This was crafted in response to someone who was ready to throw in the towel on using social media to attract buyers. She was VERY disappointed that in months of being consistent on social, she wasn’t seeing a shift in her bottom line.

Here’s what I shared.

I certainly wouldn’t give up on social because at least in my business, I know buyers come my way via social every day. More specifically, it’s a collection of EVERYWHERE that I am. 😉 Social is a part of the whole.

My showing up online, being of service, answering questions, living on brand, walking my talk, etc., is all a part of the KLT (know like trust) factor and that’s a big part of what ultimately leads people to work with me.

I’d see that feedback you’re receiving (that you’re inspiring) as a great indicator that your voice has an audience and keep doing what you’re doing.

I’d consider adding things like writing for publications, perhaps doing video/audio if that’s not already part of your overall social strategy (didn’t see that mentioned specifically, but maybe your social strategy already includes doing livestreams and being interviewed on podcasts, maybe doing one of your own, etc.), making sure you’re using hashtags to their full potential, and absolutely treating each platform as its own unique source of buyers (not just painting all social as one thing).

When I’m working with clients looking to use social media to help with their brand awareness among buyers, I ask them to write a character breakdown (I work in showbiz, so that’s essentially creating a character description as if it’s a role in a screenplay) for each platform and then be sure they’re showing up in ways that feel authentic to their own voice keeping the platform’s voice in mind.

For example, Snapchat and I have nothing in common. There’s nothing that intersects in our brands. So, while I may have buyers there, there’s no point in my having to reach so far beyond my comfort zone to become savvy with a platform where my message will land as one that had to get tweaked to the point that it could “hang” in that space.

Meanwhile, I write a bajilliondy words. So blogging is a very ME thing to do. And I do a lot of it. I think my SEO consultant said I have something like 4 MILLION words in blog posts. Probably more. I don’t have to adjust my style to make the medium align with my message.

Keep in mind, I’m celebrating 20 years in business right now, in fact! Natasha’s list is spectacular. (And OMG, I miss Blab!)

Tech is a moving target. Because of that, our greatest skill is often not dominating any one space out there but in being NIMBLE so that there’s no change in a platform’s algorithm or existence that absolutely rocks us to our core, when it comes to our business model, what we’re offering, or how we’re making it available to the world.

I like to ask if it’s trendy or timeless. What’s “trending” is all the rage until it isn’t. So, while I think it’s great that I was early to Periscope and dominated there for most of 2015, what good does that do me today? Little… except that I scraped every live broadcast (thanks, Screenflow!!) and cross-posted to YouTube. And should YouTube disappear? That’s fine. I have the originals. And I can create my own library.

I’m an early adopter when it comes to tech but I’m also very aware that if I don’t own it, I’m the platform’s data. So I always keep copies of what I create so that they can live on beyond the platform. I also repurpose content, tweaked to match the platform because each “thing” out there in the world has its own pulse and where my brand and the brand of that “thing” align is the sweet spot.

What I love about where we are right now is that I can host live masterminds around the world with Zoom, upload the replay to Vimeo, have the course page updated shortly thereafter to serve an even larger population with the work, and do all of that only “put together” from the waist up. I’m like a newscaster in boxer shorts behind that desk. Ha ha!

The EASE of tech, SPEED of tech, and willingness on the part of the BUYER to use the tech is what’s really great right now. Because even a decade ago, I was holding court on livestreamed vid… it was just a very different experience on the receiving end.

I still send out emails to my list. (since 2008)
I still tweet. (since 2009)
I still blog. (since 1997 — before it was called blogging)
I still go live on camera. (since 2009)
I still podcast. (since 2011)
I still meet with people from all over the world via technology to share ideas. (since 1991 — via dial-up listserv groups in college)

My message has evolved as incrementally as the tech has, really. But I’ve been consistent in showing up. I think that’s the real beauty that tech allows us to share.

Just some thoughts that I hope give you some ideas for how to make the most of this ONE ingredient for your overall marketing strategy. I’m glad you mentioned you’re doing face-to-face networking too. There are so many elements to establishing trust with our buyers at the beginning of the game.

As long as I stay focused on the fact that EVERY thing I do is an investment in that future in which we’ll do business, I tend to be incredibly patient for the long game.

I say this as someone with clients who’ll plunk down money this year and tell me in the “how’d you first learn about me?” part of the intake process that they’ve been reading my stuff for 20 years. Sure, sometimes someone learns about me and plunks down money that same day, but the majority of my buyers learned about me loooooooooooong ago and knew when the time was right, we’d be doing business.

Long game.

It’s worth it!

Enoughness is an inside job… and sometimes you need a guide to find your way there. Let Bonnie Gillespie get you started.