Two weeks ago, we left Neal sitting pretty in his local hardware store, Neal’s Hardware, with a great free offer, a lot of new customers and a great strategy for distinguishing his neighborhood store from those superstores like Lowes and Home Depot. (If you missed that story, here it is.)
My reason for telling you this story (and for continuing to do so now) was to show you how Internet marketing and social media are no more complicated to owning a local hardware store. A really cool hardware store. Like Neal’s Hardware.
So, as I said, we left Neal in a pretty good place! His basic marketing was off to a strong start, but… Neal stills needs more business!
See, he has big plans to expand, add a garden center and specialize in non-toxic paints. Plus, he’s had his eye on the new pickup truck. So even though his free offer and regular mailings are keeping the cash moving in, he needs to increase that flow!
Neal realizes that in order to fund his future dreams, he can’t stay stuck in his hardware store and wait for people to come to him. He has to get out and go where the action is, where his potential customers are. He has to rub elbows with a variety of folks who either need his goods or can refer others to his store.
So he joins the local Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary. He shows up at meetings and mixers, joins in the conversations, and plays it smart by spending most of his time asking questions and listening to others talk about their businesses and their lives.
When people ask him what he does, he tells them about the store and his services, and, if it feels right, he hands them a card for the free digital tape measure. “Come on by the store and I’ll give you one of these great digital tape measures,” he says.
But Neal doesn’t stop there.
He knows that if he’s going to compete with the superstores, he has to position himself as the friendly expert who can help people solve their home repair problems. That’s when he gets a great idea!
One morning I woke up and the whole online world was talking about Pinterest – a relatively new, but super-popular social media platform. Reputable blogs were reporting that Pinterest was now driving more traffic to than Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube combined. Some of my mentors and colleagues were falling in love with it… and reporting a sizable increase in their email list opt-ins as a direct result of their strategic use of Pinterest.
But all I can think is, “Nooooooo! No! No! No! Please, God, no more social media platforms. I beg of you!”
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love social media. Especially the old Facebook and Twitter. And I know the value of social media when it comes to connecting with others who can either help build your business or become a new client or fan. Both my personal life and my business have changed dramatically because of social media.
And I DO have a Pinterest account because.. well, I had to check it out and see what all the buzz was about. It’s my job, right? (And I have to say, I can see why people like it, but it doesn’t really turn me on).
But the primary reasons I am begging you to say NO! to Pinterest are as follows:
You’ve Got More Important Work To Do
Whether it’s Pinterest or some other new fangled Internet trend, it is sure to be a total waste of your time unless you’ve already nailed down your marketing basics. Like, your marketing message, your overall marketing strategy and daily, weekly, monthly action plan. If you already have a website that is working for you, an email marketing and stay-in-touch system that is converting and a fabulous free offer that is increasing the size of your email list by 20% every month, then sure! Go crazy on Pinterest.
But if you haven’t mastered the basics of Internet marketing and social media, Pinterest may keep you pleasantly distracted, but it’s not going to help you build your business. And it will suck away at the time and creative energy you need to be mastering those basics.
In other words, don’t print the posters until you’ve booked the band. This is true for any social media platform. If you are going to use social media to drive people to your website, build your email list and sell more stuff, you better be sure to your website is fully optimized and sticky enough to hold that traffic when it arrives. In other words…
If you feel like Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn are sucking away too much of your time, I hear you! And I have a Tough Love Tuesday Tip that will [...]
If you’ve been participating in social media, you may be getting a tad overwhelmed and a bit numbed out by the constant din of endless information, nonsense, frivolity, rioting, arguing, emptiness, and opinion pouring through your Twitter stream or Facebook newsfeed.
Recently, a client of mine called me, exasperated, saying, “I can’t believe all the garbage I get in my Twitter stream! And even on Facebook. It’s disgusting. And the last thing I want to do is contribute to all this noise on social media… I don’t know if I want to have anything to do with it!”
He’s right. Anytime there’s a crowd, there’s often a lot of noise. And there is a huge crowd on social media today.
It’s where people are hanging out, getting their news, making connections, finding information and even entertainment. In fact, I heard a rumor (I must have heard it on social media!) that social media will soon be more popular than television when it comes to how people spend their spare time.
This is good, and bad.
It means that people are choosing to interact rather than mindlessly numb out with their spare time. AND it means that if you want to find your prospective clients, you don’t have to buy TV advertising. You just need to strategically participate in social media.
But it also means… more noise. A lot more voices out there to compete with when you’re trying to reach your ideal clients and be heard.
So, how do you rise above the noise? How can you participate and not be yet another small, lonely voice drowned out by the virtual roar?
Well, I just can’t help it. I’m sitting here feeling pretty smug and full of myself.
According to yesterday’s release from the Associated Press, President Obama took my advice and now he’s going to be regularly posting his on tweets on Twitter. No ghostwriter tweets! No intern pretending to be him, but HIM. His original posts will be signed with an “O.B.” while other tweets from the White House will remain unsigned.
What a fabulous, funny coincidence! Because last week I posted a Tough Love Tuesday video telling you to not outsource your presence on social media… that YOU need to be the one to show up, share, engage and participate. This is the one job that you, as a creative entrepreneur, should not give away!
So, when I read this article, I giggled a little and thought, Hmm… could President Obama be watching my Tough Love Tuesday videos? Probably not. But he is getting some very good social media advice.
What President Obama’s Social Media Advisors Must Know… And You Should Know, Too!
Whoever is advising President Obama knows:
People want the real thing, baby!
The social media crowd has no use for imposters. They want to interact with the real thing, with President Obama himself. Not his advisors, assistants and interns.
And as I said in last week’s Tough Love Tuesday video, your fans and clients don’t want to hear from your marketing manager or your agent or some social media expert. They aren’t interested in someone else’s answers, opinions, activities and perspective. They want to know what you think, what you prefer, what you spend your day doing, what choices you make and why, who you endorse, follow and admire.
When it comes to social media, who you are as a person is just as important as who you are as a professional. This means that you need to share more than links to business articles, other people’s quotes, or announcements about your next offer. You need to tweet about you… the person, not the brand.
YOU, YOU, YOU need to be the one to show up and participate and interact on social media. Don’t you dare outsource your voice or your presence to anyone. Not a social media expert, not your marketing manager, not your overly articulate teenage son.
In other, less metaphorical language, your website or blog should be seamlessly integrated with social media. That is, as long as you are active on social media. Which you are, aren’t you?
Please do not tell me that you are still poo-pooing Twitter and thinking Facebook is a “just a phase.” Wake up and smell reality! Social media is now (and will continue to be for a good long time) one of the most powerful tools you have to attract new business, build relationships of trust, create a community of fans and drive ideal clients to your website. It is no longer an option; it is essential to any smart, creative entrepreneur’s marketing strategy.
So, first, if you don’t have a social media strategy, get one. GET ONE! Now. Today. You don’t have to learn how to use every social media platform all at once. In fact, I recommend you focus only on one social media platform at a time, like Facebook, until you get savvy with the culture and best practices. Then, once you’re completely comfortable with Facebook, try on Twitter or LinkedIn… whichever serves your business best.
Either way, you need to make sure your website and social media are working together and mutually supporting each other. For instance:
On Facebook & Twitter:
If you have a Profile on Facebook that you use primarily to connect with friends, family and others outside of your work life, you need to make a decision. Do you want to market your business via your Profile (which has some limitations) or do you want to keep your Profile personal and then create a Business Page to represent your business? There are pros and cons to both, depending on your business, and this is another reason why it’s important to have an overall social media strategy.
When I first started out on Facebook and Twitter, it was an experiment. I dove in mostly for the fun of it. I connected with friends and folks who had the same interests (Internet marketing, entrepreneurship, and music). And I was pretty transparent with what I posted… maybe, at times, too transparent.
Do you leave love notes for people on their Facebook Walls?
No, I don’t mean littering people’s Walls with annoying apps like Fortune Cookie or Farmville. I’m talking about personal notes expressing your love, appreciation, or high regard for either that person or something that business or person offers?
For instance, just the other day I was listening to a CD I hadn’t heard in awhile, At Home, featuring my friend Shaynee Rainbolt, a very talented singer. As I was listening, I was struck by how great this CD really is. So, I went to Shaynee’s Wall on Facebook and left her a public love note that stated her how much I enjoyed listening to her CD and that killer arrangement of “I Only Have Eyes For You.”
I did the same thing last week after picking up some incredibly delicious sandwiches from Stone Soup, a local restaurant. After scarfing down and totally enjoying one of their grilled salmon wraps, I went to their Facebook Wall and left a note of appreciation that said: “Stone Soup hits it out of the park again! Just chowed down on your great salmon wrap (dig that wasabi aioli!).
What if you took a few minutes out of your day to post notes of appreciation on other people’s Facebook Walls? Or on Twitter? (see below).
You’re at a party. You know most of the people there. And as you stand by the table with the sun-dried tomato hummus and pita chips, sipping your Chardonnay, the hostess of the party comes up to you. There’s a big, friendly looking man on her arm. “I want to introduce you to my cousin Fred. He’s in town for a couple of days on business, and I thought you two might have a lot in common.”
You shake Fred’s hand as the hostess walks away, and Fred, with a big smile on his face, starts talking to you. And talking to you. And talking to you. He doesn’t even stop long enough for you to squeak in an “uh, huh” or “or really?”
Deftly, he switches from one subject to the next, pulling out photos of his two kids, the family Chihuahua and the motor boat he bought last year so he could take his family water skiing. Then, without missing a beat, he immediately starts talking about his food allergies, how turtleneck sweaters are for losers and why Charlie Sheen is severely misunderstood.
You’re starting to sweat and slightly panic. How are you going to get away from this guy? Your mouth is sore from all the superficial smiling and your neck is tweaked from politely nodding, and there’s no end in sight. Fred is on a train ride that won’t stop to let anyone off.
Finally, you’ve got it! You accidently (on purpose) drop your glass of wine. “Oh, no! you exclaim. “How clumsy. I’ve got to go get something to clean this up.” And as Fred says, “Oh, I have a handkerchief right here. I can get this cleaned up in a jiffy…” you dash away into the kitchen where you let out a sigh of relief. And pour yourself another huge glass of wine. For the rest of the evening, you do everything in your power to avoid Fred. Which isn’t hard because he’s already found someone else to bludgeon with his endless, stream-of-conscious monologue.
Oh, that Fred! Nice guy but when it comes to making conversation, he just doesn’t know how!
Well, I hate to tell you this, but a lot of you are “pulling a Fred” when it comes to your use of social networking and marketing. Especially when it comes to Facebook and Twitter. You’re doing a great job of telling the world about what you’re doing. You’re posting links, photos, and the poster for your next event. You’re sharing YouTube videos and blog posts, updating your status, and letting the world know what you’re up to.
Good for you! You’re swimming in the sea of social networking now and staying afloat.
But social networking is about interaction. Conversation. And your social media conversation is more than a bit one-sided because… you’re not listening. You’re doing all the talking. Like Fred.
Two weeks ago, we left Neal sitting pretty in his local hardware store, Neal’s Hardware, with a great free offer, a lot of new customers and a great strategy for distinguishing his neighborhood store from those superstores like Lowes and Home Depot. (If you missed that story, here it is.)
