Here I am, back on my high horse talking about modern manners. I shared a previous rant about those who don’t respond to invitations, or those who respond and then don’t show up, leaving the hostess high and dry. Today’s rant is about gratitude.
Last week, I made a select amount of s’mores gift boxes and hand delivered them to a few editors and writers I admired, in honor of National S’mores Day.
One lovely recipient posted a photo on her company’s Instagram account with a shout out, and the “likes” flooded in. During the course of the day, there were subsequent posts on the company’s other accounts, and a fave on Twitter. The poster also “liked” some of my photos and started following me on Instagram. This resulted in a spike in views on my website and Etsy shop, as well as a ton of “likes and follows” on my Instagram site. To those not social media savvy, I must sound like a 15 year old, seeking validation from others, one click at a time. Those who do this for a living know that it is the way we grow brand awareness in 2015. I am extremely grateful for the support these people showed me, and they completely outdid themselves with multiple posts that put many thousands of sets of eyeballs on Indigo Jones Eats s’mores. I ‘grammed and tweeted my appreciation back at ’em, sharing the joy with my miniscule amount of followers.
Its up to 4.837 likes now, on this one shot only!
The other four recipients did not respond at all. Not a peep.
Before we get too carried away, I must say that my intent was not 100% pure. This was a public relations initiative, and the desired response was social media exposure. A well placed tweet, or a tagged Instagram shot is worth a thousand words of thanks.( See above.) But if for some reason they didn’t want to play; perhaps an overwhelming amount of free items flood thier offices each week and policy prohibits them from issueing a public acceptance. Perhaps they ended up in the office pantry, gobbled up before they could be ‘grammed. Maybe they didn’t like marshmallows. Whatever the reason, its their perogative not to display my wares on their social media sites if they don’t want to. I completly understand and support that decision. I knew going in that I may or may not get a public response. I did it with the intent to grow my brand awareness and expose Indigo Jones Eats to a broader audience. I do however, feel I deserve some sort of confirmation that they actually got the package. I am not expecting handwritten notes on beautifully letterpressed cards, although I suppose they could be in the mail as we speak. I was expecting that their assistant’s junior intern might shoot me a one line email saying thanks for the treats. As an aside, some of these people have posted dog pictures, old photos of haircuts past, and their latest manicures, so I know they are around, and posting mindless follies.
Hence, the Miss Manners in me emerging once again. Shouldn’t there be some form of office protocol to respond to what must be, for some, a huge amount of promotional gifts? I certainly would want my brand to be known as gracious, appreciative and at the very least polite to the outside world. I have to say that it skewed my perception of these people ever so slightly.
In the anonymous world of social media, it easy to think that you have a relationship with someone because they share tidbits of their life with you and the general public. We quantify our self worth through “likes” from total strangers, often forgetting to actually acknowledge the real people who reach out to us. So, here is a not so subtle reminder to always remember to say thank you, no matter how small the gesture of kindness might be. (Or the motive behind it.)
In the meantime, if you happen to be reading this, and you know who you are, I have a message for you:
Hey guys! Did you like my s’mores? If so, how bout giving me a “like”? In case I didn’t mention it, its indigojonesnyc. Ok, thanks, bye!
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