35 Life Lessons I Learned from My Father

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With Fathers’ Day only days away, I couldn’t help to think about my father.  I only got to spend 11 Fathers’ Days with him, but during that short time, I learned a lot from him. So, I thought I would deviate from my normal blog posts to share this one in memory of my father.

35 Life Lessons I learned from my father, heatherannemaclean.wordpress.com

My Father and Me when I was two.

Here are my top 35 life lessons:

  1. Life Really is too Short – don’t waste time being angry and resentful.
  2. Respect yourself – if you don’t, no one else will.
  3. Don’t let anyone tell you can’t do something because they have a limited vision.
  4. Treat everyone with respect – regardless of age, race, religion, colour, language, or social standing. Every human being deserves to be treated with respect.
  5. Pets are members of the family – love them, protect them and treat them well.
  6. Have values, morals and ethics.
  7. Learn how to live according to your values, morals and ethics as everywhere you turn, they will be challenged.
  8. When you see someone who needs help, stop and help them.
  9. Don’t let fear hold you back.
  10. While you can’t choose your family, they are the only family you have.  Be good to them – always.
  11. Believe in something – anything, but believe in and feel good about it.
  12. Don’t judge a book by its cover.  Sometimes things look far better than they really are.
  13. Be truthful all the time, not just when it is convenient.
  14. Think before you speak.
  15. Learn to listen.
  16. Always keep learning.
  17. Laugh often.
  18. Learn to laugh at yourself.
  19. Never go to bed angry.
  20. Respect your elders
  21. Learn to make decisions.
  22. Keep promises.
  23. Forgive, but don’t forget.
  24. Remember where you came from.
  25. Be true, faithful and loving to your spouse.
  26. Be on time.
  27. If you are going to drive fast, be a good driver and have your car in good condition – always.
  28. Protect those who can’t protect themselves.
  29. Don’t be a know it all – those people are annoying.
  30. When negotiating for anything, don’t let them know how badly you want it or how much you need it.
  31. You don’t need to step on people to succeed, but remember people will want to step on you, just beware.
  32. Be good at something, but have many skills.
  33. Learn how to say no and stay the course.
  34. Have fun.
  35. And my favourite:  just because you are a girl, never let anyone hold you back.  You can be and do whatever you want to.

To all the Fathers, past, present and future, have a wonderful Fathers’ Day!

If you like this post, feel free to connect with me on Twitter:  @MacLeanHeather

How to use Hashtags Like a Pro

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Do hashtags confuse you?  Do you wonder why people use them?  Are you not really that sure when you should use them?  Well, you are not alone.  I recently presented to a group of really, really smart people and one finally asked the question they were all wondering:  “how do you actually use hashtags?” Nearly every person in the room was nodding in agreement and had that can you tell us look.  So, here are my tips to use hashtags like a pro.

My Definition:  A hashtag is denoted by the “#” in front of a word.  For example, #photooftheday.  Marketers use it to track and  leverage a trending campaign.  The best case scenario is for a marketer to use a hashtag and create a trending campaign.  The average joe can use it to follow conversations, conferences, trends, industries, authors, and on and on.  You can see any conversations taking place on a subject even if not following the people having the conversations.  It is a great tool!

Using Hashtags Like a pro, heatherannemaclean.wordpress.com, taylormadecanada.com

1. Do Your Homework

If you want to create a hashtag, because anyone can, do some research first.  Use the search function in Twitter to see if it is already used.  If it is, check to see if it is for the same purpose you intended.  For example, if you want to use a hashtag for the information and communications technology, affectionately known as ICT, low and behold someone beat you to it: #ICT.  So, you can use it.

Now, if you are having a conference and it is very specific, chances are you could be the first one to use a hashtag.  For example, just for fun I searched #conferenceofme.  I would have been surprised to see one already in use for that particular item, and I was correct.  So, if you want to use it, go for it.

2.  Don’t Hijack a Hashtag

This should be a logical next step after reading the preceding item.  If for example I started using #conferenceofme for a specific reason, say speaking engagements that I do, then it is kinda for people doing speaking engagements.  So, for you to come along and start using it for the conference of medical examiners for example, would a social media faux pas.

3.  Carefully think about Your Hashtag

Whatever you do, write it out.  Read it.  Say it out loud.  Get another set of eyes.  The last thing you want is to have a hashtag that is inappropriate or embarrassing.  You might not even see it.  After all it sounded right at the time.  However, testing it this way will help your potentially avoid looking silly.

4.  Don’t go Overboard Using Hashtags

One hashtag is great.  Two is fine.  Three is just about the limit.  Any more than three and you have likely gone overboard.

5. Overly Long Hashtags

With Twitter in particular, we don’t have a lot of space.  We have had to learn the art of being brief and concise.  If you want people to use your hashtag, don’t make it overly long. Keep it simple:  #simple.

6.  Don’t forget Capital Letters

Something that is super helpful for readers is using capital letters in your hashtags.  You often see only lower case letters, but there is nothing stopping you from #ShakingItUp.

7.  Share It

So, you have created a hashtag for this super awesome topic or event, now what?  Share it.  Use it in your Tweets, on Facebook, LinkedIn and all other channels that you use.  If you are advertising an event, product, etc. in print or online, don’t forget to include the hashtag.  At a news conference or industry conference, get your emcee to share the hashtag with everyone.  

There you have it!  7 simple tips to use hashtags like a pro!  Have a few other favs that you would like to add?  Feel free to share.  It’s all about the sharing.

Looking for more information on Tweeting?  Check out How to Live Tweet like a Rockstar.

Like my post?  Feel free to follow the blog and me on Twitter:  @MacLeanHeather

How to be a Rockstar When Live Tweeting

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Live Tweeting while at an event can be a great tactic for a brand and doing it like a rockstar not only fosters engagement, it can drive traffic back to your site and ultimately add to your sales funnel.  So, what are the best practices when it comes to live Tweeting?  Check out these 10 tips:

How to be a Rockstar When Live Tweeting. heatherannemaclean.wordpress.com, taylormadecanada.com

Image courtesy of canadarocks.ca

1.  Establish A Plan

This is particularly important if you are live Tweeting on behalf of a brand.  You need to ensure that you have all your ducks in a row, or at least be prepared for all scenarios.  For your plan to cover all of the bases, be sure to think about all of the following tips.

If you are Tweeting on your own, you still need to put some thought into how, what and when.  The following points will also help you to do this well.

2. Have Your Playbook Updated and Ready to Go

This mostly applies to brands, but an individual could have his or her own playbook.  In any event, make sure that you know what to do in the event of trolls, hashtag hijacking, etc.  Be sure you know your workflow, who needs to be involved in any escalation and more.  While 99% of the time you won’t need this level of detail, being over prepared for such events is always worth the effort.  It also serves as a refresher for those listening and engaging on behalf of the brand.

3. Be Sure to Listen as Well as Engaging

This might seem obvious and would hopefully be addressed in your playbook, but for brands in particular you want to ensure that you have enough resources to not only be live Tweeting, but also to be listening.  Have one person focused on responding on behalf of the brand and let the other focus on live Tweeting.

4. Use the Right Hashtag

For a brand, you want to establish your own hashtag.  However, you should think it through carefully. Make sure that you don’t select a hashtag that when combined is offensive, embarrassing, or already in use by someone else. (See image above…I am sure that Susan wasn’t thrilled with this hashtag.)  Also be prepared that you could have other people hijack your fantastic hashtag for their event at some point.  It can and does happen.  Also share, share and share your event hashtag.  Make it easy for people.

As an individual this can be equally important.  Believe me it can be quite lonely Tweeting if you are using the wrong hashtag.  Do some research first and/or ask the event organizers what their hashtag is if they don’t have it on their website or in their collateral.

5.  Give Your Audience A Heads Up

Your followers will always appreciate the heads up when you will be Tweeting more than normal.  This applies to both brand handles as well as personal handles.

If your brand is live Tweeting and you want your followers to participate, be sure to let them know what the proper hashtag is and when you will commence live Tweeting.

6. Schedule Tweets

While this works really well for a brand, it can be quite useful for an individual to schedule some Tweets in advance too.  There may be specific points or pieces of information that you want to get out there.  Prescheduling can be great for this.  This also works well if you are Tweeting in more than one language.

7.  Remember Your Goals

As a part of the overall plan, brands should have goals and objectives of what you want to achieve through live Tweeting.  Is it to inform your customers, increase your network, drive more traffic to your website.  Make sure it is clear and understood by all parties.

As an individual you should also have goals.  Don’t just Tweet for the sake of Tweeting.  Be thoughtful and add value.

8.  Don’t Forget Photos

People love photos!  So, be sure to include a good variety of quality photos in your live Tweets. You don’t need to do it for every Tweet, but maybe try a 50:50 mix of text:text & photo.  For quality photos look at composition, lighting and the number of people in the picture.  

9.  Maintain Your Voice

Remember what your brand voice is.  This is not so important for an individual, but do remember to avoid becoming a robot.  Have fun with your live Tweeting.  Others enjoy that and are more likely to share your Tweets.

10.  Ignore Trolls and Hackers

While this can be hard to do at times, giving them an audience is exactly what they want.

Like this post?  Feel free to follow my blog and connect with me on Twitter: @MacLeanHeather

The Shocking Way You Are Alienating Your Customers

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Have you ever been a loyal customer? Sure you have. Have you ever been put off by something by something that the brand you have been so loyal to has done? Of course you have. Sometimes it is something so innocent that they that don’t even know that they have done it. Nonetheless, while innocent, it is a shocking way to alienate customers.

Shocking Way to Alienate Customers, heatherannemaclean.wordpress.com, taylormade solutions

Image courtesy of www.rajrupagupta.com

This past weekend I was flipping through one of my favourite magazines “House and Home” when I came across an article, and specifically the image to introduce the piece, that just stopped me in my tracks. But let me back up a bit before sharing with you my gut reaction to what I was seeing. I love House and Home for its simply beautiful pictures and stories about homes with good design. They are wonderful at curating a story and helping people visualize what is possible within their own homes. Page after page is a visual delight of gorgeous places decorated in a simply stunning way.

The magazine has wonderful pictures of beautiful, and most often, very expensive homes, cottages and cabins. Gorgeous! A lot of these featured abodes are located in Ontario, Quebec and the Western Provinces of Canada. Hopefully, I have painted a picture for you. Occasionally they will feature a location in Atlantic Canada, but not very often. In fact, they do feature a Nova Scotia home in this very feature…but and there is a big but here…and this is where I feel that they failed and did somewhat alienate me, and I am sure others. They succumbed to stereotyping. Yes..yes they did. The article which was focusing on seafood, certainly stereotyped Atlantic Canadians, and particularly fishermen as living in much, much, much more humble abodes than our neighbours to the west of us. While I did not grow up in a family of fishermen, I did get to meet and know a few over the years and none lived in a house remotely close to what was pictured.

But here is really the crux of the matter, stereotyping is dangerous in marketing/selling. It is a very easy way to alienate your customers and your prospects. I know that, in this case, they were attempting to paint this quaint lifestyle, but it is not accurate. It was innocent enough, but it does demonstrate that the editors likely have a picture of what most Atlantic Canadians do and how we live. Now, they might not be impacted by this at all since they also featured another piece on a lovely Nova Scotia property, but not all businesses would be this lucky.

Depending on your business, you might not even realize that you have alienated people. You just might notice that some customers have retreated. For a restaurant, coffee shop or another such business where you get to know your regulars, you would actually notice that some customers have disappeared; but for utilities, magazines, airlines, etc. you likely wouldn’t notice. Depending on how serious the alienation is, it could really hurt your bottom line. It is very easy for stereotyping to become a social media crisis, which impacts your reputation and trust that you have built. A brand can take a real hit when this occurs.

Key takeaway: This one is such an easy fix. Throw out stereotypes. The risk is just too high.

If you like this post, feel free to connect on Twitter: @MacLeanHeather

 

The Sunday Brief (June 1, 2014)

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Welcome to this week’s Sunday Brief.  The Sunday Brief is intended to be my medium to share with you a few of my top picks from the previous week in one short collection. As I write this I am enjoying a cup of flavoured coffee, which I realize is sacrilegious to many, but  Spicy Mayan Chocolate is just too good to not indulge.  So, I hope that you sit down with your favourite cup of coffee and enjoy:

1.  Wolf Blitzer Sings Hungry Like the Wolfe 

O.k. this one is completely out of the norm, but it made me smile and laugh.  Wolf is typically  so serious, that this just seemed to be one I had to include.

The Sunday Brief, heatherannemaclean.wordpress.com, Heather-Anne MacLean

Image courtesy of http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends

2.  Internet Trends 2014 Code Conference 

This is a great SlideShare document with great insights and information into the industry. In fact, it is jammed packed with trends and data…lots of data.  And, as a marketer this is our equivalent to porn…seriously, good marketers love data.

3.  If I were 22 – Advice to Women

Last week I was asked to write a piece for LinkedIn’s series of If I were 22.  How could I not.  I wish someone would have given me this advice when I graduated.  Love to hear your thoughts on it.

Did I miss a fav of yours from last week?  If so, let me know. Also, let’s connect!  Follow me at @MacLeanHeather or @TaylorMadeWorks.