I just finished an interview on someone else's podcast. It's a branding podcast with a really large following and I was asked - what brand has made you smile lately?
That's a great question and luckily I was provided the questions ahead of time so I was able to give it some thought. I immediately started thinking about big brands and commercials I've seen on TV. I'm recording this on Superbowl weekend, so I knew there will probably be a few in the coming days we will all be talking about, but then I started thinking locally and I knew immediately how I was going to answer this.
The brand is the Kentucky Humane Society.
You see, about a week ago, a dog, named Ethan, was found minutes from death, just outside the front doors of their headquarters, he had been dropped there. A visitor saw him, and he was immediately brought into their facility for emergency care.
The Kentucky Humane Society staff posted about Ethan on their social media channels - initially to try to find out information about Ethan, because it was clear he had been severely neglected for many weeks.
But there were so many cheering Ethan on in the comments that every day we have gotten an update on Ethan via the Humane Society's social media channels and they just shared today that he is now walking on his own. Still very shaky, very weak, but able to walk without assistance.
Listen, to us, this story gives us chills, but their staff sees this type of story all the time. This is their job - to care for dogs and cats and find them loving homes.
The reason I bring this up, is KHS is simply telling their story and of something they do every day, every week.
Because of Ethan's story, donations are pouring in, it is pulling at everyone’s heartstrings. Every news channel in Louisville is sharing a daily update of Ethan. Adoption applications are coming in non-stop - all because they took the time to share.
What if they hadn't shared Ethan's story? Trust me, some of the images they have posted are hard to look at. But this is their reality - and it shows us the value of their organization in real-time.
This is a great lesson for us all that we have to tell our stories. It may seem boring to us, but social media allows us to have our own media platform to tell that story.
So who is your Ethan? It may not be a dog, it may be a customer transformation you've orchestrated, it could just be a testimonial you received. These are the stories you need to tell. No one else is going to do it for you.
If this is something you need help with - I do have a social media success shortcut on my website iwantfamefortune.com. You can purchase it for $27 - it helps pull stories like Ethan's from you so that you can fill your social media feed with strategic stories that have your followers lighting up for you and your business.
You'll also notice this season of Selfish has much more of a sales and marketing approach to the episodes. As I approach celebrating 2 years of owning Fame and Fortune - my world is spinning with the voices of the greatest business experts in the biz. If you aren't a business owner, don't worry - there is still all the goodness of self-care questions you know and love.
