Once upon a time, social media was more or less a game of “ranking” your friends and showing off your personality in the “coolest” background images or sharing your favorite songs with your friends. The days of Myspace are over, we all know this. And Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (as well as others) have taken over. Each social media platform has its own unique ways of presenting information to its users, and many people have accounts on a variety of different sites. In all, it works well. The majority of people that I know have an account on one social media site or another, and most people are routine users.
Expectedly, most people use these sites to connect with loved ones and friends. I don’t think I have ever scrolled through my news feed and not seen a photo of a cute baby or seen vacation pictures. It is nice to be able to see what friends and family are doing without having to take the time to visit. Because let’s face it, most of us have no time to plan visits with everyone we would like to see in a given month. Adding the fact that we are in the midst of a global pandemic, social media has obviously become even more vital. I have friends whose babies I haven’t even met yet, thanks COVID! But I can easily bring the image of these children to mind without the slightest of thoughts. This is a wonderful thing, and I am deeply grateful for it.
When it comes to the drawbacks of social media, I do not see the necessity of bringing that up here. Everyone knows that social media is time-consuming, that it is a hotbed for passionate disagreements among strangers. The positives of social media however, deeply outweigh the negatives. Especially if you are an entrepreneur.
Many home-based businesses leverage social media because it is an instant connection to every person close to you. In fact, many new entrepreneurs have blundered simply because of this. The one thing that a lot of people don’t stop to consider is that not every person you know personally is going to be or should be your customer. No matter how attractive the offer is, not everyone is going to be interested. Or if they are, there are often going to be objections that must be overcome.
That said, social media has the ability to connect us with others all over the planet. Those in our close circle, may not be our perfect market. But I guarantee you this. Someone - somewhere is. And those people, are not going to carry the same judgements on you that your friends and family do. Your results, not your past, are going to mean more to them. You just have to meet these people.
How do we do this?
Easy. Connect with those people on social media whom you admire. Who are NOT in the same business as you are, and preferably not in the same geographic location that you reside in. This is important because those people run in different circles as you do. Those people will become your long-distance friends because they like what you have to offer, as a person. Your concept, product, or services may be attractive to those people, but there is truth in the fact that “people buy from those that they like and trust.”
Once you have established relationships with others who inspire you, it is easy to discuss what you do in a conversational tone. Do not jump out of the gate with your offer, that feels sleezy and is honestly unfair. If you take the time to build rapport with people, they will be genuinely curious about your business, your life, and your offers.
Connecting with people in different businesses than yours, also will open you to opportunities to possibly become customers of them as well!
I respect, and have purchased from, a lot of people whom I originally connected with thinking that they may know someone interested in my offers. And with that, comes the best thing in the world. Collaboration.
Collaboration with others in differing areas of business is incredible!
When two people choose to work on a project together, be it a podcast, a book, or even a blog the respect for each individual grows. “I met this amazing person! They know a lot about XYZ…. And oh my gosh, you have to talk to them!” See that? That is a referral. A referral you did not even have to ask to get.
Some of the greatest conversations I have had since starting this journey have been with fellow entrepreneurs, who “get” what I have gone through in this journey. Many have offered me wonderful tips and strategies to upgrade my thinking, and my life. And a lot of them, I do consider genuine friends as well as mentors.
I will say from personal experience, that receiving an invitation from someone whom you admire to work on a collaboration is an incredible honor.
The rush of, “me? But nobody even likes me!” Feels WILD. When you buckle down and do the work, the reward is amazing. Having another person recognize you for what you have done, and then pushing yourself to make that happen brings so many wonderful things. The following list is some of the wonderful things that I have felt just since I started collaborating with others.
1. A Sense of Accomplishment
Seeing something that you produced, with your name next to someone who you admire feels AMAZING. You feel like you have done something good.
2. A Larger Following
Don’t feel bad if you don’t have many eyes on you yet. As soon as you start working with other people, you will be able to leverage their credibility. Their followers will likely start to seek information on you, and what you do, and with the larger audience, comes the chance for higher sales.
3. More Self-Confidence
Sometimes, all it takes to feel more confident in yourself is another person saying, “hey I like you.” No one is going to collaborate with someone whom they do not vibe with. That is just fact.
As entrepreneurs, we need to realize that people are what makes the sale. Products and services are what people get, but people have to want to work with you. If they do not like you, or do not know you, they will never buy from you. In the end, it is all up to what we do with who we are and the connections we make. No one is born knowing everyone in the world, but we all have an equal chance to meet everyone in the world. The world is a big place, and there is room in it for whatever you have to offer. As long as you are willing to be out there. Do not give up. You will win this thing.
Through joining a Facebook group, I found this poem that I thought sums it up nicely. I connected with the author, Janis Callahan, who is an amazing person and asked her permission to use this piece. I found it absolutely inspiring and felt that no truer words had ever been spoken, or well… Written.
Comic Relief
I’m going to make you a millionaire
The webinar guru intoned
You can be filthy rich, with much success
All your money problems gone
Its only a thousand dollars
The best money you’ve ever spent
Forget about your credit card bills
No more worrying how to pay rent
Paused at my computer
Is this some shady scheme
Or have my prayers been answered
Only a thousand dollars the price of all my dreams
So I quickly sign into PayPal
For the guru has reeled me in
I took the bait, I sit and wait
For the money to start rolling in
I start reading all the coursework
In search of the millions he promised me
But very much to my surprise
MY SUCCESS DEPENDS ON ME!
Comments