Recently, I began to ponder the true effects of Social Media sites like Twitter, Facebook and
LinkedIn - within the small business world, the VERY small business world.
Yes, there are literally THOUSANDS of articles on how you too can become a
Marketing Mega-Star, best tactics, lead generation, how to engage your audience,
and it goes on and on.
Strategically, any business I believe thinks about the best way to reach their demographic.
The question I have is do we [ me ] really need to follow these media experts and jump on
every social wagon out there? Almost daily, there's a new 'latest and greatest' that somebody
tells me I need to be a part of. Quite frankly, sometimes it makes my head spin and I begin
to envision little mice running from one corner of a box to another in packs!
As you probably already know, I'm a photographer. My small business staff consists of,
well - me.
I'm not a famous photographer by any means, but my little business has started to grow,
and I'm actually able to make a living from it, albeit barely. So, how will all of this social media
mumbo-jumbo help somebody like me? I have a Facebook page for fans to "like" and I
jumped head-first into the Twitter world; which, by the way has allowed me to make fast
friends within my field and out and for that fact alone, I'm grateful. I don't have a huge
following yet, but I've decided I'm not going to pay any agency to help me find followers
and I'm not going to say "I'll follow you if you follow me." ...I think that's bullshit. I want folks
to follow me who are truly interested in what I do for a living and what I have to say about it.
I also want to find comradery in special interests I have, such as sailing, music, discovery,
and global news. I follow lots of professional photographers from around the globe and
follow almost anything to do with sailing -oh, and don't forget the comedians.. I do love to laugh.
But does that really do anything at ALL towards marketing efforts and my business? I don't think
so. What it does do for me is this: It brings information TO ME.
Is that narcissistic? Probably, but hear me out. I'm a one-person show. Marketing with a big
budget just isn't in the cards for me right now but within this particular venue, some of the
best of the best are giving me FREE advice on how to build my business. All day long,
there's a steady stream of professionals who have made it and want to share with you how
they did it; some used social media, some did not, but either way, they want to share that
information with me, you and the world!
One day, I'm sitting at my desk editing photos from a shoot and half paying attention
to the Timeline on my Twitter. I wondered....what if I tried to actually take all of the advice
that came through my Timeline in a day and actually do it. ??? Would it improve my business
and how? Whose advice would prove to be the best? Perhaps I should have been doing
all of these things all along? Why HAVEN'T I been doing these things? Well, for one thing, I
know where my audience is; about 1/3 of that audience doesn't use a computer
for anything other than to receive email from grandkids, but the other two-thirds do, and
that's who I'm going to target. In the past, the best marketing for a photographer has been
word of mouth, slowly building through the years, and exhibition venues. Let's see how
photography fairs in this fast-paced sea of social media.
Everyday, I'll tell you who's advice I'm following, any links that are offered, how long the
anticipated results should take and if they do, and within what venue i.e. Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, etc.
If you decide to do this with me, I want to know and I want to read your comments.
Ready? Let's do this.
LinkedIn - within the small business world, the VERY small business world.
Yes, there are literally THOUSANDS of articles on how you too can become a
Marketing Mega-Star, best tactics, lead generation, how to engage your audience,
and it goes on and on.
Strategically, any business I believe thinks about the best way to reach their demographic.
The question I have is do we [ me ] really need to follow these media experts and jump on
every social wagon out there? Almost daily, there's a new 'latest and greatest' that somebody
tells me I need to be a part of. Quite frankly, sometimes it makes my head spin and I begin
to envision little mice running from one corner of a box to another in packs!
As you probably already know, I'm a photographer. My small business staff consists of,
well - me.
I'm not a famous photographer by any means, but my little business has started to grow,
and I'm actually able to make a living from it, albeit barely. So, how will all of this social media
mumbo-jumbo help somebody like me? I have a Facebook page for fans to "like" and I
jumped head-first into the Twitter world; which, by the way has allowed me to make fast
friends within my field and out and for that fact alone, I'm grateful. I don't have a huge
following yet, but I've decided I'm not going to pay any agency to help me find followers
and I'm not going to say "I'll follow you if you follow me." ...I think that's bullshit. I want folks
to follow me who are truly interested in what I do for a living and what I have to say about it.
I also want to find comradery in special interests I have, such as sailing, music, discovery,
and global news. I follow lots of professional photographers from around the globe and
follow almost anything to do with sailing -oh, and don't forget the comedians.. I do love to laugh.
But does that really do anything at ALL towards marketing efforts and my business? I don't think
so. What it does do for me is this: It brings information TO ME.
Is that narcissistic? Probably, but hear me out. I'm a one-person show. Marketing with a big
budget just isn't in the cards for me right now but within this particular venue, some of the
best of the best are giving me FREE advice on how to build my business. All day long,
there's a steady stream of professionals who have made it and want to share with you how
they did it; some used social media, some did not, but either way, they want to share that
information with me, you and the world!
One day, I'm sitting at my desk editing photos from a shoot and half paying attention
to the Timeline on my Twitter. I wondered....what if I tried to actually take all of the advice
that came through my Timeline in a day and actually do it. ??? Would it improve my business
and how? Whose advice would prove to be the best? Perhaps I should have been doing
all of these things all along? Why HAVEN'T I been doing these things? Well, for one thing, I
know where my audience is; about 1/3 of that audience doesn't use a computer
for anything other than to receive email from grandkids, but the other two-thirds do, and
that's who I'm going to target. In the past, the best marketing for a photographer has been
word of mouth, slowly building through the years, and exhibition venues. Let's see how
photography fairs in this fast-paced sea of social media.
Everyday, I'll tell you who's advice I'm following, any links that are offered, how long the
anticipated results should take and if they do, and within what venue i.e. Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, etc.
If you decide to do this with me, I want to know and I want to read your comments.
Ready? Let's do this.
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