business hours. The theory goes that fewer businesses are social on weekends, so the content of socially active companies has a higher chance of being seen and engaged with.

Tweet on the weekends graph chart — Pic credit: Buffer

Many of us schedule content in advance or automate it, so that we have a social media presence while we’re out and about enjoying the real world. (If it’s been a crazy week, maybe we’re frantically scheduling updates on Saturday morning or squeezing them in throughout the weekend.) But a thought occurred to me… If a tree falls in a forest and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound? Or better put…

If our content publishes on social media and no one’s around to see it, does it make an impact?

Here’s my point: do you actively engage with other people’s social media content on weekends? Not just schedule content in advance on your accounts but read, comment, interact with and share other content? In other words, are you part of a social media audience on weekends? Or are you simply publishing content? (Maybe that’s the case all the time, not just on weekends.) Please choose your response in the poll below. Be honest!

If there’s no audience to view our content on weekends, are we simply publishing content to publish it? Would that content be better utilized during the week?

Get Social

Do you publish content for your business on weekends?

Does your audience engage on weekends? More so than during the week?

Are you part of a social media audience on the weekends or simply a publisher?

Please feel free to leave your comments below, including additional thoughts on your poll answer above.

Your sister in social,
Jaime

p.s. I love social media, but I didn’t grow up in front of a screen. I do engage with social media over the weekend but am happy to take a break to live in the real world. 🙂

p.s.s. If you’re still figuring out your audience or just getting started, Buffer has published a scientific guide on when to post on social media to maximize your content. It’s a great place to start!

On the weekend or otherwise, connect with me…

Go On Holiday, And Take Your Business With You

A house shining bright with excessive holiday decorations, including lights

Wednesday was Boss’s Day and tomorrow is Sweetest Day; on Monday, our Canadian friends were being thankful while we’re celebrating coffee, nuts and chocolate in October. Halloween, one of the biggest retail holidays of the year (second only to Christmas in money spent), looms large at the end of the month. Who am I going to see at my door more this year—Miley Cyrus or Anastasia Steele?

What does this have to do with your business? More than you think, actually. Holidays, from the sincere to the commercially created, present excellent, and often missed, opportunities to successfully market your business.

This is your chance to be creative and think of unique ways to tie your products and services into a holiday or special day. Keep your business’s voice in mind as you come up with a campaign. Is your tone cheeky? Conservative? You don’t want to stray too far from your regular marketing efforts or the association will seem far-fetched or forced. We’ve all seen one too many President’s Day car commercials which have no point beyond an obscure Lincoln reference.

A few holiday-related marketing efforts have caught my attention. One such effort was from Durex, the condom manufacturer. As you would expect from a company in its field, Durex likes to have fun with its subject matter, in order to erase some of the taboo associated with its product. This Father’s Day ad is eye-catching, spot on tone-wise and priceless.

Father's Day Durex ad — Happy Father’s Day from Durex, if you use their competitor’s products.

Another effort that stood out to me was from the leader of the digital world, Google. The search giant put together an impressive Mother’s Day effort, showcasing how many of its products and services could help you celebrate this sentimental holiday. A special landing page brought everything together, including this fun video (remember, YouTube is owned by Google):

Holiday Talk

What’s your favorite holiday-related marketing effort?

What holidays or special days can you associate with your business?

What’s your favorite holiday or celebration?

Happy Holidays!
Jaime

Every day’s a holiday on social media…

Winning As The Underdog: Turn Your Weaknesses Into Strengths

I’m only 30 pages into Malcolm Gladwell’s latest, David And Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, And The Art Of Battling Giants, and I’ve already learned much.

David And Goliath bookcover — Pic credit: Gladwell.com

This highly publicized new book starts off with a bang, taking a closer look at the ultimate underdog story: David vs. Goliath. Upon further review of this epic confrontation, David wasn’t nearly at the disadvantage we all thought he was. Therein lies the answer; oftentimes, the very features that make the favorite the favorite also make him vulnerable. Make sense? Read the book; it’s definitely worth your time.

The very features that make the favorite the favorite also make him vulnerable.

Next, Gladwell moves on to discuss how a small army and an inexperienced basketball team are successful by not going toe-to-toe with their much better, highly favored opponents. That’s noteworthy and can be applied to your business. Do one or two behemoths dominate your industry? Don’t worry, you don’t have to beat them head-to-head. Target a different demographic; offer your customers a different experience.

Bulls eye? Target’s famous logo.
Pic credit: Target

Who’s a perfect example of this philosophy? Target. The discount retailer never tried to go head-to-head with Wal-Mart, who has dominated this landscape for years. Instead, Target aimed for a slightly more affluent, design-conscious consumer who still liked to be money-savvy. From the beginning, the discount chain aimed to be invested in its stores’ communities, donating to local charities and giving back to local schools. It also was into being green before being green was cool. Target was a leader in its industry with pushing reusable bags (by offering a 5% discount on each purchase bagged in one) and offering in-store recycling centers.

The irony is now that Target is very competitive with Wal-Mart’s pricing (its calling card), and is even less expensive on some items. In keeping with its philosophy, you’ll never hear Target advertise this fact specifically though. The company is staying true to its vision and will not directly confront Wal-Mart, even when it proves to be superior.

Take a tip from David, Target and all of the other underdogs out there. You don’t have to be big and mighty to win. Sometimes your ‘weaknesses’ turn out to be your biggest strengths, when you use them to your advantage.

How have you outmaneuvered a favored opponent?

How have you turned a supposed weakness into a strength?

Who’s your favorite underdog in history?

Always the underdog,
Jaime

Connect with me to continue the social media conversation:

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