Blog Archives
Help – I Can’t Find You :-(
I spend a lot of time researching websites and social media profiles to see who is doing a FANTASTIC job providing awesome exposure for their brands.
Unfortunately, not everyone is rockin’ it in this area, and I want to make sure that this critical social media strategy is not overlooked going forward.
One area that really stands out for me is the ease that I can find social media “connect” buttons on a website or blog. I find that my eyes often focus on the top of the page, and many key people that I follow put them there, or somewhere on the first page of content. On the flip side, many people bury their social media connect buttons deep in to their website, and I have to go digging to find them. If I really like what they are doing, I will dig, but typically not – it is much to time-consuming.
What I am going stress next may seem obvious, kind of “Intro To Social Media”, but humour me for a minute.
The more opportunities that you give people to connect with you, the greater the change that they actually will! People tend to be too busy, many are looking for the shortcut, and want the easiest ways to connect possible. So why not give them many opportunities to do so?
Here are some places that I make sure that I promote other places that people can connect with me:
Twitter Profile – Insert a link in the space provided under the tag line where you would like people to land and discover more about you. Perhaps your website, blog or even a Facebook Fan page.
LinkedIn Profile – There is a place on the template to include other social media profile links (and links to websites & blogs).
Facebook Fan Page Profile – Under the “About Page”, there are fields to include an email address, other accounts (which includes Twitter), and websites.
YouTube/Google+ Profile – Under the “About Page”, there is a “Links” section. You can add social media and website info there.
Pintrest Profile – There is a place to put your website link, but you can choose another social media link if you don’t have a website or blog
LinkedIn “Thanks For Connecting Note” – Every person that I connect with gets a “Thanks For Connecting” note. I always ask people where else I can connect with them, and provide the links to where they can connect with me. A shout out to Paul Castain for drilling this in to my head early in my online journey! You can check out Paul’s incredible work at http://yoursalesplaybook.com/
At The End Of Blog Posts – This is a great place to remind people where else they can connect with you, and give an email address and/or phone number if they have questions, or heck maybe even hire you 🙂
On An Email Signature – I don’t recommend listing 8 places that they can connect with you after your name. That would be a little hard on the eyes. But list a couple of places, and change it up periodically; maybe once per month?
On Social Media Channels – Sounds kind of obvious, but you can Tweet “Hey stop by my website”, or post on Facebook how to connect with you on Twitter. You get the idea.
Post Other Ways To Connect On LinkedIn Groups – Some LinkedIn Groups have discussions that allow you to post links to specific social media profiles. If you want to know which groups I am a member of, shoot me an email at TimMushey@gmail.com
Please note – I have not taken the plunge yet on Instagram, Snapchat or other social media sites that the cool kids are on. But I am sure that there are similar features which allow you to include social media & website links (and potentially email addresses).
If you have any questions about improving your link coverage & website/blog visibility, please email me at TimMushey@gmail.com
Or reach out through the following social media channels:
Twitter
https://twitter.com/TimMushey73
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/SellLeadSucceed
(don’t forget to “like” to stay connected)
http://ca.linkedin.com/in/timmushey
Google+
https://plus.google.com/+TimMushey/posts
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/TimMushey
Good luck getting your content out there, and remember never pass up on an opportunity to tell people all the places that they can find you.
The Five Star 5 – Hashtags Are Super-Cool
I love hashtags, especially on Twitter!
I use them to:
- research topics of interest
- find interesting people who are researching the same things as me
- respond to questions that people are asking on Twitter & TV (have you seen Jimmy Fallon’s hashtag of the week question?)
- connect with people locally (I use hashtags to help attract new followers from my geographic region)
But the most fun I had recently, was following a local social media conference via their conference hashtag.
I went to the conference “Friday Night Mixer” but was unable to attend the main conference the following day. Although I was disappointed, I knew that most of the participants were active on Twitter. I looked forward to connecting with people based on their tweets from the break out sessions.
I was BLOWN away!
I made over 75 new connection in 8 hours! Most of them followed back, and I had a blast responding and joining the conversations with those who were tweeting throughout the day.
Still not convinced that hash tags give value?
Time to join the party cause the party is going on without you 🙂
Are You In A Marathon Or A Sprint?
When I first researched internet marketing opportunities, I briefly started to plan my retirement too! It seemed like everyone I was following was making six figure incomes right away, so why couldn’t I?
I soon got a reality check 🙂
Building a brand and a business is a marathon and not a sprint. It sounds cliche, but it is a very powerful analogy.
Success still takes old fashion hard work and persistence. There is no replacement for that.
You need to work at it everyday, and be patient.
Never stop learning, embrace the setbacks and have fun!
Things WILL happen!
The Connect and “Barf” Method Rarely Works!
I love to discuss this scenario when speaking about networking with anyone who is interested in hearing my take….
You are at an after work business mixer – a cocktail party per se. You meet somebody for the first time, shake hands and exchange business cards. What would their body language be, and what would they say if the next thing you did was try and sell them something?
So why do so many people think this is ok to do when connecting online?
I could rattle off many examples when this has happened to me. I am stunned and bewildered every time. I am now less and less surprised because it is becoming more prevalent online.
Relationships take time to develop, and people typically only purchase from those that they know, like and trust.
Somebody can’t possibly have a hot clue what you are all about after you have just said “hello”. Most people would think you were an alien trying to connect for the first time offering your products and/or services.
- Thank people for connecting when they confirm your “request to connect” via social media
- Provide value
- Get to know them, and actually listen to them
- Connect them with like-minded people in your network
People will see right through you if you are only in this to sell. But if you put the focus on them, and show that you actually care about building long-term relationships, you will be much more successful when it comes time to present your offer.
Don’t just “barf”. That is just plain lazy!
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What’s Your “Edge”?
When I started my online journey several years ago I battled uncertainty and doubt early on. Thoughts regularly came up like:
- So many other people are already excelling in (insert niche)
- What could I possibly share that hasn’t been discussed before?
- What value could a newcomer like myself bring to the “party”?
Over time as I gained momentum and started to feel pretty good about things, I certainly realized that I had an “Edge”.
The “Edge” was me. It is specific to my brand and business. No one person is exactly the same as me, nor will my business be exactly the same as anyone else’s.
You have an opportunity to do FANTASTIC things!
- Let your personality shine. Allow your audience in to your life a bit. Show them who you really are
- If you are funny by nature, add some humour to your work, but don’t force it
- Be creative with your content, and do some “outside-of-the-box” things that your audience will start to expect
- Be you – it is what you know best
- Be humble, grateful, helpful, accommodating and go-to resource in your niche
Do you want to take your “Edge” to another level? NEVER EVER stop learning!
Check out these 5-Star resources that help me move my business forward every day:
Social Media
- “Jab Jab Jab Right Hook” by Gary Vaynerchuk http://bit.ly/18kORAY
Ebooks
- “Ebooks The Smart Way” by Pat Flynn http://bit.ly/1fsJzlx
Writing
- “Copy Blogger” by Brian Clark http://bit.ly/1nQnSSC
Podcasting
- “Podcast Answer Man” by Cliff Ravenscraft http://bit.ly/1aqesJQ
Awesomeness (Personal Branding)
- “Nametag Scott” by Scott Ginsberg http://bit.ly/1fZvhtj
- If you feel stuck and need a bit of a push, let me know – I am here to help!
- If you have overcome obstacles lately and now feel better about things, let us know the good news!
Would love if you commented and shared your stories (or you can always email me at TimMushey@gmail.com)
And Your Best Online Connection Is…..
Only you know the answer to that!
Take a moment to think about it.
How does your best online connection make you feel when…
- they teach you about something
- they connect you with other like-minded people
- share your content
- make you laugh
- pick you up when you need it most
Hopefully they feel the same when you do some (or hopefully all) of those things for them too!
What would happen to your network in 2014 if you developed more connections like your best one?
Is it time to…
- develop more quality relationships online?
- “go deep” with people and find out how you can help them?
- focus on a “serve first” mentality and stop thinking about “what’s in it for me”?
- care more!
I would love to hear about your best connection, and how you have helped each other.
What are your social networking goals for 2014?
Leave a comment or email me at TimMushey@gmail.com
I will publish the responses in a new post later in the month!
Hey! Let’s connect!
https://www.facebook.com/SellLeadSucceed
(Don’t forget to like to stay connected!)
https://twitter.com/TimMushey73
Timmy’s 10’s – My Favourite Websites!
As much as many of you support my sometimes long-winded blog posts, there is something to be said for quick, to the point content as well. Today I start a new ongoing series called “Timmy’s 10’s”.
For my first post, let’s start with a bang! These are my favourite websites/blogs RIGHT NOW!
• Paul Castain http://yoursalesplaybook.com/
• Pat Flynn http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/
• Lewis Howes http://lewishowes.com/
• Scott Ginsberg http://www.hellomynameisscott.com/
• Dan Rockwell http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/
• Bob Burg http://www.burg.com/
• Gary Vaynerchuk http://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/
• Michael Margolis http://www.getstoried.com/
• Guy Kawasaki http://www.guykawasaki.com/
• John Lee Dumas http://www.entrepreneuronfire.com/
Who is on your list?
I will compile all the responses and post the “best of the best” later in the month!
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 