Tag Archives: sydney social media

The benefits of showing up online

Social Media is responsible for all of the worst things that happen in the world today – or so you would think if you pay attention to the news media.

The truth is quite the opposite in many cases.

There will always be those who hide behind their keyboards and spread hatred from the relative safety of their sofa. These are also the people who think that spamming is a clever and profitable way to spend their time.

I’m more interested in the positives of Social Media and feel there are many. Here are a couple, specifically based on a mini project I’ve been doing daily on Facebook:

Firstly, you develop confidence from learning new skills.

Writers have to work harder at brevity, keeping posts short but effective at the same time. Artists and photographers have to work out new ways to stand out from the crowd.

Lawyers also ask me how they can demonstrate to their clients how they solve problems rather than tell everyone how amazing they are (their favourite thing in the world).

Next, you can make new connections and build an important new kind of network.

Being part of old school face-to-face networking groups has its place. Being part of a fun, fast-moving and thriving Facebook Group can be just as good, if not better.

The connections and friends you make in these Groups online can carry over into real life, too.

Not everyone behind a keyboard is a weirdo. Talk to them and work it out for yourself.

And, finally, the more you show up, the better things will be overall.

I’ve been making a Monday to Friday Facebook Live called ‘Showing Up’ for my community and I’ve had some interesting feedback.

It has started conversations, created a few discussions and plenty of laughter.

It’s also helped me to reconnect with a few old contacts who tend to stalk more than participate.

But, most importantly, it’s got me to spend more time in a place where I wasn’t giving my best and that’s important for me. I’m an expert in this stuff and I always need to be at the sharp edge.

Share your best stuff

There is fear around when it comes to sharing your ’secrets’. The stuff you do that gets results. The best stuff you have to offer.

I often hear from clients, “oh, there’s no way we can put that out there.”

My reply is always a challenge to this.

It comes down to time.

I’ve spent four years now creating content about my subject, Social Media. If someone took the time to watch my hundreds of videos on Facebook and YouTube, my daily LinkedIn posts and articles, and signed up for my weekly-ish email, they wouldn’t need to work with me because everything I know is in this content.

It’s all out there because I want potential clients to see the best from me.

The tips I’ve shared, the advice I’ve given and the stories I’ve told about experiences with clients is out there and it’s all free.

And the reason why it doesn’t cause me any problems is that my work is saving my clients that magic ingredient we all have not enough of – time.

The content is giving people a taste and I want this taste to be something they want more of.

I want them to get a practical tip, work on it themselves and get success from it. I’m then ‘top-of-mind’ as the person that helped them out and solved a problem for them.

And when they want more help, the chances of them coming to me are much, much greater.

They don’t have time to do it themselves and the work we do saves them lots of it. They also don’t have time to review everything that’s out there already from me.

When they see a post and it’s something really helpful and useful, rather than something I’ve just dialled in to make sure I’m showing up, it will be remembered.

And then when they need more, they’ll pick up the phone.

What I want a Social Media Expert to know and do in 2020

Here’s a list that could work well as a checklist when looking to hire someone to help with Social Media for your business.

There are a lot of people offering Social Media services because it’s a ‘hot’ sector right now.

Businesses that traditionally don’t play in this space – web and graphic designers, for example – are adding it to their list of things they can do to help you, but beware.

Some are amazing and have tremendous skills and experience, but there are a vast number who should be avoided at all costs.

Here’s the list:

Their own Social Media profiles are excellent examples.
They show up frequently creating helpful, informative content.
They are not ‘post and disappear’ merchants – they engage online and do it all the time.
They are on the main platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (yes, Twitter), LinkedIn and YouTube – and have live platforms with content posted in the last few days.
They do the work themselves rather than offshoring it to keep the costs down.
They have decent numbers of followers because they have been online and creating content for a long time.
They use a mix of content – writing, video, audio and images.
They have excellent testimonials and recommendations (Facebook, LinkedIn and Google especially)
They value their skills and charge appropriately. (If prices seem cheap, the services usually are, too.)
They don’t claim to know ‘everything’ on any specific subject.
They can help to identify ideal clients and position brands the right way.
They know the difference between a blog and a website.
They know how to listen online and spot key trends.
They understand how to interpret data and use it to improve results, especially on websites and working with written copy.
They have basic how-to knowledge as well as strategic ability.
They’re not afraid to make public predictions about where Social Media is going.

I’m sure there are more things but this is a good plcae to start.

Please use this list as a guide and add to it wherever you like. Also, let me know where you think I may be wrong and leave a comment. Thank you!