fssocial | David Lee King

Shawna Coronado spoke next. Good talk! Here’s my snippets from it:

Business or personal? It’s all personal with social media.

Telling her story of how she started. She was sick – had to take lots of pills, see lots of doctors, etc.

Through lots of hard work, she’s healthy again – because of nature partly.

She loved gardening so much, she started writing about gardening – even had a column in a newspaper …. Started lots of gardening! So much so that she quit her job – and the gardening thing she attributes to her health – she went from 18 prescriptions to 2 … Because of a lifestyle change.

If you don’t be personal in social media, you’re not going to connect with people…

She wrote a book, and to sell it, she built a brand.

Define target market and key brand, message and values, and define what your product is

The product wasn’t her book – it is her. Shes selling herself and her brand.

Mistake – choosing look and feel over building quality content. The result is no traffic.

Solution – unify brand with the content and message, placing non-broadcast and sharing communications as the #1 goal.

She uses her main website to connect people to her. Communities – her blog, her twitter account, her Facebook page, her YouTube site,Â Â etc.

She built her brand first, and now she goes out and gives people a business proposal – and gets to do stuff.

In social media, you are the brand.

Every message you post or send will say who you are as a brand – so be positive and nice! Answer every inquiry kindly

Help others without expecting anythingÂ in return

Follow those who Follow you so you will be available to help them and grow their biz (and yours)

Provide consistency with content and posting times

Everything you say and do is a part of your brand.

2nd mistake: expecting to write a book and make money

How you can find financial success, sponsors, and world travel:

Sell your product, sell your expertise, sell your speaking ability, sell your social media presence

Get over yourself and start doing video.

She provided sponsors with social media coverage and videos, both homemade and professional of an Eco Adventure she went on, at no cost. She had contacts and called them up to get the gig.

She’s working 15 hour days , writing, connecting, etc…. But its the funnest job she’s ever had, which is why she does it.

Her front lawn … A vegetable garden … it’s part of her brand, so she keeps it looking sharp.

Have your company become passionate about what you’re doing.

I’m attending the Free State Social event in Lawrence, KS. Chris Brogan was the first speaker, and here are the things I jotted down from his talk:

Title: Adjusting Your Marketing Spend and Tactics for Social Media

He started off having mic problems, and used that to remind us “it’s not about the tools.”

Going to a conference without a goal is sorta like going to a grocery store without a recipe in mind. So figure out what you want answered, then get those questions answered.

ROI with social media: How much did I get out of this free tool? Anything over one dollar is ROI!

Everyone is a sales person. Appreciated that Chris said to translate money into whatever for non profits. He gets it.

Grow bigger ears – use listening tools to listen to your community – what they’re saying, etc

One to many communication can be a problem – it’s so much better doing many to many, assuming everyone plays along.

What costs more – great customer service or a marketing campaign?

Don’t start your email with the “can’t view this? Click here for text” question. It makes you look bad.

Every time you have answered a question in email, you’ve blown an opportunity to answer for lots of people. Every time you create a brochure, you’ve done the same thing.

Shouldn’t have a social media department – instead, those people should be in sales , marketing, etc.

Treat your communities as gold. Go to the bookstore, get a relationship book, and replace your significant other with your customers, your office, etc. Because it’s much the same thing (ok, except for the romance part).

SAS (the company) – they listen to their customers,thenÂ make stuff for them based on what they say they want.

Three important things to do with social media – listening, connecting, publishing

Connecting – comment on their blogs. Be real, like when you talk to people in real life. Don’t include your URL at the bottom of a comment – it looks like spam.

Publishing – go create something. Doing something.

Chris devotes 2 hours to social media a day. 30 minutes listening. 60 minutes connecting. 30 minutes publishing.

Where’s the GPS for your business? Figure out your destination, then figure out how to get there.