Bluewire News – 7th May 2018

Hi ~Contact.FirstName~,

I hope you’ve enjoyed my recent emails about Facebook and LinkedIn.

Many people wrote back to me to share their experiences — both positive and negative — or to say they’d implemented something I suggested.

This is great to hear and I love the interaction and feedback.

Although, I sometimes find it kind of weird that you and I are in touch, don’t you?

But since you’re reading this we obviously know each other, in some respect, from my emails and social media.

You’ve most likely seen something on the web like my templates, book, blog, webinars, podcast or videos, and we connected, right?

Perhaps we’ve even worked together or you’ve attended one of my workshops or speeches?

However we know each other, I’m pleased we’re in touch because it demonstrates the power of sharing content and staying connected.

I love writing these emails to you and I love connecting on social media to share my stories… I never expect anything in return but it’s amazing how much business comes as a result of it. Let me share a story of how it’s working.

I’ve been in your shoes when it comes to social media and business

In fact I walk in them every day. Running a business, trying to build a predictable flow of quality leads whilst focusing on my strengths and serving my audience of contacts and students — all the while having a life, and desperately trying to avoid being “that guy” who shamelessly self promotes.

It’s a difficult mind game striking the right balance between sharing useful stuff we know and feeling like we’re being annoying and bombarding people. It’s tricky to know how much is enough and what is too much. Too often I see people get stuck and get scared at this stage and unfortunately never contribute anything. This is a shame because there are so many people who could benefit.

Luckily I managed to get out of my own way, and give it a go, otherwise I would’ve missed the opportunities you’re about to read about.

I discovered social media is 6X more trustworthy than adverts

I remember when the penny dropped for me when it came to embracing social media. I read a stat that said only “14% of people trust adverts, yet 90% of people trust a recommendation from a peer.” So true.

I realised that if I talked about myself or my company only 14% of people would trust it (aka advertising!). Yet if other people talked about us to their friends then 90% of people trusted it (aka recommendations)!

Social media was 6X more trustworthy than ads.

I didn’t want it to be ‘all about me’

The ‘social media’ I wanted to embrace wasn’t about me “beating my chest” (aka advertising!)

It was about being generous and useful to people in my network. It was about providing content, tools, and insights that were so valuable that people would want to know more, they’d tell their friends and willingly ask how they could work with me.

It had to deliver value and build trust

I wanted to deliver value and allow people to get to know like and trust us. I chose to ’emulate’ the marketing that we had responded well to over the years.

If we put out useful content and helpful insights, prospects would willingly come to me if they wanted to know more — without pressure, coercion or marketing trickery.

I love getting unsolicited emails like this.

Yet I was still a little bit afraid…

For me personally, my 2 biggest fears were:

1. Deafening silence. I was worried if I posted something, no-one would see it and I’d waste my time, effort and resources. Plus deep down I was anxious social media may not work for me this time, which would be embarrassing given I’ve been a ‘social media speaker’ for so long.
2. Feeling like “that annoying, salesy guy”. At the same time I was also worried that EVERYONE would see it and I’d be mocked, ridiculed or disliked.

And you know what?

• I’ve tried things that haven’t worked. Sure you feel like a bit of a goose, but it wasn’t like anyone was watching so what did it matter.
• I’ve done videos where I had to step out of my comfort zone. Sure there was discomfort before my first Facebook Live, but afterwards I realised I could do it again. The world didn’t end, my friends didn’t tease me (much) and in fact some were inspired to give it a go themselves.

I found a ‘middle ground’ that worked for me, and it may just work for you. It’s where you don’t need:

• to risk the frustration of it not working (because I’ve tested it out and have a proven system) and
• to mutate into “that guy” aka a slimy, snake oil salesman (because it’s not about “selling people” it’s about “serving” the people in your network!)

I also didn’t want to spam strangers or hassle my friends.

So I didn’t.

Whilst many marketing people teach you to harass strangers and pester friends until they buy, I wanted to do ‘social media’ in a way that sat comfortably with me — and didn’t lose me friends.

I liked to treat people in a way that delivered value and came from a place of generosity. I also wanted to allow people to decide if they wanted to deal with me, by earning their attention and respect first.

It wasn’t what many “spray and pray” marketers would teach but I gave it a go.

I didn’t want to be scared… but I also didn’t want to be a pain in the “you-know-what”.

I also didn’t want the pressure, cost or confusion of paying for adverts.

So I chose not to go down that path — even though every second person online tells you you NEED to “pay to play” because “organic reach is down.”

I’ve spoken to many full time marketing professionals who have lost money on Facebook ads, and many more Facebook Ad specialists who are constantly re-learning the ad platform to stay on top of the nearly daily changes, I decided that wasn’t the path for me, and I was uncomfortable suggesting clients tread this path alone.

So I committed less than 10 Minutes per Day per Platform

With some initial trial and error, and essentially minimal effort, I started posting some ‘work-related’ content on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. It was mostly stuff I already had on my blog, in my sent items or from conversations I’d had with people. Some were written posts, some were images and some were short videos I shot on my iPhone. I posted them on social media to see what would happen.

I spend 10 Minutes per Day per Platform posting the content initially, and then 5-10 minutes each subsequent day, interacting with people in the comments and via Direct Messages. It’s simple and repeatable, especially for time-poor, non-technical professionals, like me.

It’s ‘real and raw’ — not shiny and fake

For me, it wasn’t about having the most shiny, polished videos, or the most beautifully designed graphics, it was about being real, sharing insights and connecting with people in a way that was authentic to me. That ‘raw and real’ method worked for me — and whilst there’s nothing wrong with highly produced videos or graphics (in fact, I’ve actually done them too but always with the help of videographers and designers), it’s that I’ve found that it can create an unnecessary barrier to getting the content done.

If you need to find a graphic designer, then hire them and brief them and give them feedback and then finally post the graphic, you can see how it becomes cumbersome and slow. Same deal for a videographer or video editor. If you need to go back and forth with a video editor, and transfer files and do lots of edits, it becomes “too hard” very quickly.

That’s the reason why I had stalled for a while and why this time, I decided I was going to ‘point and shoot’ on my iPhone and post my content ‘raw and real’.

And most importantly I could be “myself” (…not an OTT, over-produced, pushy, salesy, internet-market-y, Frankenstein version of what I thought I needed to be)

Learning to be myself on video and giving away some value.

Thankfully, I wasn’t beating my chest, I was simply sharing tips or templates that contacts may find valuable — just like I try to do when talking to a friend about this stuff.

Whilst sometimes I needed to push my comfort zone, what I published sat comfortably with me, and I’d feel proud if my family or friends chose to watch it.

It didn’t even have to be a video of me to be effective. In fact some graphics I posted had more comments and interactions than some videos.

I didn’t need a “Gary V”-style camera crew following me around 24-7, documenting my every move. Whilst I admire what is possible with that approach, I know that formula would make most people uncomfortable – myself included.

I could do this “my way” and I could DIY, with the smart phone in my pocket.

And all of a sudden, I started getting messages like these on social media…… on Facebook…

On Instagram…

and on LinkedIn…

Qualified leads coming through on all 3 major platforms..!

*FYI these people wouldn’t have known what I did if it weren’t for social media. They are people in my extended network and some I hadn’t seen in decades. These types of genuine opportunities started when people noticed me on social media.

I still find it pretty amazing. How about you?

If you’d like to read more about this, I have opened the doors to my Social Media For Leads course.

Talk soon,
Adam

Adam Franklin
Bluewire Media
Co-author of Web Marketing That Works