I have long been a fan of Southwest Airlines. Besides the fact that their boarding process is genius, prices are on point and the staff always seems pretty damn nice – the marketing is also humorous, strategic and well implemented.

Here are the top reasons I am crushing on Southwest Airlines:

1. They listen. Every time I have tweeted them they have tweeted back, not automated responses but an actual person responding to my question or rant.
2. The content is timely. They actually answer customer questions and use video, photos and more to tell the story. For example, we have all stared out the window when a plane was being de-iced and wonder what the hell is being sprayed or who is in the bucket. By utilizing video they informed passengers on the process. They also made another one on the temperature in the cabin, because we are all wondering why the hell it gets so hot right before take-off.
3. They have crisis plan and they are creative about it. Just last year they experienced a massive technology outage, which resulted in cancelled flights, scheduling issues and the website being down. The organization employed Facebook Live for the first time ever to address the situation, and watched as its audience interacted with the content in a much more favorable way than if it had merely issued a statement. Read more about it here.
4. They deploy multiple tools. Whether it is multiple social channels, video, online advertising, storytelling and catchy campaigns (Wanna get away) – and they know how to tie everything together. For such a big company, that is impressive.

What truly makes them unique, is the fact that they genuinely care about their customers. From their processes to the communication tools they use, they are innovative and their culture reflects that. Culture is the most important strategy a company can invest in.

We have all heard the saying “special snowflakes”, most often this is referring to a certain age group or generation. The connotation is not meant to be positive, rather it alludes to individuals that are whiny, entitled and expect certain things out of an employer.

One company went so far as to create their very own “Snowflake Test” to weed out “whiny, needy, entitled little brats.” The questions range from feelings about safe spaces in challenging work environments to how you handle it when your ideas are shot down. Some of the questions are out there, if you ask me. Take a look at the full list below:

Do you think this company has a point? Every business has pain points when it comes to hiring and finding the right individual for the culture and job, but is this the right approach?

If you ask me, and I by no means am an expert, it is sometimes just trial and error. You never know how an individual is going to fit in with the rest of the team until they are in the actual environment and experience the stress, surprises and differing personalities. They will either sink or swim, but you have to be standing by with a life preserver if the value is there.

It still astounds me that PR professionals send mass emails when sharing client news. I didn’t think this was the norm anymore, until I was on the phone with my Cision (public relations and social platform) rep. As she was showing me their new platform she touched on the email feature, which allows users to send mass emails to media contacts. I asked her if individual emails could be sent to reporters where I could tailor the message. Her response? “I don’t know. No one has ever asked me that, they always just send the same email to all their contacts.”

WRONG. WRONG. What the hell were you taught in school?

You want to know why we are exceptional at public relations (yes I am bragging)? We spend countless hours researching publications, reporters and stories before ever making contact.

Here is our approach.

A manufacturing client of ours is experiencing growth and a lot of it is due to the diversification of their client base. I reached out to a publication and pitched an article on the importance of diversifying your customer base and offered to write it. They responded that the topic was perfect for their audience and asked how soon they could get it.

Before ever reaching out to the reporter, I reviewed their content and submission guidelines and pitched several story ideas in line with their existing content. Boom – earned media.

Public relations is about customization, relationships and creativity. Stop spamming reporters, they deserve better and so does our profession.

This past weekend, I attended the West Point gala, Founder’s Day. The event is a celebration of Michigan graduates of the academy, as well as those who have just been accepted.

This year’s speaker was Colonel Greg Gadson of the United States Army and ’89 West Point graduate. To say his story is incredible is an understatement. On the night of May 7, 2007, while returning from a memorial service for two soldiers from his brigade, he lost both his legs and severely injured his right arm to a roadside bomb in Baghdad.

At the event he spoke on the power of a support network and never giving up. He then called on stage, his best friend, a fellow West Point grad who is battling ALS.

My point in sharing all of this with you is to remind all of us that regardless of adversity and challenges, there is always someone who has overcome more or is going through the unspeakable.

Some Monday morning fodder for all of us.

Also enjoy this photo of me completely fangirling all over Colonel Gadson. Thank you sir, for tolerating my babbling and weirdness.

Colonel Greg Gadson and his biggest fan

P.S. The event was planned by Michigan’s own, Jon Tellier of JetCo Solutions. Well done!

One of the best ways a company can gain awareness is visibility in the media. Public Relations and media coverage has changed over the years which is good and bad. The bad is there are less reporters, which means they have to shift through a lot more information and have limited time to write a story. The good is that publications are much more open to submissions.

Another thing to keep in mind is that press releases are not always warranted, sometimes a targeted pitch to the right reporter and publication is the best approach. So don’t waste your time writing up a press release when you can reach out with a story idea.

The best tip I can give you is to create a PR calendar that maps out story ideas, publications to target, reporters to reach out to and a timeline. If consistent media coverage is your goal, then you need to mine for stories within your organization but also create your own news.

Download the PR calendar template here. The first line is an example on how to fill out the calendar. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via kim@834design.com.

Be sure the stories are relevant to a wide audience and solve a problem.

Treats for the win.

Employees wanted to feel valued, in today’s world they are no longer working for just a paycheck. As a small business, benefits can be a large cost to undertake and there is no way you can compete with a larger company. So, get creative.

Instead of just offering health insurance, outline perks that are available to employees.

1. Summer Fridays. In the summer, depending on how busy the agency is, we have 1/2 days. This allows the team to enjoy the fleeting Michigan summer and start their weekend sooner. This is great for morale.
2. Learning Fridays. As you can see, we really like Fridays. Once a month, we have educational sessions where a staff member shares their knowledge on a subject with the rest of the team. It is a great way for us to learn from each other and build our team bond.
3. Profit-sharing. If the agency does well, the team benefits. At the end of the year, I assess our profits and bonuses are then paid out in January or February. It is not always a given, as the year may not have been profitable.
4. Flexibility. Employees are encouraged to change up their work environment and head to a coffee shop, bookstore or home to change things up. I trust that the team will get their shit done and if working from a different location assists in productivity, then great.
5. Team Outings. Whether it is lunch, a baseball game, dinner or something else, it is important to get away from the office setting and work on your team dynamic.

These are just a few examples of perks you can implement in your small business. Get creative and figure out ways to show your employees you care more than just a paycheck. If all else fails, bribe them with treats.

Get involved.

I met with a potential client this past week and we started talking about networking, being a connector and building valuable relationships. I know I have talked about this in the past, but it is worth a repeat.

If you are in sales or own a business and are the sole business developer, you need to understand it is about relationships not landing work. If your focus is only on the money, you won’t be successful.

Also stop randomly emailing, calling and using LinkedIn to sell – it only pisses people off (see former blog).

You need to be visible, which requires creativity and creating your own opportunities. People will take meetings from people they have know or have heard of. If you want something, give something.

Here is how I did it.

• Years ago, I approached WGVU and asked them if they would be interested in a monthly segment on The WGVU Morning Show With Shelley Irwin. The segment would feature community events, non-profits and small businesses. I had met the host Shelley a few times and figured what the heck. 8 years later, Your Biz Your Town is still going strong and it gives me the ability to profile great companies – some that may need 834.
• Personal branding – read up on it here and why it is important.
• If I am asked to speak, I do it. Even if it isn’t the right audience, practice makes perfect.  My first speaking engagement was at a nursing home where I talked about the history of Grand Rapids.
• I started a blog to share experiences on running a business, things I know, don’t know and people I think are badass. By profiling other businesses I have the opportunity to share their story and introduce them to 834.

I share this with you, so you understand that to get something, you must give something. Always provide value and you will reap the benefits.

A recent Inc. article stated that high value work is now done more by teams than individuals with “type A” characteristics. The article went on to say that to solve complex problems, you don’t need the best people. You need the best teams, and that means changing the way we evaluate, recruit, manage, and train employees. Put simply, working in a team takes different skills than working alone.

Building the best team involves the following.

1. Diversity. We hear this word often, but do we truly understand what it means or what it takes to build a diverse team? If companies only hire those from similar backgrounds, how will this add benefit in the long run? Inc. points out that instead of looking for comfort, you should be creating an environment where people expect to have their perspectives challenged by people who look, talk, and think differently.
2. Sharing the stage. The article refers to this as social sensitivity. What it means is each team member has the ability to share their ideas, feedback and feels comfortable doing so. Basically, no assholes allowed. The article also pointed out that strong team performance depends on the number of women in the group. The women of 834, find this extremely interesting…and also we told you so.
3. Interaction. Time together is key. Gathering around a table and talking, brainstorming and tossing around concepts is what makes a strong team. So often we lose the human aspect of communication and resort to email, telephone or gchats/messenger/texts, etc. High quality interaction builds higher levels of trust and produces more creative work.

Creating the right team culture means changing the way you find and recruit talent. Stop looking at degrees, schools and previous positions. Ask yourself the following questions.

• How will they fit into our company culture?
• Can they work in a team environment?
• Do they respect others?
• Is their background diverse?

Companies need to change the way they approach success and that starts at the team level.

Source: Inc. Magazine

So often the importance of company culture is overlooked. In the past few months, I have put emphasis on mapping 834’s culture out, but not all companies see the need to define their culture. Take Uber for example, they are facing a media firestorm and branding crisis due to their toxic culture.

How does company culture fail? It can be chalked up to multiple small things that continue to pile up.

• Leadership hasn’t set the tone or example. Culture starts from the top and trickles down. In our culture map, we defined what leadership looks and acts like. If you have ambiguous phrases like “embody the brand” – no one knows what the hell that means. Be specific!
• Address issues when they arise. If you see something happening that is not in line with your defined culture then have a process for dealing with it. If you ignore the issues or don’t give individuals the power to fix it, it will only get worse.
• Keep culture front and center. At our bi-weekly strategy meetings we address any issues that come up. We review 834’s culture map on a quarterly basis to ensure it is still relevant. Culture will change and evolve over time, which means you need to be aware of where you are at and where you are going.

If you reach the level of a shitshow that Uber is currently dealing with, then you need to own up to the mistakes and outline the plan moving forward. It amazes me that companies refuse to do that.

There is a lot in the works at 834 right now, it is exciting, thrilling, unknown and scary. But so what. Everything in life is terrifying if you think about it long enough. You can literally talk yourself out of anything. Stop it.

What is life without risk? If we quit exploring new tools, strategies and business ideas then 834 will no longer be the brand I created 10 years ago – a brand that is about pushing the envelope, finding new and better ways of doing things and then implementing the shit out of it.

Some of the most successful individuals failed before they ever ‘made it’. Great shit comes out of failure:

1. Failure is important. As long as you are learning from mistakes, you are continually growing your knowledge and experience. Don’t wonder ‘what if?’
2. It gets easier. Eventually failure will get easier. Once you have done it 15 to 20 times, you know how to get up and move on.
3. Success is born from failure. Failures help us define what success looks like, which is something you will constantly be moving towards.

You are not alone. Take Thomas Edison for example, his first thousand or more attempts at getting the light bulb to work were failures. In spite of all of his failures, Edison was a prolific inventor who had amassed several patents by the time he died, including the light bulb and the movie projector.

If you don’t fail, you’re not trying and if you’re not trying then you’re not really living, are you?

Source: Business.com, Entrepreneur.com