Shaheim Says...

Monday, September 7, 2015

Do you have to rely on social media?

I get questions all the time about what problems people are having and how to improve in their business.

Here's one inquiry I received last month that I'm just getting around to. Enjoy.

“Ironically enough , I truly don't want to rely on social media , my hard work goes into my paperwork , logistics , labor , I don't and can't understand how social media gets a big part of recognition for who you are , or who's to say "social media warrants your good work" , yes there's reviews , yes there's a buzz , but I just don't have the time and at the end of the day , the energy , and to hire someone to do strictly that , seems a long way away.”

No one said you have to 'rely' on social media. It's just a tool some people use to advance their business reach or brand awareness. Some just know how to use it better than others. Social media is great with presenting social proof. Social proof is a way of gaining attention from people because “others” are doing it or participating. You’ve probably looked up a video on YouTube before, am I right? You’ve probably encountered a situation where the same exact video was displayed twice. Most people look at the 'number of viewers' statistic displayed near the video to determine something. I’ll give you the choice.

For example:

Let’s say the first video was viewed over 1,000,000 times and the second video was viewed a little over 40,000 times. Which one do you choose? When I give this example, a high majority of people would have chosen the 1 million plus video, but why? It’s because of social proof. Our minds have been wired to think that if everyone else has viewed this one video, then it must be the quality. It must be better than the other, we presume. That's of many reasons of what it could be?

If you were driving across the country and you wanted to get something to eat and nearby were two diners next door to each other. One has 7 cars in the parking lot in front of the diner and the other had none. Which one would you eat at? Again social proof would have the majority choose the diner with the most people eating there.

I say all this to say, social media is about the use of how it benefits your business not on reliance. Many consider social media to be their only level of marketing but why do we use social media? We use social media because it gives us a global connection. It provides the ability to be seen and heard without ever leaving your home, neighborhood, city or country. It presents the opportunity to share with others and take a view of other activities around the world.

The bottomline is this, it's marketing. But what is marketing? Wikipedia describes Marketing as communicating the value of a product, service or brand to customers or consumers for the purpose of promoting or selling that product, service, or brand.

All in all you do not have to ‘rely’ on social media but it is a medium of usage that can benefit a brand in how it’s seen and represented in the eyes of someone that has never heard of you. The likes, comments, retweets, shares etc are just statistics you can measure to how well you’re delivering your message, how well it's spreading and engaging your target audience. Talking and being social are not the same. You can talk until you’re blue in the face but being social means you are engaging with others that have a similar interest. The wonders you could do with knowing a network of people agree with your ideas, products and values of your business.

Personal social media accounts are another story but as for business, you’ll either see if social media can improve your business or not improve your business. You don’t have to be on all social media platforms either. Just on the ones where your target audience or engaged network congregates the most. So many people don’t check their emails unless it involves work. Many others barely reply to phone calls or texts but millions of people check their social media accounts when they wake up, several times throughout the day and even before going to sleep at night. Social media is an opportunity to be seen by those paying attention and your business can be just that, an opportunity to solve a problem they may have. If and how you use this tool is up to you and to this day the oldest – and perhaps simplest and most natural form of marketing – is 'word of mouth' (WOM) marketing, in which consumers convey their experiences of a product, service or brand in their day-to-day communications with others. It's all up to you.

Have a great week. :)

Regards
Shaheim

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Is Corporate America really gaining ground and running over us?

Hello,

I get questions all the time about what problems people are having and how to improve in their business.

Here's one inquiry I received last month that I'm just getting around to. Enjoy.

“I feel like "corporate America" is still gaining ground and running over "us" (small guys) "Small guys who desire to get ahead , offer people something better for their money and a brand, not "bigger is better." I see a lot of folks lose / {get} lost in the system ....”

I wondered about this some time ago and I came to the conclusion to change my perspective about this. Corporate America is looked at as a whole. My business is just one of many, but do I focus on the many or just the one that matters to me the most? Just like climbing a mountain, it’s all about the steps “I” take. You may one day build a company large enough to create employment and partnership opportunities, provide jobs, offer benefits and a possible way for people to make a living for themselves and their families. You may one day become part of the world of corporations and big business within the United States or all over the world. Does that make you any different than a large corporation?

Corporations are offering a product or service, just like you are. I understand that you will want that product to be superior to the next, right? And that’s what competition is all about. Providing a better product for those it solves a problem for. Better doesn't always mean most expensive or top quality, better could just mean convenient.

Are the larger corporations “running over us”? They definitely have the advantage but corporations are fighting for the same thing we strive for as business owners and entrepreneurs... leverage and access. You may have access to a network that a large company may not have access to. You might have control and immediate engagement with the same target customer as a major organization. Many times in business, this is when the phone starts ringing and these large corporations want to work with you for access to what you leverage. Who needs who at this point?

You already know that “bigger isn’t always better” and the smallest of change for convenience or accessibility can change the balance of people’s lives. The product doesn’t need to be “greatest invention in the history of the world”, it just has to solve a problem for the people that it matters to the most. Corporations have a tough time deciphering what it is people actually want and you have the ability to do it every day when you speak to people. I don't think their running over you, their just good at finding what they need to survive. Gaining ground is all about progress. {See "The Struggle with Time Article"} Your perspective on Corporate America happens to be similar to what you will be dealing with to get ahead. Learn their perspective and make a better way to influence the people your business matters to the most.

Have a great week. :)

Regards
Shaheim

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The Struggle with Time

Happy Labor Day :)

I get questions all the time about what problems people are having and how to improve in their business.

Here's one inquiry I received last month that I'm just getting around to. Enjoy.

“Lately, I feel a struggle with time , almost like I need a 28 hr clock. I realize that competitors have an army of workers to complete their tasks, as for myself it's just me and the mountain becomes harder to climb with no support.”

I call this:

The Struggle with Time

When it comes to time, it doesn’t matter who you are, we all have the same 24 hrs in a day. It’s not about having 28 hours in a day but how you use your 24 hours. I’ve been in your shoes thinking to myself "if I use every moment with my hard work I can make it.", right? Soon enough, burnout sets in (feeling fatigued, stressed, overwhelmed) and I’m in no better position than I was before. After doing some major personal development, I learned that if working harder isn’t working as much as I would like, I would need to work smarter. Take the time to understand how you can make parts of your business more efficient even if you are the only employee.

A few ways you could maximize your time:

Keep things simple
Set an allotted time for an activity and stick to it
Eliminate your distractions (Cell phones, emails, etc...)
Set minimum goals and deadlines
Track your progress
Study your results
Study one skill you feel you need most to improve your business

Once you understand how to manage your time you’ll see that even big corporations run into the same problems, regardless if they have the workforce or not. Maximizing time (Time Management) is a skill in itself. The mountain can be climbed one step at a time, all you need to do is focus on the next step.

Have a great week.

Regards
Shaheim

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