We were Roasted by Delaware ShoutOut

So… We were roasted by Delaware ShoutOut.

I asked my friend Brooke Miles from Delaware ShoutOut to roast us, and boy did she. Roasting posts on her YouTube channel is her jam… and I (for some reason) volunteered. That was at least a month or two ago, and I admit, I had forgotten.

Then it launched! Co-Founder Jenn Wells told me it had come out and I grabbed the popcorn.

When I saw what post Brooke chose to roast, I did a facepalm. I remember this post specifically because I thought, “Done is better than never” and I let the words fly unfiltered all over social media.

I watched the roast with both terror and glee. Wow! Brooke has such great editing. Plus, I adored my circle head and funny voices. I was entertained — but I must admit, some things got me right in the feels. Ouch!

The roast was initially met with team skepticism.

• What if people saw the roast and didn’t want to work with us?
• What if people think we were bad?
• Should we share it?!

I am fiercely proud of the BrandSwan team and on that day, I made sure they knew it. It took me a long time before I could objectively hear feedback and not take it personally. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened, but instead of getting defensive, I became a creative problem solver.

All of Brooke’s points were fun and personable and totally spot on. The most exciting part for me was dropping everything to evolve the brand with reels, new graphics that wow, and even better copy. Thanks for the suggestions, my friend. Challenge Accepted.

All of this leads to the main message…

We’re so close to our creations that we often want to defend their right to exist exactly as we made them. However, your brand, no matter how beautifully crafted and thought out, will — at some point — disappoint you and your clients. How you handle this disappointment is key.

A bad review, a product that fell flat, or negative opinions on social media, is an opportunity to humanize your brand and show off those customer service skills.

As Clara Mattucci of GillespieHall posted on LinkedIn,

“It takes 5 positive interactions to counteract 1 negative interaction.”

Don’t ignore it; lean into it.

The responsibility of a creative agency is to assure clients that our recommendations will enhance their brand, website, or marketing strategy. Our brand is not immune to being challenged by new ideas or improved methods of doing things. It’s called innovation.

You can continue this conversation during our Telecoffee Mastermind: How to Craft a Standout Brand on November 16th, 2022 @ 10:30am EST.

Chat more with me over at our BrandSwan Live Facebook Group if you’re feeling social. We talk about all sorts of real topics.