Je Suis Pizza Delivery Guy

As I watched the video for the first time of the pizza delivery guy getting harassed for basically doing his job, I felt pretty bad for the guy. In my opinion, he was completely in the right, and the car dealership employees were completely in the wrong. I have done a little investigation into how this has turned out, and quite frankly, I don’t quite know how I feel about it. First of all, the dealership is basically ruined. Because of bad reviews, cyber-bullying, and terrorist threats, this dealership will likely never recover. I do think that the bad reviews on the website are helpful so future customers would be able to see what kind of people they would be dealing with. But the cyber-bullying is never ok, even if it is towards another bully. Terrorist threats are a very serious concern. I do not think the actions of these dealership employees warrant their death… I do realize that I may have an unpopular opinion. I am just anti-bullying in any form, towards any person. Plus, it seems that the delivery man has been handsomely rewarded by strangers feeling bad for him. A gofundme had been started for the delivery man and reached an amount so big, that he requested it be shut down. According to the site,  "I believe Jarrid should be rewarded for dealing with such crappy people," the campaign by Amanda Marie Rogers reads. "Please watch the video and donate. Even if it is $1, it will make up (maybe a little) for him having to deal with idiots like this.” Jarrid got much more than his tip money, around $30,000 to be exact, as people from all over the country have donated to the cause. The funding page now reads: "We have shut donations down at Jarrid's request. He is so excited about his opportunities thanks to you. This gives him and his family a lot to look forward to. Thank you!" This gives me faith in humanity. On one end, we have thousands of people bullying the bullies. One the other, we have thousands of people who are kind hearted enough to help out someone who they can connect with. I realize that all of this could not have been possible without social media. The attention that businesses and individuals can get from complete strangers can be very positive or very negative. For the dealership, which originally posted the video, it has worked toward their demise. For the delivery guy, it benefitted him more than he ever thought possible. There is a valuable lesson to be learned here. According to Jim Henry’s blog on the subject, “Here’s a lesson for dealerships that run security cameras in the F&I office and elsewhere: Treat all store visitors well.” I would like to add to that statement. If you are not going to treat people nicely, don’t post it to social media. People can really connect with this delivery man. A few posts and headlines read as follows:

“[That dealership] would never get my business!! Share this so those in the NB [New Bedford] area don’t buy cars from them. If they treat a delivery person this way, imagine how they might treat a customer not agreeable to a sale price!!,” says one Facebook post.

“Hell hath no fury like the Internet avenging a pizza delivery guy,” reads a headline on dailykos.com. Another headline, “Pizza delivery man has to deal with insufferable jerks at a used-car dealership,” on a reddit.com video link showed more than 500 comments, one reading: “Je suis pizza delivery guy.” I am pizza delivery guy has also become a viral hashtag in many languages via twitter. Some people have even seen this viral video as an opportunity to promote their own business. “The guys at Quirk Chevrolet in Braintree, Mass., posted a parody of the “mean” video, in which they summon a pizza delivery guy back to the dealership and shower him with money, gifts and praise.

“Here at Quirk Auto Dealers, we like to treat our pizza delivery men like we treat our customers: Excellent!” the dealership employees say. It seems like these guys understand the power of social media and how to use it for their good. F&I Car Dealership, take notes.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20150121/BLOG13/301219994/the-lesson-of-the-pizza-delivery-man

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/27901/20150121/this-pizza-guy-just-got-a-30-000-tip-from-the-internet.htm

Platforms

In these articles, the authors talk about how to master the four biggest social media platforms as marketers. They have some good insight and suggestions that seem reasonable to follow. I realize that many of us are not professional marketers and use these  platforms for the social aspect, but I think these suggestions can be applied in any situation if you would ever like a bigger following.

First he talks about tailoring your various posts to their specific platforms. He gives the analogy of speaking differently with friends than you would with clients. Changing the way you communicate on these various platforms is the same thing.

For twitter, he suggests using trending hashtags in your posts because you are more likely to get engaged by people who aren’t following you. He likes to use questions for his posts because it gets the reader to stop for half a second and actually think about the post.

For marketing on facebook, the image is very important.  It is what initially brings in your audience. You want people to know what the product is and how good it is just by the image.

Using instagram, it is all about the image. With your instagram image, you should tell the audience where you are, what you are looking at, and what you want them to do. The author suggests to act as human as possible while using this platform. “Instagram is personal.  It is for those real life moments.”

“Pinterest is all about aspiration or utility.” Its for those, hey I’m not selling something, I am giving knowledge. The infographics should tell  you everything you want to know about the product. “People are shopping on pinterest so they take more time viewing the content and looking at it with a critical eye.”

http://www.inc.com/magazine/201311/gary-vaynerchuk/how-to-master-the-four-major-social-media-platforms.html

http://outthinkgroup.com/tips/the-6-types-of-social-media

Blogging

Blogging for some, like myself, is a struggle. As I try to think of exactly what I want to say, nothing comes to mind. I draw blanks. 

Thinking of what to write about is hard, but it is even harder to get an audience.  According to Social Media Today, one of the best way to being readers to your blog is by “playing madlibs with headlines.” This is where you look to old  newspaper or magazine headlines, rip off a few key words, and create something captivating. For example, a very popular madlib according to Social Media Today is “The Shocking Truth about [blank].” The beauty of it is you just fill in the one word that links it to what you are blogging about and it instantly makes it seem more appealing to a potential audience. Another great piece of advice from Social Media Today is to not be a “try-hard.” This means don’t spend so much time thinking about how you are going to say something, spend more time thinking about what you are going to say. The subject is much more important than the fancy words you use to describe it. The key to being a good blogger is to “be transparent, and be yourself.” If you are honest and sincere in your writing, the material will flow much easier.

Once you know what you want to blog about, there are a few specific rules to follow that will make your thoughts easier to read and understand. “Use short sentences and short paragraphs. Talk directly to your reader. Use plain language. Yes, I advise spicing things up by replacing boring verbs with colorful ones, and yes, the active voice tends to be better than the passive one.”

Follow these simple steps, and you will be a great blogger in no time. If you want a few more tips, look up these great sources:

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/how-blog-even-if-you-cant-write

https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-only-blogging-advice-youll-ever-need