BIONICsocial

This recently happened to me…

After 48 years, I know myself pretty well. I also know very little about me is going to change despite the ‘Old Dogs New Tricks’ theory. I also know something else about me – I like all of who I am. And then…it happened.

Someone who doesn’t know me decided they didn’t like how I spoke online. Context: I used a meme with curse words on Instagram. I responded to someone on Twitter in sarcasm using…

Data Privacy – it’s very real and requires your attention

Your employees did some charitable work and you want to share how proud you are of them on Facebook. Your colleagues had a lunch date and you want to post the photo on Twitter. You and your clients went to a concert together and it would be a great marketing picture for other clients to see you like to have fun.

Before you post anymore photos – Please know I’m sharing this for consideration only.

#FridayReads – Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

I’m going to say the thing you’re not supposed to say – I didn’t want to read a self-help book. And guess what? I didn’t! This is a self-CARE book and that is 100% different.

At 220 pages, it was a pretty quick but I kept stopping to underline great stuff like:

…and there I was sucked in to all the goodness called “Rachel Hollis”. I wasn’t sure she could really be so wise for being so young,…

#FridayReads – The Simple Truths of Service by Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glanz

This was such a quick and easy read, it’s almost a shame if you’ve missed it. At just 76 very short pages, the infamous Ken Blanchard pairs up wih Barbara Glanz to talk about the real differentiator in any business today – service.

Tweet it out: “The real competitive edge you have today is how you treat your customers.” 

Many of you have heard the story of Johnny the Bagger. I’m not going to…

I love to brag on my friends…

I work with a great marketing guy at SPS Family. He’s pretty humble about the stuff he shares so today, I’m using my platform to give him some props!

Keith Craig is a marketing consultant and has a really great newsletter called the M@rketing Minute at the firm. He recently posted an idea about keeping your pipeline full and I gotta say, it’s just too good to not share. Sorry, Keith!

Presenting…

Long-Term Care isn’t an awareness month…

For the third year in a row, I have attended and spoken at the International Long Term Care Insurance Conference and this year’s event in Chicago did not disappoint! With more than 1100 in attendance, it was not only well-run but virtually paperless! Here are my top three takeaways…and some awesome pics in between!

You can watch the highlight reel here: https://youtu.be/NCGpcF4apGI 

Failure is…

Sleep becomes you…

I think John Lennon had it wrong. It’s not love we need more of…it’s definitely sleep.

After suffering from three weeks of bronchitis, laryngitis, and a sinus infection where my faithful physician doled out all the right meds. In the end, what finally cured all that ailed me was…NyQuil. It konked me out and I slept night-after-night for 10+ hours.

So I started doing a little research and…

What’s your reputation number?

I live in Missouri. I grew up here and I plan to stay put. However – my business is all over the country and yet, everyone seems to think financial services has such a wonderful reputation no matter where they are and I am here to tell you that’s an ‘alternative fact’ and there’s a way to put the theory to test through an algorithm.

Go to Reputation.com and find out your number

I’ll wait…

This is not about politics – it’s about people #ShutdownStories

Before you go sending me a bunch of messages about the shutdown, reasons, policies, and politics, stop – this post is not about any of that…it’s about the people afflicted by the shutdown. Those people are real and suffered financially – you might want to ask yourself, “How can I help them best?” 

Community Leadership

True community leadership happens when those who have a talent share it with…

#FridayReads: Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford (Part 3 of 12-part series)

This is a 12-part series and you can read them in order:

#FridayReads: Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford (Part 1 of 12-part series)

#FridayReads: Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford (Part 2 of 12-part series)

Being deliberate means choosing what matters most to you. I have spent the last two months reducing my screen time and just when I think, “Good job, Sheryl!”then Rachel is there…

“I want to blog but I don’t know what to write about.” THEN READ THIS

This might be one of the top questions I get all the time so this blog post is gonna be easy peasy – I promise. Pinky Swear! It’s literally these three things:

Do you follow the news?

No matter if you’ve been around since Walter Cronkite days or your news source is Trevor Noah, you have probably listened to or read some form of the news. You likely have seen new stories recently such as:

USA…

Are you ready for the new Twitter layout?

This is the reason NOBODY is an expert. I went to sleep one night and woke up and *POOF* Twitter upgraded to a new layout for the desktop application. This time, though, I approve.

It wasn’t really a surprise…

Twitter has been hinting at an upgrade and on January 22, 2019, they posted that some of us have the option to opt-in to the new layout. I waited my turn and mine came last week.

You can…

Can we just STOP with the “#Hustle” stuff already?

I love a good workday – I really do. You check stuff off the list. You high-five yourself (or in my case, I hug the cat) and know, “I really hustled today!” 

Except…there’s a new kind of hustle out there and it’s just not healthy.

Working beyond the 40-hour, 50-hour, 60-hour work week

I hear those calling others who work less than 18-hour days “slackers” – are you kidding me? They’re all hopped…

Females and Finance – You Should Join Us!

About a year ago I realized I hit an artery. This was just when the #MeToo movement was in full chatter and so many organizations were outing men who acted dishonorably. I was sitting right in the center of this and wondering, “Do I press on with Females and Finance?” 

You see – what I didn’t want to happen was for my vision of women working in financial services and financial technology to be…

#FridayReads: Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford (Part 2 of 12-part series)

This is a 12-part series and you can read them in order:

#FridayReads: Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford (Part 1 of 12-part series)

Hands Free is hard.

There.

I said it out loud.

No joke. I had to actually SCHEDULE time to remind myself to put my phone down, but my daily phone usage went from 6 hours a day to 4 hours a day. That’s crazy good for someone who is a social media strategist…

The Superbowl of Posts…it’s right here, friends

If someone said to me that they did not like Michael Strahan, I would have to stop talking to them. It’s impossible to dislike the man…because what I love the most about him is how he reinvented himself over the years. He went from noise to sound.

Already a successful football player (he has broken records, received the Superbowl ring, and is in the Hall of Fame, etc.), you might be wondering, “…

If you build it (right)…they will come

A few years back I stood in front of a group of women in Indianapolis dressed as Kevin Costner from Field of Dreams and taught about marketing tools. “If you build it… they will come.” Only – I failed in that messaging. It should have been, “If you build it right…they will come.” Let me explain.

What do you want your marketing to do?

Easy answer, right? I want to get new prospects while…