Posts Tagged ‘CANnon Do’

Social Media Strategy
07 May 2018
Comments Off on Stop Being Busy with Social Media and Get a Strategy That Works
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Stop Being Busy with Social Media and Get a Strategy That Works

You need a strategy for social media. Being busy isn’t a strategy!

You may have noticed that I have backed off posting as much on Facebook.  Actually, I have been posting less on most of my channels professionally.

The long and short of it is…posting on social channels for the sake of posting doesn’t work.

Let me explain. When Facebook introduced Facebook Pages in April 2010, the average page was getting 16% organic reach. Today it is less than 1%.

Why is that? There was a lot less content vying for our attention back then. Today we have 2000+ pieces of content coming at us on Facebook alone each day. EACH DAY! It’s getting crowded. AND, the algorithm continues to change.

Years ago, there was a social media guru that was promoting posting once every hour for 12 hours. She did it religiously and it must have worked for her because she has a huge following and turned many of those followers into buyers through her programs.

I will admit that I tried it for a few weeks but couldn’t keep up. I didn’t have time to work on anything but posting. PLUS, I found that people didn’t really like to see that much content from me. I found a rhythm of about 3 posts per day. At that time, I would do something inspirational first thing in the morning and later in the evening and then something social media related. It worked for me AT THAT TIME.

I then went to 2 posts per day, then 1 post per day. Now I post when I feel it is relevant.

There you go. I think when you post content (for business) it should be RELEVANT  to the audience you are most trying to attract. Throwing a bunch of content for the sake of content isn’t working. It is WEARING YOU OUT!

Additionally, with the algorithm changes and Facebook pointedly saying that personal profiles and groups will get more play in your newsfeed, posting a lot of content to hope that something gets seen can actually work against you.

Now don’t get me wrong. There are days I post more than one time. WHY? Because there is something relevant that my audience needs to see. Typically, it’s a safety issue that I want you to be aware of!

This comes back to strategy. Do you have a social media strategy? Have you updated it in the past year? Seriously, a LOT has changed online in the past year!  The types of content and what you should be putting your time into has changed.

If you haven’t made a change or met with a professional since January of 2017, you need to do it.

Of course, I would love to help you out. 😊

BUT, if nothing else…take a look at what you are doing online. How much time is it taking you? What kind of results are you getting? Are you putting your efforts to the best use? Could you be doing something differently with your time?

Stop being busy with social media and get a strategy that works. Then, fine tune it as social media changes.

Reach out if I can be of service! Don’t do things for the sake of saying you post on social media platforms. That is NOT a strategy!

24 Mar 2015
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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.

12 Dec 2012
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Excuse Me – Where Are Your Social Media Manners?

We’ve all had the social media friend or Facebook Page that has made us want to turn them off, right? You know the one where every post is about what they are trying to sell you. “BUY FROM ME, BUY FROM ME, BUY FROM ME!” If that is you, knock-it-off!

Social media is about being social. You wouldn’t sit down to a meal with someone and immediately ask them to buy from you, would you? The answer better be no!  We need to remember that when we are on social media sites, we are engaging in conversation. It is about building the know, like and trust so eventually the person may buy from you or at least be a good referral source.

In my training class this week I am sharing 12 tips on social media etiquette. I could probably make the list 3 times larger, but since it’s a busy month I will keep it short.

12 Tips on Social Media Etiquette:

1. Use your real name. People like to engage with real people.

2. Use a current headshot of YOU (not your child, husband, dog, niece, etc.).  As author & blogger Chris Brogan says in his 2011 blog: An Insider’s Guide to Social Media Etiquette, “It feels creepy friending a four year old kid (avatar).”

Also, on another note about having a picture: I don’t follow anyone that doesn’t have a picture. I don’t trust that the person is real &/or question if it is a spammer/phisher trying to gain access to me, my computer and my network. Remember, people like to connect with people, so put a good quality headshot of you on your profile.

3. Set your privacy settings to control who can tag you. Facebook offers the opportunity for you to review any post that you are tagged in before it appearing on your timeline.

4. You are not obligated to friend or connect with anyone. In fact, it is a great idea to use some discernment here. If you keep your personal and professional life separate, send a message to the person asking for the connection and tell them that you prefer to connect with clients in a different way on LinkedIn and/or your Facebook Page.

5. When asking to make a connection, don’t use the default settings (for instance on LinkedIn). Include a personal note with the request that may include where you met the person, who you are, and why you wish to connect with them.

6. Be authentic.

7. Listen first and then join the conversation. Be sure you are always adding value.

8. Never spam. Ever.

9. Don’t repeat the same post on ever network within a 10-minute span. Change it up a bit and spread it out.

10.  Instead of selling, why not share with your followers why they should buy from you; what other followers got from buying from you; or some other relational fact.

11. Promote others.

12. Modesty is a beautiful thing. Don’t retweet and share every nice thing someone says about you and/or your company. Thank the person for the testimonial and leave it at that.

Your CANnon Do® for this week is to find a way to unselfishly promote someone else.

What other social media etiquette tips do you have?

05 Dec 2012
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Hanging Out with Google+

Last week I participated in a Google+ HIRL (Hangout In Real Life) event.  This event provided the opportunity for locals in the Kansas City area to get mini-sessions on how to set-up and use Google+.  If you would like to see more about it, follow the hashtag #LearnG+KC.  In case you don’t know what a hangout is, Google+ has this really cool feature where you can “hangout” with 10 people – share your screen and/or documents and see each person FOR FREE.  (Think Skype on steroids with free features.)

This real life hangout allowed 100+ people to gather, network & learn together.  What worked for this event was that it provided a social atmosphere – food, drink, & networking along with a give-back to SafeHome  (entrance fee was $5 or 5 canned goods for the non-profit).  According to recent stats on G+, the site is 63% male, but this HIRL attracted women along with the men.

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28 Nov 2012
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Trying to Out-Wit Facebook’s EdgeRank

Do you have a Facebook Page for your business?  How are you feeling about your “number of people who saw this post” count?  It seems like everyday we are needing to find new and different ways to outwit Facebook’s EdgeRank.  (For those of you not familiar with Edgerank – it is the algorithm that Facebook uses to determine who gets to see your Facebook post.)

For a while, the visual-media aspect of loading an image was given more exposure, but more and more studies over the past few months have indicated that text-only posts (no images or links) are gaining more views.  The question becomes, what do I post to get the most exposure without having to pay for it?

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