1 00:00:04,470 --> 00:00:04,980 Hi there. 2 00:00:05,310 --> 00:00:06,060 It's Sue. 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:08,670 And thanks for joining me for tips and talk day. 4 00:00:09,330 --> 00:00:13,290 These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and 5 00:00:13,290 --> 00:00:16,800 things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business. 6 00:00:17,310 --> 00:00:18,900 If you'd like to submit a topic, 7 00:00:19,230 --> 00:00:25,650 DME over on Instagram at gift biz unwrapped way back in 8 00:00:25,650 --> 00:00:31,620 1997, this new arena called social media arrived on the digital 9 00:00:31,620 --> 00:00:36,210 landscape. It started with a platform called six degrees. 10 00:00:36,570 --> 00:00:40,140 You may never have even heard of that before then came 11 00:00:40,140 --> 00:00:41,760 things like my space, 12 00:00:42,150 --> 00:00:43,890 LinkedIn and Twitter, 13 00:00:43,890 --> 00:00:45,060 with the cute little bird. 14 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:46,620 And of course, 15 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,880 Facebook, which was actually started as a site for college connections. 16 00:00:50,940 --> 00:00:54,840 And didn't hit the mainstream until about 2008. 17 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:57,030 Since that time, 18 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:01,920 social media has been a fast inactive playground with new platforms, 19 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,110 emerging, others dying. 20 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,970 Remember that brief run with vine and still others growing and 21 00:01:08,970 --> 00:01:13,470 morphine into versions that barely look like their original selves. 22 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,900 They rise and fall in popularity and target audiences to think 23 00:01:18,900 --> 00:01:20,220 of what happened with Facebook. 24 00:01:20,610 --> 00:01:24,780 The platform wants being for the younger generations who have now 25 00:01:24,810 --> 00:01:30,480 mostly abandoned ship for Instagram and still other social media platforms 26 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,390 get outright copied like reels, 27 00:01:33,450 --> 00:01:35,490 which of course rivals tic-tac. 28 00:01:36,540 --> 00:01:40,200 And that's not all Instagram offers new features, 29 00:01:40,380 --> 00:01:41,970 but only to certain accounts. 30 00:01:42,630 --> 00:01:45,750 Facebook changes its page layout causing confusion. 31 00:01:45,780 --> 00:01:48,030 That requires us to relearn the app. 32 00:01:48,660 --> 00:01:52,290 Privacy policies are forcing significant changes right now. 33 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:58,680 And Facebook and Instagram go dark for hours and everyone panics. 34 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,550 This has all been happening since the beginning of it's still 35 00:02:02,550 --> 00:02:03,390 young life. 36 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:07,350 Social media is pretty much synonymous with change. 37 00:02:08,070 --> 00:02:10,650 That's great for people who teach us how to use all 38 00:02:10,650 --> 00:02:12,090 the various platforms, 39 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,030 but not so great when we're trying to plan for our 40 00:02:15,030 --> 00:02:17,550 business visibility promotional posts. 41 00:02:17,610 --> 00:02:19,050 And when we want to run ads, 42 00:02:19,500 --> 00:02:21,960 the social media terrain is Rocky. 43 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:22,770 For sure. 44 00:02:23,850 --> 00:02:25,200 So what's the answer. 45 00:02:25,770 --> 00:02:29,100 Just give up abandoned social media entirely. 46 00:02:29,970 --> 00:02:32,550 My answer to this may surprise you. 47 00:02:33,180 --> 00:02:33,960 It could be, 48 00:02:33,990 --> 00:02:35,790 yes. Sure. 49 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:37,980 You can decide you're done with social. 50 00:02:38,310 --> 00:02:41,460 You're fed up with the constant change and feeling like you're 51 00:02:41,460 --> 00:02:42,330 at their mercy. 52 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,350 I think one of the biggest frustrations with all these adjustments 53 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,430 is it feels like we're never in control and it's true. 54 00:02:50,850 --> 00:02:51,630 We aren't, 55 00:02:52,500 --> 00:02:56,790 I've seen several businesses do this recently give up and close 56 00:02:56,790 --> 00:02:57,960 the door to social. 57 00:02:58,710 --> 00:02:59,830 They still have account, 58 00:02:59,860 --> 00:03:03,610 but either aren't actively working them or doing the bare minimum 59 00:03:03,610 --> 00:03:05,080 just to keep them updated, 60 00:03:05,740 --> 00:03:06,640 believe it or not. 61 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,540 There are also some who never entered the social media scene 62 00:03:10,540 --> 00:03:13,480 at all and are doing very well with sales. 63 00:03:13,570 --> 00:03:14,290 Thank you. 64 00:03:14,890 --> 00:03:15,850 And so yes, 65 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:20,110 your answer could be to close down the social rat race, 66 00:03:20,710 --> 00:03:22,420 but then what do you do? 67 00:03:23,500 --> 00:03:25,480 Well, depending on your business, 68 00:03:25,570 --> 00:03:27,610 you can attract customers in other ways, 69 00:03:27,610 --> 00:03:28,300 of course, 70 00:03:28,690 --> 00:03:32,050 brick and mortar shop owners and all those who sell wholesale, 71 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:33,250 get visibility. 72 00:03:33,250 --> 00:03:36,910 The old fashioned way with walk by and drive by traffic 73 00:03:37,330 --> 00:03:41,590 and neighborhood promotional events that direct local customers to the strip 74 00:03:41,590 --> 00:03:44,230 malls and downtown shopping districts. 75 00:03:44,890 --> 00:03:46,690 There are also farmer's markets, 76 00:03:46,810 --> 00:03:50,050 church bizarres and small and large craft shows, 77 00:03:50,110 --> 00:03:52,810 which also bring large groups of people together. 78 00:03:52,990 --> 00:03:56,320 So you can interact with them and sell face-to-face. 79 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:58,480 There's also networking, 80 00:03:58,690 --> 00:04:01,870 which many of snub their nose at in favor of social 81 00:04:01,870 --> 00:04:05,110 media, but are now rethinking their actions. 82 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:08,770 I, for one have seen networking to be the easiest way 83 00:04:08,770 --> 00:04:09,790 to bring in sales, 84 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,550 particularly for new business owners, 85 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,280 there are lots of benefits to networking. 86 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:17,830 Once you get past those initial fears. 87 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:19,300 As a side note, 88 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:21,250 I go through how to do this. 89 00:04:21,280 --> 00:04:24,040 Step-by-step in one of my mini courses. 90 00:04:24,610 --> 00:04:25,570 If you're interested, 91 00:04:25,570 --> 00:04:27,460 you can check that out at gift biz, 92 00:04:27,460 --> 00:04:30,730 unwrapped.com, Forrest slash network ninja. 93 00:04:31,420 --> 00:04:33,610 There you'll find all sorts of tips, 94 00:04:33,610 --> 00:04:37,210 like exactly what to say in your elevator speech and what 95 00:04:37,210 --> 00:04:39,670 to do when you walk in a room and don't know 96 00:04:39,670 --> 00:04:40,750 a single soul, 97 00:04:41,410 --> 00:04:43,330 I'm getting a little off topic here, 98 00:04:43,570 --> 00:04:47,950 but there are networking groups popping up all over national groups, 99 00:04:47,950 --> 00:04:49,480 like the chamber of commerce, 100 00:04:49,510 --> 00:04:51,340 BNI, and Nabo. 101 00:04:51,850 --> 00:04:53,830 And if you check your local community, 102 00:04:53,860 --> 00:04:55,660 you're sure to find others. 103 00:04:55,990 --> 00:04:57,250 Some are for women, 104 00:04:57,250 --> 00:04:58,390 business owners, 105 00:04:58,420 --> 00:05:00,580 some are for the tourism industry. 106 00:05:00,910 --> 00:05:02,440 It really runs the gamut. 107 00:05:02,950 --> 00:05:07,270 My point here is these networking groups wouldn't exist if they 108 00:05:07,270 --> 00:05:07,990 don't work. 109 00:05:08,350 --> 00:05:10,870 And they're another option for your business growth, 110 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,620 because social is still the new and popular approach. 111 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,560 People have forgotten about some of these other methods. 112 00:05:17,950 --> 00:05:22,690 There's also email communication and even direct mail marketing. 113 00:05:23,710 --> 00:05:25,150 Now having said all that, 114 00:05:25,300 --> 00:05:25,990 and even though, 115 00:05:25,990 --> 00:05:29,380 yes, you could abandon social media entirely. 116 00:05:29,830 --> 00:05:30,880 I wouldn't advise it. 117 00:05:31,510 --> 00:05:36,370 Social media can play a significant role in conjunction with these 118 00:05:36,430 --> 00:05:39,190 other types of sales avenues that I've mentioned. 119 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:42,910 And I think this is where we've spun off track by 120 00:05:42,910 --> 00:05:47,590 relying on social so heavily for all our business acquisition efforts. 121 00:05:48,250 --> 00:05:51,520 What in the beginning looked like a fast track and the 122 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:55,570 free way to attract a following was too good to last 123 00:05:55,570 --> 00:05:58,490 forever. Now that things are changing, 124 00:05:58,850 --> 00:06:01,700 many of us feel cheated when in reality, 125 00:06:02,060 --> 00:06:06,050 we are the ones who substituted other business practices and put 126 00:06:06,050 --> 00:06:08,270 so much focus on social. 127 00:06:09,230 --> 00:06:11,690 Of course we need to stay with the times. 128 00:06:12,020 --> 00:06:15,170 If all you were doing was spending ad dollars on newspaper 129 00:06:15,170 --> 00:06:15,890 print space, 130 00:06:15,890 --> 00:06:18,260 right now you'd be way off track, 131 00:06:18,860 --> 00:06:22,010 but that doesn't mean your local newspapers can't play some role 132 00:06:22,010 --> 00:06:23,060 in your visibility, 133 00:06:23,450 --> 00:06:26,960 getting featured or being part of a community story that gets 134 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,150 publicity is well worth it. 135 00:06:29,150 --> 00:06:34,130 If your customers are primarily local as is sponsoring banners for 136 00:06:34,130 --> 00:06:38,810 a high school event or participating in the July 4th parade 137 00:06:38,810 --> 00:06:41,150 as a small handmade product business owner, 138 00:06:41,420 --> 00:06:43,790 you may not have thought of your business in the same 139 00:06:43,790 --> 00:06:46,310 way you think of your local bakery or gift shop. 140 00:06:47,030 --> 00:06:47,570 Why not? 141 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:50,390 Even if you're a home-based business, 142 00:06:50,570 --> 00:06:53,330 your customers are out there wanting to support you. 143 00:06:53,630 --> 00:06:56,240 And the only way to get those sales is to tell 144 00:06:56,240 --> 00:07:00,710 them about you and your products and social media should be 145 00:07:00,710 --> 00:07:02,600 part of your strategy to do that, 146 00:07:03,290 --> 00:07:07,940 but how you deal with all the changes without going crazy 147 00:07:08,660 --> 00:07:09,170 in a second, 148 00:07:09,170 --> 00:07:11,750 I'm going to share with you two solutions to keep it 149 00:07:11,750 --> 00:07:15,770 all manageable and balanced within the full scope of your marketing 150 00:07:15,770 --> 00:07:20,210 plan. Understand that social media is one solution. 151 00:07:20,690 --> 00:07:23,960 When you aren't relying only on social media to attract new 152 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:27,650 customers, capture sales and communicate with your audience. 153 00:07:28,070 --> 00:07:31,190 You're not at as much risk when things change or go 154 00:07:31,190 --> 00:07:34,220 dark. If you've been following me for awhile, 155 00:07:34,310 --> 00:07:34,880 you know, 156 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:36,620 about the sales channel panel, 157 00:07:37,100 --> 00:07:41,150 a sales strategy that puts in place multiple avenues for visibility 158 00:07:41,150 --> 00:07:43,940 and sales that can be adjusted as required. 159 00:07:44,630 --> 00:07:46,910 If your social sites are getting restricted, 160 00:07:47,210 --> 00:07:50,270 think the new Facebook ad privacy policies, 161 00:07:50,570 --> 00:07:54,530 no problem you up your intensity of emails or in person 162 00:07:54,530 --> 00:07:58,970 shows. Having a sales channel panel in place is a lifeline 163 00:07:58,970 --> 00:07:59,900 for your business, 164 00:07:59,990 --> 00:08:02,420 allowing you to weather any storm. 165 00:08:03,020 --> 00:08:07,550 Secondly, come to expect change from all social media platforms. 166 00:08:08,060 --> 00:08:09,500 When that change happens, 167 00:08:09,710 --> 00:08:13,580 approach it from a logical versus emotional perspective. 168 00:08:14,300 --> 00:08:16,910 How will the adjustments affect what you have in place? 169 00:08:17,420 --> 00:08:20,450 What tweaks do you now need to make to accommodate for 170 00:08:20,450 --> 00:08:21,140 the changes? 171 00:08:21,410 --> 00:08:23,120 So you can effectively move forward. 172 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:25,040 Remember change. 173 00:08:25,100 --> 00:08:27,590 Isn't an automatic default to bad. 174 00:08:28,070 --> 00:08:30,080 Lots of times change is good. 175 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:33,200 We just don't like it because it causes disruption, 176 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:37,880 particularly when it's so frequent and completely out of left field 177 00:08:38,300 --> 00:08:40,370 as often happens with social. 178 00:08:40,820 --> 00:08:41,270 I mean, 179 00:08:41,630 --> 00:08:44,270 who could have thought that Zuckerberg was going to go and 180 00:08:44,270 --> 00:08:46,790 change the name of his entire company? 181 00:08:47,690 --> 00:08:48,980 As I wind down here, 182 00:08:49,310 --> 00:08:53,300 let me summarize by saying social media is an important part 183 00:08:53,330 --> 00:08:56,970 of any small business for wide variety of reasons, 184 00:08:57,420 --> 00:09:00,330 but don't rely on it as your single path to link 185 00:09:00,330 --> 00:09:04,740 you with your prospects and customers put together a healthy sales 186 00:09:04,740 --> 00:09:05,760 channel panel, 187 00:09:05,850 --> 00:09:07,590 including face-to-face shows, 188 00:09:07,830 --> 00:09:08,970 networking events, 189 00:09:09,060 --> 00:09:10,320 email marketing, 190 00:09:10,680 --> 00:09:11,430 a website, 191 00:09:11,460 --> 00:09:14,010 backed with rich search engine optimization. 192 00:09:14,130 --> 00:09:15,810 So Google can do its work. 193 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:17,190 And then of course, 194 00:09:17,430 --> 00:09:19,920 a few social media platforms as well, 195 00:09:20,730 --> 00:09:24,270 social media is here to stay and I anticipate that it 196 00:09:24,270 --> 00:09:27,300 will get even more fast and furious in the years to 197 00:09:27,300 --> 00:09:29,130 come. That's okay. 198 00:09:29,580 --> 00:09:34,080 I've just told you how to control the seemingly uncontrollable. 199 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:37,140 That's a wrap. 200 00:09:37,530 --> 00:09:39,390 I'm a get to the point kind of girl. 201 00:09:39,540 --> 00:09:42,300 And this is what you can expect from these quick midweek 202 00:09:42,300 --> 00:09:47,400 sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream 203 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:48,120 of yours. 204 00:09:48,450 --> 00:09:50,610 Share your handmade products with us. 205 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:51,810 We want them, 206 00:09:51,990 --> 00:09:54,870 and they bring us both so much happiness.