I have been thinking a lot about social media lately. Inevitably when I talk to someone outside of the social media/Facebook/Twitter world I always get a few snickers or questions like, "Does that really work?" Believe it or not, I don’t just cross my fingers and hope it works!
Here are some of my thoughts. (I know some of these are so basic, but they are the heart of why I wholeheartedly believe in what I do and what motivates me everyday.)
1. People are connected to you because they have volunteered to hear from you. Think about it: They clicked a button and chose to listen to you and be connected to you. They have raised their hand and said, "Please send me messages about your business!" If you have 500 people on your list, imagine a room of 500 people who asked to listen to you.
2. You should post content that is interesting to you — that you would want to share. People share info because they want to, because there is very little "pitch," and because they feel good about passing it on. Social media is a reputation and client builder.
3. Do you find yourself marketing to the same people over and over again? Social media exists for sharing and expanding your reach. It’s one of the ways you grow your audience without paying a single dime.
4. Social media is very different than e-mail. E-mail is definitely important, but different than social media. When you forward an e-mail, you typically send it to just a select few people. But when you retweet or share something, you are forwarding to your whole audience.
So when you post something interesting, and your friend re-posts it to her 100 friends, and then someone re-posts it to her 1,000 friends, and then someone else re-posts it to 10,000 friends … this is the power of social media! This is not happening on TV or radio — there is no way to share information easily until it comes to social media.
5. When someone posts a testimonial on social media, that is social proof. Do you ever read a testimonial on a printed page and wonder if it is real? When you read a testimonial or review on a social media site, from someone you are connected to, it can be easier to gauge if it’s authentic.
6. Social media lives on. Yes, it may only be visible in your feed for an hour or so, depending on how many followers you have, but beyond that, it can live on via search tools.
Four things that I’ve done to be successful in social media:
1. I never forgot the brand or the best face I wanted to put forward.
2. I never played any games or paid money to get followers or friends.
3. I don’t publicly criticize or put anyone down.
4. I’m in this for the long term.
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