4 Great Client Attraction Tips For Social Media

What is the point of social media? Does it make any sense to spend hours of your time each week online just talking to no one but yourself or broadcasting into space with no focus? I'd say no! I'm not sure about you, but I definitely don't have time to spend even one second just talking to myself - I can do that while I'm working!!!

When I first joined the social media world it was for personal connections, not just to be talking. By creating those sincere and consistent connections I created my rankings (now in the top 1% individuals in social media across the globe) and eventually a career. The point of social media is not to broadcast - it's to engage & connect in a way that is mutually beneficial for you and those you connect with.

HERE ARE 4 CLIENT ATTRACTION TIPS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA:

ADD VALUE
It is important that you add value to the lives of those who read your posts and come in contact with. You know just like I do, that the world is a busy place - much too busy for us to spend time on something that isn't adding value and benefiting us in some way. Make sure that what you share adds value without cost to your customers at least 80% of the time and then make sure that whatever you sell to them the other 20% of the time is also something of value.

NETWORK
Reach out to your customers and connections. Do not just broadcast all your promotions and views to the world without interactions and reaching out. Spend a little time each week looking at what others post (even sharing it when it's relevant to your niche), comment on their posts or just say hello or happy birthday on their wall in a sincere way. Re-Tweet what others are posting on Twitter (when it will benefit your target niche), reply to great tweets posted by others & interact with those who Re-Tweet your stuff. Make true and sincere contact with people you meet just as you would if you were at a physical networking event. No one likes a narcissist or a wall-flower at a networking event and that is just what social media is - A 24/7 online global networking event. Find your niche and get to networking!!

HELP
When your customers, contacts, potential customers ask for help, do what you can. Do you have advice? Perhaps you have a connection you could put them in contact with who can help them. Zappos is a perfect example of this - they make millions of dollars online and have only increased that income after they began helping their customers locate products online that they themselves do not even sell. Their customer service reps take turns sitting at the help desk making sure to answer questions pointing their customers and followers to companies that can help them. It's just a simple, sincere approach to helping their customers & potential customers that establishes them as someone everyone can trust who isn't too busy worshiping the all mighty dollar to help someone out without expectation now and then. The same thing can work for you if you just spend a bit of time helping when you can.

USE KEYWORDS IN YOUR CONTENT
When posting online whether it be on your website, your blog, your YouTube channel, FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any other social media or online forum, make sure to use keywords in your content. By keywords, I don't just mean keywords that will be relevant to your particular target niche, but keywords that have been tested to show results online. There are simple searches you can do to figure out which keywords may work best for what you are trying to say & they are free via Google. Use the tools at Google to improve your keywords every chance you get. My personal preference is to write my content first and then use the keyword tool at Google to tweak my words and change them here and there for better effect.

These are some great tools to assist you in your process of reaching your customers and potential customers in the online social media forums and to assist you in bringing them home to your email lists in a way that will be beneficial to both you as an individual as well as your financial stability. Be sure to email me or contact me via my brand new Fan Page if you have any questions. I'd be happy to help answer them, research them and give any assistance possible.

Social Media And Customer Engagement

When considering social media and customer engagement there are a multitude of factors to consider, but in general the three most important things are sincerity, frequency & relevance.

We've already covered in past newsletters how important it is to make sure at least 80% of what you post online will add value to the lives of those reading your posts without directly selling them something. We've also covered how the majority of what you post needs to be relevant and applicable to your niche, while at the same time working to establish you as an expert in that niche. These are important things to remember with regards to posting and are almost equally important with regard to engagement of your customers and potential customers. Customer engagement is the bread and butter of online marketing these days and requires not only consistent participation from your customers/potential customers, but also, your consistent and sincere interaction with them.

THREE TOP CONSIDERATIONS IN ONLINE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT:

• SINCERITY - All things posted by you or your employees/representatives must be sincere. Not only does this make sense on a human and spiritual level (you are a spiritual entrepreneur after all), but also on a marketing level. The buying trends in the last few years have grown toward relationships involving trust and away from those which do not. This is why brands must actively, directly and sincerely engage with their customers. Not only must you establish yourself as a sincere and trustworthy expert to your current customers, but you must also do this with your potential ones. Statistics show that over 60% of buyers won't buy without a testimonial from someone they trust and that number is steadily growing day by day. You have no choice but to build trust online - whether that be with current customers or potential ones - it's a fate that you cannot escape if you wish to make it in business.

• FREQUENCY - In order to successfully reach and engage with your customers/potential customers, you must be there consistently communicating with them (notice I said WITH them not to them - engagement is a two way street). It is important to remember that with online marketing the market is expanded worldwide so you are reaching people on a global scale. This means that you must be aware of the fact that there are potential customers to reach 24/7. That said, I would suggest that you post to your FaceBook fanpage at least 4 times each day, that you blog at least 2 times per week (if not more), that you post to twitter at least 20-25 times each day, that you post/interact on a LinkedIn group at least 2 times weekly & that (if/when applicable) you post on YouTube a minimum of once monthly if not more. If that sounds a little overwhelming, don't worry, there are a multitude of free tools you can use that will assist you in auto-posting so you can work, sleep and live while your social media is running in the background. I will likely post about those in the future, but if you'd like to set an appointment to go over some of these feel free to email me.

• RELEVANCE - We all have a plethora of interests and therefore it's easy to want to share things about all of them. In online marketing, however, this is not a sensible thing to do. The key in your online forums is to have as targeted an audience as possible to increase your email lists and customers. This cannot be done if you post about random things every day that don't relate to your particular niche. Keep that in mind when you are sharing links and updates or liking/favoriting things online. It is fine to post things that may be political or controversial if you are a spiritual entrepreneur, or to post products you use, books you read, articles you are interested in etc. - but just keep in mind that all these things need to fit into two categories: A - they must be relevant to your niche while providing something of value they can use & B - They must not compete with your business in any way.

These three points should help you in establishing your presence online, being consistent in your marketing focuses and processes & engaging customers in your target niche. Be sure to email me via the contact link when viewing my full profile or ask a question on my brand new Fan page if you'd like to know more.

The Blah Blah Blah of Online Sales

How many times have you been sitting at dinner when the phone rings and you pick it up only to hear a sales pitch being blasted in your ear? We all know how it starts - the peppy introduction, the insincere "how are you doing?", the lame "I'm a regular guy just like you" joke and then..... THE PITCH. What do we do? We keep telling them no - do they listen? NO. They keep going and going and going & eventually you simply tune them out until you find the opportunity for another no and a take me off your list.

I remember seeing the cartoon below in a book when I was a kid and thinking "that's how I feel when my dad is talking to me". This all too familiar scene is the same whether it's a parent and his teenage daughter or a person in an online social media platform trying to convince everyone to purchase their product. Keep this in mind when you are about to pitch something and remember that no one wants to hear sales language whether on the phone or when they're reading it online.



What is sales language?... Simple - It's any language that includes a pitch of some sort - sales, marketing, campaigns, verticals, leveraging etc. These are all examples of things that use sales language. Sales language generally serves only to alienate your potential customer rather than actually sell them, & the only time it really succeeds in this day and age, is when the net is cast so wide that it simply can't help but to scoop up a few fish as a default of the numbers game. We all have an inner lie detector that goes on immediately when we know we are being pitched to, that has us seeking out the thing within the pitch that makes it too good to be true. When that "too good to be true-o-meter" goes off (which happens quickly) you've lost your audience, and have become just like that time share salesman who looks up after talking for 2 hours, only to realize that no one is in the room and he's been talking to the dust mites.

Just remember, online marketing in social media is all about engagement, interaction and value. Those things don't come from you posting your events, products and services out the wazoo on your pages, and they surely don't come from you blocking people from commenting or posting on those same pages. Your level of interaction and sincere engagement with your potential customers about things of value related to your niche, is going to be directly reflective of your level of success with social media marketing.

Always remember that the person who posts their own views without interaction with others, or the person who's only emails to people are about their own products, events and services is no different than the telemarketer with the lame joke on the end of your phone during dinner. Just like you tune that telemarketer out - your followers and friends will do the same to you - that's why FaceBook has the option to hide people from your news feed and many other platforms have similar capabilities. Don't be deluded into thinking that because you are posting everyone is reading what you have to say. If you are just posting sales lingo posts and/or are blocking people from engaging your page, you're most likely like the time share salesman who looks up to find he's talking to the air because I can guarantee you that most people are simply hiding your posts from their view.

Nothing Comes From Nothing

Last week I put out a post that was all about good things coming to those who wait. What does that mean? Do we have to do anything? Should I just sit around on FaceBook watching and waiting for someone to justify my presence? If what you put out comes back to you & good things come to those who wait and nothing comes from nothing then what the heck can I expect?

When I first started in social media, I created an account on all the various forums and then sat there wondering what to do next. At first my friends and family located me and friended/followed me and then that was about it. At some point (after observing what the other monkeys in the forest were doing) I started talking about whatever it was that I was thinking. I began speaking about what was important and then the people who cared about the same things came around to have discussions about it all. At that point I had created a following and a ranking but it was merely a presence. I had to do a lot more talking and a lot more believing and a lot more talking about what exactly it was I believed before anything monetary came of it and even that took 2-3 years. So you see, good things do come to those who wait, but there's something to be said about waiting for a response rather than waiting for a savior. We are all the savior we've been looking for - our savior exists within us and what we put out comes back. So let's discuss what you're putting out there into the social media universe.

MOST IMPORTANT - you must have & be actively working, a defined social media plan/strategy that defines your target audience, places you in the appropriate social media platform in which to reach that audience, gives you insight to the key topics that audience cares about & how they want to hear about it, and that enables you to have a timeline of what should be going out... and when.

INTERACTION - after putting your social media strategy into action the second most important thing, is your interaction with your target audience. Your inputs, comments and advice to your target audience are what is going to draw them in over time, in turn leading to increased conversations, added value and the eventual request for services.

If you're looking for a quick win - rethink why you're using social media. There's an old, but well known, saying in the urban community "don't start nothing, won't be nothing" and that saying however lacking in grammar, makes its point perfectly. Work your social media platforms with a defined strategy and good things will come.

Because I'm addicted to smiles and fun, I'll end this post with a video link to Billy Preston singing Nothing From Nothing - perhaps you remember it (if you're as old or older than I) or perhaps you can have a listen to something old but new to you, and have something to bop your head over while sitting at your computer wondering about your social media plan.

Your Secret To Social Media Success

No matter what you are posting or where you are posting it, 80% of your online posts should be adding value to the life of the reader without selling to them. Think about it... We've all got someone in our FaceBook or Twitter feed who speaks of nothing but whatever it is they are selling. Social media is about relationships of value. That is something that every Spiritual Entrepreneur should understand isn't it? Who better to understand the value in relationships with others but someone who is deeply in tune to spiritual concepts? I can't think of any spiritual practice that doesn't talk about loving others in some way shape or form. Who feels love from someone always talking AT them rather than TO them?

When I first began spending time in the land of social media I spoke about what I cared about & paid attention to the same, but no matter what, I always took time to connect with people in some way. I always made sure to know who I was speaking to and how our interests were similar. By doing this, I began to form relationships and I began to connect with people about things that were relevant to them. By simply making connections relevant to what I was doing and what I cared about, I raised my ranking in social media to the top 4% worldwide never once attempting to sell a thing! Now I have formed a multitude of wonderful and sincere relationships with people who have come to know me in a way that allows them to trust what I say in particular areas. What do people value more than trust? There are, of course, a few things but not many.

Social media is about providing value to people who you are speaking to or interacting with. The wide availability of internet connections combined with the sincere and real connections people make with friends from all countries and generations has created an unlimited resource for your potential customer. Most everyone on the internet now has a connection to someone (if not multiple people) who can give them a testimonial or opinion on whatever it is you're selling, and most of them are going to put the most weight with the person they trust the most. Not many people trust someone who is merely there to sell them something when their other option is someone with whom they've spent time forming a trusting relationship with. That is what social media is all about... CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS & TRUST.

YOU are the first thing of value that your potential customer needs to have access to, and the best way to provide that access, is to let them know you care by giving them something of value that will improve their life in some way.

I believe you are the perfect person to share what you value with the world, don't you? As you know, people in the spiritual community seem more aware than most, of the concept of providing something to others that is truly of value in that it gives people access to something that empowers them or brings them closer to the Divine. We in the spiritual community know all about bringing value to the collective. And we frequently tend to focus on whatever level of understanding we may have of the balance between paying our bills, and enabling humanity to achieve a level of awakening that will bring them closer to the higher power as we see it. We've all heard &/or participated in conversations about how to achieve this balance & where the line in the sand should be drawn with regard to what should and shouldn't be charged for with when it comes to spiritual awakening. It is for that reason that I believe the spiritual community has the most significant potential to use social media successfully. Share with others what it is you care about and before you know it you'll be ranked higher than you can imagine in your niche on whatever social media forums in which you spend your time. We all know that those things which are the most truly and deeply valuable things on earth cost us our time not our dime.

So get out there and start sharing that which is most valuable to the world and give the gift that is nothing short of divinely created.... YOU!