The Solopreneur Social Media Checklist?

90 percent of businesses say social media is crucial to their marketing. But the point is, are you doing yours right?

Related Article: Your Image Based Social Media Impact?

In a world where (according to an Adweek study), over 90 percent of businesses say social media is crucial to their overall marketing strategies, solopreneurs arguably have the most to gain and lose via social networks.

Sure, those platforms often have a reputation for being total time-sinks or wastelands of marketing ROI. But savvy solopreneurs understand how to use platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to spread the word about their businesses. In many cases, these same solopreneurs are growing those businesses and bottom lines without spending a dime.

But, when you're using social media to pursue networking opportunities or seal the deal with new customers, how do you know whether you're using your time wisely or merely spinning your wheels?

Fear not. The following checklist is a guide for solopreneurs looking to pinpoint their social strategy and use their time on these platforms wisely, to build their investment in their business.

Related Article: The Art Of Winning Social Media Conversions?

1. Pick A Primary Channel

Simply put, you need to decide on a single social channel that's going to command most of your attention. That's not to say you can't focus on both Facebook and Instagram, for example, but trying to be in multiple places at once will inevitably burn you out.

For many solopreneurs in the B2B space, Facebook is the number one channel to focus your efforts. There's a good chance that your clients and customers are already connected to the platform in some way, shape or form, especially considering that users spend an average of 50 minutes on Facebook per day.

Niche businesses, however, are booming on Instagram, especially those within B2C industries such as fashion and beauty. Growing and monetizing Instagram followers is arguably easier than ever; meanwhile, Instagram has one of the highest average order values via ecommerce, at $65 per order.

When in doubt, you can pick your primary channel by answering one simple question: "Where are my clients and customers hanging out?" If there's a clear answer, then you know where to start.

Related Article: The Social Media Platform For YOUR Business?

2. Don't Spread Yourself Too Thin

Despite popular belief, you don't need to be active on each and every social site. In fact, there are no "must-have" networks for solopreneurs, truth be told.

But, think about it: There's absolutely no way you can effectively manage a presence simultaneously on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn by yourself. If you try, you'll neglect at least half of your social sites.

Solopreneurs have two options when it comes to attacking the various social channels available.

• Pick a primary channel coupled with one or two secondary channels (for example, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn).
• Focus on a primary channel while using a social automation solution to help push content and maintain a presence on secondary channels

For example, apps such as Buffer and Sprout Social allow solopreneurs to curate and queue content to their social network of choice without lifting a finger. While such solutions do require a monetary investment, they allow your brand to be in multiple places at once, so to speak.

Related Article: YOUR Social Media Bandwagon?

3. Never Stop Networking

The old adage, "Always be prospecting," rings incredibly true for today's solopreneurs on social media. There are seemingly endless opportunities to connect with new clients, win over customers and share your business's content all at once.

Private Facebook groups based around your industry represent potential gold mines of new business. Likewise, sites such as LinkedIn put you on the same level as CEOs and industry bigwigs.

4. Position Yourself As An Influencer

Oftentimes, making yourself heard via social media means playing the role of a bigwig yourself. By positioning yourself as an influencer, you grow your authority within your niche and make yourself more attractive to potential clients and customers.

Related Article: The 30 Top Social Media Influencers?

Some smart yet simple positioning strategies on social media include:

• Thoughtfully responding to questions and comments on industry-related Facebook or LinkedIn groups
• Republishing your own content to the various social channels, including LinkedIn's own publishing platform
• Regularly commenting on the updates of major players in your industry, showing that you've got the chops to be a bigger player yourself

Any combination of these strategies not only puts your name out there, but also publicly displays your commitment to your industry.

5. Look For Opportunities To Curate Social Proof

Especially if you're a new solopreneur, social media represents a great place to curate social proof on behalf of your business.

Ever leave a comment that got tons of positive feedback? Created pieces of content that just about went viral? Have clients who've given you a digital "thumbs up" or a public "thank you" via social?

Related Article: Master Marketer Social Media Stratagies?

If so, you can use such social proof as a way to seal the deal with future clients and customers.

By highlighting your positive social experiences either on site or throughout your marketing materials, you can break down the trust barrier for any skeptics who may not think you're the real deal.

6. Professional Imagery Goes A Long Way

This point is crucial but so easy to ignore: Something as simple as your professional headshot can make all the difference when it comes to networking via social media.

If you want to be taken seriously, present yourself accordingly. Bathroom selfies and party pics aren't going to cut it if you really want to make an impression on your audience.

Related Article: Your Image Based Social Media Impact?

7. Don't Let Your Profiles Gather Cobwebs

Finally, don't let your social presence fall to the wayside. Period. Consistency is key to gaining followers and traction via social: The more you post, the more you will grow an audience that's hungry for what you have to say.

On the flip side, if a certain channel is netting you absolutely no engagement, don't be afraid to cut it loose for the sake of your time and energy.

Today's solopreneurs are living and dying by their social presence. By sticking to this checklist, you can save yourself from scrambling for a social strategy and focus on what really matters: growing your business.

Guest Authored By Nathan Chan. Nathan is the publisher of Foundr Magazine, a digital magazine for young, aspiring and novice stage entrepreneurs. He has had the pleasure of interviewing rock star business leaders to find out what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur. Follow Nathan on Twitter.

Related Article: YOUR Social Media Platform Persona?

“Today's solopreneurs are living and dying by their social presence.

By sticking to this checklist, you can save yourself from scrambling for a social strategy and focus on what really matters:

Growing your business..”

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  Authored by:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, Colorado. I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

Social Media -- A Good Thing For CEO's?

Social media may be habit-forming -- And for CEO's that's a good thing..

As a serial entrepreneur and agency president, my days are hectic -- and that’s how I like it. I always have something on the back-burner, whether it's my next idea for a company, a tweet that I’ve been noodling on or chores to do on the urban farm where I live.

Related Article: Top CEO Social Media Strategy?

I start my day at 4 a.m. and work until I collapse into bed around 9 p.m.

Part of my work is to find creative ways to share what’s going on in my world -- what I’m reading, thinking, growing or doing. Maintaining an active presence on social media has become a valuable habit I’ve formed because it introduces me to interesting people, and it adds meaning and connection to my life.

Some people ask me why I bother. Shouldn't CEO's have better things to do with their time? I disagree. While my company takes center stage, I play a crucial supporting role in its success. By using social media, I aspire to be accessible, present and transparent -- qualities that speak to our workplace culture. Social media is essential to so many individuals’ and organizations’ lives. Because I value connection, I can't ignore it. Instead, I want to be part of those harnessing it for good and as a tool to highlight insights for my business and the wider community of social entrepreneurs, agency leaders, journalists and opinion-makers.

Related Article: Marketing Strategies To Transcend YOUR Industry?

Company leaders who personally engage in social media elevate and strengthen their organization's identity.

A recent article in Inc. detailed how John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile, took to Twitter to reimburse a customer for her in-flight Wi-Fi charges. The customer had tweeted about a flirtatious couple next to her, and it went viral. Some observers said they would be changing carriers to T-Mobile, demonstrating the power CEO's can have when they engage on social media. CEO's can give a company a face and personality with which consumers can identify. Legere leveraged the moment while boosting T-Mobile’s image and behaving like a real human being.

CEO's can and should use social media to share what is important not only to them but to their business. Content might communicate with shareholders and consumers, but at the same time, it should showcase an organization’s personality and values. Far from being a waste of time, social media is a way for me to build relationships based on giving and receiving knowledge in a fast-moving world. I can help drive a conversation about the things that matter to me and learn from others with similar interests.

Related Article: YOUR Local Business Social Media Marketing?

I use social media nearly every day as a tool to read, converse and learn.

It’s highly relevant to leading an agency that develops social media strategies for clients. By participating, I hone my craft, and I experiment with what works and what doesn’t. Many decades of experience in social business practices and advertising doesn’t mean I don’t have room to grow, especially in this ever-changing industry. I enjoy keeping tabs on fellow agencies, brands I respect and their leaders through social media. It gives me ideas for clients and insight on how I can improve my own business. The constant flow of innovation and ideas keeps me on my toes.

One of my mantras is "action, not words." Sharing what my companies are doing through social media demonstrates what is possible with conscious capitalism. Whether it’s photographs of our monthly employee volunteer outings or video footage of PlasticWorks, our community’s plastic up-cycling factory, I’m proud to be walking the walk. The goal of my new consulting venture, Humanista, is to transform more companies through social purpose. Because I’m so active on social media and not farming it out to a third party, my companies’ actions carry more credibility and lead to more genuine relationships with clients.

Related Article: Should YOU Bother With E-Newsletters?

While it’s not the norm for CEO's to manage their own social media, a few leaders do it well consistently.

Elaine Welteroth, the former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, has a massive social presence that spotlights the events that she attends and the causes close to her heart. She helps use her platform to bring awareness to racial injustice and wage inequality. I’m also a huge fan of Andrei Cherny, who is a Twitter master and leads a socially conscious financial firm.

Leaders who want to play a more active role in their own social media must identify and observe leaders they admire. It doesn’t matter if they share your industry if they can create a sense of connection and authenticity and deliver value from the posts they share. I like seeing how leaders engage their own networks through social media, especially on LinkedIn, and how they take constructive criticism and use their platforms to inspire movements for good. For example, Dan Price of Gravity Payments is a social media master (best known for paying everyone at his company at least $70,000 a year) who evangelizes about paying workers a living wage and calls out companies that fall short. He’s caught some flack but takes it humbly.

Related Article: Making Social Media Work For YOUR Company?

Social media shrinks our world in terms of distance while expanding it exponentially in terms of access to new ideas and brilliant people.

Connections forged online have led to in-person connections -- both valuable assets. Plus, it's fun. In the early days of Twitter, I met a friend who recently launched a wonderful soap company that donates a percentage of its profits to endangered species conservation.

That friendship led to meeting my new business partner. Despite criticism because of trolls and fake accounts (not to mention our president), Twitter is one of my platforms of choice because it’s so quick and easy.

Guest Authored By Russ Stoddard. Russ is the Founder and President of Oliver Russell, a public benefit corporation that builds brands for purpose-driven companies. Follow Russ on Twitter.

Related Article: How To Up YOUR Social Media Game?

"A CEO is the face of his or her company, like it or not. By participating in social media, we show the world who we are: transparent, authentic and committed to leaving the world better than we found it. Through my social media, I hope to inspire more people to act in a way that creates a positive difference in the world and learn from them along the way.." -RussStoddard

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  Post Crafted By:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at GetMoreHere.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, CO. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

Should Entrepreneurs Use Social Media?

Entrepreneurs should not use social media..

Entrepreneurs should not be using social media. Social media is a double-edged sword that is more often used to inadvertently commit the business equivalent of seppuku. Social media is touted as the new magical wand that has created millionaires and business gurus. But, we are overlooking the infinite number of people that have harmed themselves through social media.

Related Article: Your Social Media Legal Issues?

Elon Musk is the most recent example of an entrepreneur that has harmed himself through social media.

Musk is stepping down as Tesla chairman and is paying a $20 million dollar fine. This all started when he made the fated tweet on twitter stating, “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.” That’s a $142,857 dollars per character mistake made via social media.

As people, entrepreneurs are liable to make mistakes due to sudden flashes of emotion or oversight that lead to a negative possibility we didn’t foresee. It’s much safer for the average entrepreneur as well as anyone to completely avoid using social media, than relying on it to gain substantial benefits. My advice is for everyone to stay far away from social media.

If you decide to use social media, you need to treat all social media like it is a press conference podium attached to the third rail. I’ve had prior employers and clients google search my history and read through my social media to determine whether they wanted to work with me.

Related Article: The Costliest Social Media Mistakes?

For example, if you are voicing strong religious, political or other beliefs. You will ultimately be offending a large segment of people in the world.

You have no idea whether you’re going to be able to afford offending a possible future employer or client that you’ve yet to meet.

There are some individuals that can leverage their social media accounts to gain followers and financial success. But, these individuals are statistical outliers. You should not assume that this is the norm.

Guest Authored By Cameron Keng. Cameron covers a lot of taxes and even more about business. He practiced taxation for clients such as Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank and Pfizer at PwC as well as KPMG. Founded a nonprofit tax clinic sponsored by the IRS and partnered with NYS and NYC that processed 5 million dollars. Received Congressional endorsements for outstanding community and public service. Featured by Bloomberg, Tax Analysts, BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur, HuffingtonPost and Fox News as a tax, finance and business expert. Follow Cameron on Twitter.

Related Article: Fake News, Hoaxes and Hate-Monger Social Media?

"Given the choice, go old school and just write your thoughts in a paper journal. It is far safer. Otherwise, tread lightly in the social media landscape. All your thoughts are kept online forever and backed up via multiple sources. Thus, each time you put something out in the world it will never be forgotten.."

• 

  Post Crafted By:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at GetMoreHere.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Salt Lake City, UT. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

Keeping YOUR Social Media Fresh?

Break the monotony: Keep it fresh on social media..

Related Article: YOUR Social Media Strategy Amp Up?

We'll talk about the strategy to increase social media engagement and improve awareness of your brand.

Variety is, as they say, the spice of life.

No one likes to see the same thing over and over again. With revamping our social strategy and trying out new social media tactics, we have a better chance of increasing the engagement and leave the audience with an impact.

The word "engagement" makes a lot of noise on social media which just isn't easy. It has to be, well, engaging.

Related Article: Building An Engaging Social Media Presence?

Do you know about the "AEIOU" of social media?

It is Answer. Engage. Influence. Offer. Use.

--Are you answering the rights questions asked on social media?

--Are you engaging your audience?

--Do you have an influencer?

--Do you offer reasons and rewards to choose you over others?

--And are you user-friendly?

With techniques that can answer these frequently-asked questions, you are sure to stand out in the era of social media.

From Facebook to Instagram, domains to websites, online shopping to online portals of different brands, everything is online and everyone is busy utilizing the best of the web market. With the snowballing accessible options of promotion, retaining attention is also becoming challenging day by day as competition increases and the attention span decreasing to a mere 8 second.

So, let's look at some new ideas that could make you a force to be reckoned with.

Related Article: Social Media Marketing Steps To Success?

Be a Social Storyteller

Storytelling is the new trend on social media. Facebook stories allow you to post content that disappears after 24 hours is now available for groups and events. Instagram Stories "Highlights" lets your brand showcase your best stories and post them permanently on your Instagram profile. Similarly, Twitter and WhatsApp also give a platform to upload stories, videos and share insights.

Say Hello to Chatbots

Chatbots are the new best friend of the one-click generation. They allow enterprises to deliver proficient service in an exceedingly personalized manner by combining messaging, human support and operations into one holistic experience. Chatbots provide an instant connection with customers from all over the world, solving customer issues almost instantaneously. Today not only chatbots are used as chatting tools but are also used for selling and ordering things with just a click.

Related Article: YOUR Social Media Empathy Technology?

#Hashtags Are A Must

Today the generation is all about social media glams with new apps and trends adapted swiftly. If you wish to grow and walk parallel with such trends, then start following them re-utilizing them for brand representation. From Twitter to Facebook, Instagram to Snapchat everyone is using hashtags to make their post popular and highlight them among the sea of other posts. Find out which hashtag is in trend and use it!

Influencers Are Worth It

Today almost every brand is using celebrities, sportsmen, bloggers etc to boost their products and be a face of their brand. Because they know people also buy products when they see influencers using it. Influencer marketing is not something new but due to a clear majority, this option is all the more in a trending curve now. Consumers want authenticity from influencers and the brands who seek to work with them should strive to give a transparent portrayal of their brand as publicized by these influencers.

Related Article: Social Media Trends To Keep YOUR Eyes On?

Just go Live

Meet your audience where they are. Just go live and interact with your viewers in real time. Go online with live video sessions, conduct live talk shows like having chats sessions with doctors, skin experts, beauticians and others to bring in an industry opinion tackling general queries of your customers. People can similarly share their queries and brands can use this idea of live streaming to connect with more people.

Post Small Ads

Make your advertisement content only what it is for. Today we don't want to watch long ads grabbing our mind space as we either skip or use ad blocks. So, keep in mind that your ad has to be to the point.

Related Article: Social Media Secrets To Going Viral?

Try A Poll

Exhausted posting the same types of content over and over? Try a poll. Polls get your customers engaged in active conversations with your business. Platforms like Facebook even offer a built-in poll creator to make it easy!

Guest Authored By Pankaj Rahul Singh. An IIM Dropout, came out with this idea when there were no smartphones or Facebook and people were only using orkut, Pankaj Rahul Singh foresaw the future of the digital media in India 8 years ago. A marketing specialist with 10+ years of experience in the field of Digital & Social Media, Sports Management, Media & Marketing, and Mr. Singh has been an expert in driving Corporate Strategies, Business Development & Marketing. He also oversees all domestic and international operations focusing on the development and execution of a world-class, customer-driven organization. He has previously worked with ICFDS, Brazilian Soccer Schools & FTV. This True Sports Lover is a master in monetization of sports properties, international events and has successfully handled many big sporting campaigns in his career. Follow Pankaj on Twitter.

Related Article: Marketing Strategies To Transcend YOUR Industry?

"Utilize these strategies to increase social media engagement and improve awareness of your brand.

And, above all, Be a Customer-Service Leader! -PankajRahulSingh

• 

  Post Crafted By:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Salt Lake City, UT. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)