January 23, 2012

Advocacy and You: LinkedIn & Google+

We have looked at how to build your advocacy efforts into your facebook and twitter accounts. This week we will look at how to amp up your LinkedIn profile and Google+ account.

For LinkedIn:

  • Connect: Build your network and make sure it includes people outside of the music therapy or creative arts therapies. People who do what you do, know the importance of it. In order to be an effective advocate, you need to teach as many people as you can.
  • Let your profile speak: Put as much information as you can on your profile that relates to what music therapy, art therapy, etc. can accomplish. Make sure you don’t publish anything that would violate HIPPA. But the more you can put that explains what you really experience and accomplish for clients, the better you can spread the power of your profession.

For Google+

Google+ is a tricky social media site. For month’s it was private and you could only get in with an invitation. Then it was opened to the public and many people didn’t find a use for it. But there are some advantages to being on Google+ and how you can use them to be a better advocate.

  • Google+ is a Google product. This means Google will naturally favor it in their search engine algorithm. Having any type of presence on Google+ will help your organization and advocacy efforts get higher rankings in Google searches.
  • Use the Circles: If you don’t know what circles are, they are ways you can group your Google+ connections. You can easily create lists of people you can advocate to and how people fit into different advocacy outreaches.
  • +1: This is like the Facebook “like” button but it works directly with Google searches. You can build the +1 button into your website or encourage people to plus when searching. The more “plus 1s” you get the higher you will show up in searches as well.

I hope you now have the tools to increase your advocacy efforts on social media. Feel free to share your success stories and efforts in the comments below. Join us on Wednesday to learn more about branding and marketing and why it IS important for your private practice.

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January 20, 2012

Advocacy and You: Twitter


Now that you are using your Facebook as an advocacy tool, it is time to expand your reach to twitter. Twitter can be a great
way to advocate. There are over 175 million active users who are willing to connect, and ready to support a cause; you can make a difference. If you don’t believe that Twitter has power let’s look at all of the revolutions that took place in 2011. The majority of them were started because of people connecting on twitter.

Here are some tools and tips to help you be a better advocate:

  1. Connect with the Media: There are a lot of journalists that use twitter. What better way to spread the power of music therapy than through the media? Begin to follow journalists on twitter and see what stories they are writing about. Begin to comment on their tweets and show your knowledge and appreciation for the topics in their articles. They more you interact, the more likely you will be able to assist them with a story in the future.
  2. Look beyond your network: Start to connect with people outside of the music therapy community. Look at politicians, celebrities, and people who will be beneficial to connect with. See what they are talking about and show them that you can relate. If they are people with celebrity status, treat them like your friends. (Most celebrities won’t open up if you flaunt all over them)
  3. Every connection is a new door: Just like advocating in an elevator or to the government, you never know whose life you can touch by spreading your message. If you think someone can benefit from some information, let them know. Twitter can connect you to so many people and you don’t have gateways blocking you. On Facebook they need to add you as a friend, LinkedIn requires approving your connection; twitter can allow you to gain access you didn’t think was possible.
  4. Be Human: Here is one thing we often forget when we put on our advocacy hat. You may want to sound formal and stick to a script when advocating. Formality can often be lost especially in only 140 characters. The more human you are the more likely it is that people will listen.
  5. Importance & Repeat: Remember to let people know why it is important to support your cause. If you don’t tell them then they won’t know. On twitter, you need to tell them often. There are so many updates that come through on a given twitter feed. I follow 666 people right now, that means your tweet can easily be missed when I log on. Tweak your message a little each time so you stay human but if it is important make sure you keep updating!

Check back on Monday for tips on increasing your advocacy efforts on LinkedIn and Google+.

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January 18, 2012

Advocacy and You: Facebook

So how do you become an effective advocate? There are so many ways you can fight for the things you believe in and with the power of social media you can expand your efforts.  In honor of #MTADVOCACY month, we want to show you how you can expand your advocacy efforts with your social media profiles to achieve your goals.

Facebook is a great tool for advocacy. With over 800 million active users, you have an attentive audience to preach to. Here are some ways you can expand your advocacy efforts with Facebook:

  • Gather the troops: In order to be an effective advocate you need to have a variety of people who support your cause. Facebook is a great tool to do this. People actively use the site and spend a majority of their time there.  You can create a page in support of your cause and spread it through your network. Encourage people to like the page and share it with others who will support the cause. The more “likes” you get, the farther your advocacy megaphone will reach. You will have more success getting people to join a Facebook page than subscribing to another newsletter.
  • Encourage conversation: What better way to get people motivated? Use your wall to strike up a conversation about your cause. Share your passions and thoughts and encourage others to do the same. The more people talk about your cause, the more support you will get. One great example I have of this is of a Music Therapist who took to advocating for their profession on a blog where people were criticizing it. Her passionate comments caused her to be contacted by people who were moved by the power of Music Therapy and wanted to be a part of it. She not only educated outsiders, but also was able to move people to make a change in their life. (Another benefit of having a running conversation on your wall is that you will have a record of who is extremely passionate. You can reach out to the most active people to get them more involved.)
  • Digital Petitions: Ahh, the petition. Going door-to-door collecting signatures to encourage your government to take action on your cause, who has time for that anymore? You can use Facebook to get your petition in front of more people in less time. I highly recommend the site CARE2 (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/create.html). You can create a digital petition and automatically have it available on Facebook. You can easily share it with your own network, your active advocacy page, and encourage people to spread the petition for you. It will help you spend less time on collecting signatures and allow you to actually advocate for your cause.
  • Expand: You can’t get complacent with your Facebook advocacy efforts. Too often we encourage people to get involved with a cause on Facebook but that is it. We don’t give them any sort of follow up or action they can take to the real world. Use your Facebook page as a central hub for your efforts on-line, but provide resources to help people get involved offline. Facebook is a vast landscape and people can easily forget about your cause if you don’t get them interested. If Facebook was a country, it would be the 3rd largest in the world. With so many other distractions, don’t let people get lost in the crowd and forget about your cause.

Try to start incorporating the tips into your Facebook advocacy efforts. Remember to never give up. It takes a long time to grow support for your cause, and the best way to ensure success is to keep moving forward. Check back on Friday to see how to optimize your Twitter account for your advocacy efforts.

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January 16, 2012

Free at Last

Today we celebrate a great man. 73 years ago yesterday Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He served as one of the biggest voices in the civil rights movements and was an advocate for what he believed in. In honor of Music Therapy Advocacy week, we are kicking off this advocacy inspired week at Greenlight PR  with a post looking at MLK and how we can lead by his example to become great advocates.

Here are a few ways we can learn from Martin Luther King Jr.:

  1. Fight for your beliefs: This is one thing that MLK always stood for. No matter how tough things get you need to be willing to stand up for it. If you back down when things get tough, you will never make a difference. It doesn’t matter what you are an advocate for, as long as you feel strongly about it you should try to make a difference.
  2. When the going gets tough: You have all heard the saying, but MLK lived it. He faced many challenges during his life. Instead of deciding to rest he faced everything head on. Not only did he speak out against the inequality between the races in America but he also took a stance on the Vietnam war, compensation, and peace. You need to adopt the same attitude that he had and not back down when things get difficult.
  3. Be eloquent: One thing that MLK was a master at was speaking with style and power. His words rang out like poetry and caused people to be moved to tears. Try to become more aware of your speaking style in order to move your audience. It doesn’t matter if you are advocating to a high school student or congress, you can make a difference. Remember words are your best friend and you can master the same ability as MLK with a little practice.
  4. Believe: In order to be a successful advocate you need to believe. Believe in what you are fighting for and believe that something will change. If MLK thought equality was impossible, he wouldn’t have taken on such a task. Some things are worth fighting for no matter how tough it seems. Always remember that before putting on your advocacy hat and you WILL make a difference.

We can all use MLK as an inspiration. Lets take a moment to remember this great man and let him help us to remember that we all can have a dream worth fighting for.

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January 13, 2012

Advocacy: What is it?

As we hit the middle of January, we are going to begin discussing an important part of growing your business. The topic we will be focusing on throughout the next week is advocacy. Advocacy is defined as “The act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support.” Advocacy is an important issue for every professional. We always have the opportunity to be an advocate. Whether we are lobbying for something to our local or national government, or we are educating someone in the elevator on something we are passionate about.

How are you an advocate? What have you spoke up in support of recently? If you can’t think of a recent example, try to be more outspoken when you meet someone. You never know when a 30 second conversation with a stranger will change their lives.

Over the next week we will be focusing on advocacy and how to incorporate it into your communications. We will focus on using your social media profiles as advocacy tools. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. day, we will look at what makes you an effective advocate for a cause in face-to-face interactions. So spend the weekend discovering your advocacy hat and thinking of ways you can be an effective advocate.

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January 11, 2012

Social Media: What is it Good For?

Social media is everywhere. We can’t turn around without realizing it is becoming a major part of our lives. Everyone we know has a profile and it is becoming the easiest way to connect with old friends, professional colleagues, or prospective clients. In fact, nine times out of ten times our social media profiles will come up higher in search results than your own website.

Did you know that you can use your social media profiles to benefit your business? In fact each website has its own benefits and you can make them work for you.

  1. Facebook: This site is great for keeping in touch with your clients, prospects, fans, and community. The business profile allows you to provide people with a lot of information about your company. It is also a great resource to quickly share videos, photos, and event information. You should focus your Facebook page to be a resource for your community. Give them the ability to share thoughts, experiences, and ask questions. This creates evangelists for your organization and is a great word-of mouth-marketing tool.
  2. Twitter: While twitter is great to connect with people in real-time, it also has another great use. Public relations. Many journalists are active on twitter and use this network to find sources for stories. If you take the time to follow reporters you can open up your opportunities to provide valuable information and spread your organization at the same time.
  3. LinkedIn: This site is great for connecting with your professional colleagues. You should use this site to promote the business side of you. It can serve as a digital resume of sorts, and you are in complete control of who you are connected with. The new business page profiles are also a good feature to check out. They allow your business to have an interactive presence on LinkedIn. The benefit of this is to share what your organization is doing with colleagues. It would be a great place to share research, new interventions, and networking opportunities.
  4. Google +: While G+ is the newest network, it can also be extremely beneficial to your organization. Many of the features are similar to Facebook, but with one bonus: They are automatically connected with Google. Your + page will connect you with SEO royalty. You can also easily integrate with many of your other Google products like YouTube. I would also suggest using the Hangouts feature to create digital networking events.  Instead of waiting for the next tweetup at a conference, you can have a digital meeting with people you follow and increase your networking opportunities.

Here is a Social Media Flow Chart that you can take with you to keep your profiles on track. Feel free to share your success stories with social media and your own best practices in the comments section.

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January 9, 2012

Kick Start the New Year

We are just around the 200-hour mark into 2012, with about 8,530 left to go. How are you going to make the most of each hour you have left? As a therapist, you know you need to balance your life in order to live a full life. The key to making sure you start your year off right is to organize yourself.

Here are a few tips to make sure that you start 2012 on the right foot:

  1. Prioritize: One of the best things that you can do to kick start your year, is to figure out what you want to get done. So if you want to build your business, get in shape, and learn more, then put those at the top of your priorities. We are in control of what we get done and we are our greatest enemies.
  2. Schedule: This will be your lifesaver. Schedule out your week. I don’t mean what you are going to do in your workday, but with all of your time. Make sure your priorities are in that schedule and then stick to it. My fiancé and I created our schedule at the end of last year and have been sticking to it religiously. I make sure to get everything I wanted to do in the week done. The things that I am not over excited about, like going to the gym, have their scheduled time and I can’t ignore them.  Here is a Weekly Planner to get you on track.
  3. Be Productive: We all get tired and run down, and people who spend their lives working towards helping others get tired even faster. It is important to make sure that even when we feel that we are stuck between a rock and a hard place we are working towards our goals. Everything is worth it and when you accomplish something big you will automatically be reenergized. Having your to-do list build up only slows you down more.  One great way to get yourself organized and maximize your productivity is by using a great notebook system. I recommend using the Arc notebook system by Staples. This customizable notebook has been a lifesaver for me and you can easily design it to fit your needs.
  4. Have Fun: One of the most important things to make sure your year starts off on the right track is to have fun. Life is more than a bank account and a big to-do list. You have to enjoy every second, so make sure you are doing things that make you happy. Work with people you enjoy working with, spend time doing things you love, and try to make even the boring things enjoyable.
  5. Relax: Relaxation time should be built into your schedule. It can make sure the first four things on this list are successful. Spend time doing what you love and slowing down to take in the world around you. One of my most energizing points of the week is when I take two hours out to sit near the ocean and read. Find a thing that you can do to truly relax.

Follow the above steps to make sure your year starts off on the right track and you can have a successful year.

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January 6, 2012

The Emotion in Branding: Real World

Now that you know how and why brands depend on the consumer’s emotions, we will take a look at how certain brands play into your life. A key to building a strong brand is to realize how things affect you. Once you have that eureka moment, you will begin to see through the clutter and know how to see what is really going on.

Lets look at an example from “Emotional Branding” by Daryl Travis. One of the best examples that Mr. Travis uses to explain the power of emotions behind branding deals with loyalty to brands. Lets look at salt for a second. Salt is salt. There is no other way to make salt than by putting sodium and chlorine together. However, more people choose to buy the name brand of Morton’s Salt than any other brand. Ironically, Morton’s Salt actually produces most of the salt in other brands. So why the loyalty to a product that can’t have any difference? It is because there is a sense of comfort in Morton’s. Your mother used it and now you do. Since they have been around for so long and have never hurt their reputation with customers, they have essentially become the standard for the salt business. We trust that Morton’s salt will be the best we can get and we take comfort in knowing that.

So why do you buy the things you buy? Is it because of the price or the quality of the item? If an item is over $40, you probably buy it because you feel that you can trust it.

Here is a fun exercise to see if you are letting your emotions choose your brands for you. Pick 10 items, five that are higher priced and five that are lower. Write down why you buy that brand. If you buy Ivoryä soap, why do you buy it? If you always buy Ford cars, why is that? Once you have completed that list, think of brands that compete with them. Are there any major differences between the two brands, or do you prefer one over the other because of how it makes you feel to own it.

It’s not wrong to love the brands you do. In fact, if you feel attached to your brands then that company is doing their job. I proudly wear my Express shirt with my Steve Madden Shoes and drive my Ford Mustang everywhere, while carrying all of my Apple products.

Now that you know how emotions effect your purchasing power, you need to carry it over into your own life. How can you make people feel secure and comfortable with your business or yourself? What can you do to go out of the way to make someone trust you? Feel free to share your tips below!

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January 4, 2012

Emotion in Branding: Emotional Connectors

Emotions play a big part in who we are. They tell us when we like certain things, when we hate certain things, and they give the drive behind what we do. No one lacks emotion and the key to being happy is truly understanding what moves us.

You may be asking yourself, “What does feeling and emotions have to do with this very business-centered term called branding?” The key to understanding how they relate is to truly understand what a brand is.

A brand is not just a logo and a tagline. Those are part of the physical representations of what a brand is, but they don’t show you the core. The value of a brand is in how people perceive you or your company. Do you help people feel better about themselves?

For example, every time I walk into the Apple store I am greeted and immediately asked if I need help. I can tell that the employees like their jobs and are passionate about the products. Even though I went in there knowing I already had a fondness for the company, I leave with my emotions for them strengthened. On the other hand, I am trying to cancel my AT&T U-Verse TV service. (As a new year’s resolution I promised to focus on things to enhance my life all around and TV isn’t a necessity.) The only way to cancel your service is to call their service line. This sends you to an automated messaging system that after about 10 minutes passes you off to a customer service line. If you want to buy a new service or upgrade you can talk to someone immediately. However, if you would like to cancel, you need to sit on hold for up to 30 minutes. (I have given up every time I got to the 30-minute mark.) Now I relate my experience with AT&T with aggravation and frustration.

So how can you make sure your brand, whether it be personal or a business, is giving the people the right feelings and strengthening the emotional ties?

  1. Customer Satisfaction is Key: Make sure you treat everyone you interact with in the way you want to be treated. While a first impression is important, every interaction after that is as important. People have the ability to change their impressions of you. So make sure you treat them with respect and show them that someone is there listening.
  2. Be Human: This step is one that many business owners forget after the years. They begin to think of their business, as it’s own thing. You represent your business and your business represents you. People don’t want to interact with a computer and you shouldn’t behave like one. Listen to them at let people see your human hat. They will be more likely to connect with you and not a business name. If you have employees, make sure they are representing the human race and the feelings you want people to get from your company.
  3. Survey Often: This doesn’t mean you need to collect responses from people every month, but you should be asking people how they feel about you. A great way to do this is ask them if there is one way you can make your service better. This will get them to discuss your service candidly and let them address issues they may have without complaining. It also relates back to being human. You have the ability to give them better emotions about your business than before it becomes a serious problem.
  4. Be Tough: You have to be tough on yourself. Evaluate your personality or your company from a third person perspective. Sometime’s people are nice enough to ignore things you do that cause negative emotions. You need to have the ability to look outside of yourself to strengthen the feeling people get from you.

The more emotional connectors you build between you and someone else, the stronger your brand will be. You want people to get happy when they think about you. The fulfillment of a strong brand is when people feel that their lives will be missing something without that aspect of their lives. As therapists, you are able to pass on positive emotions better than any toothbrush or computer can. There is no reason you can’t have a strong brand.

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January 3, 2012

Spotlight on January

Welcome to the New Year. We all have had our fill of family, food, and fun and wish it could continue on. Unfortunately, the reality is that we have to ease ourselves back into work mode and get ready for 12 new months. As always, we want to make sure that you are successful in what you do and how you do it.

This month we are focusing on “New Beginnings” to help get your year on the right track. We are starting our month off with a three part series on how emotions give brands their real value. We will also be publishing a series of posts to get your business on the right track. We will give you a checklist to get you focused, tips on how to start your social networks off strong, and a few tips on how to brand your business. Also, in honor of Music Therapy advocacy month we will be putting together a three part series on how to amp up your advocacy efforts.

As always, new posts will go live every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You can also subscribe to our blog on the right hand side. We also have a monthly newsletter to give you additional tips and tools to grow your business, you can sign up for that here.

Make sure you also check out our Brand Camp webinar. For only $25, you get an in-depth look at what branding is, why branding is important for your creative arts or small business, and get you started on developing your brand! Get more information here.

Thanks once again for checking out “Do it in Public” by Greenlight.

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