Just Keep Swimming...

Sometimes Social Steering seems like an uphill battle with very little results, and other times Social seems like a language you have always spoken, wherever you find yourself, Don't give up. Five reasons to keep swimming according to Nemo (and my 4 year old Lucas).

1. You won't reach your goals if you quit
Learning a new way of communicating can be challenging and uncomfortable. Some things will certainly look and feel unnatural until you become familiar with practice. Take for instance the hashtag #: it can be both #powerful and #redundant. When used appropriately and strategically, it can emphasize your point and help you hone in on specific queues and triggers. However you use it, make sure you use it.

2. How can you measure any success if you never get into the water. 
Most professionals will tell you that you cannot learn to swim unless you get in. Social is no different. Because this is a conversation first, remember that conversations are fluid. If you make mistakes, humble yourself, and keep talking. Getting in the water gives you the tools and understanding of the environment. It poses the challenges and risks first hand and it gives you the skills and confidence to overcome them, or at least face them. Social is talk! Get in the conversation and maneuver through.


3. Risks open us up to new realities, richer and deeper insight. My son and I have a  favorite part of Finding Nemo. It is the part when Dori tells the sea turtles what great obstacles Marlin has conquered. That story travels so far that it reaches Nemo in the fishtank. This is marketing. When you fight through to achieve an outcome, the message itself is what gives your customer confidence. Everyone wants to work with a hero, and overcomer, a success. Whatever motivates you to push through, keep your eyes on the prize. You have nothing to lose.

4. The Payoff shows itself in the relationships that bring us both personal satisfaction and business.
When we finally get to our goal, the reward is well worth it. It's the difference in working a job and working a passion. A passion is always fulfilling at the end. Make sure you take the road that leads you to your passions, and make that road the only one you travel. Your work will thank you, and your clients will as well.

5. A mind is a terrible thing to waste!  Learning keeps you alert, awake, and ready to Go. Learn something new everyday. Learn how to inspect, examine, and apply what you learn. But most of all, learn how to discern when something you have learned is not for you! Critical thinking is something that we can learn and use to grow our business. It can save us, our work, and our clients from wasted time and resources! Be on the lookout for opportunities to invest in new solutions, but be aware of solutions that are just murky waters.

Strategy is all about developing a pattern that is holistic and implementing it consistently over time. Do you need help with this? I know someone...

-GoldCoastLady

Don't just say Hi... Let me know you want this, too!

Engagement is key when practicing Social Etiquette!

As we attempt to start off the New Year on the right foot, engagement is the key element on whether you will live or die in this new social world. If you don't socialize, they won't know who you are! Get out there and mingle.

In this blog post I will give you 5 Ways to be loved in the social stratosphere, and 5 Ways to be hated when posting content. I have learned them all first hand, and can tell you it has often been at epic fail. If this is you too, there's hope! Get back up and dust off those boot straps. Today is a new day, and there is a new you to reveal. Let's do it!

Ways to be loved:
1. Always respond to real communication. Auto responders are nice, but they aren't doing you any favors. No response is the same as an auto response so get in the habit of talking back.
2. Comment on good ideas, inspiration, and relevant subject matter. You can do this on blogs, twitter, and many other relevant sites. Take some time to do it, because it makes the blogger more welcoming and more welcomed. All the way around it is a win-win.
3. Feedback: Leave it! This is a new game with a lot of rules, and none of them are established. Feedback is key. When you see someone doing something well, praise it. Try to steer clear of generic praising, and be specific on the aspect of engagement that affected you. They will appreciate it and your sincere effort to engage them.
4. Listen. I know, I know, I know. I talk about this all the time, but I cannot stress it enough. There are no real experts here. Only really proficient people who ALWAYS have something else to learn while teaching. Be the LEARNER! It goes a long long way.
5. Echo! You may think that re-tweeting and re-tweeting is generic, inauthentic, and the cheap way out, but it isn't. Share the love! Pick many thought leaders to re-tweet and not just one. Be versatile, be open, be expressive. Re-tweeting is the highest form of compliment in the social arena. Say it loud! Say it over! Say it with BIG sunshine and roses!

Ways to be hated:
1. Only post what others post. If you re-tweet everything someone else says, you are a copy cat. Go find your own stuff.
2. Don't talk back, don't respond to questions, don't acknowledge interest, don't make a sound. This is the first indication that you might not be real, and others will leave you fast. In a way they are right. What are you doing here if you are ignoring the conversation. Ease dropping. No one likes a snooper.
3. Post 10 times the same message, in the same time slot. This is certain to get you a shout. When using auto-posting features, be careful of glitches. They can sometimes leave you on the social floor with your groove on, while the music is off and everyone is watching. Pay ATTENTION to what you post.
4. When researching your data, try to read it. There is nothing more irrelevant than delivering an opposing message because you liked the subject matter. Be careful, watch what you say.
5. When promoting the tools you use, be careful not to promote the tools you don't use. This will certainly get you black listed for being inauthentic. It's OK to be a brand ambassador for something you wish for, just to don't carry on like you already have it. You will be figured out and outed real quick.

Stick by these lessons this new year and you are certain to be on your way to an amazing outcome! I look forward to going there with you, if I can commit to these myself. Either way, my boot straps are dusted off. See you at the finish line.

-GoldCoastLady