My NaPodPoMo recording for November 1, 2012
Introduction
SuperStorm Sandy
Today’s Weather
Click to Listen: 2012.11.01 NaPodPoMo
A lot of people know a good deal when they see it but darn there are times you wonder where people’s heads are. Take, for instance the media event I am at now. I am supposed to be positive, writing glowing praise and giddy with excitement. However I’m in a drafty tent with one outlet next to a band AND had to go run down a chair to be able to do my stuff.
So, how do you treat media right? Especially if they are providing free or barter services here are some things to consider:
If you are anywhere on the internet you probably have uploaded a picture of yourself which is called an avatar. Sorry it does not bestow you magical powers to move wind, earth and fire but it does have some properties of its own.
This is advice intended for people establising themselves as a brand, expert or business. If you are on the internet to have fun you can stop reading now – or read on and poke fun at your friends – well, maybe.
Bottom line. If you are a “Brand, Company Rep, CEO or Expert in any field your picture needs to be
In other worlds STOP:
A confused customer says NO! So don’t confuse your market with an ever changing avatar. Keep it the same! Yes, you are going to have to be creative somewhere else but your business will thank you!.
You can have as many pictures as you want in your blog, Facebook pictures etc. but keep that little square image of yourself consistent.
At the writing of this article both Facebook and Google+ have undergone some new changes. In fact the radical shift in Facebook has caused many people to chime in with their dislikes all the way from mild disinterestedness to downright closing their accounts.
Google+ has opened to the public so you can join without an invitation. Now that the masses can join, the early adopters are waiting for the new public versions of spam.
In watching all the back and forth I realize that everyone has a different view on just what to say and why on these public networks so let’s review some basics.
1) What you say on the internet is there forever and you don’t know how people are going to take what you said. For example: “I ate chicken for dinner.” shouldn’t get you into too much trouble unless you are in a situation you shouldn’t be eating meat. “I ate chicken for dinner with Lavonne.” establishes you have a relationship with that person, which should be OK as long as they don’t have any outstanding warrants. Keep adding more information and you increase the potential for some interesting interpretations of what you did/said.
2) There are privacy settings. Sometimes I check into places in public when I’m with someone, endorse where I’ve been or I”m at a business function and want to create a small buzz about my business. Other than that I usually check into places using an app that broadcasts the message only to the people I’ve allowed to see my stream. If I’m somewhere I don’t want anyone to know – like getting that triple dip chocolate mocha coconut extreme – I don’t let anyone know.
3) Don’t do anything at first. Usually when things change it’s best to take a breather, let the experts dig into the changes and wait until they post the down and dirty. Sure enough someone will blog, podcast, make a video or graphic on the changes that can put things into perspective.
4) Spam is Spam. Out and out messages to buy buy buy are wrong. The other day a person jumped into the middle of a conversation about a musician and gave the link to his website. When people mildly but directly pointed out this was spam the person actually was insulted, saying it was OK to take free advertising wherever you can get it. I can imagine the amount of “Spam reports” made on this person’s comments. Did he sell anything or get any click through? Possibly but anyone that went to that site put themselves at risk for a virus or rip-off.
5) The Best of You! Many people have down days, get ill or have misfortune, but your collective posting on social media sites paints the picture of a you that may be the only picture some people see. So even though you are transparent, make sure the picture is a good mix of who you are and points more to the best of you than the worst. You never know when you are going to meet or get an opportunity to do business with someone.
The other day I was getting a meal at a local resturant and there was a church putting on some kind of fundraiser. I say “some kind” because there was no visible information or “call to action”. In fact so much was wrong in what they did that I wouldn’t give money to a group that couldn’t get their act together. So here’s a list of some top Do’s and Don’ts
Pick a cause (Headline Grabber) and make an action statement like:
Save the Whales! Feed Hungry Children! Promote Sports-Get Kids off the Streets.
Have this visible with the call to action next like – Donate Here!
A person walking by a sign has about 3 seconds to decide it they want to invest any time in reading what you have written. Use Large Letters, Make Sure they stand out from the paper (ie White letters on Black paper or Red letters on Yellow paper .)
Keep it to the Headline and Action Statement
Don’t block walkways! People trying to walk around things are tied up in survival mode. Survival mode does not like giving away money!
Free balloons to kids is a great item as the kids drag their parents to the table to get one.
Sitting at your table only talking to fellow church/volunteer members attracts me how?
These are just some basics. What else would you suggest as do’s and don’ts for fundraisers?
By now I would think everyone and their dog would know about “creating a buzz”. Sometimes I’m reluctant to use the word cause I think it’s so “yesterday”. But when I try to get people together to create a buzz I realize how many people don’t get it.
Let me get really basic for this post. Why are most people in Network Marketing? To earn money. Yes, yes many people put noble causes first but safe to say if they didn’t have the money one way or another they couldn’t do what they are doing.
That means one way or another you have a product/service/idea that you want people to buy.
So you have to have a “call to action” usually to buy the item, get them to visit your website or contact you.
The ultimate call to action is to purchase the product/service, but to get that message across you have to let it be known. Just posting it once or twice here or there is not enough. Also trying to create buzz by yourself is possible but it’s time consuming and may take time away from your other goals.
So what is buzz? It’s energy-excitement-enchantment that is created about an idea/concept/product/service that causes more and more people to take that call to action.
It usually isn’t fast, nor is it always easy, but consistent day to day steps will bring you much closer to buzz than a pot shot here and there.
Here are some suggested first steps:
For example, on one of my recent blog posts about an event I attended I asked a group of about 20 people to to comment on that event. Of course I expected “good, constructive” (and of course truthful) comments and it’s OK to put that in your request. I also gave the exact link to the article and let them know first name-last initial was fine. End result? I received one – uno comment.
If you are in a Network Marketing company that encourages teamwork (some don’t unfortunately) you NEED to help each other out with creating buzz. Interaction helps your buyer base know there is credibility to your message. Part of your week should be helping someone out with their buzz, showing their market there is excitement behind the product/service/idea.
Take pictures and post them,. Go places and have fun – and share that fact. Buzz can be fun so let’s get going.
I like technology, maybe even love it. Not enough to learn coding but I’ll mess around a bit under the hood. However I know there still is a strong, and often vocal, minority (majority?) of people who resist technology like the plague.
I know when I get the old line: “I’m the old fashioned paper and pencil type.” I’m fighting an uphill battle.
So you want to write the next great novel in your moleskin with a #2 pencil? Go for it. But when a group of people decide to use a web based tool to do xyz you gotta go with the crowd or be left behind.
What can I say? It’s like road construction, or learning a new car. It takes a while to get used to the differences but you live, still make it to your destination and might even find something new.
Technology is not always time-saving, and sometimes the latest and greatest fades away to the rise of the new and shiny. However you can’t say it doesn’t work until you give it a try. Often your reluctance to embrace new ideas and new styles will doom your attempt before giving it a fair shake.
I love fancy day runner type planners, but have made the Google tools my standard because of the integration and availability on both computer and phone. Do I ever miss adding little icons or doodles in the margins of my calendar? Of course I do, but I let myself have a new custom built notebook where I can doodle to my hearts content and not worry about leaving it behind when I need it.
So quit giving me the drama you peeps! You know who you are. 
It’s not like I’m asking you to donate a kidney.
Getting older is challenging. You finally get a few things figured out but you also realize how much you don’t know. I’m always appreciative to those who help me navigate the narrow path of expert between cocky and foolish. This video is one of my favorites:
As with any business when we are looking for new associates we will encounter these objections:
No Money
No Time
Can’t sell
Don’t know anybody
Network Marketing (bad opinion)
When you craft your vision statement or are working on extended “Elevator Speeches” you need to address these objections in your own journey. (Hopefully you had some.) So you can say –
Even though I was a stay at home mom . .
I never thought I was a salesman and thankfully it’s not selling . .
Network marketing has the backing of many successful financial experts . . .
I’ll add some more information on this topic.
I was at this convention and really blessed to be able to go. Looking forward to next year!
