Becky Robinson's Blog, page 51

3 Tips for Seasonal Social Marketing

If you’re like many of the authors we interact with at Weaving Influence and Hometown Reads, you may not have a huge publishing house team strategizing how and when to market your book. Instead, you may have a Facebook page, and maybe a Twitter account that your nephew set up for you two years ago.

Since some retailers make up to 30 percent of their annual sales around the holidays, and since some of us *cough* are already playing Christmas music in the car, let’s talk about how to leverage these free accounts—seasonally.

First of all, understand that the quick & easy nature of social media allows for many ‘quick hits’ instead of one big ad buy.

You don’t have to commit the big bucks to PR services, a book tour, or placements in book stores. Just set aside 15 minutes a day—or even three 5 minute increments—to think about your ideal customer and what you would say to them if they were standing in front of you at a book festival.

Secondly, don’t think of that customer as one customer. Think of them as 365 different customers with 365 different motivations in the course of a year.

Say I’m interested in your book on switching career paths. In May, that may be because I’m sick of my own job and want the information for myself. In November, it may catch my eye because it reminds me of my brother-in-law, whose birthday is coming up. On December 24, when I realize I never ordered it for him, I may be scrambling to find the Kindle version. And in January, slashing the price may be enough to interest me in buying it for myself again. In each case and at each time, your post might look a little different–and those are just the opportunities to hook me. I’m not glued to my Twitter feed all day long, so I’m going to miss many more of your posts than I see.

Also, think creatively about how you can bring value to your customer’s life—beyond your book. What do I mean by this? It’s especially easy if you’re an artist or live in a beautiful place–but look for things that are visually healing or enhance your message as an author, and start collecting them in an Instagram account. I follow several sellers there—a calligrapher, a potter, a Swedish maternity & nursing clothing manufacturer—that I rarely purchase from, but have such beautiful accounts I am happy to absorb the images they choose to show me daily or weekly. And when a friend gets pregnant, I know exactly where to find that perfect maternity sweater or specially lettered shower decorations.

An even better example is the Instagram account @onceuponanativity, operated by a young mom in Minnesota, named Ashleigh, who used a Kickstarter campaign to publish a children’s book about Advent. Even if I hadn’t done some brief PR work for the book last year, I would follow her anyway because she has three adorable little girls and is renovating an old farmhouse just outside Minneapolis. Totally outside of my daily life; totally fun to peek into her world. Plus, accompanying the book are little dolls (great replacements for the Elf on the Shelf) that have been produced ethically and sustainably by Hmong women, so watching those come together also makes for fun posts. Ashleigh’s accounts (the farmhouse has its own!) are fun throughout the year, and of course now the book is forefront in my mind with Christmas coming up, because I’ve been watching its progress all year.

Lastly, keep in mind that a majority of millennials—55 percent—research their purchases online. Forty percent do so on their smart phone. 

Sometimes they even use social media as a litmus test for a new product. If it’s worth checking out, they reason, this company/author/speaker must be on Twitter. Having absolutely no digital presence seems weird and suspicious these days.

A number of things go through my head when I’m ‘shopping’ around this way:

What is this seller saying on a daily basis?
What are they retweeting?
Is their content going to add to my life, or is it just annoying clutter?
Is this a brand I want to associate myself with, or is their profile picture still a Twitter egg?

This holiday season, assume your customers love your message and want more of it. Then ask yourself:

How can you involve your customers in your life and surroundings? How can you connect with them and continue to feed them content on a daily basis?

For more basics on practical steps you can take, check out this great post.

Image Credit: cienpies / 123RF Stock Photo

Featured On Friday: Corporate Champions

Have you heard of our Corporate Champions program? It’s like Team Buzz Builder, but geared for organizations rather than individuals!

Corporate Champions not only gives you early (and FREE) access to the newest releases in the business book world, but provides you with the opportunity to make a difference in your organization by bringing cutting-edge leadership strategies to the table.  In a nutshell, we offer corporate readers free early access to the latest top business/leadership books so you can read, review, and consider for use within your own organization.

If that sounds intriguing, read on!

How Does It Work?

We do the first step: carefully selecting cutting edge leadership/business books that we believe will have value for your particular organization. We review these books carefully to ensure we are bringing you the best of the books we’re promoting each year.

If you’re afraid that we’ll fill up your inbox — we won’t. We know that your time is valuable, so you’ll only hear from us a few times a year with select offers from our authors. Knowing that we won’t be spamming your inbox, I hope you’ll take a couple of minutes to fill out our form and join the league of Corporate Champions today.

You’re responsible for the next step: deciding whether the book has value for your organization. If you don’t love the book or see value in it for your organization, you are not obligated to do anything.

However, if you do think the book would benefit your company somehow — whether for training efforts, networking with other business leaders, or simply offering more avenues for professional development — we’ll send you a free copy of the book!

All we ask is that you personally share a review on Amazon during the launch week, and champion the author’s message throughout your company. We make it easy for you by providing all the resources! For instance:

Share the graphics and tweets we provide to promote the book across your company’s or personal social media channels.
Present exclusive content from the author (such as articles, interviews, or Q&A’s) in company newsletters.
Utilize free discussion guides within your company training and development programs.
Invite your colleagues to a free webinar with the author.

We also provide special discounts for purchasing bulk quantities of the book, for use within your organization. We love giving back and making our authors available to be of service to YOU as you tackle organizational obstacles!

Who’s Your Corporate Champion?

Think about your organization now: who could be a great corporate champion? Maybe it’s you!

Do you want to make a difference in your organization by sharing cutting-edge leadership/business strategies? Would you love to receive excellent business/leadership books in advance of their publication? Do you want access exclusive content from the author for use in company communications?

If so, we’d love to have you join our team of Corporate Champions!

Sign up here, or send us an email if you want more information.

We look forward to partnering with you to bring great ideas to your organization!

 

The Key to #Winning on Social Media

Have you ever interacted with an organization or a celebrity on social media? Not just by tweeting at them or liking their Instagram, but by receiving a response back from them?

When my husband, Taylor, was in college, he saw a Snap from Gary Vaynerchuk telling his audience to go buy his newest book. As a college student, Taylor had to be careful with how he spent his money so he could do things like, you know, eat. So he snapped Gary back and said, “What can you do for a poor college student who wants your book?” Almost instantly, Gary responded telling him to shoot an email to his assistant with his name and address, and Gary would send him a book. Taylor did so, and voila! The book appeared at his doorstep a week later.

I’m amazed by that story. Gary has 1.2 million followers on Facebook, 1.34 million on Twitter, and 605K on Instagram. Yet he took the time to respond to Taylor and send him a book because Taylor couldn’t afford to buy it on his own. Who does that? And the more important question… why don’t more companies do that?

I know that not every person or organization can afford to send books to college students on a whim, but you can afford to engage with your audience.

According to Sprout Social, “Engagement is not just a single interaction with one of your customers, but an open line of communication over a period of time. When we think about social media engagement, it’s about how you use networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to create a great customer experience. You want to be there there for your patrons through the thick and thin of it.”

I would argue that engaging with your audience is the most important part to success on social media, and it takes a lot less than sending someone a book to keep them engaged. Here are a few reasons engaging with your customers will help you to win on social media.  

It makes your audience feel valued and if they feel valued, they’ll trust you. If they trust you, they’re that much more likely to buy into your brand or product and recommend you to their friends. I follow an author named Josh Riebock on Twitter and we’ve actually formed a friendship through our short interactions. He makes me feel so valued by remembering the little things like where I went to college and where I live now. He’s even gone as far as to read blog posts of mine and re-post them. What power you, as a brand, have to influence your audience!


It makes you feel human. So often, we view celebrities as untouchable royalty, and organizations as faceless and willing to do anything for our money. When you, as the person or organization, interact with your audience, you all of a sudden become on their level. There’s a real human behind that social handle, and more likely than not, that real human wants to help.
You’ll learn and grow in your practice. By asking questions and just showing a genuine interest in the comments of your audience, you’ll quickly learn what they like and dislike about the product you’re selling. Suddenly your channel becomes a two-way street where both you and your customers are giving and receiving. Maybe friendship and social media aren’t that different after all.

Okay, so what does it look like to engage with your audience?

Obviously, reply reply reply. Need I say more? Try your hardest to reply to everything people say to you, even if that just means liking their comment. If you were in an in-person conversation with that person, would you ignore them and walk away after they say something to you? Or would you at least smile and nod, acknowledging that you heard them? Use the same social graces online as you do in person.


Ask questions. If you haven’t been engaging with your audience, it’s fair to assume that they aren’t engaging with you as much anymore, either. Start that up again by posting a question to everyone. It could be about your product, or something as simple and generic as, “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?” Build your rapport by showing them you want to get to know them.


Re-blog, retweet, re-post. An easy, nearly effortless way to show that you value the opinions of your audience is by re-posting what they say. Not only are you valuing what they say, you’re showing others you value it, and giving them a chance to be exposed to your audience.

When a customer interacts with you on social media, they’re trusting you with their problems, with their creativity, and with their questions. All you have to do is engage.

Can you be trusted?

 

Image Credit: rawpixel / 123RF Stock Photo

Featured On Friday: #OASISConversations by @AnnVanEron

Having lived in a desert climate for over three years now, I definitely require a visit to physical places with water and vegetation once in a while. More pressing, though, is my need for mental oases—refreshing conversations, thoughts, and states of mind. This need is something that I believe everyone can relate to, regardless of the physical environment they live in.

This week, Weaving Influence is proud to support the launch of a book that helps us to find oases in, of all places, our professional lives! Oasis Conversations: Leading with an Open Mindset to Maximize Potential by Ann Van Eron, teaches us how to be emotionally and socially intelligent while outlining a practical pathway to positive and productive relationships.

As a Ph.D., MCC, and founder and principal of Potentials, a global executive coaching and organization development consulting firm, Ann has worked coaching leaders, teams, and coaches all over the world for over twenty-five years. She is certified as a Master Coach and has a doctorate in Organization Psychology from Columbia University.

The Book

Are you an open-minded person? Of course you are! It’s other people who are the problem, right? Sometimes trying to communicate with them is frustrating, drains your energy, and feels nearly impossible. But guess what? Those people think they are open-minded too, and they probably think you’re the problem.

What if you could turn the desert of miscommunication that exists into an oasis where you can have refreshing conversations that will lead to empathy, insight, and reach mutually beneficial agreements? In OASIS Conversations, Ann Van Eron draws on scientific brain research and her years of coaching experience to teach readers a process to achieving mind-opening connections with others.

Why OASIS Conversations?

Team Buzz Builder member Lisa Kosak explains the premise of the book in her thorough Amazon review:

Why an “oasis” conversation? An oasis is obviously a gleaming lush area in a remote place. Ann is referencing “something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast” – Merriam-Webster Dictionary. I would love all of my conversations to be free of conflict or misunderstandings. An “oasis” conversation brings to mind an experience of calm, collaboration, and peacefulness. Dr. Van Eron offers a 5 step process for creating the perfect environment in which to bring collaboration, come to agreement, find solutions, and empower those involved. By inserting these principles into your next conversation at work or home, you will have more effective and productive conversations that leave everyone feeling empowered and involved.

O – OBSERVATION: Slow down at look at the data and don’t jump to conclusions. Reduce your defensiveness and try to blur your own background and influences to taint the conversation.

A – AWARENESS: Be mindful of your assumptions and manage your emotions and personal views. Remain open to interaction by suspending any judgment.

S – SHIFT: Step back from reacting and shift to being open to other possibilities. This may be very challenging to do. You may need to count to 10 or bite your lip. Start practicing positive intent and keep your calm. At all costs, keep your strategies to yourself until you can converse.

I – Importance: Examine what is important to all those involved and create a true “oasis” of understanding and agreement. Don’t just jump to conclusions and try to rely on these 4 skills – mirroring one another, empathy, ask empowering questions, and notice the type of interaction you are having (telling, selling, and getting).

S – Solution: If you guide your conversations including the elements above you will successfully identify options, strategies, and agree on solutions.

Tempted by the refreshing waters?

Visit the OASIS Conversations Web Page

Buy OASIS Conversations on Amazon

Connect with Ann Van Eron on Facebook and Twitter

Share this graphic on your social channels to spread the word! 

The Zombie of the Public Relations World

For the past few years, there’s been a myth swirling around the public relations world about a zombie being in our midst. This so-called zombie can be recognized by its headline, subhead, dateline, and lead.

It’s a press release.

With news like the Public Relations Society of America sayings the release is dead, companies like Twitter claiming to not ever needing to send one, and reports of journalists saying they get dozens of pitches daily but only write a story a day, it’s no wonder.

But I’m going on record as saying the press release is very much alive. Here are five reasons why I think press releases are still an essential tool for your publicity campaign.

1.  They give you credibility.

Press releases are written objectively and in a news style. There’s no question of slant or motive. They provide just the facts—answers to the who, what, when, where, and how—free from the hyperbole typically seen in paid ads or marketing. Thus, they help build trust.

2.  They build your brand.

A press release is not sent in a vacuum. Together, they are part of a conversation used to tell your story. Thus, it’s important not to think of press releases as isolated announcements, but as a steady stream of communication sharing who you are and what you are about.

3.  They get read.

Press releases sent through services like PR Web (which Weaving Influence uses) are distributed to thousands of outlets, hundreds of which pick up the story, leading to hundreds of thousands of headline impressions (places where the headline has appeared) and hundreds of reads, clicks, prints, and shares by users. Being distributed by these services can also help boost SEO.

4.  They keep things straight.

Because releases include just the nuts and bolts of information, there’s no room for confusion. As a former reporter, I never left for an interview without having a press release (or releases, if necessary to tell the complete story) in hand. Media personnel are moving so quickly these days, a release serves as the perfect tool to ensure correct information is shared.

5.  They’re versatile.

Press releases are, obviously, intended for the press. But they serve to give crucial information to all your target audiences. Because they’re free from slant and jargon, and complete with pertinent information, they serve as a very useful tool to fill anyone in on the background and get them up to speed on you and your brand.

Press releases are strongest when part of a full campaign. They are a tactic, not a strategy. So when paired with other tactics like media pitching, social sharing, and marketing, they’re very much alive and kicking.

And that’s my case for the life of the press release. Perhaps I should send out a statement to make this official?

 

 

Image credit: macgyverhh / 123RF Stock Photo

Featured on Friday: Introducing Hometown Authors!

Hometown Reads officially launched on March 1, 2016, as a champion of the #ReadLocal movement. Since then, we’ve connected with over 600 authors in cities all across America, and are excited to be showcasing almost 30 cities on our site. That’s a lot of communities connecting through local authors!

The list keeps growing, with more books and cities being added almost every week. And the more it grows, the greater our dream for it becomes!

Now we’re excited to introduce the latest result of our “big dreams” — the new Hometown Authors blog!

Hometown Authors exists to share book launch marketing tips and resources to support authors in fueling the #ReadLocal movement.

We want to inspire and equip authors to be more effective in marketing their books, by sharing helpful advice from seasoned and new authors alike. Everyone’s book marketing journey looks different, but all successful ones have one big thing in common, and that’s community. And that’s what Hometown Reads and Hometown Authors is all about!

Book marketing can be challenging, for sure, but starting where we are — with the relationships we already have — can result in huge returns.

“Book marketing is very hard. Collaborating with others can help.” – Becky Robinson

For instance, guest author Leni Pospie, a Hometown Reads author from Cleveland, Ohio, recently shared a bit of her own story as a newly published author. It included a disheartening journey to libraries, school districts, and book stores; but it was her visit to City Hall that really changed her outlook towards her book marketing journey.

Her flash of insight?

Market as if you are training for a triathlon. . . . You may not be able to see the finish line, but the starting line is within sight.  

Read the rest of Leni’s post here.

We’d love to hear from other authors too! Do you have advice to share from your own book marketing journey, or specific encouragement for any newly published authors, or know of tools that can help authors connect with their intended audiences? Send us an email, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

And if you haven’t signed up to participate in the #ReadLocal movement yet, why not join today?

If you’re an author who wants to see your book or city featured on Hometown Reads, join here. If you’re a reader who wants to discover great books from your hometown, join here. Or simply browse our current selection of books here!

Tell me something! What’s the last book you read from a local author?

 

Giving Our Lives

This post is part of our 2016 Team Buzz Builder Guest Blogger series. Today we are pleased to introduce you to Greg Richardson, author of the Strategic Monk blog.

October is serious Autumn. Growing season is over. We push ourselves to finish harvesting what we have produced this year. The days are becoming shorter, the air is getting crisper and cooler. It is sweater weather. We are focused on preparing to get through another dark, cold winter.

Soon we will celebrate our holiday of hauntings and hallowed ground. Decorative graveyards are already springing up from yards in my neighborhood. The cooling weather and longer nights draw our attention to our deepest fears, including the spectre of death and dying.

Graveyards and “memorial parks,” even the Halloween versions, remind us that our lives will end. We remember the people who have gone before us, who have given us their examples to follow. We talk about people who have given their lives for a reason, for a purpose. Many of us wonder, deep within, about our own purposes.

It is easy for us to understand that when a person dies in battle, or in a great act of sacrifice, they give their life to accomplish something. It can be far more challenging, perhaps impossible, to see how anyone who dies in an accident gives their life. We may see some deaths as a waste of potential.

It is true that some of us die in ways that are not our own choices, but each of us gives our life.

I know people who give their lives to teach children. They have given every day, year after year, to inspire generations to learn and grow. There are others I know who give their lives to help people make a good living, or to provide medical support for people who need it, or to help people find justice. Their lives are not given in renowned, dramatic sacrifices, but in more regular acts each day.

We pause, taking time in the midst of the pumpkin carving, the costumes, the trick-or-treating, and the parties to remember the people who gave their lives in ways that inspire us.

We are giving our lives. Each day, each hour, is an opportunity for us to make a difference. As we discover our own true selves, we become better equipped to share our true selves with others. As we become better at sharing who we are, we find deeper understanding of ourselves and others. We explore ourselves with reflection and extend our reach to the people around us.

Who is giving their life to inspire you?

How are you giving your life today?

Greg Richardson is a leadership and organizational coach, and a spiritual life mentor, in Southern California. Greg is a recovering attorney, executive, and university professor who follows a monastic rule. He is passionate about bringing out the best in people, listening, and reflection. Greg’s website is StrategicMonk.com and he is on Twitter at @StrategicMonk. You can email Greg at StrategicMonk@gmail.com.

 

Image credit: aitoff

4 Apps for Working Remotely

Working on a remote, distributed team has many advantages – flexibility, the ability to work in your pajamas, a 30 second commute… But it can also be challenging to stay connected and to ensure that everyone has all the information that they need to do their job.

Weaving Influence was my first experience in working entirely remotely. In previous jobs, I had occasionally worked from home for an afternoon or for a day. For the most part, though, I was in the office the majority of the time. When I joined Weaving Influence I had never even met any of the team in person! I quickly came to appreciate the technologies we use to stay connected and to get the work done without being in the same office – or, for some of us, even the same country.

Basecamp

Basecamp is our central information hub for all our projects. Basecamp allows us to organize projects, set due dates, assign tasks, and share information. We can set up templates for projects and control which team members can see which project. Basecamp allows us to upload and share files. Seriously. It’s so helpful. I’d even recommend it for teams who work together in the same physical space!

Slack

Companies all over have the world started using Slack to communicate quickly and effectively. According to Slack’s website, the team that put robots on Mars used Slack. Slack is an all-in-one messaging service that integrates with a number of other apps and programs. I’m sure we’re not using it to its full capacity yet, but Slack has been a great way to connect and build community. We have different channels for different groups for inner-team messages. We also have a few water-cooler channels to help replicate some of the conversation that happens naturally in a physical office.

Google Drive

I can’t say that I have totally stopped using MS Office, but I certainly use Google Docs and Sheets daily. Google Drive allows you to create documents and spreadsheets, share with team members, and store them in the cloud. When you need a place to actually create a file, that’s where we start. Basecamp is great for storing documents once they are final, but Google Drive is where we work on the files themselves.

Video Conferencing

Written communications are great (and needed), but sometimes you can’t convey everything in an email. It’s easy to misinterpret tone in written communications. Phone calls are a definite improvement. Video conferencing is one step better.

According to experts, the vast majority of communication is non-verbal. Eye contact, expressions, gestures, and body language all convey meaning. That’s why video conferencing is so helpful when your team is distributed. We use GoToMeeting, Zoom, and Google Hangouts, but there are other options such as Skype and Facetime.

We do a bi-weekly stand-up meeting via video conference where the whole purpose is to connect and build community. Being able to see each other even for that brief half-hour helps remind us that we are all on the same team working towards the same goals!

What about you? What technologies and apps have you found helpful for working in a remote or distributed team?

Image credit: dedivan1923 / 123RF Stock Photo

Featured on Friday: Voicing Appreciation

Are you and your coworkers ready for Boss’s Day?

If you plan to buy a card, make lunch reservations, or order flowers, get moving because the big day is Monday, October 17.

My Boss’s Day Memory

One of my favorite keepsakes from my previous job is a boss’s day card from the people I supervised. Ironically, shortly after I was given this card, I was laterally transferred to a position in which I did not supervise anyone.

Although I still, seven years later, have not completely found closure with the end of that boss/subordinate relationship, Paul Larsen’s book, Finding Your Voice as a Leader, with its V.O.I.C.E. model, gives me some ideas about how I might have been a more effective supervisor.

You Want Effective? Let Me Introduce You to Becky!

Note  …. all that content filled with my own self disclosure I wrote at the beginning of this post ….. everything before “You Want Effective? Let Me Introduce You to Becky!” was a bit of a disguise because I wasn’t sure if our awesome Becky Robinson would be okay with a post that was all about her. But she is awesome and the intent of this is to be all about her, so here goes!

Paul Larsen, author of Finding Your Voice as a Leader, says in order to maximize your potential as a leader, you need to find your individual V-O-I-C-E, your unique brand. He is right! Becky models for us every day how to be true to yourself while also applying strong leadership principles.

Appreciating Becky’s V-O-I-C-E as a leader:

Values

The “v” in this model stands for discovering your core values. Becky was encouraged by Mark Miller to define core values for Weaving Influence early on, and she took that advice to heart. Becky has worked in conjunction with the team to develop corporate values, refine them as necessary, and, most importantly, live them. With apologies for the poor screen shot, one of the first things we see when we sign in to Slack every day is this question:

Ask any Weaving Influence team member, and you’ll hear how Becky has encouraged us to embrace our core values of generosity, growth, responsiveness, integrity, partnership, and flexibility.

Outcomes

The “o” in the model has to do with a leader creating a compelling vision to obtain the outcomes they want. At Weaving Influence, the challenge with outcomes is that it would be easy to chase so many targets that we lose focus. As we have matured, Becky as a leader has sought to lead us all to serve well, with focus. While she is an astute businessperson, one of her most laudable qualities is the sheer joy she takes in creating opportunities for others.

Influence

The model’s “i” stands for influence: building relationships with influence and credibility. I could make this a very short passage by pointing out that our name includes the word “influence,” therefore we should consider ourselves covered. However, it must be said that credibility is part of the unique recipe that makes Becky our “head chef.” Maybe she is just the kind of person who values credibility in general. Personally, I think the way she conducts herself has to do with the three lives she is molding as a mom.

Courage

The “c” in V.O.I.C.E. is for courage: making decisions that reveal your courage and confidence to take a stand. Four years ago, Becky wrote The Courage to Emerge: The Apple in the Orchard. In the post, she shared “at times on my leadership journey, I have felt like a solitary stubborn leaf, alone on a branch, isolated and buffeted by the winds, hanging on for life, with no protection from the elements.”

Four years later, Weaving Influence is reaping the benefits of Becky’s courage to risk that lonely branch. We are grateful for this example and the reminder that “we have the ability to give courage to others, even as we look to others to inspire us.”

Expression

The “e” is for expression: communicating your overall expression for lasting impact. Although I am not present at the initial stages of Weaving Influence’s negotiations with authors and thought leaders who want to partner with us, I have the privilege of being a part of helping them launch their books and services into the world as our work together progresses. The work we do, under Becky’s leadership, is an expression of our commitment to our core values, but also helps clients make a lasting impact through cohesive messaging, professionally prepared graphics, and meticulous project management. Becky cares about her work, so she leads us to care about our work, and hopefully the final results demonstrate that.

Learn more about the V.O.I.C.E. model here.

And if there is a boss in your life who has made a difference for you in the way Becky has for me and all of us at the Weaving Influence team, consider adding something else to the cards/flowers/lunches … your voice, telling them how they made a difference for you. That will be their favorite gift of all.

WI Team Members and Jennifer Kahnweiler July 2016

Image: aliaksandra/Fotolia

Nine Letters. Two Words. One Transforming Moment.

How many words have been spoken to you in your lifetime? How many words have you said to other people? Impossible to count, right?

There are two words which stand out from the rest. They can be said by a boss, a co-worker, a friend, family member, acquaintance or stranger. What are these two words?

YOU MATTER.

How can these words make a difference?

They Make Us Want to Spread Joy

My daughter did the Disney College Program earlier this year. There are four keys inherent in how a Disney Cast Member serves: Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Capacity.

When a College Program participant went out of her way to soothe a young guest’s distress and turn the situation around into a more magical one, none other than the President of the Walt Disney World Resorts recognized her efforts.

The Disney College Program trains the participants to apply the four keys all the time. Recognition such as the type I’ve shared here is an “extra.”

But how much do you think this extra acknowledgement said “You matter” to the College Program participant? AND she received such special recognition because she made one little girl feel that she mattered. And in doing so, the child’s parents felt that their family mattered.

My daughter shared with me an anecdote about a time she had a truly magical interaction with a guest. The guest didn’t share that feedback with management. While that would have been a fun “extra,” I heard in my daughter’s voice, as she told it, pride in thinking in advance of a way she could make magic at work that night, of how she waited until just the right moment arose, about how she tuned in to the guest’s comments and proceeded to do something that told them they mattered. A “you matter” moment lives on, even if only the people involved in the exchange know it happened. It fortifies one more vulnerable area in someone’s psyche and may be just the impetus for them to make someone else along the line feel they matter too.

This November, You Can Be Part of a Marathon of Kindness

As we mentioned in our last post, you can be part of the You Matter Marathon.

You can join more than 6000 people in 26 countries who are committing to tell someone “you matter,” and back it up with a You Matter card, each day in November. Currently, organizers anticipate the number of You Matter cards distributed to surpass 100,000! That’s a lot of magic!

Marathon “Prep”

The good news is the You Matter Marathon doesn’t involve even a single step of running. But just as a runner trains in advance of their event in order to be prepared, we encourage you to prepare as well!

Think About Who You Will Give To.

If  nothing else, thinking about the people who matter to you will put you in a great mood!

If you are a parent, think about how the You Matter Marathon might be incorporated into your family’s November plans, perhaps as a new ritual.

If you are an educator, consider the possibilities of a You Matter Marathon taking place among your students.

If you are in a leadership or programming role in a community or religious group, ponder whether or not the entire group might love being part of the You Matter Marathon.

If your business wants a unique way to help people know they matter (Hello?! They do!), think about lining up at the figurative “start line” of this running-free yet very worthy race!

Think About the Realities of Spreading the You Matter Message.

As caregiver for my father-in-law, I will be the first to admit that sometimes the people we most need to tell “you matter” are the hardest ones to approach. Although saying “you matter” to my father-in-law, who will forget within five minutes that I said that, may be a sentiment that quite literally disappears from his head almost as soon as the words leave my mouth, is there a way as part of how I handle my responsibilities to him each day that displays just a little more compassion and a lot less sarcasm? That says “you matter” as much as the You Matter card will.

In addition, participating in an event like the You Matter Marathon demands that we devote time to our fellow human beings. Yeah, I know …. in a perfect world we would all be generous with our time and resources. I loved a story I read in Worth Mentioning recently about a grocery store cashier who was deliberately patient with an elderly customer, even though the line was backing up at his register. Thinking about his patience, she wrote: “So visibly relieved was the woman, I wondered how often she encountered the tired tone, the show of impatience, the sigh of inconvenience that so many busy people use with others who don’t move fast enough to please them. When my friend thanked him for his patience, he told her, ‘It’s easier for me to be patient than it was for her to get that done with people staring at her,’ he said. ‘Also I am a youth counselor with teenagers. You can deal with anyone after that.'”

The cashier mastered the difficult art of “dealing with anyone.” Is there an “anyone” in your life who needs to be told “you matter”?

You have 30 days in which to find that someone, tell them “you matter,” and pave the way for magic to rule the day.

How to Participate in the You Matter Marathon

Sign up by clicking here. (When you sign up, you’ll be sent a link to order “You Matter” cards for $9.99).
Follow the You Matter Marathon via creator Cheryl Rice on Twitter here.
Follow the You Matter Marathon via creator Cheryl Rice on Facebook here.

I can’t wait to find 30 people in my world who deserve to hear “You Matter.” Join me?