Category Archives: Marketing

March 22, 2014
0

Social media for C-levels: A threat or an opportunity?

By | business start ups, Established business, Marketing, Sales, social media | No Comments

Time and tide wait for no man. And, when it comes to social media for C-levels it is now no different. Social media is maturing. Gone are the hype days when it was simply a case of not understanding but having to join in if you happened to be in marketing. Today it’s in a production phase and revolutionizing brands. It’s empowering people, including staff, to have a voice and communicate their message.

And, whether you like it or not, social media is rapidly evolving into an essential leadership tool. With an expectation for company leaders to embrace it, which is being silently communicated, the pressure is now on for C-­levels and ambitious executives to get involved and leverage off it. However, with so much at stake, the question that’s troubling everyone is…

…how to do this the right way!

And, it’s this lack of understanding that’s tending to make C-­levels sceptical and reluctant participants, unrealistically fearful of making mistakes and in an uncomfortable position of learning whilst leading.

This e-­Book (which you can get by sending me an email) has been written to help you, as a C-­level, or aspiring one, understand how you can build a powerful C-­level social media presence.

It covers:

  • Positioning
  • Messaging
  • Exposure

Before you delve into it, I’ll be setting the scene and looking at the challenges and opportunities. For example, how information can be deliberately leaked or unintentionally gleaned, how deals can be done and reputations built or ruined, all through social media portals.

The content contained within this e-­Book will provide you with insight and help you get you started with creating a strong social media for C-levels presence. It’s here to help you get ahead in terms of your career and learn that when an effective social media presence is created, opportunities abound.

Now, before we get started, I just want to stress that this e-Book is meant for those who are fairly new to social media. If you’re an executive, Manager or Director, or a business owner, the content contained here will provide you with insight.

Now, let’s get started!

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March 9, 2014
0

If you struggle to convert sales this is your solution

By | business start ups, Established business, Marketing, Sales | No Comments

How to Convert Sales with Jane Frankland

 

You're struggling to convert sales.

You're one social interaction away. One call away. One email away. One meeting away. One proposal away. One presentation away. One contract away.

Only one.

Sometimes you meet that one connection. You know you're right for them. They know they're right for you. It seems like a match made in heaven but for some reason you don't get the deal.

Sometimes business development and solution selling sucks!

Right?

And yes, even if you're chanting my sales mantra #22, “Rejection is God's protection.”

So, let's get real here and look at why.

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March 2, 2014
0

Sales promotion: Do this & be seen as a rookie

By | business start ups, Established business, Marketing, Sales, Selling, social media | No Comments

Tired of not having enough sales?

Sales Promotion for an Increase in SalesWhen it comes to sales promotion, tell me…. How great would you feel if you could see an immediate result i.e. an increase in sales by applying 1 simple tweak to your business?

I know it's a silly question but humour me.

It'd feel great, wouldn't it?

Well If you want to see an increase in sales from your sales promotion you've got to get an edge on your competition. And, to create a truly competitive advantage you've got to understand 3 things inside out, namely:

  • Your market
  • Your competition
  • Your offerings

But, there's 1 more thing you need in addition to these 3 things AND it's vital. This is what I'm going to be going through today.

Story time

Now just to warn you, this is a video I was going to use for the How to Succeed in Business blog. However, I decided against it as I knew that there was too much to say and that's why it refers to business as usual. 😉

Moving on to the next stage

So you've watched the video and now you're shaping up quite well. You're saying, “We‘ve got a great service portfolio, fair prices, flexible lead times, superb customer service, and an informative website with up-to-date research and thought leadership.”

Right?

And, you're wondering whether you're now going to be inundated with calls or emails from ready buyers.

Yes?

The answer, in a word, is….

No!

Why? Sadly they won’t believe you.

Without proof, you're only going to sound like a lame marketer or rookie sales person.

Being the best isn’t enough. Being perceived as being the best isn't enough. Your buyers need to believe you’re the best option for them.

If you don’t prove your claims, your buyers are unlikely to really believe them. And, as a consequence your value proposition, which is essential for your sales promotion becomes about as useful as a chocolate fire guard.

So what's to be done?

Several things. For starters, you can use social proof. This will go a long way to substantiate your claims.

Basecamp uses social proof to validate their main claim of being the “World’s #1 Project Management App.” They use an image (as we all think and remember in pictures), plus 2 specific numbers to make the claim believable (“285,000 companies” and “2,000 projects”).

Basecamp and Jane Frankland

Now I'm sure you'll admit that this looks good, but if you want to see an increase in sales I've got to tell you that impressive numbers don’t always work.

Numbers can prove how popular you are, but when you’re positioning yourself as a “trusted advisor and expert,” saying, “1,000 people consider me an expert” won’t work.

You need something else.

And, this is where testimonials and case studies (or success stories) come in. A few well placed testimonials and case studies (on your website and social platforms) from those with influence in your market make the claim credible. They can even take away the need for you to make any claims yourself.

For example, instead of me telling you how wonderful my company is, I get others (my clients) to do this for me.

Here's an example of what I did for my last company. I used one of our clients – a sought after FTSE 100, William Hill, to make the claim alongside mine. The claim had added weight as testimonials in this particular sector were almost as rare for obtaining as finding a needle in a haystack.

corsaire william hillFinally, there's one more thing you can do with testimonials.

You can craft them so that they take away the last doubt people might feel about your promises. Just include a statement that answers the doubt. I teach you how to do all of this in the courses and consulting I offer.

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me what your thoughts are on sales promotion. Do you have any great tips? Please share your stories and experience here, and if you've got a question, just pop it down here.

Thanks for being a sport and participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this sales promotion post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.

Read more
Find me on Google+

 

 

February 23, 2014
0

How to succeed in business [warning the how will surprise you]

By | business start ups, Established business, Marketing, Uncategorized | No Comments

Learn to dominate your market

How to Succeed in BusinessIt doesn't matter who you are or what you do, if you want to know how to succeed in business I can tell you this…

You're going to have to get to know your competition and know that they're going to be worthy.

There's always going to be someone who's going to be better than you. And yes, let's get real, there's usually one or two of them who are creaming it in the market as a result!

There’s a brand with a better domain name, a blog that's got more readers, an e-commerce site with more customers,  a consultancy with more consultants, accreditations and certifications, and so on.

Am I right?

Now, it’s tempting to think they got there just because they got lucky. And, whilst fortune just might just have played a role in their growth, you and I both know that their continued success isn’t about luck. Instead, it's because of several key things – one of which is this:

They're better at marketing than you!

BAM! I said it!

Those who win in the game of business aren't necessarily the best at what they do, but they're perceived as being the best at it and it's usually on account of having better marketing.

You can bet that they've also got the best value propositions and they know how to use them too.

So let's get real for a moment….

What makes you valuable?

This is key.

People won’t ever buy from you if they don’t understand why they should. In other words they'll only pay attention to you if you're communicating a strong value proposition.

Now I don't want to lose you with marketing terminology (it's a bore), but in case you're wondering what a value proposition is, I'll fill you in.

A value proposition is a sentence or a paragraph that includes a believable collection of the most persuasive reasons why your target audience should notice you, and take the action you’re asking for.

Here are 2 examples:

1. We deliver high quality face-to-face appointments with key decision makers in target accounts that you've selected, on a performance basis i.e. you pay only for the appointments you get with the clients you want. No set up fees, retainers or expensive daily rates.

2. We deliver the maximum cyber security protection from your spend on a control. And we prove it.

Once you've got your value proposition figured out, you can use it as the basis for all your marketing messages.

So, I've got to ask you this….

What's your marketing message?

Before you answer, let's look at an example. I'll use a consultancy and scenarios I see time-and-time again.

Watch the video or skip if you prefer.

If your consultancy has the run-of-the-mill service portfolio, standard prices, average lead times, reasonable customer service, and a static website, why would anyone buy from you? Surely there's a competitor who beats you in at least one of those aspects? Nothing stands out above average.

However, if your consultancy has the most highly accredited consultants but the other things are just average, then the buyers who value using highly accredited consultants have compelling reasons to buy from you.

Apple doesn’t have the largest product selection.

Amazon isn’t the most prestigious.

Aston Martin’s aren’t the cheapest. (hear me sob)

I hope you're getting the message!

My point is this:

You don’t have to be the best in every way but if you’re the best in at least one way, you’re going to be the best option for the buyers who value that aspect. And, you're going to stand out from the crowd, which makes it easier to sell to the buyers who value that aspect.

Remember buyers buy from you or your competitors for a variety of reasons. Something has to make you the best option for your target market otherwise, they've got no good reason to buy what you’re selling.

So, in order to maximise your opportunity you've got to know what your target market – your avatar – wants from the start, and then you have to deliver it to them impeccably and exceed their expectations. Furthermore, as I said in a former blog ‘Warning Business As Usual' – as an experience.

So start always from the view point of:

  • What do my clients need? (needs)
  • What do they want? (wants)
  • What do they have to have? (desires)

If you're not sure on these points just ask some friendly target prospects or tap into the places they hang out and you'll be sure to gain some valuable information. For example, are they on Twitter,  LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram etc? Do they belong to any groups? Do they blog? Are they featured in the press? Summarize your findings.

And, if you're lucky enough to get in front of them, here's a great question you can always ask:

“What keeps you up at night?”

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me what your thoughts are on how to succeed in business. Do you have any great tips? Please share your stories and experience here, and if you've got a question, just pop it down here.

Thanks for being a sport and participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this how to succeed in business post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.

Read more
Find me on Google+

P.P. S.

If you want to learn how to grow your business, then I'm promoting Marie Forleo's B-School right now, and as part of this I'm offering an exclusive bonus. The details will be revealed very soon.  Click this link if you want in on the action.
 

February 15, 2014
0

Business As usual Warning! [make this mistake & suffer poor sales]

By | business start ups, Established business, Marketing, New business, Sales, Selling | No Comments

Business as usual: Your silent threat

Business As Usual Warning by Jane FranklandEver been hit by a bus?

Probably not. I hope not in fact.

Well, I have, but only figuratively speaking (of course)!

There I was, thinking about cyber security and business risk – an industry you know I work in – and then it hit me.

Bang! And it hurt.

By now you're probably thinking whatever is she going on about. Well, I'm talking about business as usual (or BAU) and why it's potentially a huge threat to your business.

Let me explain where I'm going with this. I'm going to spell it out, and I'm going to be brief because that's my style.

When you think about business as usual what do you think of?

Yes, you got it. Business as usual.

And therein lies your clue —- u-s-u-a-l!

Let's face it who wants the usual? Screw that. No one.

In order to make a lasting impression and secure long-term clients, who pay handsomely, you have to offer MORE. It's no longer enough just to do a good job, provide good customer service and deliver on-time. Those things aren't key differentiators or unique selling propositions (USPs). No they're not. So do me a favour. Please stop kidding yourself. And for that matter, those who work for you!

I've heard business owners declare lame USPs all too often and it's a thorn in my side. It risks your business and it loses you money.

If you're going to get an edge on your competition and maximize your revenue opportunities, you have to think more creatively than this. You have to offer more. You have to offer what your prospects and clients want. And nowadays … you have to offer an experience.

So how can you offer an experience?

Well obviously you can do this every time they engage with you – whether that's on social media, in email, on the phone, at your office, in your store, at your event, on your website, at your shopping cart, and so on. Apple, Virgin and Zappos do this so well. If you study them you'll see that they've mastered the art and convey their expertise, culture, attention to detail, passion, credibility, humanity as well as their products or services at every client or customer touch point.

Because of this they're able to stand out from the crowd, wow their targets and reap the financial rewards.

David Ogilvy once said, “There isn't any significant difference between the various brands of whiskey, or cigarettes, or beer. They are all about the same. And so are the cake mixes, the detergents and the margarines… The manufacturer who dedicates his advertising to building the most sharply defined personality for his brand will get the largest share of the market at the highest profit.”

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me how are you differentiating your product or service from your competitors? Are you operating under a business as usual threat or are you building experiences? Please share your stories and experience here, and if you've got a question, just pop it down here.

Thanks for being a sport and participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this Business As Usual post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.

Read more
Find me on Google+

P.P. S.

If you want to learn how to grow your business, then I'm promoting Marie Forleo's B-School right now, and as part of this I'm offering an exclusive bonus. The details will be revealed very soon.  Click this link if you want in on the action.

 

February 8, 2014
0

Marie Forleo B-School Review

By | business start ups, Established business, Marketing | No Comments

Marie Forleo's B-School 2014 has launched!

Marie Forleo B-School 2014 and Jane FranklandMarie Forleo has launched B-School 2014 and this is exciting! Why? Well for three reasons. Firstly Marie Forleo's B-School is one of my favourite online marketing programs as it offers a tonne of value for those of you who are ready to start a new business or take an existing one to a higher level. Secondly, it's one of the very few I recommend and thirdly it only happens once a year!

If you've never come across Marie Forleo or her flagship training program, B-School, don't panic. I hadn't, until a couple of years ago. When I did though, I was hooked. Here was another full-on woman, who was communicating professionally and marketing ethically (just like me)! And I knew instinctively that I could learn a lot from her!

Now if you've come across Marie Forleo and B-School then you'll know exactly what I mean. The woman is a class act and changes lives! Just watch her in action promoting Marie Forleo's B-School.

If you've not, here's a little about her.

A little about Marie Forleo

Marie Forleo is a best-selling American author, web TV host, and trainer in personal development. With loving yet wisecracking advice, she reaches over 200,000 readers in 191 countries worldwide and leads dynamic training programs that teach individuals to succeed in business and life. She's been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, Glamour Magazine, Self Magazine, Forbes.com and The New York Times among others. She's also been interviewed by Tony Robbins and Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation, and mentored young business owners at Richard Branson’s Centre of Entrepreneurship in South Africa. Her best-selling book, Make Every Man Want You: How To Be So Irresistible You’ll Barely Keep from Dating Yourself is published in 13 languages. Her mission is to help you realize your greatest potential and use your unique talents to change the world.

So there you have it!

Let's dive into Marie Forleo's B-School launch

Now that we've established who Marie Forleo is, I want to dive straight in and tell you what you're going to get before you even consider enrolling on B-School.

You see Marie Forleo has very generously created a series of 3 videos that give you a chance to learn much more about her program and online marketing. Here's a quick snapshot.

She goes through:

  • The Six Pillars to building a highly profitable business online; why big hearted, nice people (obviously like you and me) are wired to succeed in this digital era; and why it’s critical that you get the online aspect of your business handled right now.
  • The major changes coming in the next 5 -10 years that are really important to understand and why it’s vital that you up your online game now, before these changes happen.
  • What you must know, what you must understand, and the sequence you have to follow if you want to use this incredible gift we have – the Internet – to do what you love and get paid for it.

She's also built in implementation weeks, so you don’t have to feel like you’re drinking from a water hose of information. This gives you a chance to put into practice everything you’re learning so that you can begin to reap the benefits even before the course is over.

You can watch Marie Forleo's B-School launch video 1 here.

So it sounds good doesn't it? Well that's what I thought too BUT I did had some questions about Marie Forleo and B-School before jumping in.

FAQs about Marie Forleo's B-School:

So you're probably going to be thinking:

  • Is it worth the money?
  • Is it any good?
  • What are other women entrepreneurs raving about?
  • Is it just for women or are men welcome too?
  • What if I don't have a business idea, is it worth joining?
  • What if I'm not that technical?
  • Will I need to be a technical wizz kid to keep up?
  • How many hours does it take in order to complete the online program?

Or may be you're thinking of holding back as the voices in your head are whispering “maybe next year,” or “that's such a lot of money.” If this is you, I hear you!

Like most people who enrol, I had doubts before making that final financial commitment, but I took a leap of faith and trusted myself and Marie Forleo. I was not disappointed and I'm now a raving fan of her Marie Forleo and B-School!

In the video below, I'm answering the questions above and providing you with independent advice on Marie Forleo's B-School. The video was done straight after I attended B-School in 2012.

Lets make money and change the world

So you've got this far. Great!

Marie Forleo's B-school is a business and life changing program – JUST ASK AROUND! As someone who's built a million dollar business before, turned one around and still works with multi million dollar organizations I don't make that claim lightly. The content is simply world-class and the support from the charged Marie Forleo B-School community is second to none.

During the 8-week online course you're going to learn everything you need to know to really take your business to the next level. As it's an investment not to be taken lightly, and really requires support, I've come up with a way to help you get the best out of it – throughout it's entirety.

Work with me during Marie Forleo's B-School

B-School registration opens on February 19th, 2014.

Every year I put together a supplementary program to help you get the most out of B-school. This year is no different. When you sign up for Marie Forleo's B-School through my affiliate link, you'll have access to me via email throughout the entire course so it'll be a bit like one-to-one coaching.

I'll be defining exactly what my supplementary program is very soon so be sure to keep in the loop if you're interested.

In the meantime, I want you to do this…..

Take the next step and sign up here

If you're looking to sign up for Marie Forleo‘s B-school, and you want some private coaching from an established 7-figure entrepreneur – to really help you apply this phenomenal course to your business, just drop me an email and let me know.

Finally, thank you, as always for being here. If you found this useful, and want to share it with your friends, please be my guest!

With love and gratitude – as always,

 

 

November 26, 2013
0

10 Tips for building a blog that “sells”

By | business start ups, Established business, Marketing, New business, Sales, Selling | No Comments

How to build a business with blogging

Dean Street Society and Jane FranklandHow to build a business that pays your rent and fills your heart, without checking into the hospital for exhaustion. It sounds like mission impossible doesn't it? I'll answer that for you….

Yes!

Seriously, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about if you've ever tried to do it or are still trying to. Despite all of the challenges, I've got to tell you that it's worth the trade-offs and sacrifices you'll undoubtedly make along the way.

As you know, the other week I was lucky enough to interview the amazing abundance coach and big wave surfer, Mercedes Maidana. Give me a Hell Yeah! I hope you've watched the interview, as she shared some incredible tips to help you manifest more into your life.

This week, however, I’m excited and honoured that my friend Hilary Rushford from Dean Street Society has invited me to be a part of her Happy Hour Blog Tour, which is celebrating her new book launch The 4-Part Entrepreneur Cocktail. In her new book she tackles 4 main elements in business and blogging.

And, this is what I’ll be speaking to you about today. As one of 30 female bloggers and entrepreneurs from around the world, I’ve been asked to share my personal experiences around blogging, including both my struggles and successes.

Yay!

So this is exactly what I'll be tackling:

  • Why I started a blog and what motivated me.
  • How my blog has brought me joy and fulfilment.
  • How I've tackled the days/weeks/months when I didn’t feel like blogging.
  • What I'd encourage you to ask yourself before a) starting your blog; b) quitting your blog; c) taking it to the next level.

So here goes…

Why I started a blog?

When I started my blog a year last summer, it was purely to position myself as an authority in my niche. I'd just worked out what it was I wanted to do, having spent the past 16 years in IT, building a successful 7-figure information security consultancy. I was ready for my next challenge. I therefore wanted to build a platform that would enable me to connect with other like minded entrepreneurs who were starting out, and help them develop more business.

How my blog has developed

When I look back and see how my blog has developed I'm rather proud as I can see just how far I've come.

Interestingly, when I started blogging I was rather nervous. I actually felt like a caged animal and was afraid to “speak.” For a long time I'd written corporate copy for a very conservative, risk averse market, and I was genuinely wary of using my real voice and writing as me! I was worried about what my corporate peers may think, which was daft as they weren't the ones I was targeting. Once I opened the cage door, however, and tip-toed out, the beast was released…and it felt good. I was finally free – free to communicate on my terms. It was, and still is, incredibly empowering and a whole load of fun!

If you've followed me from the start you'll know that I began a blog with pure text, but that very quickly I added in video. I knew the benefits of doing so and despite my initial fears and hyper ventilation around being filmed, I soon found that I actually loved the medium. Furthermore, it got me more exposure. To date I've had more than 110,000 views, which is pretty good going for a newbie.

Whilst it is time consuming, I have to tell you that I've experienced the benefits. By using video I've been able to better connect with my audience, rapidly build trust and see conversions. On average it takes me about 3 hours to write and optimize a blog, but when I add in video, it doubles this.

How I've tackled the times I don't want to write

Often I'm asked what motivates me to be consistent with my blogging and it's this one thing. I don't want to let you – my audience – down. Out of all the months I've been blogging I'm happy to report that there have only been about 3 blogs that I've missed. Contrary to popular belief though, I'm not Superwoman, but I do try my best to impersonate her. She's pretty hot! 😉

Being serious for just a moment, as a single parent to 3 kids, I've got my hands full. Most of the time things get done, but every once in a while something slips.

How do I tackle the days when I don't feel inspired to write? Well that's simple….I don't write! I honour my creativity. Instead I wait for a moment or a day when I get the urge. Then I batch. Batching or chunking enables me to get more out of my time. I'll aim to write up 4 blogs in a day. That then takes care of the month's blogs. Easy peasy!

What I'd encourage you to ask yourself about blogging

Whether you're about to start, quit or take your blog to the next level ask yourself this one question….

What's your objective for your blog? Your answer will then determine your plan.

If you're like me and want to set yourself up as an authority in your niche and derive sales from a product and service, then I'd advise you to do the following:

1. State your objective. Write it down. Commit to it by telling others. This increases your chances. Ask yourself what does your blog specifically stand for; what do you want to achieve from it, and by when.

2. Make a plan. Ask yourself how often you're going to blog, whether you're going to use text, or video or a combination; who will blog – you or another or guest bloggers, will you be selling from your blog etc.

3. Determine your style of blog. Consider your voice and image. Research blogs that inspire you and consider making a blog board by using Pinterest. Remember to be yourself though – ALWAYS. When you're authentic with your voice and brand you'll stand out from the crowd. So many bloggers fail as they say the same thing as everyone else and people please, which is a total turn off. As Derek Halpern from Social Triggers says, get controversial….for what stands out gets remembered. He walks the talk!

So make your point and if your readers don't like it, consider it a good thing.

4. Build your list from day 1. Everyone advises you to have an opt-in (above the fold) and there's good reason. Quite simply, without a list you have no one to sell to! So create an e-Book, or a report, or a video series ,or some kind of offer to attract your target clients as soon as you can. Then use your autoresponder to keep in contact, add value and sell.

5. Make a list of all the blogs that you'd like to guest blog on. These are your new targets and will become as important to you as your clients and customers. Guest blogging is vital if you're serious about building a business from your blog. When you get this right it drives traffic (readers) to your blog like there's no tomorrow. So, figure out what sites you’d like to send you traffic. List your 1 dream blog that you'd love to get a link from. Then, list 5 other blogs that you'd also love to get a link from. Note, you can be ambitious and pick the biggest, but you don’t have to. Smaller sites that you think would serve your brand well will also do the job.

6. Make a list of all the guest bloggers you'd like for your blog. This can work in the same way as the point mentioned above if you chose your guest bloggers wisely. Ideally you want bloggers who have a reasonable readership so they can promote your site and send you traffic. You can check their ranking status on Alexa. Whilst this appears extremely strategic, guest bloggers have other benefits. They give you a breather from blogging, and they enable you to share valuable content, that compliments your services. This is always my favourite part – the value this adds to you.

7. Make a list of blog topics. Adopt the KISS (keep it simple stupid) rule by focusing on no more than 3. You'll then find that you have themes that stem from them. These tend to be the questions your target market asks the most. You can research these topics with your audience by asking them directly or alternatively go and do some competitive research. Sometimes you don't have to reinvent the wheel! Short cuts can be good!

8. Create and complete an editorial calendar. This enables you to get organised and to know what you need to write and by when.

9. Schedule times and dates for blogging and your blog broadcasts.  This will help you stay committed to blogging. This has worked wonders for me as it's forced me to keep on track.

10. Be vigilant. Keep an eye out for comments on your blog. Having worked so hard, you don't ever want your readers to feel neglected at any point.

What 1 piece of blogging advice I wish I'd had

Although I started to build a list pretty quickly, as everyone advises, ironically, the one thing I wish I'd done sooner was promotion. Looking back I should have started to sell from my blog much earlier. You live and learn, euh?

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me how you stay motivated to blog and what your biggest challenges and successes have been. Share your stories and experience here and if you've got a question, just pop it down here.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

 

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.

Read more
Find me on Google+

P.P.S.

If you want a few more tips or candid thoughts you can read what Michelle wrote about yesterday and catch Hayley from The Tiny Twig tomorrow, and all of the other bloggers here. I cannot rave about their work enough.

July 21, 2013
0

Social media addiction: ready for a detox?

By | Marketing, Mindset, Sales | One Comment

Social media is the answer

Social Media Addiction by Jane FranklandSocial media addiction and detoxing. I hope you're ready!

I'm going to start at the beginning and this means dealing with the statement ‘social media is the answer.'

Poppycock!

It's time to bust this myth wide open.

Social media is not the answer. [I bet you're thinking the answer to what.]

Social media is not the answer to growing your business. What's more … it's actually a threat to it. Why do I say this?

Well before I go into this, I want to ask you something. Do you refresh Facebook 10-15 times an hour to track likes, messages and general interaction? Do you check Twitter and do the same? I'm expecting a yes. Some of you may even go further and check YouTube, Pinterest Instagram and Linkedin! Some of you may even be having more interaction with fans and followers online than with those immediately around you.

Hands up if that's you?

I know I've been guilty of doing this. Yes, I'm fessing up!

Now I bet you've been told that social media is essential for your business. Well there's truth to this but only if it's used strategically. This is not my bug bear. This is what is….social media addiction!

Social media addiction

In some way or another many of you (including me) have become slightly obsessed with social media and the interaction and engagement it demands. Unlike email it's a tool that expects a very instant response. If you've implemented the advice of the “experts” that's what you'll have been taught along the way.

However, it's wrong.

What's happened is that many of you have become dependent on it, and habits (including bad habits) have formed. While it may seem like an innocent and essential tool to market your business, unintentionally it's reinforcing some deep rooted fears. You see there's a dark side to social media. Used incorrectly it nurtures insecurity – feelings of being liked and good enough.

Think about it. The more likes and interaction you get, the better you feel. Right?

Yes, and stroke that ego whilst you're at it!

Social media as a threat to your business

So what happens when you don't get the Likes, ReTweets or interaction? What happens when you're not feeling the social love? For most of you you'll genuinely feel unloved, unheard and rejected. Some of you may become depressed. Then you'll pick yourself up and work harder to obtain the “love” through subsequent posts, Tweets and so on.

And this is where the threat actually lies.

It's the feeling of inadequacy it brings up. And the feeling of dependency. A co dependent relationship with a tool – nice!

But there's more….

A recent study by Harvard University on social media addiction shows evidence as to why social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are so popular and highly addictive for many people. The study aimed to dig into the psyche of why people are eager to self disclose i.e. post their thoughts and actions on social media.

Through a series of experiments, the study revealed that the act of disclosing personal or opinionated information activates the same part of the brain that's associated with the sensation of pleasure – the same pleasure that you get from eating food, getting money or even having sex!

Oh la la!

Story time…

Ok so where's this all going. Well here's my story to illustrate the point I'm making. As you know by now, I too have struggled with the social media “love” loop. In all honesty I didn't actually realise I had a problem with it until the other day.

I became aware when I decided to get super focused and complete an online course. I knew it was time to get this course to you. 18 years worth of complex sales experience coupled with growing a 7-figure business had to be turned into IP and transferred into course format if I was going to help you.

I could also hear my mentor's words ringing in my head, “Jane if you don't have a product, then you don't have a business.”

Anyway, to do this meant hours of work and I knew that the only way I could achieve this was through mega discipline. I knew I had to switch off my social media networks for the bulk of the day. I had to get targeted and even more strategic with it.

I had to go on a social media detox!

I was a little scared. That sounds silly but I'm being honest.

I knew social media was the most powerful way to get exposure, increase my leads and deliver my message to the world. I'd worked hard on it and was seeing results. What if my likes, fans and followers didn't grow as much? What if my engagement levels fell? My business would surely suffer and all the hard work I'd done would be to no avail.

Well surprisingly none of this happened! My social media likes, re-tweets, fans and followers kept on growing. And what's more, I felt a lot better.

Result!

What's the alternative to social media?

There's no alternative to social media if you want to grow your business. You need to do it. However, you need to protect yourself and reduce your risk exposure to the threat of social media addiction. When it comes to entrepreneurship, mindset and mental health is so important.

So the only way you're going to crack this is not through avoidance, but by having a social media strategy devised and implemented. You need to know how it fits in to your overall marketing and sales plan and therefore what you want to achieve from it from the get-go. You need to be able to measure results. You need a schedule in place for posting, tweeting and interacting. And as if that's not enough, you're going to have to be disciplined. Super discipline in fact. You need to decide how much time you're going to spend on it. 30 minutes each day should do the trick.

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me your story. Have you gone on a social media detox at any point in your business? If you did, what results did you see? Are you concerned about social media addiction or the feelings it brings up when you're on it? Share your stories and experience here.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.

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