Think Big- Be Big
Yesterday, I got in the elevator to go to my 16fl office and I pushed the button for my floor. The elevator ascended and I made it to my office.
In order to go up - I had to do something.
If you are stuck on the first floor of your life, in order to go up you are going to have to do something. #youwillgetthatinthemorning
This is probably the biggest mistakes, and it takes many forms – but the bottom line is if you’re treating social media like just another sales platform, you’re doing it wrong. Social media is not meant to be used as just another means of a way to advertise your stuff. It’s about building relationships and getting to know people on a more personal level. It’s about conversation and engaging with others. A good question to ask is: am I speaking to my connections or with them? You want to be talking with them not at them.
So exactly where does promotion come in then? More than likely you have services or products you want to sell. That’s great and people want to hear about them…but only in small doses and only when it makes sense for them. People will block you or stop following you if your feed is nothing but a sales pitch over and over and over. Think about how you would feel if, for example, your TV got stuck on a commercial and it just kept playing. You wouldn’t be too thrilled and would probably click the TV off. That’s exactly how your followers will feel if all you do is promote over and over.
As mentioned in mistake seven, don’t just post status updates linking to your stuff. Be sure to share other helpful relevant information too. If you found a really cool person on Twitter, let your followers know. If you found a great business page on Facebook, let your fans know. Just finished reading an excellent informative article – share it. You want your content to be as diversified as possible without getting off topic. And by sharing other people’s stuff you’ll probably find that they’re more than likely to share your stuff too.
To sum it up, you can become a person that people want to do business with via social media channels without promoting over and over and over. Here are some suggestions on how to make people want to do business with you:
The bottom line when it comes to social media is that people are looking to socialize and build relationships with others that share common interests with them. They don’t want to be marketed to, at least not on a regular basis but instead in very small doses.
Any time of the year is a good time to look through and check over your social networks. For me, the beginning of the year is a logical time to rebrand and freshen up my social networks. What I'm looking for, is to see whether my profile picture, my bio, and or any of the information are correct. Is the branding message correct or have there been technological advances that require me to make changes in my strategy.
Your social networks, much like mine, have probably changed over the course of the year, and therefore need some refreshing. So I take this time to make sure, that all of my branding throughout my social networks are in line.
In this series, I will discuss and share with you the strategy that I use not just for myself, but for all of my clients.
My first step every year and rebranding my social networks, is to first assess the networks. This requires going through and making sure that the network is a part of my customer demographics.
Bonus: Is there a good quality call to action?
These are just some of the things that you should ask yourself when rebranding your social networks. Depending on which network you have, there may be other questions that you need to ask. But this is the process I start with whom ever I am in the rebranding process for my social networks.
I've also included, my social network rebranding worksheet, please feel free to download it . Just click the share button below -
[sociallocker] socialrebrandingassessment [/sociallocker]
As always if there are any additions that I missed, please feel free to add them in the comments below.
This morning I did as I do almost every morning after walking the dog -I made a cup of coffee.
Courtesy of Roger Price
Now I have one of those fancy keurig machines that will make you just a cup of coffee while you wait. Well this morning, while waiting the 1 or 2 for the coffee to brew I decided to go to my desk and send out a couple of emails. As inevitably happens, 2 hours later I realize I had not had my cup of coffee. Well realizing this, I went and put my cup of coffee into the microwave and decided to send a couple of emails while I waited the 2 minutes for the coffee to microwave. Well 2 hours later I am reheating my coffee yet again.
[callout]What am I saying - -If you continue to multitask you will have to keep reheating your coffee. [/callout]
What would have taken me 2 minutes has now taken me 4+ hours. The coffee is not as good as it would have been had I had it earlier. In your business it might not be coffee, but if you continue multi-tasking instead of concentrating on one project at a time - you will find that it actually takes longer to accomplish and more importantly when you get to it - it won't be as good.
Do yourself a favor - stop reheating the coffee.
#preachingtomyself
In the classic baseball movie “Major League,” one of the players has taken to sacrificing chickens and rubbing mysterious voodoo tchotchkes on his bat in order to get a hit. Some of the other players belittle his efforts – until it appears to work. Superstitions aren’t just the stuff of Hollywood; Hall-of-Famer Kiki Cuyler refused to move to a different spot in the batting order; Dolf Camilli used to rub the batboy’s head before entering the batter’s box; and possibly one of the most famous that players of all levels have adopted: Tapping your bat on home plate before each at-bat.
The problem with superstitions like these is that they work… until they don’t. Eventually the slump happens, no matter how many chickens sacrificed or batboys rubbed. Sometimes, baseball slumps just happen. You’re on fire the entire season until one day you wake up, do everything you did the day before, and suddenly you can’t get a hit to save your life. You’re in a slump, and it hangs around until it breaks – or you do.
Businesspeople experience their share of seemingly inexplicable slumps, too. And just as in baseball, you have a choice: Through or out.
Top-notch marketing blogger and best-selling author Seth Godin based his book, “The Dip,” on this very principle. He says that dips – “slumps,” in baseball speak – will happen; it’s not a question of if, but when. And when it does happen, you have a choice to make. Are you going to give up, or are you going to barrel through?
If your reasons are strong enough, you will continue to get in that batter’s box, says Godin. You’ll put out products, talk with customers, market your wares. And you’ll also work behind the scenes to improve your chances of getting a hit. You’ll review your statistics (Lesson #8), you’ll work with a coach (Lesson #6) and you’ll keep refining your process. And then you’ll keep on swinging (Lesson #3). And eventually, the slump will end and you’ll get that hit.
Of course, giving up is always an option. More than one baseball player has let the slump get the best of them and quit without ever managing to make it back on base. The choice is yours. In the meantime, your competitors will be facing the same challenges at one time or another. The spoils will go to the one who can stick it out – and put their voodoo to work.
Yesterday my wife and I stopped by the local Starbucks to get a cup of coffee. As we went to our seats, we noticed young lady sitting at the table next to us. She had her Bible out and she also had numerous bags surrounding her.
As we sat down to have a cup of coffee, we began a conversation with woman. Her name was Desiree. And, she was homeless. Now, I mention the word homeless, only because it just sets up the story and the situation.
Desiree was a lovely lady who began to share with us her story. As she shared her story, there were some very good life and business lessons that I learned. Honestly, This was one of the best breakfast times I have had in a long time. So I just wanted to share these lessons I learned from Desiree that day.
1. Never let your situation dictate your outlook.
Desiree was homeless, but her present situation did not cloud the sunny future she saw for herself. She shared with us her dreams and her aspirations. She shared with us her plans on what she was going to be doing in the next 2 to 3 years. Desiree was bubbly and flowing over with enthusiasm about her future.
Take-Home - No matter where you are right now in your business make sure you keep a positive outlook for your future.
2. Break the mold-don't stay in the rut
One of the things, we talked about was how people seem to continue going in circles. How many of the people that she met on a day-to-day basis who were homeless, seemed to think they would always be homeless. Here was Desiree take on the situations. You have to determine in your mind that you are no longer going to stay where you are. Your future is determined by being able to break the mold.
Take-Home - If you are going to be successful; don't be afraid to get out of your own way. In fact, don't be afraid to break the mold. To bust out of the box. And more importantly, get out of the everyday rut.
3. Suffering is but a moment in the grand scheme of things.
Desiree spoke at great length about where she was going, about the changes she was making in her life in order to be better. She also spoke at length about the suffering that she was going through in her present situation. She began to tell us the tale of how she had been homeless for about a year. And that according to her plan she would have to be homeless and another six months to a year to get back on her feet. But what she said after that was mind-boggling. Desiree said in the grand scheme of her 43 years living, being homeless for two years is just a moment. In fact she went Bible on me and said, "if all of my life is suffering, it is still but a moment in eternity."
Take-Home - When we are up against the wall. When we are facing our biggest obstacles. We often huddle down and feel that we are being tried in the fire. If we really think about it, our suffering is just for a small time. In business, as well as life, we have to go through periods of what we consider to be suffering. The key is to understand that this suffering is just for a moment in the grand scheme of things. We will emerge sooner or later.
There is so much I learned from Desiree that day. I left much better than I came. I hope to one day run into Desiree after her process so that I can witness the miraculous transition that her journey has brought her.
Earlier today, while working out in the gym I sent my assistant something using iMessage on my iPad. While it toiled and struggled my iPad could not connect properly to the wifi. I had full bars but no connection: (that will have to be another blog post) And so as a result my messaged read "Not Delivered".
I thought somehow that this would fix itself once I got to a different signal. You know somehow, the message would magically send because now I am connected. Well Lo and Behold, when I got into the office and the iPad connected, it still read "Not Delivered".
Not to be deterred, I clicked the little info button next to my message and up popped this alert. The alert is not what is important. It is the instructions, underneath that made all the difference in the world to me. 2 words -- TRY AGAIN.
I want to talk to someone who has tried to send a message or do something in the past that just didn't connect. Maybe there is a project or even a relationship that you wanted to work in the past, but it just didn't seem to work out.
Could it be that at the time you were disconnected form the source of your strength. I mean the bars said connected but the message just didn't get through. Well my friend that was then and this is now. You may need to Try Again.
I am at a point in my life right now where stuff I have tried to set in motion, seeds I have planted, things that I thought would never happen are starting to come back to me. I mean these were things that I flat out failed. But I am hearing so in my spirit so strong the words TRY AGAIN. So I leave this as encouragement to you. Look back at your life, look at old opportunities, then pick yourself off the ground -- TRY AGAIN.
As I sat with my son's guidance counselor and teachers - I kept hearing the same thing over and over - He is a smart kid - but he is not working up to his potential. He is not getting bad grades but he is not getting great grades, which to me is bad grades. I sat there fuming, thinking of all kinds of nefarious punishments that would ensue when he got home. I mean how could he not perform at peak levels. He has all of the tools needed to excel. The latest technology, great support, and natural intelligence. What could be the problem, why is my son not working up to his potential. Why is he doing just enough to get by, when he has all of this talent and resources.
I stay busy being busy - but not always productive. I am surrounded by the latest technology - but have yet to produce a 1/4 of what I have the capability to produce. I only make 1/4 of what I can make financially. I am only delivering on 1/4 of what I have to deliver. I have technology, an incredible support staff, and unbelievable natural talents, but only live up to 50% of my potential. I had no room to berate what he learned watching me.
Somewhere along the line - I was told I was different - Somewhere I was taught that just getting by was ok. Somewhere along the line I gave up. I decided to be a number 2- when i had the capacity to be number 1.
Does this sound like you? Are You operating at a standard that is lower than your expectation?
HELP!!!!
In order to combat this here are 5 principles that I believe will help turn this situation around.
Going forward - I pledge to do better - for me not only is my career at stake - but as you can see the career of my kids and their generation is at stake - All because I Won't Step Up! -- I think it is time - what about you?
[reminder]
Is there really a correct way to use social media channels? Yes and no. It’s going to depend on what you’re using them for. If you’re a teen just using Facebook for the sake of using it then no, there’s not really a proper way to use it. But for business owners who need to maximize their social media efforts, the answer is absolutely yes.
You can’t think of social media as just another way to advertise your products/services. While you can advertise it shouldn’t be all about that (we’ll get to that in mistake #8). Each and every social media platform is unique and should be used for different things. Keep in mind that there will be different rules for all the social media sites as well. For example Twitter only allows you 140 characters to post an update so the etiquette there will be different than Facebook where you have a lot more space. Another difference between these two sites is that you can get away with posting more frequently throughout the day on Twitter than you can on Facebook.
Aside from the different rules and etiquette for each site, there are some other basic ‘rules’ you should follow, like:
So what can you say on social media? Above all else, it’s a conversation. Sure, there might be millions of people involved, but it’s still nothing more than chatting among friends. Treat social media like the “social” space it is, and you’ll be fine.
Given the sheer number of links we see everywhere for Facebook, Twitter, and the like, it might be hard to believe that people aren’t promoting their profiles, but it does happen. You’d be shocked at how many small business owners don’t have links to their social media profiles in their newsletter or in their email signature line. One of the best things you can do is provide multiple ways for people to find and follow you and this means using all the communication channels you have available to promote your social media presence.
First let’s talk about your newsletter and why you should link to your social media accounts from it. Don’t just assume everyone on your mailing list is already aware of – and following you on – your social media pages. It’s important to have this information available and in front of people at all times so that with the click of a button they can find and follow you. For example, let’s say that you just sent out your weekly newsletter and one of your readers found something that a friend of theirs would benefit from so they forward it to them. Having your social media sites in your newsletter now gives this new person a chance to find and follow you quickly and easily.
If you use Aweber for email marketing they make it really easy to link your social media accounts. It’s pretty much as simple as clicking a button and entering in the relevant information (if you’re using their new message editor). They even provide step-by-step instructions: https://help.aweber.com/entries/21776966-how-do-i-add-social-media-buttons-to-my-messages.
Now, let’s talk about your email signature line and how you can link up your social profiles. One of the quickest and easiest ways is by simply adding a text link (for example something like ‘have we connected on Facebook yet’ and linking those words to your FB page). Another way you can do it is to insert actual social media icons into your email signature and link the images to your profiles. While it’s not difficult, it can be a bit finicky to insert images into your signature line. A simple Google search for ‘how do I add social media icons to my email signature’ will bring up tons of resources with step-by-step instructions on how to do it. And if you’re a Gmail, Yahoo, or Windows Live user, check out Wisestamp.com, a great little plugin that allows you to completely customize your email signature.
Not linking your social media profiles to all your other communication is such a common mistake marketers make. But it really shouldn’t be because it’s simple and doesn’t take long to get it set up. Now, it’s time to look at the next mistake which is not using social media channels correctly.