Home » Networking » Page 2

Category: Networking

How to be social in an unsocial world

Connecting with an audience that is avoiding social media.

If there is anything we’ve learned in the past few months, it’s that the online world seems a little less friendly.

Our social platforms are a firestorm of politics and fake news.

Are you stressed about connecting with an audience that is either:

  1. Busy debating politics, or 2. Avoiding social media?

I know a handful of people who have removed the FB app from their phones.  *gasp*

So now what?

As entrepreneurs, what are we supposed to do?  We’ve come to rely on social media to connect with our clients and fans.

Hope is not lost.

First, it’s important to remember a few things.

  1. You must think about who your audience is.  Are they even bothered by the current state of affairs? Are they still happily scrolling their Facebook or Twitter feed.
  1. Have you considered the social media platform you are on? Is your audience even on Facebook?  If you are in the B2B space, you may be better suited to focusing your marketing energy on LinkedIn.
  1. The volatile discussions taking place on social media are a clue into what people are thinking and feeling.  Rule #1 of talking to your ideal client is to know what keeps them up at night.  What are they worrying about and can you solve that problem? It may feel painful to read the discussions, but, it could be very beneficial to your business IF you can help or offer your expertise. Note:  I’m not saying to private message them and say “Hey, I saw you arguing with so and so; I’m a coach and can help you”.  I’m suggesting that you use the information as a way to tap into your audience’s minds. Then, blog, do a FB live, send an email blast sharing your valuable wisdom.


Here are some great ways to connect with your audience even if they are avoiding social media.

 

  1. Can you do a few live in-person lectures?

Before social media came along, this was one of the tried and true ways of reaching your audience.  It still is.  People more than ever would love to connect.

  • Reach out to a local co-working space.
  • Find out if they are looking for speakers.
  • Or rent one of their conference rooms.  Ask if they would promote your event to their list if you split the ticket sales.
  • Call you local library.  See how to get on their monthly events list.
  • Research local business groups that are a match to your products or services.

 

  1.  Do you have an email list that you aren’t leveraging?

If you have a list of subscribers that you haven’t emailed in a while, see if you can re-energize the relationship.

Warm up the list before selling or promoting to your subscribers. Otherwise,  you will see rapid “unsubscribes” if you start selling before saying hello.

Start by being honest with them.  “It’s been awhile since you’ve heard from me.  I’m sorry about that.  I’ve been busy working on, (fill in the blank).  I’d love to hear how you are doing.  Yes, I read my emails, so if you respond I’ll get it”

Here are some other suggestions from Infusionsoft (an email marketing program) on warming up a cold list:

  • Make it personal
  • Remind them of how they opted in and why they should stay
  • Provide value
  • Follow general email best practices
  • Include a CTA (call-to-action)

Once you start to warm up the list again, make sure to stay consistent in engaging with them.  You may get some unsubscribes anyway, don’t worry.  Think of it as a way of cleaning house.  You only want subscribers that are aligned with what you do.

 

  1.  Blog

Blogging is a great way to showcase your expertise and engage with new customers or clients.  When you blog you can offer a ton of value.  Not sure where to start? Blogging When You Hate Writing (or You LOVE to Write But Don’t Have Time)

TIP:  Always have a CTA (call to action) in your blogs. Have the reader sign up for a resource guide that will go deeper than your blog content.  Ask them to join your Facebook group. Set-up a free consult call.  You get the idea.

Where to blog:

You can post a blog on your own website, but you’ll have to put some marketing efforts into promoting it.

You can also submit or post a blog to online sites:

Also, look at sites that your audience may be interested in.  See if those sites are looking for guest bloggers.

 

  1.  Dust off the rolodex (a rolo-what?)

Yes, remember those things that had everyone’s contact info, written down on paper cards?  Send your contacts a note.

Everyone loves getting a genuine and thoughtful card in the mail. It’s actually very rare these days to get something other than an email.

Let’s say you are a business coach and you’d like to add a few more clients.  Reach out to some past clients and see how they are doing.  Send them a card to let them know you are thinking about them.  Offer them a free check-in call.  No obligation, a quick hello.  Tell them you’d love to hear what they are up to.  Tell them how to connect with you—email or cell.

You may not want to do this for a lot of people but if you are willing to invest a little time and money this could make a big impact.

Try a service to do this: Send Out Cards – or Ink Cards (Ink Cards is an app, you can do it from your phone). Either one of these will handle the entire process for you.

 

  1.  Don’t give up on social media completely.  

Your customers and clients are still out there. They still need your help. They are a little overwhelmed right now. Put your thinking cap on and think about creative ways you can help them (free of charge). What can you offer to them that shows them that you care about them and you’re ready to step up?

Be a human talking to other humans.  Be genuine, be yourself and put out the best work possible.

Your true fans will really appreciate you re-connecting!

If you are feeling stalled and don’t know how best to get re-connected, let’s set up a clarity call and we’ll figure it out together.

Nancy

 

Facebook 101 Workshop

Facebook Business Page 101 Workshop

On Friday October 28th, I’m excited to rejoin to The Summit at Workpoint Stamford to present another social media session that will help you learn important Facebook Business Page strategy!

In this hands-on workshop, solo-preneurs and entrepreneurs will learn and apply the following in just a couple of hours:

  • How to set up your Facebook business page
  • Invite people to “like” your page
  • Create posts that will shine through the clutter

You’ll leave with a Facebook page ready to promote your business. I’ll offer practical, easy-to-do steps to help you reach more people on Facebook and feel confident doing it.

Visit this evite page for more details and to register. I hope to see you on October 28th!

Social Media 101 for Women Entrepreneurs

Social Media 101 for Women Entrepreneurs Event

Let’s talk social media . . .

I’m going to be joining The Summit team for an overview of the top social media networks (including current trends affecting each), with the goal of helping you figure out which are the right ones for your business and how to use them best.

Will you be there, too?

  • Frustrated and overwhelmed about how to use and manage your social media efforts?
  • Interested in what’s new with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and all of the rest?
  • Excited for an up-to-the minute conversation about using the right social media platforms (and time!) more effectively to market your business?

Join me for a fun and engaging conversation about the most popular social media networks and how to make them work for you and your business.

Sponsored by The Summit, New York, NY

$45

Date: Wednesday, June 29th
Time: 9:30am – 11:30am
Location: WORKPOINT
Shippan Landing
290 Harbor Drive
Stamford, CT

Register Here

What Gifts Have You Given?

What Gifts Have You Given?

As we are headed toward the countdown to Christmas and the end of the year, you probably have a running list of overwhelming to-dos and a mental list of all of the things that you didn’t accomplish this year.

Here’s a just a glimpse of my running list –

  • Christmas cards still to sign and send
  • Presents to wrap and ship
  • Didn’t master several new social media strategies
  • Didn’t blog more than once a month
  • Didn’t run regularly

Sound familiar?  Seriously, we could totally beat ourselves up fretting over all of our shortcomings, challenges and issues we may have faced this year.

But stop for a minute.  Take a deep a breath – and let’s look at the other side of this coin.

What if you asked yourself “WHAT GIFTS HAVE I GIVEN THIS YEAR?”

Think about the clients whose businesses or life paths you altered in a positive way, or the co-workers you helped with a project, or the community organizations and non-profits that you supported.

Think about the “just checking in” phone calls or texts that you DID make. Don’t focus on the ones that you didn’t.

Instead of the obsessing on the perfect family dinners that you may rarely have or the not-so-tidy house you keep, think about the time you spent standing around the kitchen island laughing at a really stupid joke or hugging a loved one when things weren’t going so well.

Instead of fretting about the time you didn’t spend with your children, think about the time that you did.  Whether driving them around or being on the sidelines at a game or in the concert crowd, you were giving gifts!

I’m certain that there are probably hundreds if not thousands of people – family, friends, co-workers and strangers – who benefitted this year from your gifts of talent, time, love, attention, kindness, donations and probably just a smile at a time they needed it.

They may not have all been able to thank you, but I am.

[clickToTweet tweet=”THANK YOU! The world’s a better place for all you do! Keep up the great work! @sheesalt #gratitude” quote=”THANK YOU VERY MUCH! The world is a better place for all that you do! Keep up the great work!”]

(Credit and shout-out to author Laura Vanderkam – my first and favorite client – for this inspiration on “changing the narrative”.  It’s far better to focus on what we are doing right instead of having a persistently negative mindset about what’s going wrong.  To quote her: “Nobody wins in the Misery Olympics. Victory comes from refusing to take part.”)

Please share in the comments what gifts have you given this year, or connect with me on TwitterLinkedInFacebook, or Instagram.  And if you are having trouble coming up with the gifts you have given, shoot me an email, I’d love to help you with your list!