Personal vs Professional the Debate Lives On
September 12, 2011
Recently I had a client who told me they wanted to make big changes to their social media strategy based on a lot of online info stating that personal items are bad in social media. They are completely stripping out their personal posts and any that are promotional.
While I think it’s a smart move for this client (as I had recommended something like this months ago); it’s important to remember not to move completely to the extreme. The debate of what to post on your social media networks including your blog has gone on for years and will continue to do so. Some experts say keep it strictly professional. Others say be personable and professional.
Finding your own happy medium is what’s most important. I believe the one item most people overlook when deciding this, is what does your target market need and want? Of course they need helpful information otherwise they wouldn’t be there but what about the style that is blended with it? Should you keep your personal experiences out and just relay professional tips? Or should you add in the personal life to remind people they’re dealing with a human being not a robot?
Remembering to be yourself while deciding this is also important.
So for the client who I mentioned; this is what I said:
“ You’re on the right track but I would suggest not to go to the extreme. As we had discussed a few months ago; while I think it’s good for you to remember that your readers want to be helped and find valuable information from you and not just filler; it’s also a good idea to use your personal experiences to also help them. What I mean by this is say you had a horrible experience at a restaurant. You could use this example as a way to underline the importance of great customer service.“
Poor Results In Social Media
May 25, 2011
I’ve seen clients who have had great results with social media and some that haven’t. Yes, you read that right – some have not seen the results they wanted. And I know for a fact that any social media VA’s reading this are nodding their heads in agreement to some of their own situations with clients.
“But you’re the social media manager!? Why is this happening?” Well, let me tell you……….
Or rather let me give you some examples of why it worked so well for one client of mine in particular:
- His social media has an important ingredient in it….him! He logs on and adds in his own posts/tweets in addition to the ones that he approves and I schedule.
- We have a social media strategy.
- We post/tweet/update at least 3 times a day.
- He faithfully blogs on a regular basis without fail.
- He’s open to new tools/ideas in social media that I bring forth.
- He’s learned about the social networks he’s using for better understanding.
- We have a weekly and monthly social media strategy that we adhere to.
- We meet twice a month to ensure we’re both “in the loop” about any news about his company.
- We break up the year into quarters for the social media plan and meet to review the results and make changes where needed.
- While a reply or comment might be posted by me, he supplies the response in order to ensure it’s a genuine.
- We adhere to a consistent schedule in our social media each week.
- We both listen to the conversations daily.
- And one of the best examples that I absolutely love…..he’s a forward thinker.
3 Essential Questions About Your Clients’ Target Market
January 3, 2011
I came across this post the other day by Mashable and even though it is humorous it states an important message.
You can see it here:
http://mashable.com/2010/12/31/social-media-costume-comic/
As a VA providing social media as a service to my clients; it’s imperative that I not only know my target market but their target market as well. The more I know about their target market the more effective I can be with my services to my clients.
Now this doesn’t mean I have to spend hours into researching them but a good basic sense of what their target market is like is sufficient.
Here are 3 questions that help with this.
1. What are the demographics?
- What age range do they fall into?
- Are they male, female or is the target market a mix of both?
- Where do they reside?
2. Where do they hang out online?
3. What are their biggest problems?
I need to know what needs the client addresses for them.
What The Lottery and Social Media Have In Common
December 1, 2010
You’ve heard the lottery saying “If you don’t play you can’t win“. A similar statement can be said for social media.
If you don’t participate then you won’t see results of any kind.
You can have everything set into place for a great social media strategy but if you don’t use those channels you aren’t going to see an increase in traffic, presence or your bottom line. Social media takes time, creativity, conversation, and connections to engage with but most of all consistency, dedication and authenticity.
So before you say it isn’t worth it or it doesn’t work or it’s time wasted ask yourself these 5 questions:
- Am I posting regularly?
- Is what I’m sharing of any value to my target market?
- Do I converse with people I’m connected to? (Responding, Retweeting etc)
- Am I being authentic?
- Do I set aside time in my schedule for social media each day?
Did You Miss This On Your Business Card?
November 1, 2010
Even though the business card is becoming less thought of in today’s online networking; it still retains its presence in business as an item that you should have. People still meet one another in person for business reasons such as Chamber of Commerce meetings or in moments where it just so happens that a conversation is struck on a subject you deliver your services in. Whatever the occasion, having a business card on hand is important.
So what’s new about that you ask? Well, have you thought about what’s on that card? I realized with great horror the other day that none and I mean none of my social media networks are on my card. My email, my website, and my phone number are all there but these crucial items were not…my Twitter, my Facebook Page, my LinkedIn…Aack!! My title is there (Certified Social Media Virtual Assistant) but my social presence isn’t….oops!
Let my “OOPS” be your reminder. Put your social media sites on your business card.
