Social Media Mindset

Social Media MindsetWhat is your social media mindset? If you Google “mindset”  you receive this definition – “the established set of attitudes held by someone”. So, what is your mindset when it comes to social media?

For many, their social media mindset is, “I’ve got to do this because everyone else is” or “I have to be on Twitter (or Shapchat or Instagram, etc.) because my friend’s- second-cousin’s-boyfriend has thousands of people following them”.

Maybe your social media mindset is about ignoring social media. You hate it on a personal level, it seems like a big time-suck, you don’t want to learn it and no one is going to make you. Besides, eventually it won’t be relevant anymore and everyone will go back to do things the old-fashioned way.

There are so many different ways that we think about social media, but one thing I see with my clients, self-employed professionals and small business owners, social media is mainly misunderstood. When it’s not understood from the start, how can you have a healthy social media mindset?

Social media is first and foremost about being social. If you are attacking social media as solely an advertising platform to get your message out over and over again, then you are missing the beauty of this connective tool.

Here are some of the social media mindset questions you need to be asking:

  • Who are your peeps? (Or if peeps is too girly for you, who is your ideal client?)
  • What do they like to learn about?
  • What interests them?
  • What makes them tick?
  • What makes them laugh?
  • What encourages them?
  • How can you be of service to them?
  • What are their biggest worries?
  • What can you do to make their life or business easier and/or better?
  • How do you not add to the noise of social media, but provide something of value?
  • What trips-them-up in their day-to-day life?
  • What will make them want to have a conversation, like and/or share your content or recommend you to everyone else?

These are just some of the new social media mindset questions you should be considering.

You see, you need to make it about THEM. When you understand your audience and learn to serve them, social media becomes so much easier and has a much bigger purpose. Yes, I know you have a widget or service you are providing, but until you understand your audience, learn to talk with them and earn their trust, what you have to sell is of little relevance.

This is very simplified for a much deeper conversation I typically have with my coaching clients but, starting down the path of understanding your ideal audience and what their needs are, will give you more success in all of your marketing. You can then amplify your message on social media and make the use of your time more successful.

New Mindset =  New Results

What is YOUR social media mindset? Has it changed (even a bit) since you read this article? I welcome your insights and thoughts.

Until next time….

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16 Best Social Media Tips for 2016

 

Social Media Tips for 2016Are you looking for the latest social media tips for eliminating overwhelm while marketing your business? Look no further than these 16 tips for creating your social media mindset so you can take action on what works.

1 – You Don’t Have To Do Everything

I see business owners burn-out on social media very quickly when they think they have to be on every platform and update 24/7. Give yourself a break. It is good to claim the real estate on each platform for your name and/or business, but then choose the one or two platforms that your ideal client uses and learn to communicate with them there. Once you mastered these, decide if you want or need to add another platform. Doesn’t that feel better already?

2 – Know Your Ideal Audience

We all like to think that our products or services are good for everyone, but in reality there is a select group of people that resonate best with us. It’s okay to niche your business. In fact, it’s better than spreading yourself way too thin trying to be everything for everyone. Who is your ideal target audience? Where do they hang out online? As mentioned above, work with the platforms that they use the most. This way you don’t have to be on Snapchat when your customer is mostly on Facebook.

3 – Build Relationships First

Social media is like a big party. When you walk into a party, you don’t go up to someone and immediately ask for them to buy something. That would be weird. On social media don’t immediately start selling to people you just met. Ugh, I hate when I connect with someone and their very next message is to a sales page.  Twitter Direct Messages or any kind of message with links back to your website that ask for the sale is considered SPAM. Just don’t do it. Work on getting to know the person first.

4 – A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Have a good, professional picture to use on your social media profiles. Be sure you are looking at the camera and have a nice, warm smile. Use the same photo on each of your profiles for better recognition.

If using a logo for a business, be sure that it’s clear and sized correctly. It is worth paying someone to give you multiple sizes of a good quality logo than to use something that is fuzzy and/or doesn’t fit in the space provided. It’s the little details that make all the difference.

5 – Branding

Each of your social media platforms should be named the same. This is true if it’s a business name or a personal name. This allows for ease of searching and identifying your name or business. It also adds to your search engine optimization.

6 – Do a Social Media Audit

Over the past 13 years, social media sites have frequently popped up. When was the last time you had a thorough look at your total social media presence? Are you named the same on each platform? What is the profile picture? There are a lot of areas you should be evaluating. If you would like to have a professional take a look, go here to sign-up for a Social Media Audit with me.

7 – Content is Still King and Queen

Providing high-quality content for your audience and potential customers is key to having social media work for you. Great content attracts people organically and creates trust in you and/or your business. Create consistent, relevant content that illustrates your expertise, approach, culture and core values. This will help to keep you top of mind whenever potential customers are ready to make a decision. 

8 – Video, Video, Video

Create more video content. Video is the most important strategy in content marketing. Whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube or with Periscope, Blab, or Facebook Live, be sure you are adding video to your updating plan. By the way, don’t feel like you have to use all of these platforms. Choose where your ideal customer likes to connect with you.

9 – Be Real

Social media should be an extension of what it’s like to meet you in person, or for a business, should convey the culture. Don’t be afraid to show the human side of the business. Give a peek inside. Endear your customers to you.

10 – Be Useful or Educational

Too many times I see businesses that are using social media like it’s a commercial or a big ad. Instead of that approach, think of this medium as a way to provide education or to be useful in some manner. There are many thoughts out there on how much to sell on social media, I like the 80/20 Rule where 80% of the time is all about education, entertainment and being helpful, and 20% is selling something. No one likes to be spammed!

11 – Have a Plan

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have a social media marketing plan. When I hear of a business owner or entrepreneur that is struggling with social media, at the core is that they don’t have a social media structure, strategy or plan that aligns to their goals. The lack of a plan causes overwhelm and frustration and then social media gets put on the back burner. If this is you or someone you care about, I have a proprietary system that will make everything so much easier. Ask me about Social Media MAP – Mindset and Action Plan. 

12 – Consistency in Updating

You do not need to be on social media 24/7. However, you do need to show up consistently. Once a month is not considered consistent (and the algorithms won’t be your friend). I recommend daily connection in most cases.  Also, there are many tools you can use to pre-schedule your content so that you can: plan it, schedule it and then check-in daily for engagement. For my scheduling, I use Hootsuite and the Facebook scheduler, but there are lots of other options available.

13 – Hashtags

Using hashtags to help identify the topic or keyword in a social media update can be helpful, but choose the correct platform. Hashtags work great on Twitter, Google+ and Instagram, but they have very little use on Facebook (although they are searchable). They are not necessary for Pinterest and on LinkedIn they are not searchable at all.

14 – Social Media Tools

One of my favorite tools for creating graphics is Canva. It’s a great site that provides you the proper sizing for creating social media images and has lots of different formatting options. I call it the “photoshop for dummies”.

15 – Personalize Connection Requests

When asking for a connection to someone on LinkedIn, use the feature where you can send a personal message. Mention where you met, what you talked about and ask for the connection. If you haven’t met the person before, tell them why you wish to connect. This starts the relationship. (This feature IS available on the app. When looking at the profile of someone, in the upper right corner should be three dots, click on the dots and this should bring up a menu of options.) Don’t skip this step, it’s important in establishing rapport.

16 – Facebook Advertising

I typically hear a collective groan when I mention Facebook and advertising together. Then the whining starts, “I don’t want to pay to play….”. Well, you are missing out on one of the best and least expensive advertising opportunities available. Consider the sheer size of Facebook and the information that is available to them, Facebook ads have a high success rate at targeting a specific audience of potential customers for very little money.

There you have it, 16 social media tips that can help focus your social media efforts. Did you learn something new that you can take action on? As always, if you have questions, reach out to me.

Until next time….

Coffee and a Post

Coffee and a Post  When I poll a group of entrepreneurs or small business owners about what their biggest challenge is for social media, I hear time and time again, “it takes so much time.” I can already tell you are nodding “yes,” with that answer as well. I get it! Social media does seem to be one of those time-traps.

Last weekend I was discussing with my husband, Gus, the topics I was going to speak about in some upcoming keynotes and workshops. I told him that time management seems to be a very hot topic. He mentioned that he sees lots of people having a cup of coffee while scrolling through social media on their phones. We talked about if someone used that time to actually post, wouldn’t it seem like it didn’t take as much time? He then said, “Coffee and a Post”. (Have I told you yet, that I married a brilliant guy?!)

Now, to make your posts valuable content and simple to do while sipping your coffee, you have to know what to post ahead of time. That is where a simple social media content plan comes in handy. I truly believe that not having a plan is the biggest issue, but also finding a way to slip in the time to work the plan is the second largest issue.

Today I am introducing, Coffee and a Post™.

Each day when you have your morning beverage (whether it be coffee, tea, soda, juice, water, etc.), pause, then get your phone out and make your social media post. You CANnonDo it! This also works for later in the day, so consider doing, Wine and a Post™. It doesn’t matter what the beverage is; what matters is that if you are pausing to check your phone during a brief break anytime during the day, you have time to maintain a consistent social media presence for your business. That presence may be posting new content, sharing content from peers, or responding to follower engagement (comments, likes, replies).

If you want help with a simple updating plan, reach out for a coaching session with Vicki.

11 CANnonDo Facebook Security Tips For You

Vicki S. Cannon - Social Media - CANnonDo - Privacy and Security

Facebook security is important. There are so many different ways that your account can be placed at risk. Use these CANnonDo Facebook security tips to protect you and your account.

1. Turn On Login Approvals
Require a security code to access your account from unknown browsers by requiring login approvals.
– Click in the top right of Facebook and select Settings
– Click on Security on the left side
– Choose “Login Approvals”: Require a security code to access my account from unknown browsers

2. Don’t Do Facebook Quizzes
Examples: personality tests, friend comparison, most liked photos, most used words, TV Mom you are most like, etc.
– By taking these “fun quizzes” you may be unwittingly providing these app companies with a ton of your personal data
– Some of this data may be used to guess your passwords, hack accounts, and even steal your identity
– Some apps are malicious. They contain viruses, worms, malware or some other way of harming you. They might steal things like your personal information, others’ contact information, or passwords and share them with others

3. Do Not Accept a Second Friend Requests From People That You Are Already Friends With
Scammers send friend requests out from a fake profile that looks like yours.
– Your friends may think it is you and accept when in fact, it’s a cloned account
– The scammers can then post messages that your friends may think were written by you.
– Private messages are then sent to the new friends of this cloned account (which still looks like you). Typically the message gives a story that you are in a dire situation and need money wired immediately
– If you receive a request from someone you think you are friends with, search their name and double check
– Report the cloned account to Facebook and warn your friend
– See how to protect your account in item #4

4. Hide your Friends List
This protects you from having a cloned account created as mentioned above.
– Go to your profile
– Click on “Friends”
– Click on the pencil
– Edit Privacy
– “Friends” or “Only Me”

5. Don’t Like, Comment, Share To Win Prizes
This is how this works: A fake name brand account has been created. Posted to the page is a contest for a giveaway. You are asked to share, comment & like the page to win.
Examples: SouthWest AIR instead of Southwest Airlines (that has a verified check beside it)
– If the post promises prizes for liking, commenting and sharing, it is a likely a hoax/scam
– By engaging with these activities, you are showing scammers that you are gullible which can make you a target for future scams

6. When You Go Out of Town, Don’t Post Until You Get Back
Posting pictures while on vacation is providing an advertisement that your home is empty and can be easily robbed.

7. Posting Pictures or Updates to Social Media, Should Always be Considered to be Public
Anything online could get spread wider than you intended, so make sure you never share anything too specific about your child or his/her location.

8. Don’t Accept Friend Requests From People You Don’t Know
Attractive women (many times they are scantily clad) reach out to men.
Attractive men (with cars, boats and sometimes children) reach out to women.
– Delete the request

9. Hide Your Birth Year
Providing this information makes it easier for your identity to be stolen.
To change:
– On your profile click on “Update Information”
– Contact & Basic Info
– Birth Year
– Edit
– Only You

10. Do Not Share Personal Information
Reminder that placing your address and phone number on your profile or in a message makes that information public.

11. Block Apps or Games
– Click in the top right of Facebook and select Settings
– Click Blocking in the left column
– In the Block apps section, type the name of the app or game you want to block. To unblock an app or game, click Unblock next to its name

If you need additional assistance with your Facebook security, reach out to me on Facebook with your question.  ~ Vicki

11 Social Media Tips to Jump Start Your New Year

Jump Start New Year with Social Media

Ready for a jump start? The New Year always reminds us of new and fresh starts. It’s also a perfect time to evaluate the past year and decide what worked, what’s still working and what needs to go away. This is true not only with life, but also with our businesses. Since I focus on social media for entrepreneurs, employee-preneurs and small business owners, let’s talk about what you can do to jump start your New Year.

1 – Goals: Create and solidify your social media goals for the New Year. Do you want more followers, engagement, prospects, brand awareness, website traffic, etc.? Each goal has different tactics, so choose just a few to focus on.

2 – Profiles: Take a fresh look at all of your social media profiles. Is it time for a fresh profile or cover image? How about your bio and about sections? Canva.com and picmonkey.com are great resources to help you create new cover images. Plan to change your cover images at least quarterly.

3 – Analytics: Take a look at your insights for your Facebook Business Page. Also, if you use a tool like Hootsuite, plan to review other social platform analytics. Resolve for the New Year to take a quick look, even just once a week, and learn at least one thing from your content’s performance.

4 – Planning Tools: Planning social media across multiple platforms can be complicated. Start with a content (editorial) calendar and updating strategy. Schedule a weekly planning and scheduling session just like you would any other important appointment. Choose a tool like Hootsuite, Buffer or Social Sprout for pre-scheduling your posts.

5 – Evaluate Platforms: Are the current platforms working for you? Is your ideal client still using them? Are there new platforms that you should be considering? Spend some time researching changes to social media that may impact your business.

6 – Training: Do you need to brush-up on any social media skills with some training? Maybe it’s time to hire a coach to help you take it to the next level. Don’t go it alone — social media changes quickly and the tactics you used this past year may not be what you should be focus on for the New Year.

7 – Facebook Ads: If you are use Facebook for business, ads are critical for expanding your reach. Facebook is the largest marketing company in the world. You can target your ideal client for a relatively small budget (as little as $5 to $10 per day). Review your social media goals and determine your ad budget for the next few months.

8 – Save This Link on Facebook: When Facebook introduced the “save” function, many content marketers were excited (I know I love this feature).  However, remember to review the file at least weekly. You saved content for a reason, so a quick review can help you unearth a few hidden gems of content to share.

9 – Use Hashtags:  Hashtags are important because they help increase social media engagement with new users on most of the top social media platforms. Find relevant hashtags to your business/niche so you can reach your target audience.

10 – Plan On Being More Human: Authenticity and candor are what people are looking for. You can build “Know-Like-Trust” much quicker when people feel they can identify with you. Consider doing at least one weekly behind-the-scenes image or video post.

11- Don’t Ignore Video: Many of us hate to be in front of a camera or to be on film, but video is a strong way for people to get to know you. Add at least one video update per week.

So there you have it – a New Year and many new ways to engage with your friends, clients and prospects. Also a roadmap to jump start your social media. If this seems overwhelming, reach out to me and we can discuss a coaching or training program to help you take the New Year by storm.

7 Reasons to Update Your Online Profile Picture Now

When was the last time you had a new picture taken for your social media platforms and/or website? If you are sitting there thinking “I don’t know, let me think” it has been too long.  Why update your pictures? Why worry about whether or not your social pictures are professional? Because your audience and prospects are already trying to figure out if they trust you. Not having a professional photo can hamper your interactions and impact on social media.

A good profile image is a vital piece of your branding and identity in the online world. Think of it as your visual signature. It is THE icon that signifies who you are. At a glance people should be able to quickly identify that image with your interactions elsewhere on any social network, on the web and also in person.

Here is a list of the reasons you should have a picture taken NOW:

  1. Gained weight? It’s ok. YOU are what is important, not the number on the scale!

  2. Lost weight? Even if not at your goal, go get them done! See #1.

  3. Changed your hair? This goes for color and/or length & style as well as beards or no beards, etc.

  4. New glasses? There are many wonderful and fun new frames out there, show off your new peeps.

  5. Lasik surgery or contacts? If people are used to seeing you in glasses, but you no longer are wearing them, be sure your photo reflects this.

  6. Aged a few years? Embrace your wisdom! Besides, you don’t want someone going into shock because you don’t appear as the 20 or 30 year old they see on your site right now.

  7. Changed businesses? If your business has changed from a button down to more casual or visa versa, it is important that your current images reflect the right industry. A banker/financial person will likely be dressed more professionally than someone in a landscaping business. If you picture does not reflect the type of business you are in, get it changed. I hate seeing men in ties and suit jackets that don’t normally wear one when meeting clients. They typically look very uncomfortable and that reflects out to the world.

Do you get the picture (no pun intended!) now? The key thing is that your image has to be recognizably you in the here and now.

You don’t need to be perfect! You just need to be YOU. 100%, wonderful, powerful YOU!! To recap, if you hair or glasses have changed, your current picture is more than 2 or 3 years old or you are now 15 pounds (over or under) since your last pictures, it is time for an update!

I know we all have our reasons why we don’t want to do it, but it all boils down to this: People are going to meet you in person. If who they meet is drastically different than who they think they were meeting from your online pictures, there is an instant disconnect and mistrust. It is much harder to come back from this than you can imagine. Don’t make me wonder about what else you are misrepresenting. Besides, embracing who you are is sexier and more powerful than you can imagine (and it inspires trust!).

Now go schedule that photography session!

Until next time…spread kindness wherever you go.

 

Stop Cluttering My Email In-Box

One of my biggest pet peeves is being added without permission to an email list. Just the other day it happened again. I was at a networking event, someone asked for my card and then next thing you know, I am receiving their newsletter. Why do people think it is ok to add me to their list without my permission?!?! Have businesses become so desperate that they add everyone they know to their list? In my book, this is spamming. Who’s with me?

This tactic has got to stop. It’s like buying likes for a Facebook Page or followers for Twitter; how effective is it if the person isn’t the ideal audience? Yes, it gives you “numbers”, but numbers don’t mean anything if the audience isn’t right. You aren’t likely to sell very much to someone that hasn’t identified that your product/service is right for them. Rather than annoying and interrupting perspective customers with unsolicited and pushy messages, ask for permission first. I think this is the most important rule of proper marketing etiquette.  Besides, why would someone who is looking to build a successful business want a bunch of people on a list that may not be interested?

I have to admit, it lowers my opinion of the business/person a bit when I am automatically added to a list. It seems lazy to me. If your hope is that the person you add to your list is going to be so enamored by what you have to say in your email marketing, that they are going to purchase from you or turn into your ambassador, what would it hurt for you to ask permission? This way you know that they are interested. Otherwise, now you could need to earn back trust which is harder to do.

My email address is currency and must be earned. I will give you my email address (currency) and in turn, I expect to receive something of value (it can be a great blog full of information, a discount, white paper, download, etc.), but I am not going to fill my in-box with a bunch of noise about things I am not interested in.

I have a little secret…I don’t use my business email for anything other than correspondence for business. I know immediately if someone just added me to their list. Sneaky, huh?!? You may be me curious as to why I don’t use this email for newsletters and ads? The first or foremost reason is that it helps me to concentrate on what is important. In my mind, having lots of other info coming into my main inbox is like clutter. It can be very distracting. In fact, too much email can be stressful, unproductive, overwhelming and can cause you to miss important things because there is too much to wade through.

Secondly, it does help me to be aware of what lists I have been added to without my permission. This also helps to remove unwanted clutter. How many of you have opened your email and wondered how you got onto so many lists? Even the lists I thought I wanted to be on at one time can become overwhelming. Then I know it is necessary to clean house there too.

My friend, Robyn of Robyn Stevens Feng Shui would agree. Here is what she has to share with you:

“Clutter, all forms of clutter, is so debilitating. Depending on what and where; it can clog the flow of abundance; keep ‘Ms/Mr Right’ from coming into your life, hold you back career-wise, etc., etc., etc.!  Clutter is not just limited to physical stuff; your computer content is absolutely part of the equation.  In most cases, our computer/emails are directly related to our careers.  When that area of our life is full of clutter life itself can feel like an uphill battle.  You probably feel like you are in a rut and aren’t happy with what you are doing.  Step 1?  Clear that email clutter and keep it cleared.  Clarity of computer will give you clarity of mind and will help lead you in the right direction career-wise!”

My advice, don’t add me to any email lists without my permission! Ha! And, the CANnon Do for today’s message is: set-up a separate email address for all of your purchasing and newsletters, but only keep the things that are important to you. It will help to clear your mind and make your life more productive and abundant.

Ok, I am stepping off my soapbox for now. Until next time, remember to Spread Kindness.

Vicki S. Cannon explains why you should blog for your business

Top 5 Excuses Why I Don’t Blog

To semi-quote William Shakespeare, “To blog or not to blog? That is the question.” I know that many business owners (even a social media expert like myself) talk about wanting to blog, but there is always something that gets in the way. Read more

Your Voicemail is an Extension of You & Your Business

How do you feel about voicemail greetings?  Lately these have become a pet peeve of mine.  You know what I’m talking about – the message you receive when you call someone and their voicemail kicks in.  If you are running a business – don’t you want to have everything that you do (the touches you make with your clients & prospects) come across as professional as possible?  Recently, I was sent to a voicemail that said this:  “at my earliest convenience I will call you back.”  How do you feel about that? It makes me feel like:  “when/if I deem it important enough to call you back, I will.”  I am assuming that what this person was really saying was: “as soon as I can, I’ll call you back”, but that wasn’t how it came across.

Ok, how about the one that sounds like the person is distracted or recording the message from a tunnel or while driving? It sounds something like (background noise) and “um, you have um, reached, um, ….” With lots of pauses and noise in between.  This also conveys a message about your professionalism and the message isn’t favorable.

Here is my voicemail greeting:  “You have reached, Vicki S. Cannon of Cannon Social Media Solutions.   I am unable to take your call at this time, so please leave your name, phone number & a brief message after the tone and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.  You may also email me at: (insert email address) or contact me via my website: www.cannonsocialmedia.com.  Thank you for calling.”

It only takes a few minutes to write something out and to record and re-record until the right message is given. This is still an extension of you and your business.  What kind of impression are you leaving? Does the impression match your business?

Physician offices are usually pretty good at leaving a detailed greeting that includes when you should expect a call back and the type of information you should leave on the message (for instance, date of birth).  I appreciate these greetings because I am not left in the dark about what they need and when I should hear back.

Have you recently started a business? Don’t forget this important extension of your brand.  Many people are quick to start a Facebook Page and/or Twitter Account, but forget what may be an important piece of communication.  Starting with: “Hi, this is Vicki. Leave me a message.” may not be professional enough.  Also, please smile when you record and have a little bit of energy. There is nothing worse than listening to Eeyore give you a greeting (even if you are a Winnie the Pooh fan).

One last thing, take the time to record your own message.  The pre-recorded: “you have reached the Mobile Carrier Mailbox for 555-555-5555…” is not good either.  It looks like you aren’t keeping up with the little details.

You may be asking: “what does this have to do with social media”?  Well, I believe that everything you do in-person or online is an extension of your personal and professional identity.  You never know if this is the first real contact someone is making with you.  Do you want to put any doubt in the mind of a potential or even current client about your professionalism?   Take a moment and listen to your voicemail greeting. Is it the right message? How would you feel after hearing the greeting? If you aren’t sure, ask someone else to listen to it. What is their impression?  The same is true with your Social Media sites. What kind of impression are you leaving every time you post? People are watching and listening all the time.

Ok, I’m off of my soapbox now.  Do you have any pet peeves on professionalism?

The Ripple Effects of Random Acts of Kindness

Dear Friends –

As I sat to write my blog post last Friday afternoon for this week, I couldn’t find the words to say. I was riveted to the TV and all of the news going on in Newtown, Connecticut.  I am still so saddened that so many innocent lives were lost.  I hope and pray that there will be comfort and peace on some level at some time for these families and the community.

Today I debated about talking about what I have been feeling over the past few days especially with all of the media coverage, but decided that this is a good forum to extend, engage & explore with all of you how we feel now and how we can show up differently in the days, weeks, months & years to follow. Read more