Peach Slices x El Car Wash Takeover

Want a clean face and a clean car?

Peach Slices and El Car Wash are teaming up for a fun Saturday to get both car and driver spotless.

On Saturday, May 18, 2024 beginning at 9:00 a.m., guests at all 41 locations will receive one FREE package of Peach Slices Acne Spot Dots (30 ct.) and those who text “PEACH” to 22322 will also receive a FREE Graphene X + Ceramic Wash.

As a bonus, the first 100 guests at five select Miami El Car Wash locations will have the chance to receive a complimentary Peach Slices VIP Skin Emergency Sampler Kit, filled with full size products, exclusive merch, and more! ($65+ value)!

Just look for the pink branded Peach Slices Skin Emergency Squad Cars and displays at the following El Car Wash locations:

• Biscayne (11375 Biscayne Blvd.)

• Doral (2753 Northwest 87 Avenue)

• Kendall (12970 Southwest 152 Street)

• Pinecrest (14031 South Dixie Hwy.)

• North Miami Beach (472 Northeast 167 Street)

• Customers at all 41 El Car Wash locations throughout Florida receive one FREE package of  Peach Slices Acne Spot Dots (30 ct.) while supplies last.

• Customers at all 41 El Car Wash locations throughout Florida to text “PEACH” to 22322 will also receive a FREE Graphene X + Ceramic Wash ($30 value).

• The first 100 customers at one of the five select locations (Biscayne, Doral, Kendall, Pincrest, & North Miami Beach) will receive a complimentary Peach Slices Emergency Sampler Kit, $65+ value! 

• The next 200 customers at one of the five select locations (Biscayne, Doral, Kendall, Pincrest, & North Miami Beach) will receive a free Peach Slices Patch Collection (Acne Spot Dots (30ct.), Nose Pore Patches (7 ct.), Deep Blemish Microdarts (9 ct.), and Dark Spot Microdarts (9 ct.) $32+ value!

The partnership is part of the disruptive Peach Slices Problem Skin? No Problem.™ brand campaign taking over New York, Miami, and Los Angeles throughout the month of May. Peach Slices will take on problem skin one city at a time with a mix of bold OOH placements, and a multi-city branded Uber fleet, making it easy for consumers to find real, clinical skin solutions to their skin problems–wherever they are.

About El Car Wash

Founded in 2011 and based in Miami, El Car Wash is the premier express car wash operator in Florida with over 40 operating sites and a development pipeline of 35+ sites. The company is the Official Car Wash of the Miami HEAT & Florida Panthers, a partner of Baptist Health and Zoo Miami.

About Peach Slices

Founded by Alicia Yoon, Peach Slices is an award-winning skincare brand that delivers easy, clinical skin solutions, powered by K-beauty innovations, for tough skin issues like acne, oily skin, and rosacea. With Peach Slices, problem skin doesn’t have to be your problem. Peach Slices is available on peachslices.com, and nationwide at Ulta Beauty, Walmart, and CVS stores.

ECW’s unlimited wash program, high-quality products, leading customer service and environmentally friendly focus have established the company as the #1 car wash company in Florida.

This Week's Social Updates

Welcome to our weekly roundup of the latest happenings in the world of social media. From platform updates to new features, here's what you need to know to stay ahead in the digital sphere:

1. Meta's AR Glasses Teaser: Meta has teased a glimpse of its long-awaited augmented reality (AR) glasses, hinting at a potential release in the near future. With the promise of seamlessly integrating the digital and physical worlds, these glasses could revolutionize how we interact with technology and each other.

2. Twitter's Algorithm Update: Twitter has rolled out an algorithm update aimed at improving the relevance of tweets in users' timelines. This change reflects the platform's ongoing efforts to enhance the user experience and surface content that is most meaningful and engaging to individual users.

3. Instagram's Shopping Tags Expansion: Instagram is expanding its shopping tags feature to more users and regions, allowing creators and businesses to tag products in their posts and stories. This expansion aims to streamline the shopping experience on the platform and provide users with direct access to purchase products they discover on Instagram.

4. LinkedIn's Community Engagement Tools: LinkedIn has introduced new community engagement tools, including polls and Q&A sessions, to help creators and organizations foster meaningful interactions with their followers. These tools offer new ways to gather feedback, spark conversations, and share insights within the professional networking community.

5. Snapchat's NFT Integration: Snapchat has announced plans to integrate non-fungible tokens (NFTs) into its platform, enabling users to buy, sell, and showcase digital collectibles directly within the app. This move underscores Snapchat's commitment to exploring new avenues for creative expression and digital ownership.

Why It Matters:

Innovation and Evolution: Social media platforms are constantly evolving, introducing new features and technologies to enhance user experiences and stay ahead of emerging trends.

E-commerce Integration: The integration of shopping features and NFTs reflects a growing emphasis on e-commerce and digital monetization within the social media landscape.

Community Building: The introduction of community engagement tools underscores the importance of fostering meaningful connections and conversations within online communities.

As social media continues to evolve, staying informed about the latest updates and trends is essential for individuals and businesses alike. By keeping up with these developments, you can harness the full potential of social media platforms to connect, engage, and thrive in the digital age.

Sustainable Style Social Clothing Swap

Did you know fast fashion is the second largest polluter in the world second only to oil?

How it works:

bring as many items as you would like to swap

exchange your items for items in our closet

one item swaps for one item

swapping is free of charge

donations are accepted!

5 Social Media Marketing Trends in 2022. Francesca Golden

Today, the average person devotes a significant amount of time to social media. Businesses from around the world began seeing this as an opportunity to market their products and services, using creative strategies to grow a successful online presence across social platforms. If you’re a marketer, these 5 trends are essential to improving your business in the digital world.

Created using data from Hootsuite’s Social Trends 2022 survey, here are the 5 biggest trends in social media marketing:

1. “The Brand Strategy Trend” 

People want genuine connection. 

The social media spotlight is switching its focus from large celebrities toward smaller, more authentic creators. 

As people search for deeper connections on the internet, more niche artists are getting featured on social platforms because of the intimate spaces they create. Today, 50 million people call themselves “creators”, proving that a social media presence is more attainable than ever. However, the big brands are not being left behind just yet, seeing as they too are finding new ways to benefit from this shift. Twitter, for example, is working on a new feature dubbed “Communities”, which they describe as “a dedicated place to connect, share, and get closer to the discussions [people] care about most.”

2. The Social Advertising Trend

Social media makes more sales.

According to Hootsuite’s survey, marketers are planning to invest more of their money into social media advertising.

Why? 

To put it plainly, these methods of advertising are proving more effective. 

Businesses realized that each social media platform has its own unique functionality, so they began catering their marketing material to each one. This makes their ads seem like part of the experience rather than an interruption. The focus is now on blurring the line between regular and marketed content because it encourages higher community engagement. 

Shaping their marketing to fit large platforms like Pinterest has provided businesses with exceptional benefits. For example, Structube, a furniture company in Montreal, is using Pinterest to market their products by creating shopping campaigns for specific keywords like “bedroom ideas” and “living room decor”. Catering their ads to Pinterest’s keyword functionality provided for double the return on Structube’s typical ad spend.

3. The ROI (Return on Investment) Trend

It’s not just marketing.

Although we’re focusing on marketing trends, there’s a bigger shift happening in the industry that we simply can’t ignore. 

Based on the Hootsuite survey responses, companies are looking to “expand [social media’s] impact on other departments” aside from marketing. They are planning to use socials to enhance the experience for their employees, protect their brand and minimize company risks.

For instance, Ochsner Health, a nonprofit in Louisiana, runs an ambassador program on Instagram that offers opportunities for new recruitment as well as for current employees to earn credits toward their annual appraisal. Brands are beginning to see the potential in socials aside from traditional marketing campaigns, which promises a more communal experience within the workforce.

4. The Social Commerce Trend

Social media IS the brand.

A few years ago, social commerce was a brand new concept, so only large companies would use their resources to invest in social marketing.

However, when lockdown happened, social commerce became crucial for making all kinds of purchases. With this change came a shift in the perception of social marketing. Social used to be “an extension of the brand’s voice”, only a portion of a company’s outreach. However nowadays, “it is the brand’s voice. It is its core platform to engage with, sell to, and service customers,” according to Étienne Mérineau, cofounder of conversational AI platform Heyday. Consumers are no longer using socials to simply “Add to Cart” and “Checkout”, there are now dedicated spaces that take them through “every stage of the purchase journey, across almost every product category.” According to Hootsuite and We Are Social’s Digital 2021 report, “Social networks are now the second most important channel for online brand research after search engines”, meaning that social marketing is the way to go if you’re looking to increase engagement.

5. The Customer Care Trend

Customers need YOU.

As a result of lockdown, brands are expecting a global shortage of supplies, which will cause a wave of unhappy, unsatisfied customers. In preparation for this, they are increasing the demand for customer service over socials.

Trends are showing that socials have become a vital part of customer service, seeing as the service is faster, more convenient and more effective. In a survey commissioned by Facebook, 64% of people stated that they prefer online chatting over directly calling a business. 

And where are companies looking to fill these customer service positions? 

According to Hootsuite, “business leaders will look to social marketers to take a greater role in customer service” in 2022, because they are already trained to understand the customer’s needs. This means more opportunity for YOU as a social marketer.

The takeaway:

When looking at these 5 trends, there’s a clear connection between them: Social marketing is bigger than ever, and the growth won’t be slowing down anytime soon. If you’re a marketer, no matter the size of your business, you will see significant growth once you hop onto the social marketing bandwagon. 

So when do you start?

The time is now.

Sustainable Style Social Clothing Swap! October 14th!

Sustainable Style Social Clothing Swap!

Did you know fast fashion is the second largest polluter in the world second only to oil?

How it works:

Bring as many items as you would like to swap

Exchange your items for items in our closet

One item swaps for one item

Swapping is free of charge

Donations are accepted

Tag us in your photos on Instagram! We love to see what gems you find in the closet.

We've introduced a safe way to shop sustainably during this time of social distancing.

**Leftover clothing will be donated to two local shelters. 

Painting A Path To A More Inclusive World Non Profit Refugee Assistance Alliance Continues Partnership with Miami Artist Adriana Jay

MIAMI, FL (07/24/2020) - The thousands of refugees that arrive in South Florida every month find themselves in a new environment where they don’t speak or understand the language and culture. They are pulled between two worlds — the beloved homeland they left behind and their new home. Refugees today are often subject to political whims that can place them in precarious situations and threaten their future. 

The Refugee Assistance Alliance (RAA) was founded in 2017 by Kristen Bloom to support underserved refugee populations in South Florida by providing services such as in-home tutoring, cultural programming and special activities. The non-profit organization has gotten creative with raising the funds needed to operate. Their movie screenings and dining experiences are popular and in 2019, they began a partnership with Artist Adriana Jaramillo, who goes by Adriana Jay, for online art auctions.

“I was completely blown away.” Said Adriana Jay about attending the dinner hosted by RAA that prompted her to get more involved. Adriana Jay is known for her paintings of women traveling the world. The online auction kicked off June 24th 2020 and will run through August 24th 2020. 

Three paintings are up for auction. All original works of art, that come with Certificates of Authenticity signed by the artist. Adriana Jay has garnished attention from local media and her works are expected to increase in value over time. All profits from the sale of the paintings will be donated directly to the RAA to support refugee families and promote peace and understanding among the people of South Florida. 

“We all can relate to each other on some level, we’ve all had to start over, face our vulnerabilities, been challenged in different ways and when we bring people together it’s really special.” Said Bloom about the work the RAA does in an Instagram video conversation with Adriana Jay.

Contact: Miriam Dorsett, Chibur

Phone: 305-857-5913

Email: m@chibur.info

Blue Forest Farm Co-Founder Publishes Children Book All About Hemp

Media Contact: Miriam Dorsett info@bootstrappublications.com

Bootstrap Publications

www.bootstrappublications.com

Blue Forest Farm Co-Founder Publishes Children Book All About Hemp

Zach Dorsett, a co-founder of one of the largest organic hemp farms and leading supplier of hemp genetics in Colorado, is launching his first ever children’s book that will teach children all about the positive attributes of the hemp plant.  Titled “A Hemp Story”, the book tells the story of the “magical” hemp plant through history through colorful and expressive illustrations.  The story follows two characters based off the children of Blue Forest Farms co-founder Trina Johnson’s own children Ari and Jacob as they listen to their Grampa tell them all the ways hemp has been used historically to benefit people, animals, and the planet, leading up to the current day where it has been heavily regulated and repressed.  

“It shines light on the prohibition era has constructive takeaway lessons and a call to action,” Zach states.  “It's focused on educating a generation of children that will be growing up in a world where hemp is at least semi-legal. I think one needs to know some of the history that has brought us here but also needs to know the work that it’s going to take to get us to the next level--that we need to achieve to create the long-lasting world change that we're all talking about.”

Available now for preorder, “A Hemp Story” is more than just a charming story that will help children and adults learn the truth about the hemp plant, but also an invitation to get involved in the ongoing story of hemp. Bethany Downs from Keystone Heights, Florida got a chance to read an advanced copy of the book to her 7 year old daughter Hailey and said “I like the subject matter – especially with my health issues and helping Hailey understand my choices for alternative medicine vs just what a doctor prescribes from big pharma.”

Zach doesn’t intend for the book’s story to end on the final pages, but continues on by asking the reader, no matter their age, to become a part of the story themselves by contacting local representatives about protecting the hemp plant.  

About Blue Forest Farms: 

Blue Forest Farms is a 200 acre hemp farm in Longmont, Colorado offering high CBD flower, seed, and extracts. With over 40 years of combined organic farming and extraction experience, our team of farmers, botanists and extraction professionals understand what it takes to deliver exceptional hemp products. Blue Forest Farms is legally registered with the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) and all of our industrial hemp products are grown using safe, organic farming practices. 

Start-ups Require a Lot of Time, Money and Dedication So Make Sure it’s Doing Something You Love.

By: M. Dorsett

“Challenges are learning mechanisms that help me gain a new perspective.” Avni Parekh

Starting your own business is definitely a daunting challenge, and I firmly believe being a businesswoman is not a job title suited for everyone. Avni Parekh is the author of self-help book, Be The Bigger Person: Scenarios & Solutions to Better Yourself. She also runs a brand development agency to help entrepreneurs successfully launch their brands and equip established business owners with trustworthy and affordable wholesale and private label vendors in beauty, fashion and other popular industries. I asked her what were her top three tips every person looking to start their own business should be aware of and keep in mind. If you’re thinking about taking the leap, read the insights she’s sharing from her journey below.

Start-ups require a lot of time, money and dedication so make sure it’s doing something you love.

So many joys come along with launching a new venture, especially if you’re pursuing your life’s calling or specializing in a profession that you possess subject-matter expertise. 

Financial restraints are among the hardest challenges that many experience when starting new ventures including myself. For this reason, maintaining practicality is of utmost importance. Even if you start small, think about your long term goals — keeping in mind that a successful business strategy is always scalable.

One of my first ventures was a series of car window stickers called Peace Badges. Launched in 2010, each badge represents the positive qualities and characteristics that people express are important in their lives like family, friends, love, compassion, equality and much more. The idea was very scalable, and had a deeper meaning than just making money.

Develop your brand identity and be consistent with your branding.

A great example of this is the story of my Poshmark journey. I started selling on Poshmark in 2013 after a friend recommended the app. From the get-go, I was impressed! The app and its functionalities are pure genius. Almost every aspect one would need to run a successful business is available in the app, but you are still responsible for what your closet looks like, and how you interact with customers. That is your brand. My closet was successful. It was profitable, and I was appointed a Poshmark stylist.

When I launched my hair and beauty website, LuvlyLongLocks.com, I was able to take a lot of what I learned running my Poshmark store and apply it to my new business. 

Be open to critiques and suggestions, they can lead to your next ah-ha moment.

This feedback may not always come in the form of direct commentary from your users or customers. Set up a reporting and analytics structure, and make time to review it. Data can tell you a lot.

I discovered this while doing business on Poshmark! The app has functionalities to capture and generate a variety of analytics and reports used to help sellers fine tune their approach — and they provide this service for free.

The life of a creative entrepreneur is full of sleepless nights, however, it can be extremely fulfilling. I’m proud of what I have achieved in my career, especially since it’s the result of hard work and tireless dedication. If you're thinking about starting your own brand, remain positive when the challenges come along. There will be many!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sustainable-style-social-swap-and-shop-tickets-65309212613

5 Things You Need To Realize If You’re a Solo Entrepreneur

By: M.Dorsett

As a solo entrepreneur, I’m constantly balancing my confidence level with humbling myself, so that I’m able to learn and grow. I recently had a conversation with another entrepreneur who told me that when I spoke about my business I didn't sound like a business owner. He said I sounded like someone that was “self-employed”.

While we could have gotten into a heated conversation of linguistics, I tried to keep an open mind. I hoped that this guy wasn’t mansplaining my own business to me, 30 minutes after meeting. He had some good points, mostly related to how I spoke about what I do and how that could be perceived.

It got me thinking and I felt inspired to write about some of the realizations I’ve had while on this journey. Especially since as my company grows, these days I’m feeling less like a solo entrepreneur, and I’d like to look back at this list in the future. These realizations are listed in no particular order of importance.

1. You are not a CEO

2. To receive much you must give much

3. You’re never really solo

4. Your devices may be holding you back

5. You are not like everyone else

I hope that they are helpful to others.

1. Realize, you are not a CEO. Building solo means you do everything. Running a business day to day requires many different tasks to be done. Marketing, a killer product or service, sales, balancing your books, managing and maintaining current client relationships and building new ones. Don’t forget about self-care, social media, reading the news, being a good person, your family and friends aka the elusive “work life balance.”

A CEO has people that work with them to get all of this done. As a “solopreneur”, you are a CFO, CTO, CPO, CMO, HR, Legal, COO and likely more. In your calendar make time for each one of these roles. The amounts of time you spend on each will change depending on what quarter you are in, and what your current goals are for your brand. You may naturally gravitate to one over another, but you have to quote-unquote “focus” on all of them. This requires making time for reflection and looking at your choices from different angles.

The CEO in you may come up with a great idea today. But how will you market it tomorrow? Does it fit with the overall goals of your company, and do you have the dollars to make it work. You have to examine your business from all perspectives.

When it comes down to making the decision, imagine if you did have another leader in the room with you, what would they say? If you find it challenging to play devils advocate, you can try making multiple lists of pros and cons, or talking to a mentor.

2. Realize, to receive much you must give much. No one said leveling up was easy. Don’t make it harder by being selfish. The great thing about giving is that it’s one of the easiest ways to establish value. Of course you can’t give away everything, and you certainly can’t give all the time (see point 1).

There are so many ways that you can give. As a “Connection Doctor” making introductions is one way that I give frequently. It allows me to double down in a lot of situations. Take the example of introducing a person to someone else for a project that I might not have the time to do, or you know another company would fit with the client better. The person you recommend will get new business, and the client gets the help they need.

In addition you’re showing both parties that you’re thinking of them, have their best interests in mind, and actually care about their problems or passions. Doing this also gives you the opportunity to reach out to people that you have in your network. In this day and age, we are so “connected” yet we find it hard to keep in touch. Making introductions is one of the easiest ways to always have an excuse to reach out to people and ask them how they are doing.

A lot of people hold back from “recommending” someone else because they worry about the impact on themselves should that connection not go well. I find this logic problematic. I mean when have I ever stopped being friends with someone because they set me up on a horrible date? I simplify the approach by giving honest recommendations and introductions. An honest recommendation may look like this:

Someone you know mentions that they are in need of a video being made. You don’t make videos, in fact you’ve never even had a video made for yourself. But you do know someone that makes videos. First check with both parties and confirm they are ok with being introduced. Let the person who needs the video know that you’ve never done any work with the person you’re introducing, but you know they make videos, and they may be able to help.

Let people make their own decisions on who to work with. Everyone has instincts, don’t let your ego about your reputation get in the way of helping others. As long as your intentions are good, trust that things will turn out ok.

3. Realize, you’re never really solo. At times it may feel that way, but living your life with this point of view sounds very lonely. I’ll keep this point short and simple as many articles have been written already about becoming a “virtual resident” in the world. Loneliness in entrepreneurs leads to depression, stress, anxiety, and can cause a range of mental illnesses, as stated in this article from Forbes. Running a business with a mental illness is not good for anyone.

Use time in your life to combat becoming lonely. Change your environment. Get out of the house or office. Move closer to family and friends if you can. Engage and connect with other people and spend time connecting with yourself. Join a co-working space, eat well, make time for sleep, and share your troubles with others. Communication is key to moving through these moments of loneliness.

If you’re located in the United States of America, or another top nation, travel to another country that is not doing as well economically. This will teach you to have gratitude for what you have. Counting my blessings has proven to be extremely helpful during times I am feeling down. If all else fails, get a pet!

4. Realize, your devices may be holding you back. I woke up this morning around 4 am. Its 9 am right now. I have spent 3h and 24 minutes between when I woke up and now on my phone. Thank you iOS 12 for this enlightening breakdown. Are you tracking your screen time? I have written a few times about our devices, technology, and how it effects us as people. I certainly will continue. Most recently I made the switch to having my phone on DND (do not disturb) mode 24/7.

Our devices, particularly our phones can be huge productivity suckers. In addition, constantly checking your phone, does the following things that are detrimental to a solo entrepreneur.

• It makes you look busy. If you look busy people won’t bother you. If you don’t want to be bothered great, but if you are out and about making business happen, the more people you engage with, the more opportunities for your business to grow. The secret is to be busy, but always appear to have time for people when they need you. If you can do this with grace you will be successful.

• It makes you look uninterested. Being on your phone all the time, especially when you’re out with others, checks you out of that present moment and into the digital world. The key here is knowing the value of your time, respecting it, and setting boundaries with others so they respect it as well. Lead by example. Before jumping into a conversation with someone, ask them if they have a few moments. To get out of a conversation where someone is not respecting your time, gather yourself and in the same movement with a smile, tell them, “thank you so much for this chat, I won’t take up more of your time, I know you’re busy.”

• It disrupts your vision. Unless you’ve uninstalled every social app, or control your content intake very carefully, once you dive into that digital world you can be hit with anything and everything. All it takes is one read of an article for you to question your current game plan. One photo that inspires you, and puts one more thing on your plate of to-do’s.

5. Realize, you are not like everyone else. If you got to the bottom of this list you may be thinking, well wait, why am I doing this again!? Riding solo is not for everyone. It takes a certain type. Consider not doing it for long. It’s kind of like dating. If you stay single to long, you will become so comfortable that you won’t know how to compromise.

If you’re looking for more reading about the topic check out this article outlining The 9 Key Distinctions of Successful Solo-Entrepreneurs or this one listing 20 Signs You are Meant to Be an Entrepreneur.

Until next time!

Facebook Plays a Game of Chess with Apple

M Dorsett - Communications Doctor Chibur

Ever have one of those mornings? Where you wake up to “breaking news.” Last month I had one. Facebook released messenger integration for websites, calling it Customer Chat Plugin. Discussion groups I belong to went wild discussing the impact. Even Product Hunt sent their daily email that day with the headline, “Facebook pivots into the enterprise.”

Needless to say I was a little shocked. Messaging, the ability for brands to communicate with consumers via text, and Messenger, the app for messaging exclusively via Facebook, has been available for brands to deploy on websites for awhile. Nothing seemed really new with this announcement except that you had to sign up on a waitlist. It’s like when a new nightclub makes you wait in line even when it’s empty inside.

I’m going on the record and saying I truly appreciate this latest marketing effort. This is certainly another another milestone in the story that Facebook has been telling since they rattled and accelerated the rate of development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) forever post A.F8 2016. But will enterprises take advantage?

I’ve paired my assessment of the situation with some chess related quotes, as this is certainly one fine game we’re witnessing.

Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine. — Spielmann

This is what I see. Facebook seems to be — no pun intended — facing off with Apple. Apple is the wise old couple on the block. Earlier this year they announced iMessage for business. Facebook, are the kids who keep throwing a ball in their yard.

Everyone grab your popcorn. It’s like a scene straight out of “Neighbors”. This announcement from Facebook feels like a clap back. Notable enterprise brands for my life that went live on Customer Chat with messenger are KLM & AirFrance. I’m really looking forward to seeing which brands deploy in 2018 when iMessage Business Chat is rumored to launch.

“When you see a good move wait — look for a better one.” — Emanuel Lasker

Branding messenger integration as Customer Chat Plugin is a good move. When a small business integrates messenger on their website they will see immediate benefits. However Customer Chat Plugin, despite its name, is not a plug and play option for enterprise brands. Facebook has not solved the scalability of Messenger. In order for an enterprise to integrate conversational commerce into their digital engagement strategy, they will need to have a backend solution that allows for messages to be handled at mass.

Now you may be wondering why I say that is needed when a bot can handle messages at scale? The reality is bots are not able to answer all questions. The human touch will still be required. Humans need to: oversee bot conversations, be available for escalations, handle specific customer journeys, and, most importantly, take the nuggets that the bot couldn’t handle and train it how to — improving its intelligence.

In addition, Founder and CEO of Agent IQ Craig Davis makes a valid point when it comes to scalability. Conversations with consumers happen on many different channels. “Using a platform with closed loop AI brings more efficiency to the large customer service organizations that were serving.” Whether or not the conversation comes in from Messenger or another messaging channel “the AI gets smarter, turns around and applies that knowledge automatically to the other channels.”

“The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake.” — Tartakover

Staying true to it’s millennial spirit, Facebook didn’t wait for a conference to roll out the plugin. They just built it and released it. They can do that when they have Apple users, android users, and let’s not forget WhatsApp, which also plans to monetize the messaging application for businesses in 2018. Investors of Facebook should be feeling pretty good. Facebook is testing a mass chat tool that looks exciting, it just announced Direct another stand alone messaging app, and four out of the top five apps that are downloaded in the world fall under the Facebook umbrella.

Check Mate.

The fifth most downloaded app on that list is snapchat. Making all the top apps that are downloaded in the world messaging apps. 54% of consumers today prefer to connect on platforms like Messenger vs email phone or online chat, but majority of enterprise brands do not offer it. What it boils down to at this point in history is any brands that that implement a conversational commerce option is a good thing for Apple. Regardless of the platform that is used on the brands end, the consumer will be communicating from their device of choice. Apple produces devices. Facebook does not.

Optional to include originally published link: https://chatbotsmagazine.com/facebook-plays-a-game-of-chess-with-apple-391190574af6

WARNING: Your phone may be controlling you.

By: M Dorsett

Have you ever picked up your phone and not remembered why? In this day and age we are constantly connected to our devices. This article by Forbes highlights 6 of the impacts on a humans mental health caused by social media. Despite what the research shows, U.S. consumers are spending more time on mobile phones. A 20% increase year over year on mobile apps alone.

Speaking from my own personal perspective, it’s hard to disconnect from my phone. It brings me so much joy. An entertaining twitter feed following Liz Bertrelli’s ordeal had 1500 retweets in less than 24 hours. At least I know I’m not the only one who goes into a full blown panic when my phone isn’t within reach!

I’ve been struggling with this recently. I’ve also taken actions to change. Hopefully after you finish reading this you will feel inspired to put your phone down and stop and smell the roses of life. I’ve paired this light reading material with a song that I think goes perfectly. By the time its over, you should have read the 3 tips below.

1. Turn off notifications.

You‘ve heard this one before. So many benefits to doing this. This tip was actually given to me as a piece of feedback from David Pierre Louis, a mentor of mine.

He called me out a few years ago. He noticed I was very involved with my phone. His exact quote I believe was, “I wasn’t present.” Embarrassed, I took his advice and turned off all non-life urgent or life-affecting notifications. Yes Instagram that includes you.

Apple doesn’t make this process easy. It’s like they want you on your phone all the time. 🤓Crazy. You have to go into each application and manually adjust each notification! For every app. I have 205. It took me three hours.

The effort has made all the difference. I used to feel like my phone controlled me. Kind of like my dog. She barks and I run to her. Worried about her need. When my phone would ding, I’d pick it up. Whatever was happening in front of me didn’t matter.

But it gets worse. Once I’d tended to my phone’s notification, I’d click into Instagram “real quick”. Then all of a sudden I’m checking my stocks. 5 hours later I’m plotting how I can reach out to this cool artist I found on Spotify. There went my entire day. I mean I’m slightly exaggerating here, but the point is now I have taken control.

During the day I rarely pay attention to my text messages. Sorry friends! I pick up my phone when I want to. When I think of a reason to use it, not when it beckons me.

Now I’ve had to learn to ignore the red bubble. It took time. You can do it! Join me, take control of your phone don’t let it control you. I’m starting my first “internet challenge!” I challenge you to turn off notifications on your top used social apps. Please write back. Let me know how it works out.

2. Give feedback.

Write that review on the App Store. Reach out on social media to brands. Let them know what you want. In a nice constructive feedback type of way of course. Also tell them what you love about their products. People every day are working hard to bring new technology to us to make our lives easier. They’re dedicating their lives to this mission. Me being one of them!

Know that your feedback is important. User experience design is best executed when done in tandem with the actual user. KIT, the best app on the market today for streamlining and scaling your marketing efforts, is an excellent example of this.

KIT gives every entrepreneur back what they need the most; time. It was created by Michael Perry in 2013. Before bots were the buzz. Shopify smartly scooped them up last year. Perry has said, “let your users drive your next app updates”.

I have multiple instances where I have suggested feedback and seen it implemented. Although it does take time the changes do happen. Lots of brands out there are listening to us. The ones that are not will ultimately fail.

3. Make your devices work for you.

The power of the devices that we hold right in our hands is great. Use it to your advantage. Shout out to Apple for the ear buds. I’m saving up for mine. Even though they are a knock off.  Basically they’re an elevated jawbone. Reality is we live in a tech eat tech world and timing is everything.

Five years ago it might be considered very odd to talk to your phone. Ten years ago, culturally, it was completely unacceptable to be on your phone in public spaces. These days it’s totally normal. So put Google and Siri to work! People may stare but eventually it will become the new normal. Plus, we all know that our generation loves attention anyway.

Thank you advance for doing this.

Let’s face it, Siri is not the sharpest tool in the shed. I mean he, yes I changed mine to an Australian man, is better then nothing. The more people using the artificial intelligence powering Siri is the only way he will get smarter. I’m also starting a rumor that using voice to type saves battery life. Makes sense because it’s way faster to talk then to type.

I hope these are helpful to you. If you have any tips and tricks to share please do in the comments.

When Snapchat and Facebook Live had a Baby

By: Carolina Lafuente

Instagram is the latest social media app to follow the footsteps of Facebook-Live and Periscope through live videos. Unlike Facebook Live however, this is one live show you can’t re-run.

In an interview for AD Weekly, an Instagram rep explained via email that “Your live video disappears as soon as you're done recording, so you can feel comfortable sharing what you want, anytime."

While many brands are still getting the hang of the recently released Instagram story feature, they now have Instagram Live to manage. This adds to whole new ways to connect with their audiences.

Instagram Live allows for more authentic, raw footage since there is no editing that can be done live. It also creates a sense of urgency to audiences since once the Live coverage is done it can never be revisited.

Most brands are using the live feature to bring their audiences into exclusive events and store openings. Allure magazine for example, did with its first Instagram Live story of its editor attending a class with makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic and then sharing tips from the lesson.

While the feature allows for a new way to connect with audiences, the challenge is figuring out when they will be most available to view these live stories in order to get the most brand exposure.

“The biggest benefit of live tools in general is the ability to bring your audience to where you are in real time, but the significance of having live tools on yet another social platform is that your audience is going to vary between the platforms,” said Ben Boskovich, social media editor at Esquire for an interview for Glossy. “Our Instagram audience is a younger and more tuned-in to things that our Facebook audience might not be as receptive to, so now we’ll have a whole new way to reach them.”

As we close off for 2016 in a couple of weeks, who knows what Instagram will roll out next. And the biggest question of all remains “do I really need all these other apps when Instagram does it all now?”

Facebook Stalking? Nah, It’s Just Business

By: Carolina LaFuente

If you go on Google today and type your name, images of you can show up as well as your different social media platforms. With an instant search, others can figure out what city you live in, that you changed your hair two weeks ago and that your brother Elliot is getting married to Samantha in the Spring.

Just like this, online retailers can also find out about their customers without even having to do any of the research themselves. Technology has provided us with data gathering tools that can track consumer behavior online and catch repeated actions that form into trends. Have you ever gotten an email from a store where you’ve shopped before and it happens include a message about an item you’ve had your eye on…and it’s on sale?

Customers are more likely to visit your website when they know you’ll have something they’re interested in, whether they saw it in an email, and social media ad or an online ad while on a different website.

With sponsored content growing on social media, as a business, one can specifically target whose page to show the content on based on previous pages they’ve visited. The same goes for online ads on other websites. By tracking consumer behavior online based on what other stores customers shop at, what they click on while they’re on your website and what social media pages they follow, one can cater to them more successfully because they will feel your brand relates to them.

By collecting data about customers it is also easy to anticipate customers’ needs so that the product they are looking for is always in stock. As Bridge Mellichamp of Stitchlabs puts it, “Using data to understand how a customer thinks extends beyond service and logistics. From anticipating customer needs to testing and personalizing communications, successful retailers are using data to make more informed business decisions.”

Tracking online shopping data from customers also helps facilitate the shopping experience in terms of navigation for customers. By testing out different website layouts, online retailers can learn about which one works best for their customer. Office Depot for example, contains a side bar online not only welcoming the customer by name but by also suggesting items related to previous purchases. They tested out the suggested items section as a pop up that had to clicked on and then as an open side toolbar that displays the suggested items automatically. Office Depot found out that customers bought items more often from the version of the side bar that contained the automatically visible display of suggested items. Customers in this case did not have to take any extra steps either to find what they were looking for.

While online shopping may lose the physical connection between customer and company because of a computer, phone, or tablet screen, it doesn’t mean the entire shopping experience can’t be just as personal as walking into a store and speaking with a sales associate. By tracking consumer behavior online, you can get to know your customers just as well as the regular ones that walk into a store. The sites themselves can be personalized to ease the experience and future purchases can be anticipated by previous search history on the website. Personal emails can be sent to customers inviting them to in-store events and you can even then thank them by sending a coupon for a necklace since they recently purchased a ring from the same collection. Customers remain loyal to brands that get them simply because they know they can count on you to find something they need and will like. It’s not creepy, it’s smart business. Make your customers your crush, just be careful not to accidentally like that photo from 5 months ago on their Instagram.

Public Relations: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By: Carolina Lafuente

So you’ve just wrapped up an event one of your clients was hosting, thanks to your social media coverage and the feature you got on yesterday’s 5 p.m. news, the turn-out was excellent. More people are now familiar with your client’s brand, they now have a larger following on social media and sales are estimated to go up.

    But what if something went wrong and suddenly negative news comes out about your client’s company? Do you spin the story around? Is that really the right thing to do? Or do you own up to it and apologize?

Public relations specialists sometimes get a bad reputation of being dishonest based on stereotypes. Simply because some brands have had PR nightmares, doesn’t mean we are all made equally. Our jobs are to sell brand images; nowhere does it say this cannot be done by presenting factually based evidence about products. Yes, at times things go wrong. Thankfully there are guidelines to ethics of public relations, which can be found on Public Relations Society of America’s website.

According to the PRSA Code of Ethics, we must “Act promptly to correct erroneous communications for which the member is responsible and investigate the truthfulness and accuracy of information released on behalf of those represented.” In the simplest terms, we must remain transparent. Transparency allows customers to build a trust with brands, in turn creating a loyal customer base. We are in the communications field, let’s communicate effectively.

Cross-Posting on Social Media and Why You Shouldn’t Do It

BY: Carolina Lafuente

As a brand, sharing on all your social media platforms is key to engaging with your audience. However, if you’re sharing the exact same post across different platforms, you’re probably not going to get much interaction. Your followers will notice and it comes off as impersonal and lazy from your part.

First and foremost, not all social media platforms are created equally. Therefore, each post should be appropriately tailored to specific outlets. Your Twitter audience wants short, in the moment updates, while your Instagram audience is much more visual. Twitter works great with links to lead your followers to your site. Instagram, not so much since you can’t embed links into captions.

Facebook might be the trickiest to reach your audience through. Facebook’s strange algorithm punishes you for that one video you might’ve posted that didn’t get much attention. This however may work to your brand’s benefit by challenging you to really get to know your audience. It is important to keep in mind that with Facebook, the amount of people your posts reach varies on how much interaction your previous posts receive.

Social media shouldn’t be taken too seriously though, unless you’re a serious news outlet. Instagram is one of the best ways to showcase your brand’s personality through photographs, videos and text. Your followers will resonate with posts that are personalized. Sometimes, the amount of likes and comments go further than the number of followers you have. Speaking of followers, don’t forget to reply to your followers on their posts to let them know you’re there and you’re listening. So go ahead, post that TGIF gif or photo, and don’t forget to add that hashtag.

Why You Should Use Snapchat for Your Business

By: Carolina Lafuente

    Snapchat is slowly growing more and more each day. Today, it’s even used as a news media outlet with its Discovery feature that features stories by media outlets such as ESPN, The Food Network, and CNN to name a few. Celebrities have it, bloggers have it, my friend’s little sister has it and has more followers than I do fresh out of high school.

    The truth is, the world is becoming more social media conscious to where if you don’t have a presence in a certain outlet, you might as well not be real. Snapchat can be used to a brand’s advantage to grow its presence by giving consumers an inside look to a company’s everyday functions, a behind the scenes experience.

    Snapchat can become a way to get consumers to get to know the people behind your brand and the work put into how products are made. It can also be used for promotional purposes to get your audience out to events your brand might be participating in or hosting. Show them the venue, talk about activities that might be included, and on the day of the event show them the end result. It may encourage others who didn’t make it to come out next time once they see what they’re missing.

    The best thing, and main purpose, of Snapchat is that it’s to tell stories. Tell your brand’s story, keep your audience engaged by giving them a treat at the end of story such as a discount code. Don’t be afraid to get creative, that’s what visual social media outlets are for. We are storytellers by nature, add your brand’s story to Snapchat.

Now go and follow us on Snapchat @MediaFresh