Social

Excellent social skills are imperative in life. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to teach your children how to communicate and thrive. The skills you teach your child must be continuously refined as they age. Everyone has a social nature, but you should always look for those little moments to educate and enhance their abilities.

Unfortunately, not all societal skills are quite so simple to master. If your child is a victim of being bullied, then they should know how to handle these complicated situations. They should know when to stand up for themselves when they’re being bullied, but they should also know how to be silent when the teacher reprimands them.

Parenting Requires Teaching Social Adequacies

If your child develops excellent social skills, then they will have no problem building long-lasting relationships. Having stable friendships is suitable for your child’s mental health, and they will be more apt to know how to handle conflict resolution. The goal is to have your child’s social skills at a reasonable level by making it to kindergarten.

A study showed that these children who are already well versed in social adequacies are typically the ones that are successful when they are an adult. Every parent wants to raise well-rounded children. When your kid reaches school age, they will know how to follow the rules, cooperate with the teachers, and share with their peers.

Also, a study done at Penn State University found that children with excellent social skills by the age of five are more likely to go to college and have a great job by the time they reach their mid-20s. On the flip side, socially inept children often have issues with substance abuse, relationships, and a fair share of legal debacles. Additionally, the study found these children are more likely to be on public assistance.

Five Social Skills Every Child Must Learn to Thrive in Today’s World

It’s incredibly stressful when a child doesn’t have the proper skills to interact with others. It puts a strain on them, and their communication skills make matters worse. Additionally, studies have shown that when children know how to socialize, they have a lower cortisol level than those who don’t have these skills. Stress can have a significant impact on your child’s health too.

Thankfully, you can teach your child how to socialize appropriately, and even if they are a little behind, they can catch up. Perhaps, they are already a social butterfly and just need to sharpen their skills. If you wonder what social skills you should be teaching and refining with your children, then here are the recommendations.

1. Following Directions

Following directions is one skill that needs to be taught from a toddler. If children don’t develop this skill by the time they reach school age, then the consequences can be intense. For instance, if they cannot listen to the teacher and follow orders, they will likely miss what they need to do, misbehave, and be in the principal’s office.

Your child must be able to take simple instructions like making their bed, and they should also be open to trainable directives like tips on improving their baseball game. As a parent, you need to learn the proper way to give directions.

Telling your child a long list of things to do may only confuse them. It’s better to give them one task at a time, wait till they complete that task, and then move on to the next item. Another tip is never to ask them if they want to do something as it gives them the chance to say no.

Never use sentences like “Would you, please put your shoes away?” Instead, say something like, “Put your shoes away, please!” You changed it from a question to an expectation, as there is no room for negotiation. Once you’ve given an order, ask them to repeat back what they’ve been told.

Children are easy to distract, act on impulse, and often have a short memory. It’s your job as a parent to point out their errors and show them how they could have done things better.

2. Sharing

There’s nothing worse than a stingy, selfish child. Sadly, children who act this way often grow up to be adults with the same mannerisms. Did you know that when a kid learns to share, it can help them form and keep friendships?

Don’t be too hard on your toddlers as children from ages three to six are often naturally selfish, but it still something that you must correct. It’s often the case that the toy they were fighting to keep from their sibling loses its luster once they won the battle.

By the time your child reaches seven to eight years old, they are more apt to be teachable when it comes to sharing. Children who feel good about themselves and don’t have a need to prove anything, and they often have no problems sharing with others. Some children are stingy because they need to prove themselves and have a hard time expressing themselves effectively.

Parents, you should teach your kid to share even if they don’t want too. Make sure to praise them when they share with their siblings, and you can help build their esteem by pointing out their victories.

3. Listening

It isn’t very pleasant to tell your child something, and they are talking over you the whole time. Teaching communication skills means that you show them how they should listen and how they should absorb what’s being said. When they head to school, their success will depend on the ability to listen.

To succeed academically, a child must learn to hear and absorb what’s being told to them. Beyond school, they must know how to follow instructions from their boss. It’s also beneficial to have excellent communication and listening skills in a relationship.

Communication is something that people must work on even into adulthood. Living in the digital age makes things more difficult. People would rather text, stare at their phone screen, or engage virtually than have a meaningful conversation.

The right way for parents to help their child develop these skills is to pause and ask questions. For instance, if you’re reading a book to your five-year-old, stop and ask them halfway what they have learned. If they’ve missed anything, you can fill in those gaps and continue with the book.

Additionally, teach them that they never interrupt others when they are speaking. It’s always essential for them to wait their turn as what they have to say is just as important as the other person’s concern.

4. Respecting Personal Boundaries

Personal boundaries are one of the essential social skills. Some children tend to be clingy by nature, while others are more aloof. It’s one of the main reasons parents tell their kids never to talk to strangers as it’s pushing limits.

You can encourage boundaries by telling them that there is an imaginary bubble around them, and no one can come into this bubble without their permission. Additionally, they must be respectful of the other person’s bubble too. They should also learn that they should knock on doors that are closed and always keep their hands to themselves.

Things like hitting, pushing, or taking something out of someone else’s hand are actions that deserve consequences. Personal space is a big issue throughout life. If your child doesn’t learn about these boundaries early on, they will have problems as they grow.

You’ve probably seen the adults that are too touchy-feely and make you uncomfortable. These are people that never learned appropriate boundaries, and their childish actions have followed them.

5. Making Proper Eye Contact

The eyes are the window to the soul, and looking directly at someone is a social skill that is part of your communication. A shy person will look to the corner or the floor when speaking or being spoken too. However, while they may get by with it in elementary school, their boss may not think too highly of their actions.

Every time you see their eyes wandering, ask them to refocus them back to your eyes. Remind them that it’s essential to look at people. It’s a standard trick for folks to avoid looking someone in the eyes when they’re lying or have been caught in a wrongdoing. Encourage them that eye contact is imperative as they grow.

Final Thoughts on Teaching Social Skills to Your Children

Having the ability to socialize appropriately is an integral part of life. It takes a bit of extra reinforcement from a parent, and then maturity will also do its part. If your child cannot follow social cues and to socialize with their peers, then it can be the sign that there are some medical issues behind this, such as autism or ADHD.

Generally, by the time your child can walk and talk, it’s time to start teaching and training about boundaries and other ways to thrive socially.

Social isolation can sound like an introvert’s paradise. Unfortunately, that’s simply not the reality. Human beings are naturally social creatures. As such, even the most withdrawn individuals need social contact occasionally – and that need is even worse for extroverts!

It’s easy to feel lonely and afraid when you must separate from the rest of the world. Here are five ways to fight loneliness during social isolation.

1.    Keep Yourself Wisely Up-to-Date

Self-isolating is necessary to keep ourselves and our loved ones saved in this pandemic, but it comes with the side effect of a lack of contact. This, however, can make loneliness crippling – especially for those of us who are already surrounded by strangers. Here are a few ways to combat this:

·         Check The News During Social Isolation

No matter how much positive thinking you engage in, it is easy to feel helpless in these trying times. A recent 2020 study, however, showed that staying updated on the latest precautionary advice and health information can help with your mental resilience and functioning.

·         Connect Socially

It can be easy to feel dissociated and disconnected when you can’t check in on your loved ones, much less when the streets are empty, and you’re physically alone. Instead, do your best to check in on friends and family – either via calls, text, or only just seeing their life updates on social media.

·         Know Your Limits

With just how much information there is waiting to assault you from the moment you turn on your phone, it is easy to find yourself overwhelmed. Even worse is when most of this news is harmful. In such cases, it’s best to curate your feed and take breaks as needed.

2.    Engage Your Mind With Activities

Loneliness can be crippling if you do not occupy that space and silence – no matter who we are or when it happens. During such moments, the best way to combat it is to fill it up with activities that truly engage our mind and senses. (Mindless activities, after all, don’t serve very good distractions either.) Here are a few ideas you can try:

·         Sing Along To Music You’re Listening To

There’s something incredibly enjoyable about singing along to the radio while dancing in the kitchen or driving in the car. As it turns out, that enjoyment is now backed by science! While plenty of studies have shown that singing in a group (for example, as part of a choir) can be therapeutic, a study has also shown that these therapeutic benefits still come into play when you’re singing along to a pre-recorded song.

So turn up the volume on Spotify, or watch one of the many virtual concerts now available online and sing along!

·         Find Something That Absorbs Your Mind

With the recent pandemic, many of us are now quickly learning just how much time work eats up in our daily schedule. While taking some time to relax is a good thing, it’s best to fill up those empty time slots with absorbing activities – preferably something that can get you into a state of ‘flow.’

Studies define ‘flow’ is a mental state where you find yourself pleasurably focused and immersed in the task at hand. It can keep you occupied – and in the process, keep at bay negative thoughts and rumination. Activities like drawing, knitting, or playing games are great for this!

·         Let Fiction Take You On Adventures

There are plenty of good stories out there, be it via shows, movies, books, videos, streams, or even fanworks. If you haven’t given yourself a chance to be wholly absorbed by a good tale, now’s the best time to do it – especially since studies have shown immersing ourselves in the lives of fictional characters can net us a definite benefit! According to the study, fictional worlds and people can double as social surrogates, which can help combat loneliness during these difficult times.

·         Take An Online Or Virtual Exercise Class

In place of our usual activities and social gatherings, it’s easy to find ourselves vegetating out in front of a screen. Doubly so since all forms of entertainment and information now best come through the internet. The need to keep ourselves healthy is essential. Studies show that you can also combat loneliness if exercising is a social activity like a fitness class. Plus, the structure, social support, and group energy you will generally get from a fitness class can help you stay socially connected and grounded.

So consider taking up virtual sessions with a personal trainer, or join a live-streamed workout class. It may be just what you need!

3.    Get Your Nostalgia Going

Some may think that nostalgia is the worst thing to experience at this point. After all, is it not generally associated with being sad? Would that not make loneliness worse? As it turns out, that’s not quite the case:

·         Nostalgia Counteracts Loneliness

Studies have shown it’s easier to maintain positive thinking if you believe you have an increase in perceived social support – something that nostalgia helps with. Try backing up your photo and video collection, or organize and share them with loved ones. Reminiscing with friends and family over happy memories may just give you the social interaction you need to combat loneliness.

·         You Appreciate Them Better

When was the last time you took the time to appreciate all that you and your loved one have gone through? A little positive nostalgia makes one reflect on all the good things that have happened, and it can be helpful. Studies have shown that doing such a thing can create a greater sense of support and secureness in your relationship – which may be just what you need to combat loneliness.

·         It Reminds You Of What You Have

Nostalgia is, in a way, a form of meditation and self-reflection. And in these quiet moments, we tend to end up realizing just how we are loved in so many ways, by so many people. This can create a better appreciation of the relationships we have – and in turn, reduce our loneliness.

4.    Schedule Social Interaction From A Distance

At the end of the way, there’s no getting around it – we have to get our social interactions somehow. Thankfully, the internet has made it easier to connect to those around us virtually. Here are a few ideas to get you started on growing and expanding your online social network:

·         Contact Those You’re Close To

Nothing will ever beat meeting up in person, but studies prove that some kind of contact is better than none. Schedule a virtual meet-up via some kind of video or voice chat about doing something together – like baking cookies, playing games, or watching a movie.

Planning a daily or weekly event can give you and your loved ones something to be excited about and combats time blindness and loneliness. Even if you can’t make it a big event every time, just checking in for 10 minutes can be incredibly helpful in fending off loneliness.

·         Adapt To Online Efforts

There’s no reason to bemoan the closing of your monthly book club when it’s still being hosted online. If your usual social events and gatherings haven’t transitioned into online spaces yet, then try hosting them virtually yourself!

·         Seek Online Communities

Online communities for specific hobbies or interests have always existed – and now it’s only gotten so much easier to find and join them. And they don’t have to be just forum-based text messages, either. Live-streamed classes covering just about any hobby and subject imaginable are easily available, as are group video-calls for classes and discussions. Just start looking!

· Don’t Mindlessly Scroll Through Social Media – Interact!

It’s easy to think that just scrolling through our social media feed is enough to provide us the social interaction we need. While social media does help us stay updated on current events and the ongoings of our loved one’s lives, the only way we can truly connect with people is when we actively engage with them. Don’t simply like their posts – try leaving comments on both the post and on other people’s comments instead!

5.    Be Kind To Yourself And Others During Social Isolation

Loneliness and the negativity it spawns can be very difficult to deal with, even in the best of times. It’s understandable that you will find yourself struggling, no matter what you do to avoid it. Instead, here are a few other things to keep in mind:

·         Be Accepting Of Yourself

Trying to deny negative emotions or insisting that you shouldn’t don’t have them doesn’t help matters. In fact, they often make things worse. The best way to handle them is to acknowledge them instead. Don’t linger or cling on to them – let them come and go – feelings, after all, will change over time. If you find yourself struggling to do this, learning how to meditate may help.

·         Practice Kindness

It may be harder to do now with the pandemic, but performing random acts of kindness is still possible. Offer to buy groceries for your elderly or disabled relatives, neighbors, and friends. Check-in on your loved ones and ask about what they need. Donate and support local businesses and restaurants wherever you can. Doing your best to volunteer and help others can be a great source of purpose and connection in times of loneliness.

·         Be Compassionate

It can be hard to do so, especially when you’re struggling mentally and emotionally. But as it turns out, being an active pillar of support and encouragement might counteract your own loneliness – and the struggles that stem from it. Text or call your loved ones, or reach out to others – friends and strangers alike. If you have the time and energy for it, try sending a letter too! It may help you, in turn, more than you realize.

Final Thoughts On Some Ways To Fight Loneliness During Social Isolation

Social isolation is unpleasant, but for the time being, it is thoroughly necessary. Sadly, that does mean you’ll have to cope with potential loneliness. Still, with positive thinking and by making use of these five ways to fight loneliness during social isolation, you’ll be able to emerge just fine on the other side.

As a final note, don’t be afraid to reach out to friends, family, or other loved ones if your loneliness is especially dire. You can do so through phone calls, texts, or any other method of distant communication during social isolation.

As the current world pandemic continues to unfold, many individuals have begun to feel a certain type of tiredness. This is known as “social isolation fatigue”. If you feel excessively exhausted at the end of each day while you’re socially isolated, you’re likely experiencing this too.

Why does this happen? There are countless different reasons. Nervousness and anxiety, stress from financial difficulties or strained relationships, and the toughness of dealing with unpredictable lack of control all contribute. Here are 6 ways to fight against social isolation fatigue.

1.    Understand And Fulfil Your Basic Needs, Then Your Wants

There’s no denying just how much social isolation has affected our normal lives and structure. In turn, we impact our mental, physical, and emotional health. In the process of trying to deal with how our lives have been upturned into a difficult mess, we can often forget to take care of ourselves.

·         Eat Healthily

Studies have shown, however, that creating a consistent routine has a strong positive effect on your health. Trying to ensure you have meals at set times can help combat time blindness while making sure we have the right nutrition we need to stay healthy and energized.

·         Stay Fit

When you’re forced to stay indoors, it can be easy to neglect one’s physical health. Considering just how intertwined our mental health is with our physical, keeping up a consistent exercise routine becomes incredibly important. Doubly so since it can help combat both fatigue and stress.

·         Learn Something New

It’s easy to forget that just like zoo animals, our brains also need to be entertained and to have enrichment. Read some books, listen to some podcasts, or try picking up a new hobby all together! This helps you keep your mind active and occupied, which may be just what you need in such a situation.

·         Reach Out For Help

Being alone can be draining, and it can make even the simplest tasks seem impossible. If you find yourself struggling in any way, ask a loved one or a neighbor for support and guidance. Don’t hesitate to contact your doctor or a hotline for advice, either – they’re there to help you.

2.    Don’t Watch News 24/7

It’s hard to keep up any sense of positive thinking when we are constantly buffeted by bad news every time we turn on our devices. It’s even worse when said news is available essentially 24/7! Here are a few ways to combat such negative effects:

·         Curate Your Feed

Choose one or two news sources you can rely on or trust, and only read headlines that are of immediate relevancy or interest to you – and no further.

·         Don’t Linger

Set a hard cap on how much time you’ll dedicate to reading or watching the news. Updating yourself twice a day and setting aside an hour for each update should be more than enough to catch up on what is happening in your community and the world at large.

·         Have A Second Filter

If you find yourself still struggling to remain unaffected, consider having a friend decide what’s important and relevant for you, and get your updates only through them. This can help ensure that you’ll only find out what you strictly need to know.

3.    Stay Socially Connected

No man is an island – and they really shouldn’t be. Humans are hardwired by evolution to be social creatures. As a result, isolating ourselves from any form of social contact can be detrimental to our mental health, and is something you’d generally want to avoid. Here are a few tips and tricks on staying in touch with the ones you love:

·         Determine Your Most Crucial Connections

There are some folks we can confidently say that we cannot live without, and it would not be an exaggeration. Considering how hard it can be to keep up social connections (especially when we start getting exhausted), it’s best to identify a specific list of people you want to keep in your life no matter what. Your counselor and therapist can be on the list, but you ideally want to avoid visiting them physically to keep everyone safe.

·         Go For Video Calls Over Voice Calls Or Texts

As it turns out, studies have shown that maintaining face-to-face social contact, even virtually, has a significant positive impact on people. Being able to see the facial expressions of our loved ones in a conversation can be more energizing and infectious than just hearing them by voice alone, after all!

·         Try And Stay Up-To-Date On Communication Tech

With just how reliant we are on communicative technology to stay connected now, there’s no excuse to refuse to learn how to use platforms like FaceTime or Zoom. Learn how to set up a stream to share your baking sessions, or figure out a way to have everyone watch a movie together!

4.    Keep Your Mind Busy

Our brains naturally crave stimulation. Without stimulation, we tend to ruminate on the negatives – which can make positive thinking difficult. So for the sake of your mental and emotional health, it’s best to keep yourself occupied with activities. Here are a few suggestions:

·         Sing Along To Music You’re Listening To

Ever noticed just how much better you feel when you’re singing along with friends or to a song on the radio? As it turns out, there’s a reason for that. Studies have shown that singing with other people, both live and recorded, is actually highly therapeutic! So consider trying to put together a virtual karaoke session, or scream your lungs out with your favorite song – it may be just what you need.

·         Find Something That Absorbs Your Mind

It’s easy to find some sort of mindless activity to do – but if it doesn’t occupy our minds, then it often isn’t capable of keeping negative thoughts at bay. Instead, studies show you’ll have to find a task that puts you in a state of flow to truly fill up space and silence – for example, playing games or learning how to knit. Then only does it act as a proper buffer against social isolation fatigue.

·         Let Fiction Take You On Adventures

Do you enjoy binge-watching your favorite shows? Do you get overly invested in fictional characters and the worlds they inhabit? As it turns out, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Studies have shown that these fictional worlds and characters can act as social surrogates – and, by extension, make us feel like we belong somewhere. And what better time to catch up on all the shows and podcasts you’ve been missing out on than right now?

5.    Practice Healthy Habits

At the end of the day, we must keep ourselves healthy – both in body and in mind. By extension, this can help us manage our emotional distress. Plus, we face the exhaustion that comes with it, especially since our emotional, physical, and mental health are all so strongly intertwined. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions you can try:

·         Take An Online Exercise Class

There is plenty of research that shows just how important exercise is for our body and mind. As it turns out, there’s another additional benefit you can obtain if you get said exercise via fitness classes – social support and structure.  Studies have shown that even if the classes are virtually conducted or live-streamed, they can still provide a sense of community that you need.

·         Do Some Meditation

Taking a moment to simply calm your mind and accept your thoughts can be incredibly helpful – especially if it’s focused on being kind and loving. As it turns out, research has shown that learning and practicing self-acceptance via meditation can also help combat social isolation fatigue.

·         Go Out In Nature

After staying cooped up in your house so long, it is inevitable that you will develop some kind of cabin fever. As you can imagine, this is not great for our sense of isolation. The best way to combat this is to go out for a walk – a fact that is backed up by research, which suggests it can help us with our perspective and mental health!

6.    Set Goals With Rewards

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless when you’re isolated and alone – especially when it seems like nothing matters anymore. Letting such a situation flood your mind and senses completely, however, doesn’t help matters – and in fact, can easily send your mental health into a spiral.

Instead, research has shown that the best way to tackle it is to give yourself manageable goals. Here are a few pointers on how to do it:

·         Be Kind To Yourself

It can be a struggle to just carry out day-to-day tasks. Even though it’s easy to beat yourself up over being unable to do them, there’s nothing wrong with rewarding yourself for doing the little things – especially if they’re all tasks you’ve been struggling to execute recently.

·         Identify What Is Immediately Accomplishable

Take some time to figure out what is immediately within your control. It can be as simple as cleaning out your closet, organizing your photo album, or learning a new recipe! This can help give you a temporary sense of purpose and accomplishment that is easy to achieve – which can be crucial for your mental health.

·         Give Yourself Short-Term Rewards

With just how many unknowns there are presently in the world, it can be incredibly reassuring to know that performing certain tasks or completing them will guarantee you some kind of reward or outcome. In a way, it helps one regain a sense of control over our environment and ourselves. Ant that can help combat learned helplessness.

Final Thoughts On Some Ways To Fight Against Social Isolation Fatigue

Social isolation fatigue can be damaging when not managed or handled correctly, potentially resulting in long-term depression, anxiety, or even trauma responses. When you think about it, it’s easy to understand why. People are struggling to get through their everyday lives alone and in new ways with all the additional stressors of a pandemic and being separated from the world.

But you don’t have to be powerless against social isolation fatigue. By using the 6 methods we’ve discussed, you’ll be able to help your mind and body adjust to the changes around you. It’s no substitute for the way things once were, but it will certainly help a lot.

Socialization has always been a critical element in corporate culture. On your job, you probably enjoy chatting with your coworkers over a cup of coffee in the break room. Sharing a tidbit of gossip at the water fountain at work is also a classic example of employee camaraderie–and often part of company culture.

It’s Impossible to Have a Germ-Free Environment

Unless you work from home, it’s nearly impossible not to rub elbows with others a couple of times a day. However, proximity can spread germs and viruses exponentially, and therefore company culture must change. If one of your coworkers has the flu, he could easily share it with you and others by coughing, sneezing, or leaving germs on shared surfaces, like doorknobs and phones.

You already know how to keep your germs to yourself when you are ill. Actions such as washing your hands, covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, and keeping your distance from others are common sense. The best advice is to stay at home if you are down with something contagious.

Did you know that when you sneeze, you can expel as many as 40,000 microscopic particles up to 100 meters per second, and a cough can propel up to 3,000 droplets? If you also spray particles in the air when you talk, it is bound to reach those around you.

If you expel tiny particles up to 100 meters in a second, it would be the equivalent of one and a half football fields. In our Western culture, we tend to keep a personal space of about 2-3 feet from others. Even if we sneeze or cough inside our elbow or a tissue, others on your job could still be affected.

Understanding Presenteeism

It’s easy to assume that people who are sick will stay home until they are better. However, regulations vary by employer, and the solution to contagious employees isn’t that simple. Because of presenteeism, you may be seeing subtle changes in company culture around the nation.

Presenteeism is a newly coined word for those who are sick and decide to come to work anyway. Some of the reasons why suffering people come to work are they have inconsiderate employers, strict absence policies, no sick pay, or job loyalty. While these sick employees may think they are responsible, they are negligent by risking their coworkers’ health.

How can you go to work with the absurdity that someone isn’t going to share their sick germs? Will your company culture limit communication to smartphones and video conferencing? Here are ten ways that social distancing might affect your company culture and ways you can deal with the changes.

10 Changes Many Workers Will Witness in Their Company Culture

1. Closed Cubicles

Most large corporations have already changed to personal cubicle floor plans. Entry-level and middle management usually occupy rows of cubicles, while senior management generally has the traditional corner office space with a view. If this is the arrangement for your workspace, you are probably used to moderate social distancing already.

Closed cubicles may become the norm to protect employees, management, and clients’ well-being. Everyone may work in a plexiglass cubicle, with one person at a time permitted to enter. You would have a desk, and the other person would sit a few feet away from you.

You needn’t feel caged in a while working in a closed cubicle. Make good use of all the natural light you can and fix up your area to be warm, professional, and inviting. If you have a business to discuss with a coworker, try to do it in person rather than over the phone. Just makes sure you are at least six feet apart.

2. Limited In-Person Meetings

Remember watching George Jetson talk to his boss over a computer monitor? What was once amusing science fiction has been a reality for several years now. Video conferencing allows companies to meet with coworkers and clients all over the world in real-time. This technology saves money and time and will enable people to be in virtual meetings no matter where they are.

Video conferencing may replace most in-person meetings due to social distancing and convenience. Connect from a spot that is professional, yet friendly, for that touch of human warmth. If appropriate, a little humor goes a long way in these sterile-like meetings.

3. Regrouping Social Gatherings for Your Company

Traditionally, most companies have sponsored holiday parties and special occasions to keep high employee morale. Haven’t you attended parties at work for promotions, weddings, and baby showers over the years? These events are what often make coworkers feel like close friends and even family.

If social distancing issues prohibit office gatherings for a while, take heart. You can always gather in a public place or invite coworkers to your house. Even if you must leave a small cake and balloons in the honoree’s cubicle, you have shared your thoughts and kindness in some small way.

4. Breaks and Lunch at Your Desk

Every company has a break room or a shared kitchen where employees can rest, chat, and eat. What would an office do without the perennial box of stale donuts and burned coffee? Some of your best times at work may have been sitting around the break table laughing and blowing off steam.

If your workplace no longer offers an employee lounge or kitchen, consider keeping a minifridge in your cubicle for snacks, drinks, and meals. Personal size coffee makers don’t take a lot of space and are quite affordable.

5. Drinking Fountains and Coffee Pot Removals

One thing that will probably go is public drinking fountains and coffee pots. You will be encouraged to bring drinks to work. A public drinking fountain is one of the dirtiest places in the office. Did you know that you can catch E. coli and coliform from those commonly used fountains?

A study was conducted on various school fountains around the country. They found that there was an average of 2.7 million types of bacteria on these drinking stations. No wonder they are keeping these closed off as bottled water is much safer.

6. Staggering Work Shifts

To keep fewer people in the office, your company may rotate schedules so that some employees work from home on varying days. You may go to a plan where you work two days at home and three days at the office or vice versa. Consequently, on the days when you are home, other people will be in the office.

It sounds like a big hassle, but one of the advantages of working from home is that you might not have to fight the traffic and other daily commute issues. If you’ve always wanted to try telecommuting, then it might be your chance as corporate culture is changing.

7. Temperature Checks

One of the downsides to social distancing is ensuring that every employee that comes to work is healthy enough to be there. You may be required to have routine temperature checks and answer a few questions about your health each day.

The goal is to ensure that you are not carrying a fever that could infect others. So a simple temperature check may be all it takes to prove that you’re not harboring an illness. Your company culture may now include temperature evaluations before you begin for the day.

8. Hand Washing

Another change that you will see in your corporate culture is an increased awareness to wash your hands and sanitize. You may see signs all around the building and in the restroom, reminding you of the importance of a good scrub.

Many people don’t wash their hands properly or don’t wash them at all after leaving the bathroom. It’s vital that you wash continuously throughout the day, even if you haven’t used the restroom. If you touch your face at your desk, then use sanitizer. It’s just another way to keep germs at bay and avoid any further changes to company culture.

9. One Way Traffic Patterns

Grocery stores and workplaces across the globe are going to one-way traffic patterns. While this won’t cause much of a problem to smaller offices, it may be a considerable shift in your company culture. You will be restricted to the places you can go and the flow of traffic down that aisle.

10. Wearing Masks

Whether you think they are essential or not, many companies are requiring their employees to wear masks. The best cover to use is an N95 that has capabilities to block every toxin you may breathe, but the homemade varieties are better than nothing.

If you opt for a cloth mask, make sure that you cannot smell anything through it. Also, it should comfortably cover your nose and mouth. While your glasses may fog up and you may feel as if you are suffocating, it’s a lot better than being on a ventilator from contracting a deadly virus.

Final Thoughts on Learning About the New Company Culture

A few small inconveniences are worth your health. Each employer will evaluate the space, the number of employees, and mandates that they feel are necessary for their operation. Cooperation is the key, or it could cost you in terms of wellness.

Marketing: 4 Tips to Using Social Media for Entrepreneurs

There are over 3.48 billion people in the world who actively use social media this means that it is a great place for entrepreneurs to boost their business. 

Social media marketing for entrepreneurs is the easiest way to attract new customers and it is also budget-friendly. You can reach and connect to so many potential clients via social media. 

Keep reading for our guide on the four best ways that entrepreneurs can use social media to help boost their business. 

1. Choose the Right Platforms

If you’re a one-person show, then running multiple social media accounts may not be the right thing to do especially when you’re first starting out. Choose one or two platforms that you feel you can create content for and reach your target audience. Your target audience are the people you want to market yourself to. 

When it comes to choosing the right platform there are plenty such as Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or even LinkedIn. Each of these social media platforms have different kinds of content that you will need to be able to create. Do some brainstorming and decide which platforms are right for you and your business. 

2. Show Off Your Personality

When it comes to social media your number one goal is that you should be yourself meaning you should show off your personality. Your personality should be one that attracts your target audience. 

On social media, your followers should feel as if they could easily come to you with any questions or concerns that they might have about your products or services. You should make sure that you’re conversational with them and able to respond to anything that they may have asked you. It’s great to be personal when it comes to social media because clients want to know that there’s a real person behind the account. 

3. Create Your Own App

Another way to connect with your clients is by creating your own app where they can find your goods or services. This is also a good place for them to keep up with your business on any updates that they may have. 

When you have your own app you can also take advantage of mobile marketing. Pretty much everyone has smartphones that are constantly glued to your hands so mobile marketing is another way to reach your clients. You can send them push notifications of new updates and news right to their phones. 

4. Create Shareable Content

When it comes to social media, you don’t want to constantly be promoting your products or services. Instead, create content that is interesting as well as content that your followers with want to share. 

Creating shareable content is a great way to gain new followers as well as keep your current followers engaged in your business. Do some research and see what kind of content your followers enjoy. You can still find ways to work your products or services in but creating interesting content is a great way to attract new followers to your social media accounts. 

Take Advantage of Social Media Marketing For Entrepreneurs

Social media marketing for entrepreneurs is a great way to connect with and reach potential customers. Taking advantage of social media is the best thing you can do as an entrepreneur because it is free and easy to manage. 

If you’re looking for more awesome content from women, then make sure to check out our blog as we constantly post great advice. 

5 Benefits of Social Media Marketing

There are over 3 billion people with social media accounts worldwide. With numbers that massive, it is impossible to ignore the role that social media plays in our lives. If you run a business today and your company is not on social media, you need to get on it immediately.

Still not convinced? Read on, and we will show you the biggest benefits of social media marketing.

1. Increase Brand Recognition

If nothing else, the benefits of social media marketing allow you to get your company’s name out there. As your brand becomes more recognizable and more popular, it will be seen as more trustworthy and will stick in people’s minds for longer periods of time.

By using tools like hashtags, you can make sure that your posts will be filtered into like-minded timelines and news feeds. This can help you reach a more specific demographic simply by using the right keywords.

On Twitter, you can check out the trending bar to see what people are talking about. This lets you know what is popular at the moment and you can use these trending tags to reach even more people. By having a presence on multiple networks (you should be on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at a minimum), even apathetic social media users will start to recognize your brand.

All companies can benefit from increased brand recognition on social media. Whether you are a global, corporate juggernaut like Coca-Cola or this trusted company operating out of Palm Harbor, FL, social media can be a boon for your business.

2. More Chances for Conversion

At its essence, the point of all marketing is conversion. Conversion is when someone who is exposed to your marketing message performs the desired action, usually making a purchase.

And every post that your social media team makes is an opportunity for a customer to convert. Social media makes it very easy for users to react to posts. With just a tap of the finger or click of a key, users can like, comment, or repost your message. With each reaction comes a new opportunity for someone to visit your site which only increases your chances for conversion.

Obviously, not every reaction is going to lead to conversion. But as you rack up positive reactions, you are setting yourself up for a possible conversion windfall later on down the line.

Social media also increases your chances of conversion because it has the opportunity to humanize your company. Unlike other forms of marketing, social media marketing allows businesses to directly interact with customers and also make posts as a regular person would.

Customers more often than not respond positively to this. The most popular and viral corporate tweets and posts tend to not sound very corporate at all.

3. Lower Marketing Costs

According to a recent survey, over 84% of social marketers found that they experienced increased traffic when they put in as little as six hours of effort per week. That’s less than one hour per day. This statistic speaks to the power of a good social media strategy and emphasizes the old adage – work smart, not hard.

By putting in only one hour per day, you can experience some, if not dramatic, increases in your traffic. Start small and see what does and doesn’t work as you hone your social voice.

4. Target Specific Demographics with Facebook Ads

Facebook advertisements are among the most seen content on the internet right now. The beauty of Facebook Ads is that you have the option to filter who will see your ads based on information such as interests, age, relationship status, and more.

Plus, when you use Facebook Pixel, you are able to track all of the users who come to your site via your Facebook Ads. This, in turn, allows you to make custom ad campaigns specifically targeted to those who have already visited your site.

5. More Personal Customer Experience

Nowadays, people love getting notifications on their social media accounts. When someone reacts positively to your social media post, consider giving them a mention. This will make the user feel special and foster a stronger relationship between them and your brand.

Also, if a customer complains about your service or product on social media, take proactive measures. Reach out to that person either publicly or through private messaging and get to the bottom of the issue. By apologizing publicly, people who see the disparaging post are reminded that there is a human behind your social media team and that you care about your service and your customers.

People today don’t just want to buy from brands with quality products. They also want a brand that is going to treat their customers with respect. You want as little enemies as possible on social media. No company enjoys having their timeline clogged up with disparaging remarks from upset customers.

Reaping the Benefits of Social Media Marketing for Your Business

After looking at the benefits of social media marketing listed above, it is easy to see just how great this medium can be. As you start to dip your toes into the world of social media, remember to always be honest and treat your customers with respect.

Try to start out small and just have a presence on the major social media platforms. After you get the hang of it, consider branching out and getting creative on the smaller and more niche sites.

Looking for more informative marketing articles? Check out our blog today!

Famous on Insta: How to Become a Social Media Influencer

Everybody likes to be liked.

Especially on social media. On Instagram alone, we upload 95 million photos per day. And we all know how great it feels when we see those likes start pouring in.

But what if your Instagram profile could bring in a more tangible benefit?

Namely, cash.

It’s more realistic than you think: one of the hottest marketing tactics of the last few years is using influencers.

If that sounds like a pretty good gig to you and you want to know how to become a social media influencer, read on!

What IS Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing operates on the idea that consumers trust people more than they trust companies.

Essentially, if Brand X runs an ad saying how great they are, you might be skeptical. But if one of your most popular friends talks about how much they love Brand X, you’d be more likely to believe them.

Companies know this, so they try to capitalize. Brands will find someone with a large following and pay them to promote their product. This is why you see Kylie Jenner talking about the brands of her makeup so often—she’s paid to.

How To Become a Social Media Influencer 

Want to get in on it? Here’s how.

Find Your Niche

No one is only interested in just one thing. Most of us have a wide variety of things we’re passionate about.

But when it comes to your social media feed, people have short attention spans. Choose one thing and dive in with laser focus. And make sure your pictures look good.

Build Your Audience

Once you set your niche, it’s time to find followers.

Start by following people in that niche. Use hashtags with large followings. If you’re in a hurry, you can use an Instagram bot—learn more at espressotriplo.com.

Brands want to find users with large follower counts, so make sure you have someone to influence.

Post Regularly

The internet is a fickle and forgetful place. One moment, everyone’s raving about a picture of an egg. The next, everyone’s already forgotten. 

One of the best ways to keep people’s attention is to post regularly. Keep posting quality content that people want to engage with—and don’t forget to engage with the comments. 

Tag Brands

We’d all like to have brands hit us up out of the blue to give us their money. But it doesn’t always work that way.

Sometimes, we have to get their attention ourselves.

If you have a brand or a product you love, start working as a volunteer influencer. Make regular posts about the product, tagging the brand when you do.

With enough posts and enough followers, the brand will take notice. And often, they’ll reach out with a formal offer.

Get Influencing

Now that you know how to become a social media influencer, put these tips to use! Go grab your smartphone and turn those posts and likes into dollars and cents.

For more tips, check out this post about writing great Instagram captions.

Follower Frenzy: 5 Amazing Social Media Tips for Getting Followers

Are you trying to grow your social media following?

Gaining new, authentic social media followers can be a challenge, especially in a time when it’s easy to pay to gain followers overnight. But buying followers is never the way to go, especially if you’re looking to increase engagement, convert customers or work with brands on sponsored content. 

Now it’s getting easier and easier for people to spot who has a genuine following and who has purchased their followers. How do you gain true followers when most social media outlets are crowded? Keep reading to find out ways to organically get new followers. 

The Best Social Media Tips 

Getting organic social media growth can be difficult, but it’s worth the time and effort. Here are five great social media tips to gain more followers:

1. Post High Quality, Shareable Content 

Social media is a crowded space, so people have high expectations when it comes to content. To get the most likes, shares and comments, you need to create high-quality content that people will respond to. 

If Instagram is your outlet of choice, invest in good equipment or learn photo editing. For Facebook, share things that are funny and engaging. Videos are also popular on outlets like Facebook. Know what your target audience likes and give them what they’re looking for. 

2. Engage With Other Accounts 

Getting new followers is all about being active and engaging on the social media platform you’re trying to grow. So don’t just be a ghost on the platform, actively engage in what others are doing. Comment on posts that you admire and like or share content often. 

3. Post Frequently and Consistently 

If you want to gain followers you have to post frequently and consistently. You can’t post once a week and then disappear for months at a time. Social media algorithms determine who sees your posts, and many of them will punish you for not posting very often. 

Try posting at least three times per week and keep up with posting. You can use a scheduling tool to post for you when life gets busy and you can’t be on social media in real time. 

4. Use Hashtags 

Hashtags are still a great way to get your content discovered by new users. The key to hashtags is to make sure they’re targeted, specific and relevant to your content. Don’t just use a hundred random hashtags and hope for the best. 

Do your research to find out which hashtags are trending to get your posts in front of the most people. 

5. SEO Optimize Your Content

Just like using hashtags, SEO optimizing your social media content makes you easier to find when people search online. 

If you’re not sure how to get started with SEO optimized content, you can try a software platform that will help. This SEO software from SEOJet is an awesome place to get started. 

Learn More Marketing and Blogging Tips 

Just like building a blog or a business, getting organic social media traffic takes time and patience. You won’t have millions of followers overnight, but you will build a lasting network of followers who actually want to hear what you say, engage with your posts and share your content. 

Now that you know our best social media tips, there is still plenty to learn about marketing and blogging. This article on link building is a great place to start and it’ll help you drive more traffic to your website. 

Selling Sparkling Smiles: 8 Social Media Marketing Tips for Dentists

So you’ve finally caved; you’ve given in and decided to wrangle the endless benefits of social media marketing to boost your dental practice! That’s great news.

Many assume that social media marketing is only helpful for retailers or affluent individuals–but the truth is, as far as dentist marketing ideas, social media marketing is pretty high on the list for high-impact marketing strategies!

If you’re looking to grow your dental practice through social media marketing, you’re already on the right track. Here are our 8 top tips on how you can make a splash in social media marketing for your dental practice!

1. Let Your Employees Lead the Charge

Your employees provide the personality and the human connection for your company. Allowing your social media presence to be one that primarily features your employees can be a special touch that makes connecting personally with your content to be a natural reaction from patients.

Highlighting your hygienists and other employees through employee feature posts and employee-led live-streams allows your followers to get to know the people with whom they’re interacting in your office. It allows them to put a personal face to your practice, and it helps them feel like a bigger part of your practice overall.

At the very least, listen to your employees’ opinions–and feature them on a personal level whenever possible!

2. Post New Stuff Regularly

The key to success in any social media marketing campaign–whether you’re marketing dental implants or automobile leases–is establishing a regular, well-planned content calendar. No matter what you do, you’ve absolutely got to post new content regularly.

One rule of thumb is that posting content daily (or close to daily) is one of the most optimum ways to keep your practice in the front of patients’ minds. But perhaps a better tip is that you should aim to post new content as often as you have quality, worthwhile content to post!

Planning ahead can be a huge factor in the success of your dental practice’s social media marketing. Decide what you’ll post and when–and determine gaps in your content plan, places where your posts might saturate your patients’ feeds.

3. Drop the Clinical Tone

Your goal in social media marketing should never be to talk down to clients or make them feel uncomfortable with the professional nature of your posts. Any time you post content to social media, you should make an effort to drop the clinical tone from your practice’s informational brochures and connect with your followers the way other social media content does.

Instead of posting only very clinical images and professional, informational content, take the time to put out a balanced set of posts that shows your practice’s fun, personal side as well.

The occasional meme or dental-pun can go a long way toward establishing a relaxed back-and-forth with clients. Do your best to speak your followers’ language–and remember, this is social media; not a presentation to the American Dental Association!

4. Keep Your Content Varied

In the world of social media, there may be nothing worse than the people who post the same sort of content day after day–come on, we get it already! The same is true for the content your dental practice puts out; it’s beyond important to keep content fresh, new, and varied.

If you post a patient Q&A today, plan ahead to post a giveaway or an informational video tomorrow. If it’s been a while since you posted a funny reminder to schedule a dental cleaning, it might be time!

With such high levels of competition on social media for followers’ attention, it’s extremely important not to get lazy or passive with the variety of content you post. You should keep followers on their toes. They should look forward to seeing what new content their dentist has posted this week!

5. Engage With Your Followers

Because of the ways in which social media algorithms are set up, the posts that receive interaction from followers are far more likely to appear on the timelines of additional followers. For this reason, it’s super necessary for your practice to go the extra mile toward interacting with its patients on your page’s posts!

If patients respond to your content, reply to their comments! If you’re hoping to encourage interaction, end each of your posts with a question or prompt for your followers so they’ll feel inclined to comment.

Fostering a conversation and encouraging engagement with your content is one of the most effective ways you can work toward growing your social media presence and the resulting leads generated.

6. Interact With Local Businesses

It may not be very high on every social media user’s list to follow their dental practice on social media, but many users are extremely dedicated to supporting local businesses. Because of this, your practice may want to consider a partnership with a well-loved local business or two in order to mutually boost your followings and engagement.

You may interact with local businesses in a more passive way–with the occasional shoutout from an employee or a supportive post. But you can also partner directly with other small businesses to sponsor giveaways or promotions!

When your followers and the followers of other small businesses see your mutual support for one another, they may come to support your work and social media pages by association with their other favorite brands. Everybody wins!

7. Ask Patients What They’d Like to See

Another awesome and pretty sure-fire way to ensure your dental practice’s social media posts are pleasing and exciting for your patients is to…uh…ask them what sorts of content would be pleasing and exciting for them to see…

Really, it’s that simple!

Consider sending your patients off from their cleanings with a QR code or a flyer with your social media account information on it–send them directly to your page, then give them a place to tell you what they want to see!

If your patients feel as though they have a hand in your social media content, they’ll be that much more invested, and your content will be that much better-suited to your audience!

8. Use the Platform to Inform

A great advantage of using social media as a dental practice is that your objective in social media marketing is always clear; you want to promote and inform!

Your social media content should never reach a point where every post is some variation of, “Hey, uh…schedule your dental cleaning!” Regard your social media posts as a platform to inform your patients! That’s right; the moment they sit down in your practice’s examination room is no longer your only platform to remind patients of the necessity of flossing.

Your content should contribute positively to your patients’ knowledge and day-to-day lives. AKA: it should teach, inform, and make a positive impact!

Want More Dentist Marketing Ideas?

As a dentist or dental practice, the marketing possibilities are as endless as the benefits of daily flossing!

With creative dentist marketing ideas, you can establish your dental services as a part of your patients’ daily life–not just an annoying check-up reminder in the mail every six months.

For more on how to properly market yourself as a dentist and other awesome digital marketing content, check out our page!

How to Create Great Writing for Social Media Marketing Posts

Social media marketing is more important than ever. Chances are that social media is where your audience is — around 56% of adults use more than one social media platform. That number climbs when you only look at adults ages 18-34.

Despite this, some businesses still don’t put a lot of thought into how they create posts for social media. Posting without a strategy is a good way to leave money on the table and miss out on potential business.

Check out these tips on writing for social media to make sure that your business is up to speed.

Understand Your Audience

Who are you trying to reach, anyway?

Deciding who you’re “talking to” is one of the most important parts of writing for social media. You can determine this by looking at your current customers or what problems your products or services solve.

Figuring out your audience will help you decide what kind of voice and tone you should use in your posts. If you don’t have time to do this, companies like Reliant Social can help you do the research.

Keep Your Voice Consistent

Once you’ve decided on your voice, stay consistent! You don’t want to adopt a professional tone one week and then switch to a conversational one the next.

That gets confusing to your audience and makes your brand inconsistent.

Even though your social media account represents a business, people still expect it to have some kind of personality. Remembering this will help you create better content.

Use Active Voice

Whatever tone you choose to use, you should always use active voice instead of passive voice. You might need to think way back to English class for this one.

This is a basic grammar rule. Passive voice doesn’t grab the attention of your audience. Active voice, on the other hand, helps to give off a confident and decisive tone.

Look at the difference between these two sentences:

1. Ten thousand units were sold by our company this year.
2. Our company sold ten thousand units this year.

The second sentence is the active voice you should aim for.

Put Your Audience First

It can be tempting to only talk about your business on social media. After all, that’s the point of social media marketing, right?

Not quite. If you only talk about your business online, you’re setting yourself up to fail. You need to center your audience in each post you make.

What’s in it for them? How does your business benefit the people scrolling through your social media? These are the questions your audience is probably asking.

Make sure that your posts answer them.

Learn More About Writing For Social Media

These are just a few of our favorite tips for writing for social media. If you keep this advice in mind, you’ll create a strategy that puts your audience first and sees higher engagement rates.

Still want more advice about social media marketing? You’ve come to the right place. Check out the rest of our digital marketing articles to help you take your strategy to the next level.