Posts Tagged ‘Small Business’

05 Jul 2016
Comments Off on Social Media Mindset
Tweet this
by

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….

Hey, friend! I have a FREE download for improving your LinkedIn Profile. You can grab it here. If you accept the link to go into my newsletter, I promise to not spam you! I have some exciting things to share and hope you will be part of my community. You may also follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Stop by and say “hello”!

28 Dec 2015
Comments Off on 11 Social Media Tips to Jump Start Your New Year
Tweet this
by

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.

23 Jan 2013
Comments Off on Your Voicemail is an Extension of You & Your Business
Tweet this
by

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?

14 Nov 2012
Comments Off on You Never Get a Second Chance to Make A First Impression
Tweet this
by

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.

Read more