If there’s ONE thing I’ve learned during my 10+ years working on the Internet, it’s that things are constantly changing and sometimes what you learned last month is entirely different than what you should be doing TODAY. I’m not telling you this to discourage you, but to remind you that as wise business owners it’s always up to YOU to make sure you stay educated and on top of what’s going on.
I’m more than willing to share some tips, tools, and the “Cliff Notes” version of all the things I’ve learned over the years but it’s not a substitute for the time and money that YOU need to invest in yourself and your business.
Here are some of my favorite resources for staying up-to-date:
Mashable
Social Media Examiner
Peg Fitzpatrick
Chalene Johnson (her free podcasts are really good!)
During her talk at the Platinum Edge 2013 conference in Dallas, Trina Gray gave 25 tips for creating “Mo-mentum and Mo-ney” for your business. One of her tips was: MY DOG LIVES IN THE WEEDS. THANKFULLY SHE DOESN’T PAY THE BILLS.
What does this mean? Trina explained that her dog loves to play in the weeds because that’s where all the fun stuff is–the balls, the rabbits, the chipmunks, the fun smells, and the bright shiny objects. As coaches we like to play in the weeds too. We like to poke around in the Facebook news feed, watch videos, edit pictures for Instagram/Facebook, and engage in other “busy work.” It can feel like we’re getting work done, but what are we actually accomplishing in our business? Not much.
She also mentioned that as leaders it’s also our responsibility to make sure we aren’t putting our coaches in the weeds. So that’s MY goal for this lesson. I want to make sure that I give you the FUNDAMENTALS you need to build strong relationships online. Not to distract you with bright shiny objects.
There are certain things that are CONSTANTLY changing online, such as how FB displays your timeline, how Google decides to rank a certain website in search results, or what kind of photos people like to look at on Instagram among other things.
BUT, one thing that doesn’t change is the fact that people just want to feel connected to other people that are just like them.
Your #1 priority as a coach and business owner is to BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, HELP people and ADD VALUE to their lives regardless of whether they ever buy anything from you or not.
Write that down on a piece of paper and hang it in your work space so you see it every day.
DID I WORK ON BUILDING MY RELATIONSHIPS TODAY?
If you can master that my friend…you will be a HUGE success!!
I also want to tell you something that hopefully will make you feel a little bit better. STOP TRYING TO LEARN EVERYTHING!! If you’re completely overwhelmed by Twitter then stop worrying about Twitter right now. Just focus on Facebook until you’re CONSISTENT with posting on Facebook and then move on to something else. Stop spreading yourself so thin on every social media platform under the sun. Just pick one or two of your favorites and FOCUS your time and effort on those before trying to establish a presence somewhere else.
Here’s a quick rundown of the basics when it comes to building your business on social media.
Since most people are comfortable with Facebook, that’s a great place to start.
1. Be sure to share Facebook posts/tweets/Instagrams that inspire people, engage people in conversation and trigger people to comment–i.e. ENGAGE people (don’t just start posting all about fitness; especially on Facebook–too much too soon will annoy your non-fitness friends). In time, as you build a fitness following, you can post more and more about fitness/health but don’t come out of the gates with too much too soon. 🙂
2. As you engage more people on a variety of topics, with a little health/fitness inspiration weaved in, it will help you get to know others better…and in getting to know others better, you’ll naturally come across opportunities to help them physically or financially (with the business opportunity).
For example, here’s a simple post you can use as a new coach (I recommend posting later in the evening ~ 8-9PM EST when more people are looking at their news feed):
QUICK QUESTION: how many of you purchased a home workout program like P90X, Insanity, etc. but never ended up finishing it? No judgement here friends…I’m just curious! 🙂
Or something like that…and use YOUR words. Based on the responses you get, you’ll find out what friends of yours are interested in health/fitness and who might need help getting back on the wagon by joining a challenge group. Who knows, maybe someone is interested in doing a shorter program like P90X3 or T25?? 🙂 You’ll find this out by sending private messages to the people that LIKE your post or leave comments and asking them questions.
For example:
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YOU: Hey Bob, I saw your comment on my post that you never finished P90X. What was it about the program that you struggled with the most? Just curious!
BOB: Hey You! Yeah, I really enjoyed the workouts but I struggled finding an hour everyday and eventually I just let my excuses get the best of me and I stopped doing it.
YOU: I totally get it! [ and then give an example of something similar you’ve struggled with]. Have you ever considered doing a program where the workouts are only 25-30 minutes to make it easier for you to fit into your daily routine?
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Or something like that! You can share your personal experiences with Beachbody and how it’s made your life better…or you can share success stories from other coaches.
Notice that you aren’t being forceful and saying things like, “You should do a shorter workout program!!” People don’t like being told what to do. You are putting the ball in their court and letting them decide.
Don’t forget, the FOUR MAGIC WORDS OF BEACHBODY COACHING are:
Have you ever considered….
Remember those words as you talk to people about health/fitness, personal finance, job situations, etc. and you can’t go wrong!!
Another question you can ask is…
Which one do you struggle with the most…eating healthy or working out?
3. Post 3-5 x/day w/variety of topics on Facebook.
- Short status updates with a question or funny statement get great traction and get YOU on the newsfeed (and on the radar) of others.
- You do not need to set up a LIKE page just yet unless you already have a large fitness following.
- Always try to comment back to people’s comments and TAG them when you do.
When the opportunity is there to help someone, send them a private message to continue the conversation…that’s where they open up and that’s where you learn HOW you can help them by learning more about their current situation/need/desire. And obviously the same applies when talking/communicating face-to-face…just be honest and genuine.
YOUR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT TODAY:
1. This is a really great training webinar with Jenelle Summers that covers the DOs and DONTs of social media:
2. Download and print the following documents so you have them for future reference:
Facebook DOs and DONTs:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzSAplsAm1xuaWlObGcwOUwzaW8
Sample Facebook posts to increase engagement with your followers:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzSAplsAm1xuVHQ2c2tRbi1GX3M
3. Pick a post/question from today’s lesson and post it on your Facebook (avoid Friday/Saturday evening). After a few hours or so let us know in the Team365 group what kind of response you get so we can help you follow-up!
Great job so far!! Remember, if you have any questions about anything please post them in the group.