Podcast - Ep. 102 - A GUIDE for Socially Active Business Owners

Hello all, this is Nate Sampson with Social Pro Video teaching & empowering you, the online community, to craft better content ‘Through the Lens’ of cinematic storytelling.

Welcome to today’s podcast: ‘Through the Lens - A Guide for Socially Active Business Owners.

And today’s burning question is: What comes to mind when you hear the words Social Media? Seriously, let me know in the comments!

“Through the Lens - Ep. 102 - A Guide for Socially Active Business Owners”

Hello all, this is Nate Sampson with Social Pro Video teaching & empowering you, the online community, to craft better content ‘Through the Lens’ of cinematic storytelling.

Welcome to today’s podcast: ‘Through the Lens - A Guide for Socially Active Business Owners.

And today’s burning question is: What comes to mind when you hear the words Social Media? Seriously, let me know in the comments!

I know for business owners, the most common reaction often is an eye-roll coupled with an epic facepalm amidst an afterthought of “I don’t have time for this” or “I have to get something, anything out there.” And as a business owner myself, I for one have been GUILTY of exactly this! (My last podcast post was over 3 weeks ago, PLEASE don’t judge me).

So today I’m going to leave you with some great information to keep you from slamming your head against the desk, yet again, when you hear those peak cringe words “social media” and it’s time to post that next video.

The challenge is that if you’re just throwing out a quick thought of random bits of information in a last-minute effort to get a video published for the day or the week, or maybe even the MONTH, it’s likely being reflected in the amount of engagement that you’re not getting. Which then often perpetuates that discouraging thought of “why am I wasting time on this” But there is that special place where a little creativity, and a consistent strategy will propel your posts with the type of engagement you’re seeking but even more importantly, attracting that next client through the experiences you’re sharing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a post I thought fell flat because I didn’t get the “Thumb” enough times or any comments, and yet I was contacted after the fact because someone had admittedly seen a video I published online. (Amazing how that works, right).

1. So first and foremost, I want you to consider when you hear the phrase “Social Media” to just ignore the word media all together and really consider what it is you are doing, which is being social. You want to engage your audience and talk to people just as if you’re having a lunch or a coffee with them. Be conversational. You never just want to talk at people or throw random bits of information out there to see what sticks. That’s not a conversation and not really a great strategy for engagement.

2. You need to understand what your client’s problem is. What they are going through and how they can help themselves, with your expertise. We have a tendency as proud business owners to want to talk about our products or services by using all of that clever terminology we created to get people to quote: “look at me, look at me!” When really, the focus should always be on your client and their plight. If you’re struggling to understand what your clients problem is, ask the question! Create a poll. Let them know you are here. Ask them how you can help. And this should never be a transactional conversation. There is always a time and place for the sales process to begin. This isn’t it. It isn’t when you’re being social.

3. Share with your clients specific actions they can take to solve their problem. And no, I’m not talking about “reading from an instruction manual” so to speak. Use general terms and a relatable story of how you helped a client. This not only keeps your audience engaged, it is perhaps the best method to deliver the information in a very digestible way. By all means, reference supporting documentation (such as this complete list available on my website: SocialProVideo.com) But understand the no-one really wants to read a dictionary and if someone says they do, I say well you sir, are a liar!

4. And that brings me to my next point. If you’re sharing an exhaustive list of all of your accolades or technical expertise, or giving a full product or service breakdown of pricing to try to showcase value, you’re not being very social. I have actually had in-person meetings like this and they are the most forgettable conversations I’ve ever had. No-one on Earth is here to be sold. We don’t like it. I mentioned this about the the sleazy car salesman in my last podcast. Just don’t do it. When you deliver information properly to your audience with their problem in mind, they WILL ask you for the sale.

5. Plan out a creative strategy in advance & BE CONSISTENT. As a business owner, I struggle with this at times as well, particularly when business is good and I’m having to fulfill the various roles of my business. But that doesn’t mean I let my foot off of the gas when it comes to social media. Each business is as unique as each business owner. You know your business perhaps better than anyone. Take some time each week to plan out and expand on a series of topics of useful stories & information on how you’ve helped past clients and remind the audience that you’re here and want to help! And to make sure that they tune in as you talk about your next topic, per your aforementioned strategic plan.

Don’t forget to grab your copy of my “Getting Social Through the Lens” A Guide for Socially Active Business Owners by heading over to SocialProVideo.com to download. Also, reach out and connect to me directly via the Linked-In & other social links on SocialProVideo.com 

Stay tuned for next week’s “Through the Lens” Podcast teaching & empowering you, the online community, to craft better content ‘Through the Lens’ of cinematic storytelling.