Planting the seeds for small business growth...
Why isn't Social Media working for me?
As a small business owner, I can relate to getting excited when you are notified that another person "Liked" your Facebook Page. It reminds me of grade school when we passed notes and hoped with fingers crossed that our survey at the end of our note got us a YES on the "Do you like me?" question. We all want to be liked sooo bad. When you do get that "Like" notification, you get all giddy and have to go out and investigate this person. You ponder - I wonder how this person knows us?
But later, the party is over and the "Like" notifications slow down. It appears all your cousins, neighbors and old work friends are have already "Like"ed your page and now you can't think of one more person to ask. You buy a book on effective social media techniques and you keep your spirits high. You keep saying "If I build it - they will come", but your posts begin to dwindle and next thing you know it's been months since you have posted any new updates on your page.
What next? Was this social media thing just a bust? Are you the lone social media derelict that cannot get any fans? You are just tired of hearing about it and when it comes up in conversation how one of your peers got a lead from Facebook, you simply want to rip their head off and do a Twitter dance all over it. It's actually a little deflating and just brings back all those rejected school memories of when your note came back as a "NO!" You think, maybe nobody really does like me. L
Well that is just hogwash and I am going to give your weary sad social media persona a facelift with just a few tips and tricks. The reason the popular kids in school got more popular and you didn't is not because they were actually cooler than you (Ok maybe they were), but mostly it was because they knew how to work the system. While you are spending your time pasting snowflakes on windows, they were out there making connections! And, they never gave up.
I believe the toughest issue to get through when establishing a social media presence for the small business owner is perception. There are a lot of social media "experts" out there that promise new business, riches and fame with a successful social media campaign. I encourage you to think of your social media accounts like you would a savings account. The more you contribute to it, the more it grows. And, the growth is compounded, just like your savings account. At first the growth is excruciatingly slow, but over time, with patience, it begins to blossom and then as the growth compounds, so does your account! And subsequently then your leads, business, or subscribers do as well!
But, you say, "I did contribute and it just stalled out!" Well if your interest rate on your savings account goes down, do you just quit? No, you keep on keeping on, knowing that in time you will still see growth and the interest rate will go up and compounding will still occur. This is a principle you understand for money growth in a savings account and this principle applies to your social media growth as well.
Here are some ideas to generate new growth, but remember, social media is like planting a garden. You plant the seeds (set up the accounts and do all the initial work to invite your immediate sphere of influence, like family, old co-workers, neighbors), then you water your garden (participate, participate, participate). If you don't water your garden, it dies and so too will your social media strength. Don't let non-activity fool you, just like you can't be fooled because you don't actually see the buds of your growing plants come out of the ground, yet. Be persistent and keep adding the water.
