check out our new blog

Hi all, I thought I should let you know that we now blog over on our website, www.lolahoaddesign.co.uk/blog.

All of our old posts are on there, and new ones will go here. Thanks for all your support!

slowing down

I'm currently writing this from a hospital bed after fainting on Sunday morning and fracturing my skull. Sorry if that sounds dramatic, but no other way to really say it!
My friends who have so kindly popped in to see me have told me I need to slow down. This incident was my body telling me to slow down. And they're right, as much as I think I need to be doing more in order to keep this business going, it's time to think about me for a change. So, I'm using this forced time off to take a pause.

See you when it goes back to normal, bear with me!

own your successes

I'm currently reading 'Lean In' by Sheryl Sandberg, a look into the COO of Facebook life and how she became one of the top leaders in Tech. She mentions a few times throughout the chapter 'Success and Likeability' on some women's tendencies to 'shy away' when asked what they do or to tell others of their successes. They give an almost-embarassed half shrug, accompanied by a reply of 'oh I just run a little shop' or 'I own my own business, it's only small'. I know this because I used to do it. Men on the other hand, when asked what they do, they give a clear, no-hint-of-embarassment reply such as; 'I run a tech company' or 'I'm an insurance broker'. No 'but's, or shrugs. It may seem like a slight difference when written down, but I'm sure you can imagine the tones and body language. 

what not to do on social media

1. Complain to a customer service account of a corporation. 

There is nothing that screams 'unprofessional' like a twitter account that is full of rants to Tesco about a mouldy sandwich you bought a week ago, or to your electricity provider about how rude Tom was to you this morning. It's not the time nor place for your business account.

2. Go off on a swear-y rant that isn't relevant to your field. 

Now, I'm all one for a swear-y rant, but it has to be relevant. When people are voicing their opinions on something that is happening in their field (i.e. the new instagram changes), then that's great. They're creating a debate. But when it's a 10-tweet rant about how the referee was blatantly on Man City's side, keep that on your personal Facebook. 

3. Respond to spam/abuse.

It's not worth replying to the bloke who told you to 'get back in the kitchen', or to the three marriage proposals you got when you posted a selfie. Just ignore, report and block. Yesterday, I did a periscope for the first time in months after a big planning session of what I was going to talk about (a mini coaching session). Within two minutes, a lad thought it would be fun to comment that I was 'as pale as Casper the Ghost and no one gives a shit about what you're saying'. I stopped my trail of thought to read it and it completely blindsided me. Then came marriage proposals, sandwich demands and vulgar comments. I wondered if any of my followers were actually there and listening, lost my place and wrapped the scope up quickly. I naively forgot that anyone can view your scope if your location is on, and I spent a few hours being angry at myself for letting it affect me. Now, I know you can block the idiots when they comment and just carry on being badass. 

4. Poach other's followers

Commenting on your competitor's Instagram noting similarities to your work is not cool. For example, 'check out our page, we're similar to this account' or 'love what you're doing, we do the same over on our page!'. You're trying to get in front of their followers and show you can also solve their problems, but you're going around it in the wrong way. Interact with them organically, and get them over to your page in a non-creepy, non-poaching way.

5. Have an automated 'Thanks for following' Direct Message.

If I follow someone and I instantly get a 'Hi! Thanks for the follow. Follow me here, here and here' DM, I unfollow them as quickly as they sent that. You can definitely thank people for following, but don't do it in an intrusive, upfront way. A simple 'Hi, thanks for the follow. Your work is great!' creates a dialogue and shows you're not just wanting something from them. 

6. Complain about customers/clients.

We all know what it's like to have an awkward customer, but that's no reason to rant about them on the blogosphere. Not only is it deeply unprofessional, but what if that customer saw it? That won't help the situation. Instead, talk to family and close friends about your troubles, and keep it away from the trackable online world. 

OGB Expertise Session with Daisy Leaf: a recap

For those of you who couldn't make it to last Wednesday's One Girl Band Expertise Session, you're in luck. Here is a recap written by Daisy, of Daisy Leaf, who ran the talk and taught everyone new things about the big old world of Online Marketing. (I also recently did her branding for her, which you can see here). It was possibly the best OGB meet up yet, full of inspirational ladies who wanted to learn and grow their knowledge. Get your notepads out and start learning!