4 step Social Media game plan for direct sales

So, you're a new consultant or maybe you're just realizing the value of social media marketing, how do you start promoting your business using Social Media?  


Here's my simple 4 step game plan to get you started:

1.   Company website - Setup your company provided website.  Most any direct sales company offers a personal website for their distributors, sometimes for free, sometimes for a monthly fee.  Either way, you must have it to play in the online ballgame.

2. Facebook - If you're not already on Facebook, open an account.  It's free and a great way to socialize with friends and family and network with prospective clients. 

• If you're one of the millions of folks already actively engaged daily on Facebook, enhance your existing profile to showcase your business.  
• Next, create a Facebook Page for your business. This is where you will distribute the content of your blog and your YouTube videos.  Of course you may not have a blog or YouTube Channel yet, but you can start by sharing information from your company, from other informative sites that your friends or family may be interested in relative to your products or services.

In my opinion, you could stop right here and be a big hitter in this game. If you want to hit it out of the park, consider taking the following steps:

3. Blog - Once you have a handle on Facebook, start thinking about your blog. You can create a simple blog like this one for free using Blogger or WordPress. You'll want to create relative content of interest to your target market.  

• Plan to post at least once a week.  
• You're blog should not be your product information copied and pasted from your company website. It should reflect your personality and provide good information that people are interested in reading. Your posts should be easy to read and not contain a lot of industry jargon. 
• Use bullet points or numbered lists when possible. It's been proven that people read less and less and are most likely just going to scan your articles for the specific information they want.

4. YouTube -  Because people are less and less interested in reading, you need to create video content to convey your message. 

• YouTube is one of the best cross-platform tools. You can share your videos on your Facebook Page your blog, etc.
• With YouTube, you get your very own "channel" where you can share your own videos, your company's videos or any other videos that you think your target market will find relative.  
• You'll eventually want to create multiple "playlists" of different types of things, like one for more formal type "commercials" for individual products (like those from your company), one for events you attend or host, one for "how to" videos, etc. 
• Start recording testimonies from your clients, team members and maybe even post a weekly update, etc.  

Now, don't be intimidated by this.  You can do it. Tackle it one step at a time and don't try to do it all in one day or even one week.  Decide how much time you can devote to this and get started.  

What other social media platforms are you interested in?  Twitter? Pinterest? LinkedIn? StumbleUpon?

Social media and the Queen...

The British Monarchy on Facebook

Over the weekend, I caught a bit of "The Queen", a movie about the royal family's response to the 1997 death of Princess Diana.  Before now, I haven't followed the royal family and didn't watch the royal wedding, so I was a bit surprised by the way the movie portrayed Queen Elizabeth II's dislike for Princess Diana.  But, what I really found interesting was how the film emphasized that the people wanted a public expression of grief from the royal family, as if they wanted to be included in the family's grieving process or at least know how they were grieving.

Could this have been the start of the "social media revolution"? 

At the end of the movie, the Queen states that times have changed and that the monarchy must "modernize".  I started wondering how all of this would have been different had it happened now, 14 years later. Of course we could compare it to the royal wedding fanfare, but weddings are a time of positive publicity and celebration, not the grief and controversy around Diana's death.

In the film, the Queen is appalled at the desire of the people to have a public funeral.  I wonder how would she have felt if it had been broadcast on Facebook like Michael Jackson's funeral, (which I did watch parts of on FB)? Even with her recognition that there was a need to modernize (according to the film), it wasn't until last year that the British Monarchy joined Facebook.

So, why does any of this matter and what does it have to do with anything?  I simply found it interesting since I work with people from many generations and backgrounds with varying "attitudes" towards Social Media, some with concerns about the transparency of it all, and some who just don't understand why people want to know what you're doing all the time. For the most part, I think its just another example of how "we don't have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it." (Erik Qualman)


What do you think?  Feel free to post your comments below.

Facebook found my lost dog twice! Well, almost...

A few months ago, when my dear husband was away on a hunting trip, I forgot to latch the gate and our dog roamed away from home while I was gone to work.  When I returned after work and a meeting at church, the dog had been gone for about 14 hours. Immediately, I started calling anyone I thought might know anything about his whereabouts.  Before I started roaming the neighborhood with a couple of my husband's co-workers, I posted a photo and frantic BOLO message on Facebook.  Since I am FB friends with many of my neighbors, people who work in the area and my mail lady, I thought someone may have seen him as they were out and about during the day.

The response was overwhelming, everyone nearby was willing to keep an eye out and some friends even offered to come help with the search.  It was after 10 pm, we drove around everywhere calling out "Jack, Jaaaack, Jaaaaack". No luck. We called off the search, hoping someone would spot him the next morning.  As my husband's partner was headed home, he stopped to ask some folks out in their yard if they had seen our "big yellow dog".  Indeed they had and he was able to find Jack nearby.

So no, Facebook did not find my dog this time, but listen to what happened the next morning.

My dear husband, sitting in a tree stand 400 miles way, doing what all hunters do in the stand, checking Facebook from his DROID, sees this picture of our dog! Not my picture, but a picture from the sweet young lady who picked up our dog in the parking lot of a facility near where we live, (the same facility where my dear husband works). 

Now, if you can believe it, our beloved Jack went on yet another adventure yesterday afternoon.  Annually, when we go away on vacation, my aunt, and renowned dog-sitter, who lives about 30 miles from us in my hometown, takes great care of our baby boy. We were due to pick him up yesterday afternoon.  Around 2:30 pm, he darted out of the yard while he was out on a bathroom break. A search ensued and we arrived on the scene around 6:00 pm.  We searched everywhere and of course, I put out another BOLO on Facebook, asking everyone in my hometown to re-post his picture and my contact information.

Around 8:00 pm, I received a call from yet another sweet young lady who had found Jack in her yard. She got my number from a store clerk I had stopped to inform of my missing  pet.

Again, Facebook did not find my dog, but listen to what happened later:

When we arrived on the scene where Jack had been located, the lady said she had go down to the store and just happened to ask the clerk if she knew anyone missing a dog.  The clerk gave her my information.  She was elated to have found Jack's owners.  She said in the process of searching for us, she had posted his description on Facebook! I did not know this young lady and we are not connected as friends on Facebook (yet), so chances are I would have never seen her post.  However, my other aunt, also a member of our search party, had re-posted my BOLO.  A friend of this aunt's is the daughter of the lady who found Jack!!

So, yes, Facebook almost found my missing dog twice and I believe given a few more hours, I could remove the "almost"!  Currently, I am researching GPS tracking devices for him!

Facebook How to: Block wall-posting apps from your friends

Scrolling through the news feeds this morning on Facebook, I noticed a friend asking how to block an app that was posting on their wall. You know the kind where one of your friends asks a question about you or picks your best picture. Those things seem to be coming up more and more lately. So, here's how to get rid of them:

1. Move your mouse pointer to the right-hand side of the post you want to remove and/or block. A small X will appear.

2. Click it and you will see a drop-down menu similar to the one shown below.

3. You may remove the post, which will take it off of your wall, but will not prevent the same application from posting to your wall again. Or you may Block the application, which is the second option in the list above. 

4. Once you click Block, you will get a confirmation window like the one below:

5. Click Block and this will prevent this particular application from posting to your wall ever again. 

Unfortunately, this will not prevent all applications from posting to your wall, but you can cut down on the most viral ones pretty quickly by doing this a few times as the posts appear.

Have more "How to" questions?  Post them in the comment section below and we'll get them answered for you.

7 Simple Facebook Questions Answered

Here are answers to 7 commonly asked Facebook questions that I have found that I tend to get when I start talking to people about Facebook, whether its at church, with family, or at a business meeting.

If you have a burning question, post it in the comments section below and let's get the answer!

1. Q: How do I tag my friends in my status update?
   A:  Status Tags - If you want your friend's name or a Page to be a link in your status update, simply type the @ sign before you type their name (no space, i.e. @DrJoe in the example below), and then choose their name from the list. Once you click the Share button, it becomes a link.

2. Q: How do I find my privacy settings?
   A: Facebook Privacy - To access your Facebook Privacy settings, click Account in the upper-right corner, and then click Privacy Settings.
   
   

3. Q: How do I get a personal link to my Facebook page to print on business cards, etc?
   A: Facebook "Vanity" URL -  If you want your own Facebook web address, aka a "Vanity URL" (i.e. http://facebook.com/suddenlyslim) for your Profile or Page, go to http://facebook.com/username. You can set it up there. NOTE: Pages must have at least 25 fans to qualify for a vanity web address.
   
4. Q: How do I get back to a page that I 'Like'?
   A: Accessing Your Facebook Pages -  To navigate to a Page that you're a fan of, type the name of the Page in the Search bar at the top of your screen. Then you'll be able to select it from the list.

5. Q: How do I create a Facebook Page?
   A: Create a Page - To create a Facebook Page, navigate to any existing Facebook Page, and click Create a Page for My Business at the bottom of the sidebar on the left.
   

6. Q: How do I make my links click-able?
   A: Creating Web Links -  You have to type http:// in front of any web URL that you want to be a link, when sharing it in your status update. renewedyounow.com won't do. It has to be the full URL: http://renewedyounow.com.
   
   
7. Q: How do I share something with just one person or a group of people, but not everyone?
   A: Sharing Updates with Specific Friends -  If you only want specific people or friend lists to see something, add your content and then click the lock icon next to the Share button. Choose Customize, and then select Specific People from the drop down list. Enter the names of people or lists that you want to see the message. Click Save Settings, and then click the Share button. Only the people you specify will be able to see the content.
   

5 Simple Rules

While Social Media can be an excellent networking and business marketing tool, there a few basic rules that everyone should follow, whether promoting themselves or their business.

Rule One: Think Before You Post.
Know that anybody can and will GOOGLE you. Many posts show up openly in Google searches and anything can be copied, pasted, shared, re-tweeted, etc. Don't post anything that you don't want your mom, your friends, your employer, your clients, your professor or a recruiter to see. It's that simple.

Rule Two: It's not all about me!
If all you do is post about what you had for lunch and complain, you will not get much benefit from these tools. The best way to be successful with social media sites in general is to be engaged. It's a two-way conversation. So, actively go out and "engage" with people who have similar interests to you. You never know where that online conversation may take you.

Rule Three: Don't Drink and Post!
This is pretty self-explanatory. The same goes for positing and driving. Posting and drinking and posting and driving are downright stupid and can be dangerous. If you're not sure about this one, refer to Rule #1.


Rule Four: Use Good Grammar.
I know it's often hard to express everything due to the limited characters allowed. That's why certain symbols and abbreviations have become common shortcuts. But that being said, there's no reason to have ugly grammar errors.

Rule Five: Don't Be A Debby Downer!
Be positive! There's enough doom and gloom in the world, so don't add to it with a whole bunch of negative posts and complaints.

Getting started: There's No Need to Re-invent the Wheel

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Sometimes when we start something new, we think we have to start from the ground up.  I've been trying to determine where to start with this blog.  What basic information should come first?  I've decided that there is already a LOT of information out there, so there's really no need to duplicate it exactly.  I'm going to share some great links here about getting started with Social Media Marketing, focusing on Facebook since 51% of Americans already have Facebook accounts.  Since my goal is to keep it simple, I want to provide the most basic information first.  My concern is that with my technical background, my simple may not equal your simple.  So here are some great resources to get you started.  What I want you to do is note any questions that you have in the comment section below so that I can gauge if these links contain truly "simple" direction, okay?  Let's get started:

How to Create your Personal Facebook Profile
If you are part of the 49% NOT on Facebook yet, it's simple, start here.

To Build a Facebook Page, you need a Facebook Profile
This will help you understand the difference between a Facebook Page (for your business) and a Facebook Profile (all about you).

Facebook 101 for Business: Your Complete Guide
There is a lot of info here. It may seem complicated if you don't have a full understanding of the links above.

Now, review these links and let me know what you think.  I'm here to help and glad to do it! Post your questions below and we'll figure it out!