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Social Media For 50+ Professional
Here’s a trend that appears to be growing — professionals over the age of 50 who are not looking to retire any time soon, and who want to be active in social media. These people have successful careers in their respective market place, but they are uncertain about how to go about a social media strategy. They recognize the need to be present in social media, but don’t necessarily have the desire to learn everything.
In a busy day packed with meetings, phone conferences and emails to answer, employing social media skills often falls to the bottom of the list. For such professionals who are only dabbling in social media perhaps with a LinkedIn profile and a Facebook account, the need is there for someone to create a social media strategy and get them started in the right direction. Without such help, a lack of social media skills may begin to hold them back. Social media is only getting stronger, and being present keeps professionals top of mind in a peer arena, offers opportunity to share business or personality characteristics, and opens up opportunities for introductions.
When considering a social media strategy, start by choosing a format for the benefits it offers. Here are examples from the best known social media platforms:
LinkedIn – While ‘all’ can be a risky limb to stand on, I will say that ALL professionals need a LinkedIn profile at the very minimum. If you deal with professionals, it’s a great resource for industry, company or personnel information. Also, LinkedIn is like ‘personal public relations.’ if a person leaves a company, they still have their LinkedIn account and can be easily found. You won’t lose touch.
Facebook – Facebook is often accused of being a personal rather than a business platform. Yes, it’s much less formal, but because of the more personal approach, it’s a great way for people to get to know the kind of person you are. In a world where people desire to see transparency, ‘friends’ can see your personality, and make a determination about your being the kind of person with whom they want to do business. So, yes, that can be a two-edged sword – be careful!
Blogging – There’s no better way for you to position yourself as expert on a topic than blogging. You get to choose your topics and showcase your expertise. Blogging also exposes your personality by the way you communicate with your audience. It gives you the opportunity to address your customer or audience concerns – to focus on their needs, and become a valuable resource. Blogging also increases Search Engine Optimization for your Web site. It’s increasingly important because Google rankings care about the frequency of updates to your content.
Twitter – Like short blog posts, Twitter offers an opportunity to comment on topics that are important to your audience of current or potential business contacts. I know of a CPA who met a great referral source on Twitter, and now they’re talking live. (One note – you can post the same status update to LinkedIn and Twitter – they’re the same number of characters. Two birds, one stone!)
You don’t need to be overwhelmed, and you can be successful at social media. Remember these three things:
1. It’s okay to not do it all – Just get started. Take advantage of the tools on LinkedIn, do status updates, then take on another media as you become comfortable.
2. Pick what you like – Choose the social media that you feel you can do well and that you’re willing to invest yourself in. If blogging stresses you out, leave it alone, or find a resource to help you do it.
3. Stay on top of it – Be consistent. This can be hard, but make it a priority and schedule time to make it happen.
By following these three principles, you’ll create a new and potentially very rewarding aspect to your career. If you have questions or need additional help getting started, give me a call or send me an email.
Dallas Social Media: Gut Check
Dallas Social Media: Gut Check
Recently I got so excited to watch a Mashable video about one of my new marketing heros, Jeffrey Hayzlett, CMO of Kodak. He published a new book, Running the Gauntlet, which discusses how we need to take a different look at our attitude to change our business approach and the future.
Finally, a large corporate executive gets it and has said out loud about social media and the return on investment scrutiny. We have all heard that if you cannot measure an activity then you should not do it. An attempt at social media measurement can hurl a marketing executive into spasmodic tremors since it’s extremely difficult to measure the results, especially in the beginning.
Hayzlett discusses is how we should step back from traditional thinking about expecting to be able to measure social media. Instead, Hayzlett suggests that leaders should look at the impact their business could have if they did not do any form of social media. Further explaining about whether or not social media can be measured, Hayzlette goes on to say, “…why spend all the time doing it [measuring social media] when you know in your gut that if I do a press release and it gets noticed and picked up by ‘x’ number or if I get people talking about me by 50 million, 5,000 or 50, [people] it’s good.”
Driving home his point, he discusses that getting folks engaged in your company is what’s most important. I personally could not agree more. You never know how much impact you are making offline and can only see parts of it online. I have had conversations with people that saw one of my Facebook posts or blog posts that never commented online.
I have never been one to think that you should do something just because everyone else is doing it. Some businesses may do better or personally favor one social media platform over another. Some industries use some platforms more resourcefully than others. Just know that establishing a social media campaign is not one-size fits all.
4 Ways To Add Value And Grow Your Business
I’ve always believed in supporting other people and their business endeavors. The wise adage beautifully stated by Zig Ziglar, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want,” really struck a chord with me when I first read it. This made sense to me and I always took that approach when I began networking with other business professionals.
Everyone I meet is stretched for time, including me. And, it’s important for your business to have a continual presence online. You can’t engage with customers and prospects and stay top of mind if you only have a static Web site. So, here are four ways to maximize your online presence and your time:
1. Repurpose content – Take a look at the social media you engage – blog, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In. Now, take a look at articles or presentations you wrote for other purposes. You may have content in your computer that you can tweak and re-use for any of your social media. Once you use the content, think, “What do I need to do to use this for Facebook? (or Twitter or Linked In)”
2. Recruit guest bloggers/newsletter authors – Ask business associates or companies with whom you could share a strategic alliance to contribute to your newsletter or blog. You offer them exposure and you provide a fresh perspective, adding value with well-rounded content that’s not just about making a sale. (But it puts you in an expert position to make the sale.)
3. Form an e-book partnership – Ask non-competing companies who share the same target audience to combine their content with yours for an e-book that provides valuable tips or insight to your target audience. Co-branding gives both of you positive exposure. Another twist on the e-book concept is to create the e-book yourself and offer it to non-competing companies to use with their customer/prospect base. Co-brand the content to leverage the relationship for both of you.
4. Ask companies to make a special offer – You can gain exposure for strategic alliance companies by using their product or service as a special offer for your company. A simple example is grocery stores that offer a product (donated by the vendor) as a ‘reward’ for spending at a designated level.
Checking off your to-do list and staying present online can seem like a daunting task. I hope these ideas help you work smarter, not harder. Comment or email me if you have other tips – I’m always looking for ways to squeeze more into a day!
Grow Your Business
4 Reasons Why A Blog Matters To Your Business
I was speaking to a prospect today about his company’s online strategy. He has been spending money on pay-per-click advertising but getting no results nor is he ranking organically (where he wants). In other words, he has not gotten any business. He heard about the theory of why a blog is important but did not understand the concept of how it can work to his advantage.
This particular businessman is more proactive than many people with their online strategies. However, so many companies design a Web site and ‘wallaaa’, they are done. I would say that’s a great start but certainly not all you should do after exerting the effort and money into developing keyword strategies, writing content and creating design. If you have no way to consistently reach out to your clients, prospects and referral sources, then all you have is an address online.
Why is a blog an integral part of an online strategy? Below are just a few of the reasons to post on a blog for your business health.
First and foremost, it helps boost traffic
Search engines love Web sites with fresh content. They key is not to create posts but create posts with keyword phrases in them. Keep in mind that every page of your Web site has a chance of getting optimized (high placement on search engines like Google). In fact, there will be times that one blog post ranks higher than your Web site pages.
Builds trust and ultimately establishes the relationships
Giving information away about what you do or how you things may seem counterintuitive if you have never taken this approach before. Yes, you will come across a few do-it-yourselfers, that’s just part of doing business. The bottom-line is that most people do not want to actually do the work; they want the assurance that they are speaking to the best person for the job.
Relative to other marketing strategies, it’s the lowest cost
There are many ways to spend your time and money. If you choose to keep your own blog updated with content, then you will invest time. Relative to the cost, blog posts can be such a great way to leverage your time and money. A professional writer will offer concise information that will appeal to your readers.
One blog post, many uses – Repurpose!
One of my favorite reasons to publish blog posts is the many uses you can get from just one post! Here’s my personal strategy:
1) 4x monthly I create and publish an informative post to my blog
2) Grab and shorten the URL (use a free program like Bitly)
3) Using Hootsuite to post to LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, I schedule the post notification to go out during the peak time for my business during the week
4) Bi-monthly, I create a newsletter using the posts over the past 8 weeks and distribute to my list
5) I did this for one of my clients: Pull together 10-20 posts and create an e-book. Offer it for free on your Web site or in landing pages. This is a great way to create interest in your business and offer something that your competitors aren’t providing.
Although we are so used to the immediate nature of the internet, keep in mind that blogging is another form of marketing and it does take time. But with consistency and a little patience, it can work for your benefit.
Social Media Marketing – Tool for Businesses
One of my newest friends is a guy out in Midland, Texas – Ronnie Lynch. He provides businesses of all sizes with his merchant services, also known as credit card processing services. Upon starting his business over five years ago, he was faced, like every new business, with reaching new customers. Fortunately for Ronnie, he understood that business is fundamentally about connections and relationships.
Like most people, Ronnie resorts to the internet whenever he needs to find or qualify someone for hire – attorney, insurance agent, doctor, dentist, plumber, etc. Understanding this mindset represents a vast majority, he incorporated the power of the internet with his business model. Ronnie has been kind enough to share what he uses and how it has contributed to his success.
Being successful in business is all about connections and relationships. Networking is the key to establishing your business as a legitimate force in your market. Getting the word out about what you do and why you do it is critical for today’s buyer. I knew I couldn’t speak face-to-face with enough people to get my message out and my business to the level I expected. The internet and all of its free tools helped me leverage my time and efforts.
When I started my business I was on a limited marketing budget, and knew that I would need to establish a network of trusted sources. I felt I had a great idea about how to conduct my business and show other businesses how they could benefit from working with me.
One of my favorite quotes is from Mark Twain is;
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
This statement has application in so many different areas of our lives and our businesses. Have you taken a look lately at how you are managing your marketing? How are you spending your marketing dollars? Are you getting the most from that expense?
How did I accomplish all of this? I utilized the tools available to me for free through the internet! Below are a few of my suggestions to help you.
Google Places: Take a stake online with your business. This lets people find you through their computer or their Smartphone. http://www.google.com/places
Bing: Another awesome search engine where you can place your business and get found: www.bing.com/businessportal
Web site and blog: Get your story out. If the idea of building a Web site sounds intimidating, find someone who can assist you in this. You may not need someone to build your entire site; you may just need some technical help in getting started.
LinkedIn: Do you have a LinkedIn profile? It will help you connect with others that can assist you in your business. The company I represent now found me through LinkedIn. This is what I call the Facebook for business people.
Facebook: This has become much more than a way to stay in contact with your family and friends. This is an incredible tool that you can promote you and your business through. Clients have become accustomed to going to Facebook and looking for a business and reading what others have to say about them. I use my Facebook Page to promote my business and add value to my clients. I promote my clients through my page by passing on information about them and who they are.
Twitter: Get your message out in 140 characters or less. Another great tool which I use to provoke conversations about how you are doing business, and why doing business with me is a better choice. Through my “tweets” I refer people back to my Web site or my Facebook page so they can gather more information about me, my business and what I represent.
These are just a few of the many ways you can market your business via social media. Now while all of these are or can be free, they do require time to manage. There is nothing worse than going to a Web site or a Facebook posts and seeing that the content has not been updated in many weeks.
What you want to consider is finding a social media marketing manager that offers a strategic direction – not just someone that posts ineffective comments. This is a relatively new marketing business model that can get you through all the trials and errors of trying to figure it out on your own. What do I mean? Have you given any thought to things like:
- Your “brand” (who are you);
- What is it you do;
- Your mission statement?
A social media market manager can not only establish your presence on the internet, they can also help you with your identity and the message you want to get out to your prospects!
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