Gary Vaynerchuck explains why he said “99.5% of social media experts are clowns” and why I agree with him.

Like Gary I see lots of small business owners hiring people to ‘do’ their social media for them or advise them on how to use Twitter, Facebook etc without having any idea or track record on how to grow a business.

Social media is only a part (an increasingly important part) of how to grow a business and can’t be ‘done’ in isolation. Unfortunately it is the latest bandwaggon for people who can talk the talk but have never walked the walk and it is muddying the waters for the genuine folk who really can help businesses to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.

If you are thinking of hiring someone to help you with social media, please check out their track record in growing businesses, including their own, which should be more than just being a social media advisor.

There is no quick fix and definitely not any ‘one size fits all’ solutions so if you are going to spend money, make sure you hire one of the 0.5% who understand what YOUR business needs. Its not about the technology!

Things to check:

What’s their track record in business (other than being a SoMe Guru)?

What do their own social media accounts show? Are they walking the walk or just talking the talk?

Do they have marketing experience? Social Media is primarily a marketing activity not a sales activity.

Anyone can get huge numbers of followers, connections and ‘likes’ but are they your target audience?

Do they understand PR? Will they make you proud of your on-line presence?

Do they write well? Good grammar and spelling are essential – even in a tweet.

Are they excellent communicators? Social media shows up poor communication fast and to many more people.

Do they understand engagement? Social media is not a broadcast platform.

Do they understand the importance of listening and responding?

Do they understand why automation has more drawbacks than advantages?

There are some excellent people who will give good advice on the best way to use Social Media and lots and lots of really good free advice on line. If you need help, give us a call and we’ll be glad to recommend some.

One of the highlights of my week is a video blog called “Optimistic Monday” . Its by my friend Phil Begnett of WTV Media and has a loyal following of people like me who love the random upbeat messages that Phil posts on the theme of “every Monday is a fresh start”.

He even entitles one post “CTRL+ALT+DEL” as a way to show that we can escape and start again!

Last week, Phil, like many other folk had been badly affected by the terrible news of what was happening in Japan and thought it was inappropriate to goof around on his video blog so he just acknowledged how he was feeling and signed off.

Full marks to Phil for being true to his feelings but it left me feeling slightly let down and pondering the way we deal with terrible news and the role that hope, optimism and especially laughter play in helping us to deal with them.

Hope is THE most important emotion for human beings to have.

Without hope we can’t live for long. Optimism is closely related to hope and I believe that is why Phil’s Optimistic Monday video is so popular.

I don’t want to diminish the awful situation that survivors of tragedies have to cope with but the truth is that many people do more than just cope. It is only because they have hope and optimism that they can move forward and, in many cases, rebuild lives that are even more meaningful than the ones they had before.

Laughter is the currency of hope

Laughter is one of the most powerful healing experiences. It is contagious and relieves isolation and loneliness. It is impossible to laugh and feel afraid at the same time which is why I value people like Phil Begnett who have a natural ability to make people feel good.

We need to feel pity and sympathy for the survivors of tragedies and do everything in our power to help but it is even more important to bring hope, optimism and laughter.

More Optimistic Mondays please Phil!

You can see more of Phil’s Optimistic Monday posts on the blog page at http://www.wtvmedia.co.uk

Writing at the end of the Great Depression, Napoleon Hill suggests that most people have six basic fears. They are: fear of poverty, criticism, ill health, loss of love, old age and death.

According to more modern surveys, some of the most commonly feared objects are spiders, snakes, heights, water, enclosed spaces, tunnels and bridges, social rejection, failure and public speaking. In an innovative test of what people fear the most, Bill Tancer analyzed the most frequent online search queries that involved the phrase, “fear of…”. This follows the assumption that people tend to seek information on the issues that concern them the most. His top ten list of fears consisted of flying, heights, clowns, intimacy, death, rejection, people, snakes, success, and driving.

In general, people appear to be most afraid of two things: the threat of pain or death, and the threat of social rejection or isolation. I would go further and suggest that, beyond the survival instincts that keep us safe, there is only one real fear and that is the fear that we can’t handle whatever happens to us. The fact that most people do handle even the most horrendous occurences indicates that most fear, which is usually about a future event that usually never happens, is completely unnnecesary.

Fear is nothing more than a state of mind and so if we learn to control and direct our thoughts it no longer has any power over us.

Tell me what you are most afraid of and we’ll discuss it at our next event. See Inspired Events for details

Come to a free taster session on Thursday 15th Jan at 7.00pm in Cambridge at The Punter, Pound Hill. Call me for more details on 01480 830282

“If you want to be the best and you want your business to be the best, it’s a no brainer! The speakers expand my knowledge and information base and the other members of the group offer genuine support on both a personal and professional level. We all have different experiences and skills but we all want the same thing – to build great businesses – so the range of information we share is like a huge raft of support and inspiration.” Helen Crowe www.amazingva.co.uk

“Our group is like having a monthly board meeting with different pools of expertise around the room. Everyone cares as much about growing your business as they do about their own.” Ian McKendrick www.letspresentit.com

“We attend the group as individuals but work as a team. This is a great way to test out ideas instead of trying to work out a growth strategy in isolation. If someone else in the group tries something I often realise I could apply it to my business too but I wouldn’t have thought of it on my own.” Moira Upton www.tlchealthscreening.co.uk

“It’s too easy to just react to work coming in and get bogged down in the day to day operations of the business. I find having monthly targets and taking time out to discuss and reflect are very useful. I have re-visited and updated goals and plans – both personal and business.” Roger Galpin www.thewoodshop.biz

Inspired Mastermind groups are one of the most exciting and effective ways to grow a business. Free taster sessions are being held at the following locations – just email me ann@theinspiredgroup.com to say which one you’d like to attend:

Cambridge – January 15th at The Punter 6.30pm
Bedford – January 28th 10.30am
Essex – January 30th at High Barn, Great Bardingfield 10.30am Milton Keynes – February 6th Beales Hotel Buckingham at 10.30am