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Dear Reader,

You may notice that it’s been a while since I posted anything here. That is because I have (finally) transferred my blog over to my domain. Please visit http://www.socialsorted.com/blog and subscribe there to keep in touch with all the latest news.

Thanks so much for your support. I really value my subscribers!

To your success,

Emer

Automated Messages on Twitter? Here’s What Happened When I Experimented…

Last week I decided to run a little experiment…

You know those automated Direct Messages (DMs) you receive when you start following people on Twitter? The ones that go along the lines of, ‘EARLY INVESTORS GET FILTY RICH &%&%$$!!’. Yes, they’re beautiful, aren’t they? Well, I (together with many of you I expect) tend to gloss over these, even those that just simply say ‘Thanks for the follow’. It’s a rare occurrence to see a DM which is not automated and has been written to me personally.

My welcome DMs have generally been along the lines of, ‘Thanks for the follow, if you’d like to learn more about what I do please visit http://www.socialsorted.com’ etc. and yes I’ve done the ‘Download your free ebook here’ ones aswell. Last week, however, I tried something different. I rotated four different welcome DMs, three were kinda samey, but one stood out. It said ‘So, what do you think about all these automated welcome DMs?’ 

Wow, what a response! I’ve never had so many conversations with people on Twitter within such a short space of time. It was getting to the point that I had to stop myself from checking Twitter because I knew I would be getting involved in some conversation or other and often I just didn’t have the time!

I thought I would share with you some of the responses I got to my automated welcome DM about automated welcome DMs:

‘Well, we get inundated with ads on radio and TV everyday, sometimes the same ad every 5 minutes. Somehow society deems that acceptable’

‘Hi Emer, I’m not sure what they look like. I hope I’d be able to tell if someone was real by their words.’

‘whats your take on automated responses?’ (that conversation ended up spanning 3 days!)

‘Hmmm.. I prefer to write my own!’

‘Hello Emer, I think automated welcome messages are okay unless people try and flog stuff to you without even getting to know you first :)’

‘My message was not automated. I don’t like them, they have no “essence” but what can you say that is original? Was your reply automated?’

and my personal favourite…

‘People use twitter 4 various purposes which I respect, I love it 4 inspiring & motivating people, there’s too much negativity out there!!!’

So the upshot of my experiment was that I had a LOT of conversations and made new connections with people I would not normally have connected with it, had I not posed the question (and yes, it helped that it was automated!).

What can you do differently to engage your followers, stimulate conversation and make brand new connections?

My 2013 Social Media Resolutions

To whom it may concern, this year I will…

• pencil in times in my diary for online networking and then and only then shall I go on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to converse with others (gulp)
• not be shy about taking my social media relationships offline, picking up the phone and saying hi
• keep my fans, followers and newsletter subscribers up to date with all the latest social media changes
• be even more stringent about my social media stats and measuring my ROI
• not be too distracted by bright shiny objects and be sure to do my research first
• post more comments to peoples’ blogs – we all love to be heard
• blog once a week!

 

 

 

 

 

What are your New Year Social Media Resolutions?!

5 Ways To Grow Your List Using Social Media

He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice, he’s going to find out…oh, wait a second: different list. The list I’m referring to here is the list, the list of email addresses of people who are interested in what you have to say – your mailing list, your database, your big black book full of contacts, that’s what I’m talking about here. You may have heard the famous saying, ‘The money’s in the list’ and it’s very true. Your list is critical to your business – in fact I’ve even heard business gurus say ‘The bigger your list, the bigger your bank balance.’

So how do we use social media to grow this all important list? Here’s 5 ways:

1. Use Twitter to send people to your sign up box on your website (assuming you have one of those. If not, get one asap!)

2. Use Twitter to send people to a specific ‘Free gift for my Twitter followers’ web page. This is an individual page with no links, but simply info on your free gift and a sign up box.

3. Use a lead capture app on Facebook. This is basically a button on your Facebook page that people click and then are brought to a page where again they can sign up for your free gift (Tip: Make sure this gift is different to your Twitter/website gift)

4. Running a webinar? Use social media to promote your webinar, use the webinar to grow your list by capturing people’s names and email address when they sign up.

5. The free gift: you’ve heard me mention it a few times now. My tip here is to get it right! Make it something irresistible that you know your market will love. Its got to be juicy, exciting and a no-brainer. Spend a bit of time on this (but not too much!) as it will have a large impact on the growth of your list.

Good luck!

Emer

The REAL Reasons You’re Not Getting Results from Social Media

In no particular order…

1. You haven’t clarified what ‘results’ mean for you – a steady increase in your mailing list? more enquiries to your business? More people ‘liking’ what you have to say? Someone hot asking you out on a date?

2. You’re expectations are too high – you approach social media like it’s the answer to all your prayers. It’s not. (And believe me, if I knew what the answer to all your prayers was I’d be selling that). Social media is a marketing tool; it’s not the secret to a long and happy life.

3. You’re not measuring your activity – you have a sense of things not working but you’re not actually measuring anything. It’s likely you are more inclined to see what isn’t working than what is. Jot down your successes, small or large, on a weekly basis, and notice the difference.

4. You don’t know which benchmark to use to measure results – you look at Johnny who has 10K followers on Twitter and think, ‘Man, he’s doing so well on Twitter’. Is he? have you asked him?

5. You’re trying too hard – it’s frustrating; you keep at it, at it, at it, and still nothing. Maybe you just need to take a break for a few days. Benign neglect, they call it.

6. You’re not trying hard enough! Perhaps you have a plan but you’re just not sticking with it. The same thing happens if a personal trainer gives you a fitness plan but you don’t follow it – you don’t get fit.

7. You don’t have a plan or a strategy – you’re playing around in a haphazard fashion.

8. You don’t like social media – it’s ok. I don’t like accounting, but I know it’s important part of my business. That’s why I hire an accountant. (details of my ‘done-for-you’ social media package coming soon)

9. You expect it not to work – you’re going in to it thinking, ‘you know what, this is a pain, I’m not sure about this whole social media malarky’. What you focus on is what you get. Eventually what you’re thinking will manifest itself into reality.

..Well, reading back over this it is a touch on the negative so I would like to conclude with a positive statement. Wherever you’re at, at this moment, in your life, in your business, in your quest for social media success, you’re doing ok and you’re heading in the right direction. Onwards and upwards!

How to Use Twitter to Attract New Coaching Clients

I’ve spoken with many coaches who’ve confessed that they are on Twitter (because well, isn’t everybody..?) but they’re not quite sure how to use it to attract clients. Sometimes the relationship you have with people on Twitter can feel so different to the coaching relationship that coaches are unsure how to marry or reconcile the two. It doesn’t have to be that way. Follow these tips and you’ll be on the right track to attracting new clients in no time.

1. Ask questions. Questions work really well on Twitter. When coaching a client you ask questions all the time. Write out a list of questions and use these as tweets e.g. ‘What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail’. Remember to use your language, not someone else’s.

2. Give people a boost. Think of all the concerns, challenges and worries your clients come to see you with. You are excellent at reframing these and offering a new perspective, an insight, a supportive ear. You can do this in a different way on Twitter by tweeting statements that will help people to overcome their challenges and give them a boost as they go about their day.

3. Respond to the emotion first, not the fact. When your followers are chatting about something you feel you can help with remember first to empathise and respond to their emotion e.g. Follower: ‘Arghhh, not enough time in the day!’ You: ‘I know the feeling! Using some breathing tips here to calm my overwhelm’ (as opposed to ‘Please come to my site and download my Time Management ebook’)

4. Showcase your personality. Yes, there are many coaches out there and no, none of them are you! Be loud and proud about who you are and what you stand for. Speak in your own language aswell as your clients. As in face to face network you will naturally attract some people and not others. That’s ok. In fact, it’s a good thing!

5. Invite people to take the next step, whether that is reading your blog, signing up to your newsletter or having a conversation with you. This is a delicate balance, but one I know you can achieve well. Remembering it’s all about the relationship will greatly improve your efforts.

…and this is just the tip of the iceberg! When it comes to social media (not just Twitter) for coaches, the potential is limitless. To chat through your options and take you one step further than where you are today, book in for a Social Media Surgery https://www.timetrade.com/book/L8VWG

To your success,

Emer

Social Media Jargon Bust!

I am guilty of the odd occasion where I slip into ‘social media speak’. A friend of a friend asked me about starting a blog recently and I started with, ‘Well, there are many platforms to choose from’. ‘Platforms?’, he said, ‘I thought platforms were something you see at train stations.’ Guilty as charged…

Ok, so here are a few terms I and my fellow social media buddies use which may not be so well known amongst non-techy types:

Autoresponder, as in ‘What autoresponder do you use?’ which can be translated as, ‘Do you use a piece of software to send out emails to a list of email addresses? Something like Aweber, Constant Contact or Mailchimp?’

So what? In short, autoresponders make life a lot easier. You write one email, press send and it goes out to (as many as you like) email addresses.

Special Offer app (otherwise known as Welcome app or Special Offer app or SignUp app) as in ‘Would you be interested in having a Special Offer app on your Facebook page?’ which translated means, ‘On your Facebook business page I can create an application where you can offer something such as a video or ebook in exchange for someone’s name and email address. It will look like a button on your page. People click on the button and they are taken to the special offer.’

So what? Special Offer apps are a great way to build engagement on your Facebook page, aswell as grow your email list. It’s win/win!

Optimised profile as in, ‘I highly recommend you optimise your Twitter profile’ which translated means, ‘In my opinion you would attract more people on Twitter and convey a more professional image if you changed the look and feel of your Twitter profile, meaning specifically the background, profile picture, profile description and keywords’.

So what? First impressions count! An optimised profile means your target audience are more likely to take you seriously, follow you and engage with you.

I hope you enjoyed today’s jargon busters. Please comment below on what other jargon terms you would like me to bust!

How to Avoid Looking Like An Idiot on Social Media

I don’t know about you but I am perpetually fascinated by how much we (the human race that is) are preoccupied with looking good in front of others. We’re just a little bit obsessed with this. Ok to have a messy house but as soon as you hear someone is popping round you go into cleaning overdrive? Thought Uggs were ridiculous until your best friend bought a pair? Worry more about what you said in front of others following a night out (as opposed to what you actually did or what kind of state your liver is in the next morning)? We’ve all been there, and social media is no exception. After all how many of us joined Facebook following peer pressure of the ‘Pah, you’re not on Facebook? You’re so not with it’ kind?

So now that we’re on Facebook (Twitter, LinkedIn etc.) how do we use these networks for business purposes without making an idiot of ourselves? Here’s how:

1. Do it right or don’t do it at all. Thought Twitter looked like fun so you set up a company account? Haven’t tweeted since last November? You may not exactly look like an idiot but you will put the question, ‘are these guys still in business’ in peoples’ minds.

2. Don’t put tweets through LinkedIn, the content of which centre mainly on the weekend’s rugby results. Yes, it’s the weekend, yes you’re quite entitled to go to the pub and watch rugby and no, we don’t want a blow-by-blow description of the game via LinkedIn (or at all, really…)

3. Get your branding sorted. Please please please don’t opt for the standard blue clouds background on Twitter. It screams, ‘I’m just messing around on Twitter, so much so I can’t even be bothered to get a custom background’.

4. The auto-post. Be careful of this one! I specialise in striking that balance between full automation on social media and spending all your time doing absolutely everything manually, and believe me it is a delicate balance to achieve. The worst offender is the automated @mention on Twitter. You send a tweet saying @johnny hi, heard you’re in town next week, shall we hook up? and you get one back saying @socialemer visit my website for all the latest news on widgets.

5.  Be careful about how you use your Facebook profile. If you accept business contacts as friends on Facebook then remember that they can see all your photos and all photos you’ve been tagged in. Adjust your privacy settings so that people only see what you want them to see, and create lists within Facebook so that when you write a post you can decide whether it’s going out to friends, business contacts or both.

Looking good,

Emer

 

Are you using a VA to help with your social media?

Sometimes when I speak to business owners about their social media, they say ‘Oh my VA takes care of my social media’ which is great but I sometimes wonder, if the business owner doesn’t know much about social media and they’ve hired a VA to take care of it for them, how do they know the VA is doing a good job?

I recently offered to review social media content for someone who had hired a VA for this very purpose and I was amazed. My initial reaction was, ‘Wow. There is so much potential here that is being wasted!’ but of course how is the business owner supposed to know this if they are not au fait with the workings of social media? And if they are not quite sure exactly what to tell the VA to do.

I really believe it’s critical for the business owner to develop a social media strategy in line with their business goals and how their business works and to then hire a VA to help to implement this. After all, a VA will simply do as instructed. They may have some ideas themselves but if you are paying for someone to implement your strategy you really need to have a solid strategy to begin with! You wouldn’t hire someone to just ‘do your sales’ so why hire someone to just ‘do your social media’?

And besides…although I appreciate the value of having a VA to post tweets and Facebook posts I have also seen first hand the transformation when a business owner gets involved and starts replying to some of those @mentions and starts chatting to people on Facebook. The value of the conversation is not to be overlooked and genuine connections are developed when someone is chatting to YOU, not your VA. (Worst case scenario is when someone thinks they’re chatting to you but they’re actually chatting to your VA. Ouch.)

A balance can be struck between VA involvement and business owner involvement where the VA does most of the ‘grunt’ and the business owner gets involved in two-way communication. If you can identify yourself as a business owner who has hired a VA but is not really sure about what exactly the VA should and shouldn’t be doing then get in touch. I can help you develop a strategy that works for you, and train your VA accordingly if required.

Onwards and upwards.

The Truth About Social Media

This may sounds surprising coming from a social media consultant but I’d like to start off this blog post by saying: if you’re not on social media, that’s ok.

The reason I say this is because when I started off in business, although social media wasn’t de rigeur at the time, internet marketing certainly was and as someone who’s quite nervous picking up the phone, this was a godsend. I breathed a sigh of internal relief as I convinced myself that if you’re not selling over the internet, then there’s no point in selling at all.

How wrong I was. One of my later clients, who turns around a £1 million business every year, doesn’t even have an email address. (Incidentally, I was training his staff, not him, on how to use social media). Starting out, what I really needed to hear was,  ‘If you can’t sell in person or over the phone, you can’t sell online.’  That and,  ‘Just get on the phone before you start playing around on the internet.’

The bottom line is that social media is terrific in so far that businesses understand and appreciate both its strengths and its limitations. Social media is a wonderful tool for lead generation, for attracting traffic to your website, buzz to your business, but if you don’t have a way of converting that buzz, the traffic into actual sales, and sales is your overall objective, then it can feel like a pointless struggle.

Of course converting leads from social media takes time, and there are many opportunities social media brings that are not directly sales related, for example developing joint venture relationships or being invited to speak at a conference or write something for a publication.

To maximise your efforts on social media, ask yourself the following:

• When posting on Twitter, Facebook etc. what is the next step I want people to take?
• What is my normal sales process and how can I integrate this with social media?
• What creative ways can I convert social media leads into sales?

TIP: Use social media to get people to sign up to your email list; use your email list to invite people to have a conversation with you.

If you’re not on social media but you have a ton of leads and a systematic way of converting them, then well done you, you probably have more business than you can handle!

To your success,

Emer