Top 5 Reasons Why You Need Social Media

1. It's Not Going Away 

Much to the previous generation's chagrin, social media is here to stay.  It is the one stop shop where people gather information, voice their opinions and engage with companies today. People are more inclined to leave comments on a Facebook page or post a picture to Instagram than ever before. And that is what you want them to do with your company. You want to start this conversation, have your information readily accessible and be able to edit it quickly if necessary. 

2. It's Free Advertising (Mostly)

Now the mostly refers to actually paying for advertising, which is an option. What I am referring to is the conversations your customers start for you.  So their friend browsing their Instagram sees the awesome time they had at your place last week and they want to go to. Not only did you reach the person who used your services but their friends, family, and friends of their friends! That is a pretty fair reach for one post, comment, and/or picture.

3. Open The Lines of Communication

Your customers want to talk to you. They have opinions you NEED to hear, and trust me, you want to hear them. Say you're a pizza place and just put a new item on the menu. You think it's AMAZING! People tell you in person after ordering it was awesome! You're on the right track. But people are more so inclined to share their real opinions behind a keyboard. Maybe too much garlic? (There is no such thing by the way!) Though this type of opinion can be considered negative, it is important to hear what your audience has to say so you can make informed decisions. Trust me. We will touch on handling negativity in a later post.

4. Instant Updates

Are you closed? Running an amazing sale? Within minutes you could reach out and inform your audience! Weather happens fast and sometimes a great idea just has to be released immediately. Don't hold back! Shout your announcements from your platforms and reap the rewards.

5. It's Environmentally Friendly

Who needs a printer and paper? Those glossy ads look divine on a computer screen and you can save some trees while you're at it. Why fiddle around with checking print quality and if your colours will actually print the way they appear on your screen? Why spend money on paper with dates that will make it obsolete in a few months? Or information that needs to be updated continuously? I love paper (and of course I will take care of all your graphic design needs!) but this is an awesome alternative or complimentary partner.

And there you have it folks! Five reasons why you should contact TDLC Marketing today! For all your social media marketing and graphic design needs. I look forward to hearing from you.

Ear Plugs Anyone?

So having a six year old has taught me a vast array of things.  One thing I cannot seem to get over though is sound effects and music from games echoing from my iPhone or unfortunately, and don’t judge me to harshly, his iPod.  Yes, I know, a five year old with an iPod is obnoxious, but it is recycled from my mother and heavily policed and disconnected from the password protected wifi, with location service turned off, etc etc... But I digress.  I have often succumb to handing my iPhone over to the fair haired boy to buy myself enough time in a restaurant to actually figure out what I want to eat, or in the car on long trips to Marine Land and the anticipation of dancing dolphins has him acting like a caged animal.  I have no issue with these small influxes of technology, I mean really, he’s in SK and using a computer at school, something that I didn’t use until grade 7 and that was in the library on my own time, typing papers or playing minesweeper, hehe.  Anyways, I have loaded these two devices with appropriate songs; veggie tales, that awful Gummy Bear song, a throw back to some of my favorite 80’s tunes (hey I’m not raising a heathen here), and of course those damn “Kid Pop” adapted songs which he loves.  Not to mention games; current favorites are Starfall’s ABC (sneaking in education at every chance), Angry Birds (hey we all love it), and Where’s Perry, a tribute to our (yes, mine and his) Phineas and Ferb obsession.  But everytime he insists on having the sound on that music makes me want to scream!  Was it like this when we were children and we played Super Mario Bros and Tetris?  Did our parents complain? I still enjoy hearing those nostalgic melodies, in fact I have the Mario song on my aforementioned iPhone.  But G's songs do not hold the same place in my heart.  Perhaps game music has taken a steep slide. Perhaps I’m just a parent and am falling into the same old trend of one generation not understanding the other.  I don't know.  All I know is these songs haunt me in my sleep.  I think I will be investing in a nice little pair of headphones for the child.  Though I’m uncomfortable not hearing what he’s doing even if it is locked down to the nines.  I think this may be something I have to let go.  To each their own.  Or maybe I’ll get the ear plugs for myself.  

Inspiratus

From Flickr

So as I search for a job in the PR industry I am having multiple panic attacks.  Every class we discuss the real world and finding jobs and each time I nearly sweat through my shirt.  I’m grinding my teeth, I have a headache all the time and I’m well, stressed to say the least.  Yesterday was a day like any other.  I had a massive headache and actually felt sick to my stomach on the drive home as thoughts about where I could possibly find a job that I can drive to and still have time for G and ya know, a semblance of a life!  And then it hit me...   I was making things too hard.  Now inside my head is a weird little place and I often over think things and work myself up more than I have too.  But then I was inspired.  Now something cool about the word inspiration.  It comes from the Latin “to breathe” and is tied with the divine.  Dictionary.com defines it as;

inspiration 

c.1300, "immediate influence of God or a god," especially that under which the holy books were written, from O.Fr. inspiration, from L.L. inspirationem (nom. inspiratio), from L. inspiratus, pp. of inspirare "inspire, inflame, blow into," from in-"in" + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper 

I not only got divine influence, I got smacked upside the head by it.  It hit me.  EVERYONE needs PR, that is why I like this field so much. Malls, hospitals, stores, I reiterate, EVERYONE needs PR.  So what am I going to do on Friday before my shift?  I am going to go into the mall office and ask to set up an informational interview with the communication head.  I will proceed to do the same thing with the hospital!  I am going to search stores; Sears, The Bay, etc... And look at the career opportunities on their websites!  There are jobs everywhere!  You just have to know where to look and you are very welcome because now I have told you where.  For instance, did you know each department in a college/university can have their own PR department?  So go forth my friends and employ!  And even if they’re not hiring, ask for an informational interview because there’s a contact right there.  These people will also give you tips and hints about the field and possibly know about other opportunities out there because these people talk to each other. More on networking some other time.  Panic attack subsides, job gotten, money received.  And if in doubt, wait a year and connect with your classmates to create your own agency together (Thank you Akad for this awesome idea!)  So put down the paper bags people.   You will find a job.  Live your dream, it’s not as hard as it may seem.  

SOPA

So some of you might be thinking, “Wait a minute... Why are some sites looking kinda funny today?”  Well my friends you may have heard of a little acronym floating around called SOPA.  No, that’s not a typo, we’re not discussing soap today.  SOPA/PIPA or, Stop Online Piracy Act/Protect IP Act, sounds like a good idea right?  We all get it, we have seen the commercials that pirating movies and music is theft just as much as stealing a car is.  But here's the thing ladies and gents, this isn’t the only thing SOPA’s going to affect. 

Now my audience has been to high school, lots of you have been to a post secondary institute and from this we have learned plagiarism is wrong.  Have your own ideas and if you need to use someone else’s ideas then cite it and give credit where credit is due.  I mean, if you came up with a great idea and someone else took it and told everyone it was their's, you’d be pretty pissed.  So as long as we respect each others intellectual property we should be fine, right?  Well this is where SOPA says uh-uh.  

If this bill is passed, the government will possibly shut down websites for using ANY intellectual property that is not the author of the websites original property.  Okay wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let’s break it down.  Intellectual property is;

 

"The ownership of ideas and control over the tangible or virtual representation of those ideas. Use of another person's intellectual property may or may not involve royalty payments or permission, but should always include proper credit to the source. " www.Dictionary.com

Which is a fancy way of saying you own the original ideas you produce and therefore your idea could be copyrighted or patented and every time somebody uses your idea you could get paid.  CHA-CHING!  

So what does this have to do with SOPA?  If SOPA is passed, sites that use images which are not considered their own intellectual property could be removed from the internet.  Now this sounds a lot like they’re infringing on our freedom of speech, but using the “piracy is stealing” school of thought - they could get away with this.  The internet was created to share ideas and information, key word SHARE.   If sites are removed because of SOPA then our information on things might only come from one source and what if this source is wrong?  Hey it happens!

If you’re curious as to how this would affect you personally, let’s think about what sites you use regularly that would cease to exist, or be censored to massive extents.  

Facebook, Youtube, Gawker, Technorati, Twitter, Wikipedia, Google, Blogger, and so much more.  Thats right everyone, if SOPA passes then blogs like yours and mine could be removed from the internet!  

Now you may be asking, “Well what can I do?!”  If you’re an American citizen, I urge you to visit this site (http://americancensorship.org/) and ask them "PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!" If you’re not living in the United States... Well, do this!  Post, blog, share, speak up and speak out!  This is serious folks and despite the fact it is happening in the States, it WILL affect countries world wide, hence the World Wide Web.  

If you’re still confused I have posted some great links to help explain the possible crisis we have brewing (also would possibly not be allowed if SOPA passes, by the way).   Enjoy! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w6GtwOvnWM

TheOatmeal.com blacked out in protest of SOPA / PIPA - The Oatmeal

Red Solo Cup

Red Solo cup, I fill you up, lets have a party!  Now this song has been stuck in my head most of the day because another cup topic has been on my mind.  I’m talking about reusable coffee cups.  Over the years I have tried to become more mindful about my footprint so I switched to reusable water bottles two years ago.  This was because I drink copious amounts of water (usually over 80oz a day) and I noticed the encroaching amount of empty plastic water bottles in my car building up.  So I went to Costco and got a nice and nifty reusable water bottle with a clip so I could hang it off my purse to carry everywhere.  How proud I feel to cut down my use of plastics! Just call me Captain Planet, you know, without the greenish blue skin and that poor fifth kid who only got ‘heart’ as his power, total rip! But I digress…

Despite my pride in using reusable water bottles, I have realized I am still polluting the planet in a BIG way everyday and several times to boot!  Now those who know me or recently read my Timmies blog, know I am a huge coffee lover.  If it came in an I.V. I’d be the first to sign up!  Now this coffee love affair usually has me buying 2, 3 and sometimes even more coffees a day.  That’s quite a few cups over the course of a week and a hell of a lot in a year!

So let’s break down the average coffee cup!  Most of us believe it is paper and therefore recyclable, WRONG!  It is paper, but lined with wax or plastic liners to keep the coffee from bleeding through the cup (though not always effective.)  The lid is plastic and therefore not recyclable in most cities because of its recycle number (I think its 6.)  Finally at some coffee places you receive a cardboard sleeve to keep your hand from being scalded.  Extremely useful, but still another piece of trash.  So this is my vow, to buy a reusable coffee cup! Go Captain Planet!  

Yeah… not as easy as it sounds.  Never mind how weird some of them look.  I mean really, how could you possible think a skinny, reusable mug that’s over 12” tall is a good idea.  Aside from the esthetics, I have a problem with functionality.  I like coffee, it isn’t a secret, so I need a reusable mug that holds an extra large and one that will fit in my cup holder.  Simple request, yes??  Wrong again. This is like asking for world peace apparently.  Every reusable coffee cup I’ve seen falls short of holding an XL by about 4oz, that’s HALF a cup my American friends.  Frustrating?  Why yes it is.  I don’t need to buy more coffee just to fulfill my normal daily intake because my cup doesn’t hold it, plus I am paying for these 4oz but not getting them.  Granted most coffee places give you a discount for using your own cup, but secretly I think it’s a push between what you lose and what you save.  Also, what is with these handles?  I understand the purpose of handles, they’re very helpful, but not when they go so far down the cup as to obstruct its seating in the cup holder.  I am curious to know if people who design these cups actually drink coffee, because they need to up their doses.  So readers, I am at a loss.  If you have any suggestions please let me know.  Who knows, maybe I just need to carry around a Red Solo cup.  And fill it up.  Let’s have a party!  Damn song is like the plague…

Tools for the Job Search - A Paper Bag

  So, I sit in my PR class and we are discussing how we will create a professional portfolio and that we should begin searching for a job, now.  I understand the reasoning behind searching for a job before graduation.  There are so many students in PR programs in Canada who are all graduating in April and at that time most will be racing to compete for all the jobs posted on Workopolis, Monster or Job Bank.  So even before the Christmas break I vowed to begin searching and applying in January.  Bring on the hyperventilating!

       Despite having a shiny degree and a glittering certificate on the way, I feel grossly under qualified for these jobs and apparently I am!  Most jobs on the aforementioned sites require 3-5 years of experience.  Now apparently between going to university, working and being a mother, I’ve been slacking on acquiring this important, job getting experience, but this is the same issue I encountered in high school.  You need experience to get experience.  I personally hate this paradox and it only gets more hairy as you get older as the need of having money interferes with your ability to volunteer or accept lower pay to receive the experience you need.  

       So as I scream inside my head about how frustrating this is, I digress.  Where can a PR grad get a job nowadays?  I know these jobs exist and people get them every day so what am I missing?  Not to mention the conundrum of living in Brantford and all the jobs are in the GTA.  Being proactive I have examined train and bus schedules and debated driving in, but nothing seems full proof.  Certainly moving to the GTA is not a possibility due to 1. Not having a job and 2. OSAP payments, which roughly adds up to a rent payment a month for me personally.  Am I proverbially screwed readers?  I am sure if I continue to plug away, drop my fear of driving on the 403, and get a very understanding babysitter, I can succeed!  But in the mean time, I might consider forming a nail biting habit or a more ramped chocolate addiction as I scroll through the ‘endless’ possibilities of jobs the next couple of months.  Perhaps I should get a paper bag too... 

Tim Hortons - A Canadian's Not So Polite Moment

So we all know how we as Canadians are very polite and I admit I live up to the stereotype.  I ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ like no tomorrow, even so much so as to score free cookies from Subway because the cashier loved how polite I was!  My motto is to not get angry, but to kill with kindness because really, people lose their anger ammo when the person they're yelling at is being so nice. 

But don't get me wrong, I can be impolite and one place I, like many other Canadians, lose my polite nature is the Tim Hortons drive thru.  Every Tim Hortons has the same story.  Once careful drivers who never forget their turn signals or those who normally let people at the other stop sign go first, turn into blood thirsty animals in these lines.  They gun the gas to zip in front of other cars just to be the next in line.   God forbid you hesitate in pulling up as close as you can to the car in front of you, but if you do your punishment will be several angry honks, menacing glares, and hand gestures that I don't believe qualify as real sign language.  

Now, you think this is over when you get to the speaker to order, but guess again.  Now we get it, you like to try new things, perhaps want to know what the soup of the day is.  Thats fine, but only during certain times a day.  Let me help you.  Between the hours of 7 and 9am you want coffee, maybe some sort of breakfast sandwich, which is the same one you get almost every day because lets face it, we've all figured out what kind of sandwich/bagel we like since age 9.  

  You will also get glares if you pull up to the window to collect your coffee and produce a twenty dollar bill.  You do not  deserve Tim Hortons and this is what everyone in the line is thinking.  If you actually liked Tim Hortons or as most Canadians, have it coursing through your veins, then you are aware an extra large (which is the ONLY size, if you're ordering a small or a medium, YOU ARE NOT THIRSTY ENOUGH, come back later) is $1.80, two are $3.59 if you are getting one for a friend.  You had enough time to count out the change from your cup holders (don't lie, you know you have some) to get exact change.  Now pull away and enjoy your coffee!

Of course, thats not the end though.  Everyone's been to McDonald's and had their order messed up, finding out their fries are missing from the bag after the fact, and Tim's is not innocent.  The lids are put on so they open up on the crease of the cup, EVERYTIME. That is if the lid is placed on properly in the first place.  Many a shoe has been splattered by ill placed lids.  And let’s not forget the ever possible mixup.  One would assume it would be difficult to screw up an XL 3 cream (my coffee order if anyone would like to get me one), but it happens a lot!  But as Canadians, now out of the Tim's line, we grit our teeth and smile and drink our mixed up order and go back that night for another round!

Don't get me wrong, I love Tim Hortons... and Starbucks, and really any coffee. I try to be polite in the Tim's line, but I have to be assertive or else everyone will cut in front of the nice girl and the nice girl is nice as long as she's got her java.  So be proud Canadians! At least we're only rude in one place!