Social Media Posting

If your company does not use social media, it is one of the few. There are so many platforms that fall under social media, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger, MySpace, Foursquare and Vimeo. Frankly, attempting to use more than one gives me a headache. However, each option has it strengths and weaknesses, along with unique functions. According to a report from InSite Consulting, 80 percent of American companies use Facebook, 45 percent use Twitter, 48 percent have a presence on LinkedIn and 31 percent use YouTube. The survey also found that six out of 10 companies said they listen to consumer conversations on social media. Eight out of 10 companies said they answer client questions and complaints via social media. Many local women use social media to assist in advertising their business or company. Most of them have a good grasp on Facebook, but not quite as much working knowledge on the others. I spent quite a bit of time looking over the Facebook pages of businesses in our area that were created and run by women. My findings were this: Every business uses it differently. Some posts are advertisements, some were links to articles, some used the polling option quite often, and some were just randomly posting a myriad of all the above, including pictures. When I spoke with several women about their pages, all were excited about using social media to help their businesses, but the majority also admitted: “I use Facebook, but I don’t really know how to get traffic there, and I don’t know how to find the ‘friends’ with the potential of becoming customers." When it comes to posting to benefit your business, I turned to Sheryl Barlow of CWS. CWS has a Social Media Strategist, Jonny Yucuis, who shared a few best practices: • When posting, post information that is relevant to your followers, and is not "salesy." When using social media, it is all about the conversation. Make sure you understand what types of interactions would be valuable to your business or company. • Create posts that get engagement and capture the attention of customers and potential customers. Ask questions or ask for opinions so your followers leave comments on your page. When people do leave posts or messages, engage in the conversation with them. • Show your business’s personality. Generally, this is a place to let your hair down and have some fun. • Text-only posting is boring! Share photos and graphics; both get more notice than just text postings. • Engage your business page with other pages. If they “like” you, reciprocate and go “like” them. Leave comments on their page, as well. • Post consistently, but do not become overwhelming. On that note, I did see a few pages that had postings every couple of hours; some of the postings were irrelevant and had no point. • Keep your text posts short and to the point. Proactively share things that are interesting, but keep in mind quantity doesn’t mean quality. It is clear that social media is a relatively cost-effective tool that can increase your customer base and help get your business out in front of a huge audience. Following the guidelines above can help you become a better user of the tool. And, having been witness to posts that were not meant for the public’s eyes, my favorite rule to using social media: Think before you post.

Want to be a Veterinarian?

At a young age, I developed a love for animals of all types and sizes. We didn’t have the typical pets growing up; our first pet was a chicken named Spotty.  Spotty lived in the house with us, as did our numerous salamanders.  When I was 9, we moved out to the country, and our pet population grew. When our animals became ill, we loaded them up in our station wagon and took them to the veterinarian.  One time I helped my dad sew up a cut on our cat, Cuddles. It was then that I decided I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up. Last week, I mentioned that I ran over our 8-year-old family dog, Rocky, while driving up our driveway. That emergency trip to the veterinarian’s office led me to the Root River Veterinary Center in Preston.  There I met the most amazing team of women, who with great love and care took Rocky under their wing. The team at the center is lead by Dr. Linda Sifford. Linda’s father was a biology teacher, so she was exposed to many science classes. Then in seventh grade, a boy in her math class told her “girls can’t be vets.”  She took the statement as a challenge and graduated from veterinary college in 1977.   “This is a wonderful professional where medicine and surgery evolve on a daily basis," Sifford says. "I have spent the past two years studying acupuncture, herbology and food therapy for pets. These studies have greatly enhanced the quality of my patient’s lives.” Another team member is Dr. Michelle Knutson. Growing up on a farm helped her make the decision at the early age of five that she was going to be a veterinarian. Of course, having a natural interest in science, medicine and animal husbandry kept her goal alive.   The team is rounded out by Kristy McNamara, a technician, obedience instructor and nutritional consultant, and Kristin Schwier, client relations and technician.  To McNamara, the most rewarding part of working with animals and their owners is “helping clients make decisions that will be beneficial for the well-being of their pet.” Schwier said, “For me, the most rewarding part of my job is the clients.  I enjoy talking with people when they come in.  Second to that is seeing the advancements in medicine the doctors use to treat and to enhance the quality of pet’s lives.  We have the opportunities to do such great things with vaccines, acupuncture, surgery, bloodwork, medicine and chiropractics to really keep our pets living longer, healthier lives.” Working with sick and injured animals isn’t all glory.  As many of you know, there is the downside of losing an animal.  Sifford states she gets disheartened when a patient does not respond as well as expected, and she tends to take it personally.  Unfortunately, some pet owners don’t value their pets as much as the staff does, and it is hard to make a difference when the owner won’t allow the team to treat their pet to the best of their abilities. Knowing there are many children who carry the dream of being a veterinarian, I asked each team member to share a piece of advice.  Here is what they said, “Follow your heart; it is a very rewarding field. However, our job is not all cute kittens and puppies; you have to be able to adapt to many different situations and be able to handle the good with the bad.  Don’t do it if you are only interested in the money, but if your have a passion for helping pets and their people, then this is the profession for you.” The last piece of advice is one I tell my daughter, Haley, a lot.  “Work hard in school and take a lot science courses.”  Haley is one of those little girls carrying around a dream of one day being a veterinarian. As for my dream of being a veterinarian?  Let’s just say I had a little trouble with chemistry class.

It is the end of Admin Week

As I sit here in my pajamas drinking coffee, I glanced up and caught a glimpse of the flowers I received this week. It is a fun week to be in a support role. Think about it, bosses get one day, we get a whole week. It shows how vital we are. Below is this week's column. If you do not sing the praises of your administrative assistant on a regular basis, use this week as your opportunity and make it count. The week of April 22-28 is Administrative Professionals Week. As an administrative professional myself, I am waiting to be lavished with gifts and recognition. Actually, I'm perfectly happy with the flowers sitting on my desk. Here at Express, our managers do well handing out compliments and pats on the back all year round. Administrative Professionals Week was organized in 1952 as “National Secretaries Week” by the National Secretaries Association along with public relations executive Harry Klemfuss and several office product manufacturers. The goal was to recognize secretaries for their contributions and to attract people to secretarial careers. Let’s face it, without those of us in a support role, businesses just would not run smoothly. Our skills, loyalty and ability to run things efficiently while following a process are heavily depended on. According to International Association of Administrative Professionals, administrative professionals are defined as “individuals who are responsible for administrative tasks and coordination of information in support of an office-related environment and who are dedicated to furthering their personal and professional growth in their chosen profession.” The title of secretary is not used as much it was back in the day and has been replaced with more popular and exciting titles such as administrative assistant, office coordinator, administrative specialist, executive assistant and office manager. At Express Employment Professionals, we have an amazing front office coordinator named Jen Heins. She has been with us for a little over a year and knows the business as if she has been here for many. Heins creates a positive first impression on our clients and our associates. Along with helping our internal staff of 20, she starts the application process for candidates as they walk in and processes payroll for about 400-plus associates — all at the same time. She digs in to find the answers to her questions, is independent and is not a hoarder of information. Heins helps whenever and wherever needed and always with a smile. Stacey Vanden Heuvel, vice president of marketing and philanthropy at Olmsted Medical Center Regional Foundation, would like to recognize Michelle Maeder-Hickey, also of OMC Regional Foundation, as an extraordinary administrative professional. “She puts a lot of heart into her work, she keeps the mission of the organization in mind in all her work, always remembering who we serve, and she goes the extra mile in representing our organization. Michelle is efficient and has a 'can-do' attitude. She is amazing." Brad Trahan, co-founder of RT Autism Awareness Foundation Inc., would like to recognize Joanie Trahan, also co-founder of RT Autism. Joanie wears many hats. Not only is she a registered nurse in cardiac surgery, she provides the administrative strength behind their foundation. “With all her duties of being a nurse, mother, wife, co-founder and administrative professional, she always keeps such a positive attitude. She is hard-working, caring and deeply involved with every role.” Don’t forget the work these professionals do, and never underestimate their power. Without your administrative assistant, good luck figuring out how to unjam the copier or how to install the toner; have fun soothing the upset customer; and just lower your head into your hands when the nearly completed project disappears from your computer.

Today is a Chore!

Today is one of "those days." As luck would have it, I have to sit at my computer doing data entry. Although the data entry isn't hard, nor am I slow, it is excruciatingly hard to sit here as my buttocks begin to scream at me to stand up, and my brain is not getting a workout. Happy typing to all of you in the same position I'm in today!

Work Like You're On Vacation

Most women take months to plan their escape from work. Vacations can come in the form of adding a Friday or a Monday to make it a long weekend, or vacations can be a week-long getaway to somewhere appealing, relaxing or exotic. Over the last couple of weeks, I feel like my vacation has been going to work. You all have heard the adage “when it rains it pours,” and in our neck of the woods, it’s flooding. About three weeks ago a leak sprung under our newly built deck. Ignoring it worked for a day or two but soon we had a small river flowing through our lawn. The big trucks rolled in this week to start digging and find the pipes that need repairing. The stress is building as we are wondering if the pump burning out will be next or the water will find its way to the basement. The pipes bursting alone would be one stress inducer that I could handle, but on top of that, I ran our family dog over accidentally two weeks ago. The first trip to the vet showed a broken leg and some bruising. However, a few days after the accident, we realized there was something seriously wrong with Rocky. Sure enough, he had a fractured pelvis and severe bruising, and the break was worse than originally thought. So, while the river is running through our yard, our family dog was undergoing surgery to have pins placed in his leg, which lead to a week-long stay in the animal hospital. One would think the series of unfortunate events would wane. Close, but not quite. While in Lawrence, Kansas, last weekend, my car decided it no longer wanted to start. Thankfully, it was in a driveway and not on the highway with children in the car. Being it was Easter weekend, there was not a mechanic around willing to work on it. At 3 a.m. Easter Sunday, we finally drove down our driveway in our very nice, but expensive rental car. Needless to say, I have to withstand a six-hour ride back down to Kansas to pick up my car this weekend, and then a six-hour drive home. The fun still does not stop here! Somewhere amid all this, I let the cows out early one morning, and do you think they would go back into the barn for me? On a dewy morning, wearing my flip-flops that slide like crazy when wet, with a baby on my hip, I was chasing cows of all things. I should have been enjoying my cup of coffee out on our deck, watching our river, before I left for work. Thankfully the cows respond better to Matt, and he came home to fix my mistake. With all these stressors piling up at home, I have decided I am going to work like I’m on vacation. Maybe this idea will lend some inspiration to those of you going through stress at home as well. In planning a vacation, one generally looks for environments that will allow relaxation and encourage a good time. It’s time to stop missing the opportunity to plan to be inspired, relaxed, explorative, challenged and adventurous (to a certain point) at work. Add a little color to your environment, and this doesn’t mean you have to paint your walls. Studies show that colors impact our mood, even in small doses. My hot pink mouse and mouse pad does the trick for me. While you’re adding color, add a little life. A plant or two will help keep your air clear and make your desk a little more interesting. Make sure you have good lighting too! Not everyone can have a corner office with windows galore, so add a lamp to your desk. Working like I’m on vacation will be my new motto, and perhaps it will inspire a few of you as well. If you go overboard and decide to wear your hula skirt to work, please let me know how that goes.

Charity Event Planning

No matter who you are, jobs can be stressful and fulfilling at the same time. Imagine, on top of your job, that you are running a charity event. At least a handful of women are screaming, “That’s me, that’s me,” at their newspapers right now. Just like a job, the organization and planning that goes into a charity event can be stressful, but even more so, it's fulfilling. When all is said and done, anyone involved in planning such an event wants nothing less than a smoothly run, successful event. With careful planning and enthusiasm, patience, and flexibility, you are almost guaranteed to have a tremendous event. If you are interested in aligning with a charity and getting involved, make sure you carefully decide what type of organization you want to team with. There are so many types of events that raise money for a multitude of causes. One event that I personally have been involved with for more than 10 years is the Kid’s Cup Golf Tournament. The tournament is in its 16th year, and my husband has golfed 14 of the tournaments. Kid’s Cup is sponsored by my employer Express Employment Professionals. The May 21 event will be the fifth tournament for which I have been part of the planning committee. Seeing the children who benefit from the money raised talk to the group at the end of the tournament wipes out all the stress built up over the preceding months. Their gratitude and hope makes every minute incredibly worth it. Through the years, I have learned how to recruit golfers, set up an effective registration table, organize a silent auction and maximize the money we bring in by having games on the course, such as selling mulligans. If you are part of an event committee, take the newbies under your wing, welcome them with open arms and be their mentor. Without mentors such as Dawn Nelson, Amy Holtz, MaryAnne Nonn and the others who have helped guide me along the way, I would have been seriously confused and wanting to walk away from the committee. Lindsey Polin, who is employed full time outside the home, recently became involved with Camp Companion and Paws and Claws. She has a knack for rescuing animals; in the past couple of years she has rescued and found homes for or the owners of numerous cats and several dogs. For the first time, she is on the committee for Camp Companion’s Uncorked event, which is being held on May 4 at the Salem Glen Winery. The experience she is gaining the first year is invaluable, and there only have been a few frustrations. She is proud to be part of the event, as the cause and the event align perfectly with her passion. In talking with local women, I am learning just how much they get involved with charity events that represent their passions or have a direct impact on someone they know. There are events for research in such diseases as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease; as well as animal rescuing, benefits for individuals and more. The events range from wine-tastings, to telethons, to golf tournaments to walks or runs. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what a score was, how fast you ran, whether or not you sang well and so forth. What matters is the atmosphere created and reason for the fundraiser. When it is all for a good cause, everyone wins.

Women at Work - New Blog

As the writer of the column Women at Work, seen in the Rochester Post Bulletin every Friday in the Business Section, I decided to start a blog that will include each week's column as well as contributions and comments made by readers. Please feel free to send ideas for the column, comments on columns, and even comments on your work day or days. All is welcome!