Category: Social Media

  • Remote Work Tips

    Remote work is the ability to work on a computer from any location that has a strong WiFi connection. You can choose to be a digital nomad like Jon Brown or you can work in a dedicated office or co-working space. Remote work removes the commute at the very least.

    For me, I went from being an office manager, to working 80% remotely for an advertising agency, to being 100% freelance. I not only left the office, but I left the time-selling culture that comes with salaries. True freedom is charging for the work, not your time.

    I have plenty of tips from my experience both working in offices since I was fourteen years old to working remotely since 2015.

    Remote Work Isn’t For Everyone

    Steve Zehngut says all of the time, “Remote work isn’t for everyone.” He said it again today on WPwatercooler. If you choose to work remotely, take a deep dive into your psyche and figure out if you have what it takes. Strong boundary settings, communication skills, and accountability are important for remote employees.

    Freelancers and small business owners also need an instinct for boundaries, communication, and accountability. Your clients are your bosses in some regards. Ultimately, you should be accountable to yourself.

    Remote Work isn’t Hard

    People seem to think this would be super hard. I get asked by almost everyone I know,

    “How do you like working from home? Is it hard?”

    I like it. It’s not that hard.

    Okay. Backup.

    Yes, I had some trouble at first. But it was about expectations – mine, my late husband’s, and those of my friends.

    Remote Work is About Setting Boundaries

    It used to drive me crazy that my late husband listened to talk radio at volume 11 all day long. Did I mention it was all day long? Yes. All. Day. Long. But I got headphones, closed my office door, and listened to Pandora.

    [bctt tweet=”Remote work is a real job. Protect your boundaries with friends and family.” username=”bridgetmwillard”]

    Friends, especially stay-at-home moms could not understand why I couldn’t go to three-hour lunches. I have said, for the last five years, “because I’m working.” I used to be very upset. I now know it is on me to set my boundaries and keep them.

    I now work half days on Fridays. After my blogging time block on Friday afternoons, I can hang out with my friends. Or Saturday. Saturdays are for three-hour lunches.

    Does it always work? No. It can be frustrating or you can just keep explaining that you’re working. Don’t allow people to guilt you into playing hooky. You’ll regret it. Learn from my mistakes.

    Remote Work Is Real Work

    I am a freelancer. I am accountable. I have clients. I have tasks. It’s true that I no longer charge for my time (unless you buy a consult), but the work still has to be done. If I delay my work, I let myself down.

    If you treat remote work like a part-time job, you’ll get part-time results. This is especially true if you don’t manage time well. Your supervisor or clients have to trust that you’re working.

    Remote Office Mentality

    Being a remote work is a mentality. Have a dedicated area for work. I have the cutest office area. Before I rented out my second bedroom, my office was there. Now, it’s in a dedicated place. Everyone (neighbors, roommates, friends) knows that if I am sitting at my desk I am working.

    You do what you practice. Posture makes a difference in my mental attitude. It matters — at least to me. I do not work on the sofa or in bed unless I am ill.

    If you can work on your laptop in the car, sofa, or in a coffee shop, more power to you. I have worked in these situations with friends while traveling. However, I am most productive at my desk. This is where self-awareness comes in.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9CfEl3htJx/

    Create Virtual Coworkers

    If you’re part of a company, you may already have team meetings. If you’re an Agency of One like Nathan Allotey calls it, then you need to create coworkers. Things come up. You need peers you can trust to work through issues. For me, this is Jason Tucker and Jen Miller.

    We have a Group Message that continues day or night. If need be, we jump on a group FaceTime or Zoom call. We need a small group of people we can trust.

    Write Stuff Down

    When I first began working remotely, I thought I was going to lose my mind. My work was no longer tied to tasks represented by literal paper in an actual inbox. I knew that being a routine-oriented was a plus, but my routine completely changed.

    Two weeks into remote work, went to Staples and bought a paper calendar with a two-page week layout. Yes. Paper. And pens. I bought pens. To this day, I still use a paper calendar (along with Google Calendar), a notebook to take notes during client calls), and post-it notes. I recently added using Momentum for Chrome, thanks to a suggestion from Jason Tucker.

    Remote Work Tools

    If you’re working for a company, you may be using Basecamp, Slack, and Zoom to coordinate, keep one another accountable, and manage tasks. If it’s not Basecamp, it may be Asana, Trello, or ClickUp. Slack may be What’s App, Zoom might be Skype.

    Familiarize yourself as much as you can with the tools your company uses. Don’t expect to be given a tour or tutorial. I don’t think I’ve ever been given one.

    In client work, I use whatever tools my client uses. This is because I’m a marketing freelancer. Either way, whatever works, works. Get a system and stick to it. It only works if you work it, as they say.

    Learn From Experts

    Today I joined WPwatercooler about remote work. Steve and Cosper have a lot of valuable advice. Watch this 30 minute episode. You won’t regret it.

    Remote Work Mindset

    Being a successful remote worker is a mindset. Be disciplined. A lot of people work in their pajamas. I cannot.

    Again it’s part of my mindset and self-awareness. When I shower, get dressed, fix my hair, and put on makeup, my brain knows it’s time to work. I’m emotionally and intellectually ready to do my best.

    Remote Work Tips from WPwatercooler

    • Shower Daily
    • Wear Clean Clothes
    • Take 10 Minute Breaks
    • Stand in the Sun
    • Go Outside
    • Eat Lunch At a Regular Time
    • Dedicate an Office Space/Area/Mindset
    • Block Out Your Time
    • Close Your Laptop at the End of Day
    • Segregate Work and Personal Email with Apps
    • Virtually Raise Your Hand if You’re Stuck
    • Raise Your Hand if You Finish Early
    • Communicate with Your Team Daily
    • Check In with Supervisor Regularly

    Remote Work is Freedom

    Ultimately, remote work is freedom. It’s freedom from people interrupting your work. It’s freedom from an expensive commute. But there are downsides, too. You need to be around people. But that’s another blog post.

    [bctt tweet=”Remote work is the ultimate freedom. You’re no longer dependent upon commute, location, or salary.” username=”bridgetmwillard”]

    Remember, that it is a huge difference between being a small business owner/freelancer and being an employee who works remotely. Managing expectations is about effective communication and boundary setting.

    When you freelance, you set the rules. You’re not a jerk because you won’t work at 4:00 A.M. My good friend always says, “Your crisis isn’t my problem.” She’s right.

    Don’t allow anyone to bully you: friends, partners, clients, or bosses. Be polite. Be humble. Be free.

    Updated 3/13/2020.

  • Organic Social: Are you investing in your soil?

    Organic material needs the right conditions to grow. Your crops need the right soil. That’s an investment.

    So, how are you investing in your soil online? Are you doing the work to be successful at organic social?

    This is a spinoff of my recent GuruMinute video.

    Chef’s Table — A Netflix Documentary

    I was inspired by Chef’s Table this week and how Dan Barber’s food-to-table movement starts quite literally at the farm.

    Crop Rotation

    Crop rotation and investment in the soil is how you get flavor — mind-blowing, true flavor.

    The organic food movement is a movement against automation and a movement back toward nature. Allowing the land to rest, planting things that give back to the soil, and encouraging the microbial activity takes more time, is more expensive, but yields better results.

    What makes social media organic?

    What if we treated our social media organically?

    What if we invested in the soil — the people — our fans, friends, and followers?

    What if we rotated our content so we had a three-dimensional persona online? What if we shared other people’s content? What if we rested?

    Guru Lesson

    You can’t have organic faming without investing in the soil.

    You can’t have organic social without investing in people.

    Invest in people and they’ll invest in you.

  • The X Platform (Twitter) Chats: The Real (Live) Part of Twitter

    Three scheduled tweets walk into a bar and the bartender says, “_____________________________.”

    Twitter is kind of noisy these days, it’s true. And I’m pretty good about spending a few 5 minute sessions in the home feed, too.

    People can get really offended when you (well, I, let’s be honest here) make suggestions. These are not the ten commandments folks, just ideas.

    Twitter is Social Media, not an RSS Feed.

    There are some that get joy out of the automation and others enjoy the conversation.

    I read a post this week and this really struck a chord:

    “With all the fancy tools, we’ve lost something huge: SOCIAL media. ” Amy Donohue 

    Look, I’m not against social tools or even some scheduling.

    But you still have to be there.

    Otherwise, you’re just sending messages out in a bottle.

    “Walked out this morning I don’t believe what I saw
    A hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore
    Seems I’m not alone in being alone
    A hundred billion castaways looking for a home” ~ by Sumner, Gordon Matthew. (more…)

  • How many hashtags should you use on Instagram?

    How many hashtags should you use on Instagram? Answer: a lot. But the number changes. Keep up to date with the trends by participating.

    Hashtags. I know. I have a bad reputation for my love-hate relationship with hashtag use.

    So many people get it wrong (wrong being the wrong word because there are no rights or wrongs, right?).

    Maybe ineffective use is a better way to describe many people’s Instagram accounts.

    I know a lot of Facebookers (who cross-post their Instagram photos) just don’t realize that when they post a hashtag on a private (friends-only) post, they’re defeating the purpose of the hashtag (to be found in search). But I surrender.

    Really.

    I promise.

    No, I’m serious this time.

    My personal strategy on Instagram is to post more landscapes, arty shots, and selfies. People bore easily of selfies on Facebook. But on Instagram, it’s almost expected.

    Bears in Grants Pass, Oregon

    On my first visit to Grants Pass, Oregon, I noticed bear sculptures all around town. So of course, I decided to take photos, put them on Instagram, and use the hashtag #BearsOfGrantsPass.

    Two things:

    1. I was surprised I was the only one using this hashtag. These bears aren’t new.

    2. I realized you can now click on a hashtag from your desktop.

    Boom. This is when I realized the power of hashtags on Instagram has left the boundaries of mobile.

     

    Try it on this post. Click on one of the hashtags.

    Translating to Business

    Will this change how much you use Instagram?

    Will this change what hashtags you use?

    When I was working for Riggins Construction & Management, Inc., I started an experiment.  I used 13 hashtags and started doing a weekly project. We got a lot of traction and results.

    We had a project in Irvine and since Irvine won’t allow signs during construction, I thought a geo-location series of photos on Instagram with a boat-load of hashtags would be a fun substitute.

    How many hashtags should you use on Instagram?

    How many hashtags should your business use on Instagram? The answer varies. Culture evolves. Culture on social media evolves quickly. Personal accounts can have long, drawn-out hashtags that involve sarcasm. Instagram should be more generic (think SEO keywords).

    “Interactions are highest on Instagram posts with 11+ hashtags.” Buffer 2014

    Which Hashtags Should You Use?

    With all things in Marketing, you should test and see what works for you. Remember that hashtags on Instagram, just like on Twitter, are used for filtering (search) and discovery. If you hashtag your name and no one knows who you are, this will be only effective for internal reasons.

    When it comes to hashtags, think keywords. When I say that don’t just stuff your post with the same 12 hashtags. Use hashtags that reinforce the copy in the photo’s caption/description. Otherwise, you’re at risk for shadow banning.

    “Instagram is inundated with millions of hashtags. But not all hashtags will help you in increasing engagement with your manifold photos on Instagram. The popularity of hashtag is inversely proportional to your photo’s chances of getting discovered.” Gurpreet Singh [emphasis added]

    Do your own research. Experiment yourself.

    Trust your gut. What do you click on?

    Instagram for Business

    Here’s an interview video with Amy Dononhue from March of 2015. (This post was written originally posted June 25, 2015).

     

     

  • It takes more than tights to be a social media hero.

    Chatting with a friend recently, I said, “Well, it takes more than tights to be a super hero.”

    We both realized, I needed to make this a blog.

    You can’t just install Twitter on your iPhone and think you’re an expert. Expertise comes from a whole world of experience. Experience takes time. I realized this after meeting a lot of people whose pay grade is much higher than mine. A WordPress Nerd is not a SEO Nerd is not a Twitter Nerd. I am a Twitter Nerd. But I digress.

    What does a superhero need besides a pair of tights?

    Superheroes have a mission, a recognizable costume, a song or motto, a sidekick, and superpowers or gadgets.

    You need a mission.

    What is the point of being online? Are you here for revenge or to save lives? Batman or Superman? Your overall mission on social media will determine your tactics.

    Though I don’t necessarily believe you need to write down everything you do and measure it to death, you should have an overall goal. Is it recognition or building a community? Is the end game selling widgets? Do you want to meet people and build friendships?

    You need a costume.

    I once joked that I was wearing so much spandex under a dress, I should be a superhero. Essentially, the superhero’s costume is his persona. It’s his branding.

    The “bat signal” was “just an outline” used on a spotlight. Boy was that ever branding. And the police force in Gotham were thankful for his help. We need a recognizable logo or image. No matter where they saw Superman in the sky, they recognized him. Superman was never mistaken for Ronald McDonald. (more…)