Focus. In the world of “shiny objects” it’s very easy to get distracted. When you get distracted your resources are split among many different things. However, if you practice good goal setting you will be able to stay on track and when the “shiny object” comes around… you’ll be able to ignore it.
What’s a shiny object?
The shiny object is something that caches your eye and you lose your attention on what you were doing.
It’s easy to notice this with dogs. They’ll be walking along and all of a sudden something grabs their attention. Typically it’s a squirrel. For my dog it’s a leaf. He is fascinated when a leaf tumbles across the driveway. This wouldn’t be bad but I live in a woods. (haha)
With small businesses, social media marketing can be the Ultimate Shiny object. You are running a business, and all that implies: hiring, scheduling, ordering, shipping, advertising, marketing, paying bills, etc. You have a lot to do. All you really want to do is increase sales. You don’t need, want, or desire a career in social media marketing. You just want increased sales. But there you are posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat… you don’t know why, you just know you should.
That’s a shiny object.
Here are a couple important things to remember about the awesomeness of Social Media Marketing. 1-Do not get consumed by Social Media Marketing and 2-do not let someone else do it for you. You can hire someone to help you plan and to teach you, but you need to write the posts yourself. This is the only way they sound genuine!
BTW: there is no magic number formula. Sure you’ll read that you should post X times a day or worse when someone approaches your business as a social media expert and they make a plan that they will post X times a week. It sounds good, but what you need are effective interactions. The way to get effective interactions is by talking to the audience you want to attract.
OK there are two things you need to be aware of with that last sentence. Read again: “The way to get effective interactions is by talking to the audience you want to attract.” This means you need to talk and you need to define your audience.
1) You can create an ideal customer. Think of your favorite, most enjoyable customer, and write down on paper all the characteristics that make up them. Then use that as the person you are talking to with your social media marketing. If you are attracting teens you will talk to them in a much different way than you would talk to senior citizens. Same goes for your customers. Talk to that ideal customer in your writings.
2) TALKING. Social media is social. You need to chat it up. It doesn’t have to be long, it can be a quick “hey what’s up” type of post. The thing to remember is social media is not advertising. Advertising is something you pay money for… social media is a relationship. OK, have you ever been at a conference and had a pushy “sales” person walk up to you and immediately give you their business card, elevator pitch, and then ditch you for another person. It was like a “hit and run”. Now have you met someone at a conference and talked with them, developed a mini-rapport, and exchanged business cards by the end of the conference. It was a relationship.
That’s the difference between advertising and social media marketing. Social Media Marketing is not a “hit and run” you are building a friendship, it is a lifestyle. As such, don’t abuse your friendship by constantly asking for a sale. Provide information. Share your business happenings. But leave the “hard sell” out of Social Media Marketing, save that for advertising.
Simply, start with one platform. Find your voice then move to the next platform IF NEEDED. But do not jump to the next level until you’ve mastered the level you’re on!
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Action Steps
1- Today… create a post as if you were simply talking to your favorite customer.
2- Install my free app! (SmallBusinessClubApp.com)
Question:
What post has had the most impact with your audience (to date)?
Podcast:
Listen to Episode #159 of the Two Minute Commute audio blog Podcast
Love this inspirational quote? View it on a 12″ x 12″ Canvas “Social Square” wall hanging!
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