CentreO Blog

Posting interesting and useful updates can be a great treat for your clients and help out with your Google search rankings.

So how often should you update? Different ruleas apply to different companies, industries and social media. But the majority of experts agrees on the following breakdown:

Facebook – 3-4 times a day.

Twitter – around 7 times a day

LinkedIn – 3-4 times a week

Instagram – Around 1-2 times a day

Businesses are also encouraged to invest time in analysing their clients’ habits, as these rule are by far not universal and a tailored approach would work wonders for your company.

So, pay attention to your clients’ social media activity. Which of the posts get the most likes? As what times are your clients most active online? If you are willing to seriously commit to the task, making a chart of your clients’ online activity on different social media pages would help you have perfect timing on your posts.

Anyone who has ever had a dog, would probably (definitely) agree with the popular saying: “A dog is a man’s best friend”.

But some of us would go as far as to say that we can not only be friends with dogs, but we can also learn from them.

A recent article on Entrepreneur.com on the same topic even strengthened my belief.  So what is it that dogs do so much better?

Positive attitude

Dogs seem to have a generally positive outlook on life. They are excited about life in a way that is hard for most of us to understand. They are happy to go out, happy to come home, happy to see a car or a cat and just as happy to find an old tennis ball. And that gives them energy and enthusiasm that we are so eager to have in our business lives.

Lesson to learn: We look for it in yoga, training sessions, meditation and self-help books. But perhaps a simple key to having more enthusiasm at work is being happy about it or working on increasing that level of happiness.

Working smart

Dogs are great at being dogs and they never get lazy. Why? They have plenty of rest and are extremely focused. A dog may sleep through half a day, but when they are “on the job”, their attention is at its peak. They are ready to take commands, run, jump and give it their all.

Lesson to learn: do not overwork yourself. Take your time, rest. But when on the job, give it everything you can.

They live to serve

Not in a bad way, associated with lack of self-confidence. They simply love to see others happy, especially if all it takes is to fetch.

Lesson to learn: When you serve your client from heart, they feel it and respond. A passion for providing the best service is what truly makes a business stand out.

They communicate

Dogs are simply great at getting their feelings across. They wag their tail, growl, follow you if hungry or drop a ball at your feet to play. There is no drama, passive-aggressiveness, hidden feelings or held grudges. What you see is what you get.

Lesson to learn: Communication in business can make or break you. And no matter how hard it sometimes is to be direct, it is often the most effective and honest way to communicate with your colleagues and partners.

They get over things

Dogs make mistakes and are often punished for them. Eating from the garbage can, tearing tissue paper, eating shoes…And the feedback comes quickly and often harshly. But how dot hey take it? They get quiet, they listen and …they move on

Lesson to learn: Criticism and negative remarks can not hold you back. Move on quickly and confidently with as much new knowledge as you can.

So take a closer look at your dog.  And this time do you best to get past the cuteness to the wisdom within.

It’s great to have friends. And in today’s busy working environment, it’s great to have your friends right there where you work.

However, we’ve all heard horror stories about hiring friends and the general idea is that it simply doesn’t work out. One reason for that is perhaps the on a friend’s part that are often not realized in reality. Let’s look at some of them:

Loosing your job

It somehow feels natural that if you are hired by a friend, you are immune to being sacked. However, this has happened and will keep happening, so you might as well face the fact that you may lose a job given you by a friend in the same way you may lose a job given to you by a stranger. So rely on your skills to carry you through, rather than connections.

Feeling too confident

If hired by a friend, you may feel in some way associated with the management and thus “raise yourself” to a higher position of authority in the company. This may come across as arrogant behavior at meetings and conferences and create an overall negative attitude among other employees. So remembering that you are equal to your peers in the company, regardless of your relations with the management, is an important success factor.

No drama

Working together can sometimes create more drama than we would have thought. A comment here and there, wrong tone of voice, a simple critical remark, topped off with a touch of deadlines and overtime can turn into a big thing before you even know it. The key is to separate “personal” form “corporate” and regard criticism and suggestions as tips to better performance.

Conflicts of interest.

It is a simple truth that company management wants what’s best for the company. Sadly, it may not always be what is best for you, as an employee working for the company. But if you are friends with the management, you may be inclined to think that friendship ties will come before company matters, thus putting your managing friend in a highly uncomfortable “it’s me or them” position. Once again, do not mix “personal” with “corporate”.

Boundary issues.

A pat on the back, frequent lunches together, practical jokes in the office or a tone of familiarity…all of these things are great when associated with friendship. But companies, however liberal, do have hierarchy. So another problem you may face are boundary issues. In this case, it’s all about changing your perception, that “Bob” is now “Mr. Warner”, a superior and that your conversations, behavior and attitude should reflect that during working hours.

You may find some of the above tips useful. And it is better to be prepared for potential pitfalls. However, you will probably never be 100% ready. After all, personal relationships are tricky and often unpredictable. Same goes for business ones. And when you mix them together…well, you will need to work extra hard.