Posts Tagged ‘LinkedIn’

Social Media Strategy

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!

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

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?

You Never Get a Second Chance to Make A First Impression

Remember that phrase by Will Rogers? What first impression are you giving with your profile picture on your social media sites? In my opinion it is wise to use a professional photo (the same one) across all of your profiles.  For many business owners, we are our brand. Many people know my name better than they know the name of my business, Cannon Social Media Solutions.  If someone was going to look me up via social media, if they put in Vicki Cannon or Vicki S. Cannon, they will know that they got the right person if they have met me before, because my photo looks like me.  If the person has not met me, but is going to meet me in a public place, they would be able to see my profile picture and know who to be looking for.

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Squirrel – How to Resist the Shiny Object Syndrome of Social Media: 5 Questions To Ask Before Adding Or Jumping To A New Social Media Site

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Digg, Delicious, Tumblr, WordPress, Instagram, flickr, Pinterest, Google+, MySpace, LittleMonsters…the names go on and on and will continue to grow from year to year.  How do you have an effective social media marketing plan and still keep up?

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Lurking, Connecting or Not Connecting on LinkedIn

The other evening I was at a BNI (Business Networking International) social event and had a conversation with someone that had connected with me via LinkedIn.  I had told him that I was impressed with his willingness to extend himself to our group.  He then told me that someone in the group had messaged him back after his request and wanted more information from him about connecting.  I had to smile because the other person had taken one of my social media training classes and was doing exactly what I suggested!

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