challenges

Connection for Today

May 11, 2020 by delta 1 Comment

We’re in it now. The long months and days are blending together in a vast, seemingly unending river of anxiety, feelings of uselessness, loneliness, and stress. No one can predict the future. And our lives as we know them seem to be further and further from reach. Our businesses are in peril, and that’s heartbreaking.

So, how do we keep going? What can we salvage from this collective crisis?

I’m not going to give you a list of things to do to weather the storm, because each of us has a completely different set of obstacles to manage. Instead, I want to give you a framework of thought to consider as you approach designing your communications strategy for the next couple of months.

The Main Idea: Stop Selling. Start Connecting.

Traditional marketing strategies ring false right now.

I want to pull an example from something I read in my morning meditation time, here, because it’s powerful: “Delay has to be–sometimes. Your lives are so linked up with those of others, so bound by circumstances that to let your desire have instant fulfillment might in many cases cause another, as earnest prayer, to go unanswered.”

In secular thought, this also holds true. Carl Jung called it the “collective unconscious”–the idea that we hold collective assumptions and beliefs as a culture, that no change occurs in isolation from the whole.

So what does this mean for us, in the midst of a pandemic?

Everyone has been affected, but no one is the same.
Don’t assume you know what your clients and customers are going through, or how they should handle it. Instead, keep an open mind and keep your communications empathetic. One of the best things you might think about implementing right now is to prioritize custom solutions over one-size-fits-all formulas. People sometimes just need someone to listen to the struggles they’re having when adapting to unexpected change, and you can do so much to help them just by putting away the rule books and seeing if you can solve the specific problem at hand with a little ingenuity and teamwork combined with your expertise.
With everyone experiencing change, we need to adjust our communication strategies.
As you work on your communications strategy, keep in mind that some of us will never go back to the offices we worked in before the pandemic–if we even go back to the jobs we had. Your clients are navigating change and adapting. You can help by making sure your communications are as clear and simple as possible. Don’t make people jump through hoops. Many normal tasks and activities feel overwhelming right now.
Beyond that, you may feel overwhelmed. You may feel nervous and scared, because it’s hard to feel in control of your business like we did before. When we try to reach out with fear and control on our minds, we actually push people away. We need to take a breath, and keep connection in mind.
I’ve been keeping an excerpt from Anne Lamott’s book “Some Assembly Required” close during my business planning and writing time:

“I was reminded of the Four Immutable Laws of the Spirit: Whoever is present are the right people. Whenever it begins is the right time. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened. And when it’s over, it’s over.”

So, right now, give yourself permission to let it be and take a step back from controlling everything. Be available and see who comes to you. Be open to new moves and new things will begin to unfold. Be ready to change your plans and go with the flow. And, that leads me to my next thought…
When we undergo a collective shift this massive–we’re bound to make mistakes. So give your fellow man a little grace.
The upside for your business, is you can use this time to figure out better ways to serve your clients and test out your processes for innovation. It’s a great time to do this because everyone is in an adjustment period. No one’s business is unaffected by these changes, so switching things up and using this time to change anything that wasn’t working at optimum levels before is a great way to make the most of it.
Your clients and customers will be more open to “beta-level” services. Your team is already in learning mode. Your vendors are probably adjusting and playing with processes. The whole world is in experimentation mode. So put on your googles and get some creativity going!
At the same time, be aware that you need to be open to others doing the same thing. Say yes when your coworkers want to try a new way to do something. Be open to collaborating on new workflows, or trying a new method of communication. Get on YouTube and try making videos, even if you’ve never done it before. Talk to a communications strategist like me to find ways to create organic content to reach new people instead of running traditional ads. Look for other ways to be creative and to break from tradition. You just might find a great new way to connect!

I hope this helps you over the next few weeks!

In the meantime, I have an opportunity for you, and a request for help:

The opportunity: I’m running a free 5-Day Challenge: “Your Voice, Your Brand”. In this email challenge, you’ll learn how to define and develop the voice of your business that connects with your real audience and showcases your brand as the unique solution they’re looking for in their lives. It starts on May 18! To enroll, fill out the form below.

My request: Let me know how you’d like to hear from me. Should I do some Facebook Lives or create some YouTube videos? Should I try a new social media channel? OR, are there topics you’d like me to cover that I haven’t talked about? Send me an email and let me know!

Creative Communications in Times of Crisis

April 7, 2020 by delta Leave a Comment

Picture it. The year is 1990, and I am a 10-year old kid–scrawny, scraped knees, bowl cut with bangs, rocking a typical outfit of neon floral jams and a Minnie Mouse souvenir t-shirt that my parents picked up at an orange stand in Florida on the way to my grandparents’ pastel colored Orlando bungalow. I have an 8-year old sister, a 6-year old sister, and a brand new baby brother.

This particular summer, a man has attempted to abduct a child in our town. It was the typical “get into my van; I’ve got candy” scenario, and the kid ran home to tell her parents but the town is still abuzz with the incident. My mom, worried because the man hadn’t yet been caught, lays down ground rules for me and my sisters while playing outside. She sequesters us to the area of the yard where she can see us from the windows while she takes care of our baby brother.

This was a massive restriction for us, because like most kids growing up in the 1980’s and 90’s, my parents sent us outside for most of the summer to play unrestricted as long as we came in by dinner time. We lived on the edge of town–in the country really–with a giant lot that included woods and a creek. Those areas were not visible from the house. They were also obviously the best places to play.

51544800_10112412255302739_2990832718889091072_n — The Hodson Girls and their crew from 1990. Yes, we are piled up in the back of a pickup truck.

For a few days, we contented ourselves with putting on a talent show on the front steps, and playing “tennis” with books and a tennis ball against the side of the house. We rode our bikes in small circles and roller skated. It got boring really fast.

We decided this called for action. We didn’t want to spend our entire summer cooped up in the side yard in view of our mom!

What was the plan that we figured would expedite our quest for freedom? Why, catch the bad guy, of course!

I know, I know…but we were inspired by our childhood heroes: scrappy and resourceful Kevin from Home Alone, the crime solving Nancy Drew, and the mystery cracking crew from Ghost Writer. We knew that what this crime needed was a group of smart, resourceful kids with a fool-proof plan!

Here was the plan: We gathered our red Radio Flyer wagon, some rocks, and a few jump ropes. We identified the very edge of our “safe zone” and marked it off with some sidewalk chalk. Next to this chalk line were two very climbable trees. Anne and I, as the two oldest and therefore strongest, climbed the tree with our arsenal of rocks. Julia (at age 6) was obviously the bad guy bait. We had her walk up and down the chalk line with the wagon, saying very loudly, “I’m all alone, I’m all by myself.” (Under a blanket in the wagon was the collection of jump ropes.)

We figured that the bad guy would drive by and see our irresistible 6-year old sister, broadly declaring her unmonitored status, and would have to take his kidnapping opportunity. When he attempted to grab her, we would knock him out with the rocks, and then tie him up with the jump ropes, throw him in the wagon, and cart him to our mom who would call the cops! Freedom achieved!

We worked at trying to trap the bad guy for 3 days before we got bored and moved on to other things. At some point, our restrictions were lifted and we were allowed to play where we wanted, but I can’t remember if the man was caught, or if the town just decided he’d moved on.

As an adult, I now see that our plan was ridiculous. But I am still proud of the problem solving skills that we developed and the creativity we displayed in our efforts to return to our normal childhood routine.

I see that same creative spirit rising up in people throughout the world now, in these unprecedented times of quarantine and coronavirus. Creativity and ingenuity rule the day once again! We’re throwing out the playbooks that don’t hold up in times of crisis and figuring out new ways of doing business.

One of the things that has changed most abruptly for businesses is the ways in which we attempt to connect with our clients and customers–communication styles change in the midst of crisis because they have to. Our normal marketing methods and sales strategies ring hollow when basic survival is the main goal of your day (especially if survival means trying to work from home with a 6-year old jumping off the couch arm onto your laptop. SHOUTOUT to my niece, Fiona Quinn!)

So, what are the new rules of communication? How can you continue to develop relationships between your brand and your audience when nothing is “normal”?

Here are my tips for creative communication strategies over the next few months:

Get creative! Show some love, and identify with the struggle.
Repeat after me: IT IS OKAY TO BE HUMAN! Let people know about your own struggles as a company. Let people know how you’re pivoting, where you’re coming up against frustrations, and what you’re learning. You might come up with something that would seem dumb in any other circumstances (like videos of your employees’ kitchen dance moves) but everyone is making stuff up as they go right now. Show everyone you’re just rolling with it like they are!
Connect with core values.
What’s important to your brand and the people you serve? Check in on your values and make sure the decisions you’re making in the face of crisis are still aligned with who you are. Don’t panic–and you’ll be proud of whatever happens when all of this madness blows over.
Check your tone, and PIVOT like Ross on Friends!
Make sure that any messaging you had in the works for the next quarter is still appropriate considering the tough times people are going through. Evaluate language, images, and timing. Do you need to adjust thing in order to ring true right now?
Turn off the bots.
If you can, this is the time to talk to your customers and clients one on one. We are all craving human connection. We’re all dealing with frayed nerves. Choose to be a little less efficient and get on the phone or answer the emails personally. Let people know that they’re important. Listen to what they need. You never know–your next big business growth idea might come from meeting the needs of your existing clients.
How can YOU help?
What special skill does your business bring to your clients that could help others during these difficult times?
This one is so important. We’re all facing loss of income, plans for growth crumbling around us, failure to meet our projections, and even the possibility of shuttering our businesses. The good thing is the fact that it’s happening to all of us–it’s not just your business. Do what you can to ease the burden of this for your employees and your clients or customers. I know that people are watching. We’re making choices on who we’re going to support with our own limited funds based on what we’re seeing from you. We see the companies who are taking a hit on their own profits in order to support the community in some way, and those are the companies we’re going to work with and buy from.

Keeping this last tip in mind, I want each of you to know that I’m available to help you craft the right messaging for your audience over the next quarter. If you’d like to set up a free strategy session to talk about your plans, shoot me an email at jane.p.lockhart@gmail.com and we’ll set up a time to talk. You can use this time to make your business relationships thrive, and I’m glad to help!

The 2020 Content Action Challenge

January 9, 2020 by delta Leave a Comment

Welcome to the new year!

Each year at JLUX Designs, we choose a word as our mantra. This year, it’s CURIOUS. And everything we’re doing this year is about testing new communication strategies, trying alternatives, improving our processes, and questioning how and why we do what we do.

We create a communications strategy for social media each year, and develop it alongside our clients in our annual Content Action Challenge. It’s all new for 2020! We redesigned every element of the Challenge–what we’re writing, how we organize our content, better and more efficient ways to post. It’s all digital (no more workbooks to fill out for your daily challenge action!) and easier to implement.

Here’s an example of what one of last year’s Challenge participants said:

“I just wanted to let you know personally how much value I’m getting from this. I really feel like it’s changing my perspective on how I look at social media, and how businesses can use it. And even for my own business–especially for my own business–you know, for awhile it was just something that was like just another thing to do. Now I see that with proper planning that it can be a really useful and viable tool to add to what I’m currently doing.” -Amy S.

You have a few more days to join us! Fill out the form below and I’ll get you set up.

Start date: Jan. 13
End date: Feb. 7

Cost: $50.00.