Cat Person

A very wise person (Grace Andrews) once said 'Product photos don't belong on Instagram' ?? My initial reaction was agreement. But, this statement was followed by a series of people online disagreeing. ? "What else am I meant to post?" ? "Obviously, product photos belong on Instagram" Your content should focus on VALUE ?? Organic channels are a tool that should aim to build an emotional connection, through harnessing a feeling. And that doesn't come with product photos. Your aim on social media should never be to hard sell, instead focus on providing value for your audience and creating a feeling with your posts. GoPro do this exceptionally well ?? Take a step away from your socials and ask yourself: ?? What does someone gain from following your account? ?? Why would someone be eager to read your next post? ?? What will make someone share one of your posts with a friend? ?? How can you provide more value with your content? Next time you go to post a product photo on Instagram, think again ?? P.s. My freelance diary is OPEN for April/May so if you want to get a killer social media strategy in place, drop me a message or send me a connection request ??

Our CX team is incredible --and not just because it's how I got started at Cat Person. Despite being fully remote, they consistently report that they feel connected with their team in engagement surveys, and last year, a team of five (one manager, three full-time employees, and one part-time employee) handled almost 30k contacts from text, chat and email with a CSAT score of 92.7%--and that's not even counting all of the Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok comments and DMs they answered. I love this team so much, and still count myself as an honorary member, but I chose this photo because it features the most of us. (Technically, I was on the CX team when this was taken. Look, one of the main points in the article is that we are a fully remote team, so we don't get together in person all that much.)

In my career, discovering I was on the autism spectrum later in life taught me a lot about how miscommunications used to keep me from bonding and understanding people. Figuring out what it means to be on the spectrum made me realize the power of openness and importance of inclusivity on my teams. It's not just a game-changer for me—it really helps team morale. My team actively celebrates wins, diversity, and the ongoing efforts to enhance respectful communication. Recently, colleagues reached out to learn more about neurodiversity and gain insights into my perspectives. Here are key points I share during these discussions. Feel free to contribute your thoughts! 1. Speak clearly and with intention: Approach requests with a clear goal in mind. Sometimes, it's challenging to discern the purpose of a conversation when essential details are assumed rather than explicitly stated. 2. Be direct about tasks and expectations: Clear communication is crucial in a neurodiverse team. Stating expectations and tasks helps prevent important assignments from being overlooked. 3. Be consistent with schedule: Maintaining schedule consistency is challenging for many teams, but it helps mitigate the stress of unexpected changes. Regular meetings, consistent attendance, and routine information sharing create a more predictable environment, easing the impact of last-minute changes and enabling better planning. 4. Make sure everyone is on the same page: RAPIDS (Responsibility Assignment, Approval, Input, Deliverables, and Stakeholders) are invaluable in clarifying roles within a process. This benefits the entire team, especially those on the spectrum, by ensuring clear responsibilities and facilitating effective communication to move forward with confidence. 5. Don't judge based on expressions, enthusiasm, or even tones: In a previous job many many years ago, despite completing tasks on time, I received criticism on my last day for not smiling enough. This experience still haunts me, because I thought so highly of my team I didn't realize they saw me in this way. Many individuals, including myself, excel at masking, but may miss cues for expected expressions. It's not meant to be perceived as "mean," but rather a result of our brains not immediately connecting to expected social cues. If our behavior seems off, feel free to communicate with us. It's never intentional; we might be absorbed in a task or not fully grasp the expected emotional response. Open communication helps us understand and adapt. #autismawareness #inclusiveworkspaces

Hey marketers! Diversity in advertising extends to cat people, too - in my latest episode, someone like myself or my guests - comic Ivy Le (to be converted), audio luminary Keisha (TK) Dutes and social media expert Tracy Michelle should share the crown with the queen of the music industry, aka the advertising world. Look up 6 Degrees of Cats and enjoy!!!