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The A,B,C’s of Effectively Dealing With Cyber Bullying As A Biz Owner by @DinaArsenaultPR

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The A,B,C's of Effectively Dealing With Cyber Bullying As A Biz Owner by Dina Arsenault | Featured Contributor

Keyboard warriors, cyber bullies, trolls no matter what you call them, they are all the same, haters whose life mission is to spread misery wherever they go.

I was reminded again recently, with the ongoing events going on in the world both off and online how destructive dealing with ‘trolls’ can be both mentally and in some cases financially to a small business owner.

With the advent of the internet and the anonymity it brings, faceless figures behind their computer screens have taken it upon themselves to voice their level of online justice onto the cyber-world;  “Justice” being hatred.

Now I am going to approach this topic two fold – both from a personal and a professional perspective.

To begin, I am human just like the next guy or gal.  When I see the hate that some of these individuals spread both on their own and on other people’s social media pages, chat rooms, message boards etc. – All in the effort to gaslight reactions, I too get my back up and want to confront them just like the next person.  BUT, after working in the online, digital world for some time, I have been able to come to the conclusion on a couple of things.

First, YOU WILL NEVER WIN AN ONLINE ARGUMENT WITH A CYBER BULLY!

Let me explain, cyber bullies have a predetermined agenda and no matter what you say or what you do, they will NEVER listen or change their position on any and all conversations they participate in!  Let me repeat, YOU WILL NEVER change their point of view EVER!

As most of us do, when we participate in a debate whether it be online or in person, we use knowledge, opinion, information, perspective and logic to support and demonstrate what position we are presenting.  However, when you are dealing with a cyber bully, all of these elements will have no effect, as they operate from an irrational position where logic has no place.  They don’t care what you say, they will ALWAYS disagree and in turn attack you as a person, gender, race, age and or any other social signifiers to break you down and discredit you.

So basically its a losing battle.

Second, the best approach I have found to deal with them is simply resist the urge to enter into an online war with them in the first place. Simply choose to ignore, delete their comments and block them.  If nobody participates in the hate, they will have no one to play with and nobody to help them perpetuate their negativity.

At the end of the day, participating in these online wars just fuels these warriors to dig in deeper and continue perpetuating their negativity because they got what they wanted; you to react.  The anxiety and stress it brings is just not worth it in my opinion.  If you must say something to prove your point by all means do, but then walk away and leave it at that. Always remember YOU are your business online.  Would you like your business associated with a negative online confrontation such as this?  Odds are probably not.

Now from a professional level, I wanted to broach this topic from what a small business owner should do when they encounter negative criticism online.

What I have encountered are two types of negative criticisms when it comes to online platforms for small business owners:

  1. Genuine negative customer feedback

  2. Online cyber bullying

Genuine customer feedback is something that happens much more frequently when it comes to small business owners. Social media has become the direct line of communication between business and customer.  Customers generally will jump on Twitter or Facebook to lodge a complaint about a business rather than pick up the phone and call.  This is why it is so imperative that someone is actively monitoring what is being said about you and your business online.  The best way to deal with negative criticisms is to take this negative as an opportunity to shine.

What I mean by this is, when a customer posts on your Facebook page for example, that they waited forever to get the product they ordered from you and when it came it was broken, you can either chose to ignore it, delete it or become defensive in how you respond. Or, you can take this as an opportunity to show not only the customer but every follower you have your outstanding customer service and transparency.

In my opinion, the best way a small business should react to a negative comment is:

  1. Apologize for their bad experience

  2. Validate what they are feeling

  3. Rectify and offer a solution to their experience

  4. Apologize again and reiterate that you will take the necessary steps to ensure this does not happen again

Following these steps, will allow you to take a negative situation and turn it into a positive solution for this customer and everyone who will view the interaction.  As a result, they may become one of your biggest cheerleaders because of how you handled the situation.

Second, cyber bullies and small business owners are not as frequent,  but they do happen. It can be a little trickier to deal with because as a business you want to remain transparent.

My suggestion is to take the steps I have outlined above, if they continue to attack you, give them a warning that if they continue to be belligerent, profane or vulgar, you will take action to block them for the protection of all of your followers.  If they do not heed your warning and continue,  by all means block them, after all it is your page and you are in control of what is said on it.

At the end of the day, both personally and professionally how you use social media is up to you and how you allow others to influence your experience online is also up to you.

My perspective, make it a positive experience and let the haters know they have no place in your cyberspace!

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Dina ArsenaultDina Arsenault Digital Media Strategist and the undisputed reigning Madame of creativity, community and connection for the Ontario Chapter of http://acueconsulting.com/.

A celebrated and sought after speaker and writer, Dina is a caffeine fueled and food delighted ( locally sourced of course) Community Builder, Relationship Nurturer and all around Small Business Supporter. Dina’s online expertise is driven by her desire to promote your business online while connecting and elevating others in the process to foster community and the all around ‘good feels’.  If you want to be visible, connected and engaged with your community (and exposed to great food and fun) Dina is your gal!

Connect with Dina: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Snapchat: dinaarsenault7

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The Digital Marketing Strategy Behind Using #Hashtags by @DinaArsenaultPR

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by Dina Arsenault | Featured Contributor

We have all seen them, those random pairings of words forming phrases, pre-cursored with the number sign so eloquently or sometimes not so eloquently embedded in various social media posts.  Many of you have probably wondered to yourself, “Is there a point to this?” or “Is this even effective?” and the answer is unequivocally YES!

The use of Hashtags, when done properly can be one of the easiest and most effective ways to market you and your business online.

According to The Balance, Hashtags are:

“Used to categorize content and track topics on Twitter and other social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and LinkedIn. When you use hashtags, you help people who are interested in your topic find your posts and Tweets more effectively.”

As you can see, the very definition of a hashtag makes it an extremely effective way to search for specific content throughout various social media platforms as well as to promote you, your business, your upcoming event or your campaign.

When used properly, hashtags are a great way for individuals and brands to stand out on social media and as a result increase their organic reach and engagement in the process. They give individuals useful context and cues for recall, aggregate posts and images together, and update a group of like-minded individuals on certain topics in real time.

When you are looking to strategically market you or your brand online, use hashtags as a research tool, to find what terms or phrases are trending in not only your country, but your specific region, town or more importantly, your specific target audience as well.

Hashtags, when used properly will actually improve your visibility in search engine rankings which will allow you to generate a higher return on your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) when developing your website or designing your content marketing and social media strategies.

So, now you are wondering, “Well this all sounds great on paper, but how do I actually go about creating an effective hashtag?”

Read on – Don’t worry I have you covered…

How Do I Create And Use An Effective Hashtag

  1. Get creative and pick a phrase that is easy to read and relatively short in length.
  2. Research what terms are trending in your geographic area.  This will allow you to see what people are talking about and how this can relate to your business.
  3. Use a little humour that will reflect you and your business brand positively.
  4. Check your social media analytics and see which ones worked.  Which ones got the most responses, shares, likes, re-tweets, comments or traffic to your website.  These will help you to tailor what your future social media posts will include in order to generate the most effective content marketing strategy for you and your business brand.  If this particular hashtag didn’t work, then go back to the drawing board and try another approach.  Initially, it really is about trial and error and really getting to know specifically who and what your target audience is all about.

The great thing about hashtags is that it is a wonderful way to unify a campaign across all of your social media platforms.  When using a specific hashtag for your brand or an event, it allows your audience to search across all platforms easily and effectively, allowing you and your brand to generate new customers and essentially give back to existing ones.

If you are still wondering if hashtags are an effective and essential marketing tool for you and your business brand in today’s social media age, read what Kim Garst, named one of Forbes Top 10 Social Media Power Influencers has to say:

“Hashtags: Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re an integral part of using social media. With reams of content being produced and promoted on social media each and every minute, hashtags provide a simply way to search for specific, topical content. With every major social network now allowing the use of hashtags, understanding why they’re such an important part of social media marketing is even more important.They allow us to whittle down the thousands of updates we receive daily from friends, colleagues and businesses, as well to find new people to interact with and new conversations to follow. They give us the ability to track conversations about our brand and our products, and help us keep an eye on what’s going on in our industry.”

At the end of the day, digital marketing practices are constantly changing and adapting to the technologies that are readily available.  In order to stay competitive we have to change along with them.  If you don’t want to be left behind, put on your creative thinking caps and get hashtagging!

Remember to use this tool wisely, and don’t overuse – that can be extremely annoying for followers. It can also lead to a new phenomenon on Instagram as of late called, Instagram Shadowban:

“This occurs when your hashtags become ‘un-discoverable’. You can use your hashtags, however you’ll only show up in hashtag feeds of your current followers. This means that your images won’t show up in hashtag feeds of anyone who DOESN’T follow you, obviously reducing the reach of your account and making it much harder to reach a new audience.”

If you are:

  1. Using bots, automated services or buying followers
  2. Using the same hashtags for months on end
  3. Receive a recent surge in activity
  4. Use broken hashtags

An Instagram Shadowban can occur.  It just goes to show, that if you place your marketing focus on building relationships over acquiring instant sales by providing value to the community you are striving to build around your brand, these types of things can and will be avoided.  So my best advice for when you venture into the world of hashtags is to utilize strategically and above all else have fun!

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Dina ArsenaultDina Arsenault Digital Media Strategist and the undisputed reigning Madame of creativity, community and connection for the Ontario Chapter of http://acueconsulting.com/.

A celebrated and sought after speaker and writer, Dina is a caffeine fueled and food delighted ( locally sourced of course) Community Builder, Relationship Nurturer and all around Small Business Supporter. Dina’s online expertise is driven by her desire to promote your business online while connecting and elevating others in the process to foster community and the all around ‘good feels’.  If you want to be visible, connected and engaged with your community (and exposed to great food and fun) Dina is your gal!

Connect with Dina: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Snapchat: dinaarsenault7

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The ROI of Finding The Right Digital Platform to Market Your Business Online by @DinaArsenaultPR

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by Dina Arsenault | Featured Contributor

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The ROI of social media is your business will still exist in 5 years.” – Erik Qualman

A statement that rings truer today in 2017 than it ever has before.  But, the answer is not simply to have a presence online, it is to have the right presence on the right social media platforms that best suits you and your brand values. Understanding and discovering  every facet possible surrounding who your target audience is, is paramount for you and your business to succeed online.  What are their likes, dislikes, demographics, age, gender, socio-economic status, do they prefer cream or milk in their morning coffee – You name it!  In having this understanding you can then determine which social media platform they tend to use and more importantly HOW do they use them.

Yes you read that right, how they use them – Either for personal social sharing, for discovering businesses to engage and possibly do business with or both.

A prime example of this, is the general assumption that Millennials have abandoned platforms like Facebook, and only use ones like Snapchat or Instagram.  Well, this is only partially correct.  It is true that Millennials have flocked to Snapchat, the very creative, in the now social media platform that allows for real time communication mixed with fun and interactive filters for both picture and video.  Talking with their friends and colleagues on a personal level has never been more creative and enjoyable.  So yes, it is true that Millennials have abandoned Facebook for personal social sharing but, when it comes to checking out businesses or products they are interested in purchasing or doing business with, they definitely still use Facebook.  In fact, it has been reported that over 41% of Millennials still use Facebook daily.

A demographic who has grown up in a technological age, they have become quite accustomed to using social media to determine if a business they are interested in, is worth their time and or money.  How long does it take for a business to answer an inquiry left on their page?  Do they respond to comments?  When was the last time they posted? Does what they post provide value or does it constantly sell or broadcast; what we at a Cue Creative Consulting like to call it.  All of these elements play a part in determining if a prospective individual will want to do business with you.

In essence, your social media platform is generally the very first customer service experience prospective clients will have with you.  What If we were to flip the script and concentrate on ROR – Return on Relationship rather than ROI – Return on Investment?  Can you just imagine how much better of a first, second or one hundredth impression you will be making with your target audience?  It really is a no brainer – Build those relationships online and the sales will come, guaranteed.  It might not happen instantly but it will happen I promise.

But, how do I choose which social media platform to build those relationships on?

To help you make this decision I will break down the basics of each platform.

Here we go.

Facebook

Facebook really is a must have for any and all businesses online.  It still is the powerhouse when it comes to online social media marketing.  Now with the advent of Facebook LIVE video streaming, the doors have been swung wide open for businesses to uniquely market and connect with their audiences online and build those all so important relationships.  Let customers get to know the people behind the logo, and in turn, they will become your biggest cheerleaders online.

Twitter

Is a platform centered around the art of the conversation.  Unlike Facebook, Twitter really is centered around the landscape of being ‘in the moment’.  It really is perfect for those businesses who have things to say frequently and want to engage directly.  Ideal for breaking news or current events.

Instagram

Is a perfect platform to reach the younger generation online through the art of visuals.  It shows no sign of slowing down while it continues to gain traction with the 30 to 45 yr old demographic.  The recent addition of Instagram Stories helps take the customer/user experience behind the scenes of you and your business allowing them to get to know, like, and trust you and your brand in a much deeper way than ever before.

YouTube

YouTube is the second largest search engine and the third most visited website world wide just behind Google and Facebook.  This makes it a perfect tool for marketing through google search engines.  Simple how to videos, behind the scenes clips, product demos etc are all perfect examples of how to utilize this platform.  It really is suitable for most businesses, especially those that are in creative or visual fields.

Pinterest

Typically it has been reported that the majority of its users are under the age of 40 and are typically female. They generally have an income over $100 k per year.  It really is an important tool to keep you in the know of what the current or upcoming trends are.  Pinterest tends to influence customer purchases, especially with the addition of buyable pins directly within the platform.

I hope this breakdown gives you some basic insight of what each platform has to offer and how you can utilize them for you business.  Ideally, no business can or should be on all platforms.  I suggest that you pick the top 3 that would best suit your needs and devote the time, energy and commitment needed to really make social media work for you and your business.

Bonus Tip:  If you find even if after reading this blog you are still not sure how to figure out which platform is best suited for you and your business – Check out what your competitors are doing online.

What platforms are they using?  What kind or reaction or engagement are they getting, ie. likes, shares and or comments they are getting on their posts?  And more importantly, what are they doing right to build those relationships online and what are they doing wrong?  Identify where they are falling short and you have found a niche that you can fill.

If you have any questions about social media or how to determine which platform would best suit you and your business.  I invite you to give me a shout, and I would be more than happy to support you in your digital marketing needs!

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Dina ArsenaultDina Arsenault Digital Media Strategist and the undisputed reigning Madame of creativity, community and connection for the Ontario Chapter of http://acueconsulting.com/.

A celebrated and sought after speaker and writer, Dina is a caffeine fueled and food delighted ( locally sourced of course) Community Builder, Relationship Nurturer and all around Small Business Supporter. Dina’s online expertise is driven by her desire to promote your business online while connecting and elevating others in the process to foster community and the all around ‘good feels’.  If you want to be visible, connected and engaged with your community (and exposed to great food and fun) Dina is your gal!

Connect with Dina: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Snapchat: dinaarsenault7

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