Why is it ‘social’ media?

The term makes sense when you apply it to Facebook, where people are talking about personal subjects, the kind of thing you’d chat about in real life.  But what about LinkedIn – how is that social?  Isn’t it a business platform?

Let’s look at it from a different perspective.  When you go to a networking meeting, is that social?  If you don’t talk to anyone it might be, but we do talk – and not always about business.

It all comes down to one truth – people ‘buy’ people, not organisations.  After all, you can’t have a conversation with an organisation.

If you are looking to generate potential business, it all starts with relationships.  To have a relationship you need to have a conversation.  I don’t know of anyone who has responded to a first contact that is a blatant sales pitch.

Personally, if I connect with someone on social media and they then hit me with a sales pitch, my feathers are definitely ruffled!  In my head I’m responding “Why do you think I need your – website service/SEO consultancy/business coaching/etc?  There’s nothing on my profile that indicates I might be interested and you certainly haven’t communicated with me to find out.”  Far from engaging me, it alienates me – and I’m sure I’m not the only one!

If someone doesn’t bother to engage in a conversation, it feels like they don’t care about you, only about getting some money out of you.

In fact, if someone does show an interest in my services from a contact made on social media, I always want to talk to them first, whether on the phone, on Skype or in person – I want to explore what they really want and find out IF I can help them and HOW.  One size definitely doesn’t fit all so the first thing I need to do is to find out more about them, their business and what they want to achieve.

That’s social!  It’s a conversation and a process of getting to know someone.  The very best customer service is based on getting to know people and making them feel you are interested in THEM.

I have a favourite restaurant and I’ve taken lots of friends, family and business connections there.  Everyone loves it – and many of them have returned.  Why?  Because from the moment you arrive in the car park you get a personal service.

• If it’s raining there’s someone with an umbrella ready.  
• As you walk through the door ALL the staff nearby greet you.
• Someone offers to take your coat and asks if you want to have a drink first or go straight to the table.
• Someone reminds you not to trip on the small ramp from the bar to the restaurant or the shallow step into the main restaurant area.
• Someone pulls out your chair, checks that you’re happy with the table and ensures everyone is comfortable before leaving you to look at the menu.
• At some point the owner will come and have a chat.
• Everyone is friendly, but respectful.
• Everyone wears white gloves, which makes it feel special.
• The food is sensational – and the bill is very reasonable.
• Someone will always see you out and thank you for coming.

It’s no surprise that it’s always full.

This is why I want to visit again and again.  They make me feel that I’m important and individual and that I am special.

What has this got to do with social media?  The whole process is based on people – and social media is about people.  Social media is an opportunity to engage with people, not just talk at them, but to talk about the things that are important to them and show you are interested.

You might not have an actual restaurant where people walk through the door, but you can create that feeling that you’re talking to people who are important, individual and special, if you make the effort.

Leverage: the lazy person’s secret

There’s a saying that if you want to find the most efficient way to do something you should ask a lazy person.  The assumption is that they will find the way to achieve the result with the minimum of effort – but why should you work any harder than necessary?

Actually, when you have 101 things to do – today – it makes sense to reduce the effort each one takes, if possible.

So, if writing is a hard grind, here’s how to make one bit of writing go much, much further.

Step one:  Write an article, featuring your expertise.  Aim for between 300-500 words.

Step two:  Leverage it!

How to leverage your article

1. Find a suitable image and post it with your article on your blog
2. Take quotes out of it and use them for social media – all linked to the relevant blog post
3. Post the picture on Pinterest and Instagram with the headline and, maybe, an intro and link to the blog post
4. Post the article on your LinkedIn profile
5. Take sections out and post them on your Facebook Page
6. Record the article and post it as a podcast
7. Create a video of the article and post it on YouTube, Vimeo or Wistia (or all three)
8. Use the article as the lead item in your newsletter
9. Break it into sections and create an email campaign
10. Approach the industry journal your target audience read and ask if they might be interested in it for their next issue
11. Turn it into a webinar and use that to generate interest in your paid-for services
12. Put it together with two or three other articles around the same subject and create a lead magnet (free download in exchange for a name and email address)
13. Adding several blogs about one subject can create a chapter in a book – over time you could write a whole book!

If one 400 word article can create this much marketing – think what writing one a month could do for your business.

The business of business

If you own a business the day-to-day running of it can be diluted by the need to actually DO stuff.  Once your business reaches a certain size and you have staff who can take on some of your responsibilities, it gets easier to find the time to plan, develop and grow – but small businesses can take much longer to grow than the owner would like, simply because there aren’t enough hours in the day.

Have you ever felt like you’re on a hamster wheel, running like mad and not really moving forwards?

If you’ve ever spent the festive break trying to do some forward planning, only to find that it’s nearly March and you’ve been to busy to put your plans into action, you’ll know what I mean.

It’s time to break out

If you have an appointment with someone to do with your business, you won’t cancel, not turn up or avoid it, so take that dedication and put appointments in your diary to work ONLY on your business development.

This might be an hour a week or an afternoon a month, or even just a couple of hours at the end of a month, but put the time in your diary and treat it as a business appointment.

You’ll need to have a long-term plan and then identify the activities that will take you from where you are now to where you want to be.

Given that you can’t ‘do’ a goal, you’ll need to break each outcome down into a to-do list and then work through the tasks.  It may seem like a tedious process, but lots of small actions result in big results – if you do small things, often you may be surprised at how quickly you achieve your goals.

Get help

If you think you’ll still manage to ‘overlook’ these business development appointments, make them real appointments.  Either get a business coach or a mentor and agree regular times to meet and what you’ll cover at each meeting.

A business coach will cost money, but the improvement in your business will almost certainly be worth it.  In fact, it should more than pay for your investment in increased profits.

An alternative is to join (or form) a mastermind group or virtual board.  These groups are excellent ways to tackle business challenges and be held accountable.

Get started

Don’t wait until tomorrow, the beginning of next week, next month, after your next holiday.  Get started right away.  Do something small that will take you one step in the right direction.  It might be a phone call, looking something up online, reviewing some statistics, revising one page of your website – do those small tasks regularly and you’ll be on track to grow a very successful business.

Is this the year you’ll write a book?

Here we are at the start of a brand new shiny year – and many people are fired up about what they can achieve over the next 12 months.  If you own a business, it’s not just your personal goals, but the ones you set for the business too.

Many of the business owners and entrepreneurs I meet talk about writing a book (some of them have actually gone and done it too!).  The challenge for many is that the idea of sitting down and writing 30-40,000 words is daunting.  Where will you find the time for that?

My experience is that if you get your plan down on paper (or the digital equivalent), you’re on the way to success.  So here are a few critical questions to answer that will get you started:

Focus

Who is the book for?

How do you know that they will be interested in it?

Where will you find groups of people who fall into the same reader-category?

What problems can you solve for them?

What do you want them to know or do when they’ve read the book?

Content

What is the book about?

What will each chapter cover?

What will the structure of a chapter be like?

What research do you need to do to write each chapter?

What material will you include? E.g. case studies, anecdotes, quotes, statistics, charts, graphics, things to do, etc.

Writing

When are you at your best to write? (early morning, after lunch, after work, in the middle of the night)

How long will each writing session last?

How many words can you typically write in that time frame?

How many writing sessions a week can you commit to?

‘Is there another way?’

Not everyone is a natural writer – and some people just can’t face sitting down and writing.  If you think you have valuable knowledge you want to share, but know it’s not going to happen if you have to knuckle down and write it yourself, there are other options.

• You could dictate it to a recording device and have it transcribed.
• You could discuss the content with a professional writer who will turn it into copy.
• You could explain the concepts to a writer who will research them and develop the book for you.

Ghost writers are not just for celebrities, there are plenty of people who prefer to talk instead of write!

If you want to know more, download the Pipedream to Proposal document here.

Reciprocity – the art of giving value

Try saying ‘reciprocity’ and most people stumble, but it’s an important word in business.  It’s all about creating obligation – in the nicest possible way!

Reciprocity is why people are willing to give you their email address in order to get your free download.

Reciprocity is the feeling a networking contact gets when you give them something or some information free of charge.  That’s why promotional gifts are so popular and free information sheets are often handed out at networking events.

Reciprocity is that ‘I owe you one’ awareness that makes you feel good about the person who has done you a favour.

So what are you offering potential customers that will create reciprocity?

The right recipe

Deciding what will attract people means doing your research.

If the long-term aim is to create an audience who are all potential clients or customers, you need to know them really well.

• Do they have a problem?  What are the pain triggers that they will experience if it’s not fixed?
• Can you fix the problem?
• What will they get (WIIFM) if the problem is fixed – both short term and long term?
• What will they have to go through to get from pain to gain?  Is this less painful than leaving the problem unfixed?

This means that you need to understand their business and their pain triggers, know what drives them and what they consider to be a benefit.

Now you should have a good idea about what you can offer that will go some way to helping them with their problem.

Remember it’s not about what you do – it’s about what your potential client gets.

Clearly you won’t give away all your in-depth knowledge, but you have knowledge that can help clients to get clarity on something, understand things that they can take action on to improve or a structure that will make life easier.

Then you need to create this in words that tick all their boxes.

Key elements of a free download

• A great headline that appeals to exactly the people who you want to attract.
• An attractive and professional look and feel.
• Plenty of graphics to make it look easy-to-read.
• Simple, straightforward language – that will make the reader feel you are speaking directly to them.

There are no rules on length – it’s all about value.  A one-page document with a really useful process can be of great value.  A 10-pager with one tip on each page may not be perceived to have as much value.

Get your lead magnet in place on your website and you’ll be growing your list of interested people without having to work too hard.