Why Friendships Are Absolutely the Best ROI Of Social Media

 

Why Friendships Are Absolutely the Best ROI Of Social Media

Why Friendships Are Absolutely the Best ROI Of Social Media

This is something I really can’t say enough: your ROI (Return on Investment) with social media is all the connections you’ll make. Some of those connections deepen and become associates. Some of those deepen and become friendships. Some will lead to business, and some will not. Either way, expect magic from those connections.

WordCamps

WordCamps

WordCamps

When you connect with people online you have something to look forward to, and something to look back upon with fondness. For instance, every year I attend WordCamp Orange County with my best buddy Bridget Willard. We met through Twitter. Here are some of the posts I’ve written about WordCamp Orange County, by the way:

Who you'll meet

Who you’ll meet

Who You’ll Meet

You’ll meet people who are brave, and people who touch you with their writing abilities. You’ll also meet people who make you laugh, and a few who’ll make you cry. My bestie Amy Donohue is one of the bravest ones I’ve ever known. She donated her kidney to a stranger and now she’s one of the most awesome entrepreneurs as her career is skyrocketing! Go follow her on Twitter: @TheFabulousOne

The Future

The Future

The Future

Dyane Harwood (on Amazon) is a neighbor, while Kittie Walker (@avidmode on Twitter), and Larry Mount (@LazBlazter on Twitter) are people I’ve not met yet. But I’m planning on it! You probably have a few people you really want to meet, too!

Instagram is Next

Instagram is Next

Instagram is Next

So far, I’ve corresponded with lots of people on Instagram, but haven’t met anyone. That’s my next frontier! Maybe do some photography and travel around locally and then post the pictures.

What's Next for You?

What’s Next for You?

What’s Next for You?

Have you met a lot of people through social media? What’s that been like for you? I really do want to know, so leave me a comment!

How to Make Money with Social Media without Losing Your Mind

 

How to Make Money with Social Media without Losing Your Mind

How to Make Money with Social Media without Losing Your Mind

Although social media isn’t magic, it is possible to draw attention to your products and services using social media, especially when your posts are thoughtful and anticipate what your audience wants. By the way, you might like this post: Social Media Isn’t Magic — it Takes Planning and Hard Work.

First of all, you are creating connections and trust with your social media accounts. You are engaging with people regularly (am I right?), answering questions, and blogging.

In case you were wondering, the answer to whether you can make money with social media is a resounding yes!

So here are a few ways to make that happen.

steak chef photo

Create Products

A product doesn’t have to be big or fancy. You don’t have to start with an e-book. You could start with a really good checklist, as my friend Tess Witter says. Or a short guide to whatever you’re an expert in.

video shoot photo

Post Images of Your Crafts

Where you sell can be just as important, if not more so, than how you sell. Selling your crafts on Instagram or Pinterest will probably gain you more sales than Google Plus. But you can also use Twitter and Facebook to drive traffic to your own website or an Etsy site. Here’s an article about getting started on Pinterest that you might like: Pinterest: 10 Quick and Easy Tasks You Can Do Right Now.

Sell Your Services

I don’t recommend giving away your services for free, but how about a friendly “get-to-know-you-better” price to attract a few people? Could be a one-hour introductory rate for a specific period of time.

Videotape What You Do

You may offer a service that no one else does. For instance, perhaps you create videos to showcase others’ businesses. Why not create a video showing what you do? And of course have a call to action at the end. Of course, you may also want to create tweets, Facebook and Instagram posts and a blog post featuring the video. Here’s a post about how to turbocharge your blog post production that you might like, by the way. Your ideal client might be in any of those places on the inter webs! video shoot photo

Long-Tail Keywords for the Win!

If what you do is very specific, a video could attract a really big customer, such as the one my friend Bridget Willard attracted with her video about epoxy and tilt-up construction when she was working for a construction company.

Appeal to Those Who Learn Differently Than You

Most people are visual learners, but what about those who learn best through hearing something? Create a video so people don’t have to read, but can instead listen!

And the most important way to make money?

Create Relationships!

Yes, that’s right. Social media is a long game. You’re probably not going to have a bunch of new friends by next week. But regularly adding value to conversations on social media, being helpful where you can, and answering questions go a long way toward having some relationships. After awhile, you’ll start to see some familiar faces, and you’ll engage more with them.

family holiday photo

Be Generous First

How? You might ask. Share others’ content. Offer helpful links. Listen to other people first. It’s one of those simple but not easy things. There are really no shortcuts.

 

 

Social Media Worst Practices

Social Media Worst Practices

Social Media Worst Practices

You’ve probably gotten tons of fabulous great advice about how to do social media, but what about bad advice? Bad advice is rare right? Just joking! Sometimes bad advice is so bad that it can be good. Or at least, good for a big laugh! Here are some social media worst practices suggested by a few social media manager friends.

“Social media is a waste of time”

Haven’t heard this one since 2009, but there may be some who still believe it. My friend Heather Baker Steele (of Blue Steel Solutions) suggested this one.

“Automate Direct Messages in Twitter”

Send an auto DM to people right after they follow you thanking them–or asking them to “like” you on Facebook. Maybe back in the day people were able to pull this off successfully, but I haven’t seen anyone do a good job with an auto DM recently. This is one that I’ve heard personally.

“Just connect all your networks to Facebook, and schedule, and it will all get cross-posted. #FACEPALM

A beauty of a piece of bad advice, via Kirti Dwivedi, of Diya Marketing. What some people don’t know is that you can see when you cross-post. On Twitter, those posts show up with a shortened Facebook link. People know you’re not there, so they’re not very likely to follow you.

“Automate posts on Facebook (via 3rd party app) especially if you are strapped for time”

Ruby Rusine of Social Success Marketing sent that one. Did you know that it’s pretty easy to schedule from right within Facebook? No need to use a scheduler!

“Cross-Posting Can Save You a Lot of Time”

Yes, it can. You can save even more time if everyone unfollows you because your cross-posting annoys them! Because then you’ll only have a few followers, and fewer conversations.

Social Media Worst Practices: ROI on Every Tweet

Social Media Worst Practices: ROI on Every Tweet

“You Need a ROI on Every Tweet”

This one was submitted by friend Amy Donohue (@TheFabulousOne on Twitter). And yes, social media managers hear this one a lot. Some even try to micromanage Twitter by asking their social media managers to justify each tweet. See my post on how to demotivate employees for more information!

“We don’t need Twitter”

This one is pretty common, although most people then admit that they don’t understand Twitter. Another good one that Amy Donohue heard. And if you think Twitter is a waste of time…did you know that Amy donated her kidney because of a tweet? Take a look at the trailer for her movie, “Social Media Stole My Kidney.”

 “Buy followers to get your clients started.”

Another wonderful and terrible piece of advice heard by Kirti Dwivedi of Diya Marketing. If you want to know about reasons not to do this, see my previous post about buying fake followers and why it’s a bad idea.

Did you get any really good bad advice?

Was there any bad advice that made you laugh out loud? I’d love to hear it!

And thank you to all my social media manager friends for the bad advice!

Being Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Being Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Being Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

 

Recently, on our Women in Business Today Google Plus hangout on air, we talked with Chris Brogan about falling in love with not knowing. That in turn, led me to think about being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Working with startups is always an experiment with content, with new technology, with being an early adopter, and with making educated guesses. Apps and social media platforms come and go. And being uncomfortable means doing what others aren’t doing, or not fitting in sometimes.

Engagement

People are always asking me how to get new followers, how to get ROI, how to make money using social media. Here’s the big secret: focus on the SOCIAL, not the media. This goes for anybody. You already have the tools (especially if you’re a baby boomer). So talk to people. Be friendly. That’s the key to everything. As the old saying goes, “it’s simple, but not easy.” So if you’re on Pinterest, comment on pins. On Twitter, retweet and talk to people. On Facebook, chat with people. Rinse and repeat.

On Introversion

Being an introvert seems to be trendy these days. Susan Cain did a really neat TED Talk, The Power of Introverts and Women in Business Today, which I’m part of, talked about it on our Google Plus Hangout. A couple of things I really enjoyed about Susan Cain’s TED talk. Go to the wilderness. And this: Solitude matters. That really resonates for me. For an introvert, however, it’s talking with people–especially in large groups–that’s especially uncomfortable. And for an extrovert, hanging out alone or with just one or two people could be uncomfortable.

Eating the Frog

Eating the Frog

Eating the Frog

How many times have you heard that old adage to “eat the frog”? Some days you have to eat a lot of them before breakfast.  And being in a startup, you might be eating frogs all day long. Just when you’re the tiniest bit comfortable, along comes another frog.

Maintaining Focus Amidst Chaos

How do you maintain your focus every day? For me, the answer is writing. Lists and blogging help me clear my mind. The more I write, the more focused and calm I feel. This might go back to being an introvert. Maybe extroverts feel more balanced when they’re able to be around others and talk through their issues. What about you? How do you feel comfortable?

 

 

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