25
Jul 2017
0

How You Can Be a Social Influencer – 5 Easy Tips to Get Started!

Notice I titled this ‘Social Influencer’, not ‘Social Media Influencer’. In our Social Influencer Marketing programs, we believe

How You Can Be a Social Influencer – 5 Easy Tips to Get Started!

Article, Blogging, Branding, Facebook, Google Tips, Social Jack Best Practices , , , , , , , , Dean

Notice I titled this ‘Social Influencer’, not ‘Social Media Influencer’. In our Social Influencer Marketing programs, we believe that it is our job to have our clients become Influencers in their world, and Social Media is one vehicle for making that happen. Let’s see if you agree or disagree with me after this article…!

First, a definition: an influencer is, simply put, someone who carries influence over others. An influencer on social media wields influence through social media. You probably know that word-of-mouth is one of the valuable forms of marketing; in our digital age, word of mouth goes way beyond what friends and family recommend to you, and that’s where influencers come in. No matter who you are, if you’re a thought leader in your network, people think of you and come to you first.

Becoming a thought leader in your network is a process, and our standard plan for our clients has about 20 steps, but here, I want to give you the top five things that could give you a head start down this path, something to think about and gain some traction. Even if you do nothing more than this, you will be further ahead than when you started.

Even if you’re not aiming to be a solution provider, becoming a social influencer can help you advance your career; we actually teach this as part of our career advance program in universities. On a corporate level, showcasing a company’s culture on social media can build the company’s reputation. Even more, employees can become corporate advocates – you can empower staff members to share their own insights about their work on their own social media feeds!

#1 – Pick your niche or focus

To be an influencer people need to really be able to easily digest what you can and will do for them — how you will serve them and solve their problems. You are most likely a solution provider of some sort. If you can clearly address a need that your target audience has, and match the skills you have to what you can provide, then you’re well on your way. Make sure your solution speaks directly to their need so that you are addressing the lowest common denominator of the problem at hand.

Example:

Say you’re an accountant. There are thousands of accountants, what makes you different, what is your niche in this very crowded world? I have a friend who over the years has forged his reputation in property tax savings. He completed his law degree and represents his clients from both an accounting and legal perspective. While he has enough knowledge to do your taxes and many other services, he decided over 20 years ago to pick a specialty and maintain that position. He is now one of the most recognized property tax attorneys in Chicago and has a limitless flow of referrals. We are now looking at how to add the social media component to take him to the next level. You might be this same position. Once you know your focus, you’re ready to move to the next step.

#2 – Subscribe and Monitor The Competition

While you may not think there is any, there is always competition. How to find them? Simply Google search either by need or solution discussed previously, then look for blogs, webcasts, podcasts, and other sources of information. This will give you a perspective on how to either refine your message or, if nothing else, what to do better or what not do. This will only make you better. You can also set up Google Alerts with those words of ‘need’ or ‘solution’ as mentioned earlier, names of competitors, even your own name(s).

To setup a Google Alert you will need a gmail account and be logged into google, then simply go to: https://www.google.com/alerts , add as many words or phrases as mentioned above, define the frequency, and you’ll be alerted when this news hits the Internet.

Once you do find competitors or colleagues, make sure you subscribe to them and block out regular time to review the information you glean. This will only make you better.

#3 – Define Your Social Channels

You will never master all channels, so you need to really think of where your ideal target spends the most of their time, and decide what you can manage. We manage channels for many clients who want to be influencers and don’t have the time to make that happen, so you can consider that as well – hire and pay for assistance or find a volunteer help to build and manage. You can also reference our slide deck listed below.

Remember when doing this: one tip is to simply ask your clients where they spend their time on social media. This will give you a great start to making that choice.

#4 – Look like a thought leader (a.k.a. Social Influencer)

Please reference one of my last blog posts on Personal Branding, this is the critical next step. Google yourself and see how your digital footprint represents your position in the market place. Most likely, social media sites like LinkedIn, videos and personal websites with your name will be at the top. You’ll want to make sure the first two pages identify that ‘solution’ niche you selected in step one. Be sure to update all your profiles and remove or rename any content that is not relevant. Your past will catch you up here, so be sure to search, scan and clean it up! Mark your calendars at the first of the month as a reminder to yourself to do this on a regular basis; we create more social profiles by accident than we know!

 #5 – Turn on your content machine – remember your focus!

Okay, don’t get overwhelmed here, but you’ll need to schedule and start posting relevant content about your niche, your focus. This can consist of videos, blog posts, podcasts, interviews, slide decks (like we have done above), photos, articles you write or are featured in, and anything else that can live on the internet. Remember, when you are posting any content, tie it back to your social media sites and websites, and always make sure you include client’s need and the solution you provide. One of the simplest tips here is that you can add videos, slides or articles to your LinkedIn profile. If you author something, make sure to claim it, add it to your profiles, websites, and then post about it on your social media channels. And if you do work with a partner like us, make sure you communicate to your partners and trusted allies that you are posting and want their support to jump into the conversion online with you.

In Summary – you are an influencer – time for the next level!

You are all influencers; sometimes, as we develop and migrate, we get lost in the shuffle of our business or lives, and we need to regroup, focus, reclaim our position, and tell the world. The great news is that Social Media allows us to do this faster and more efficiently than ever before. There are also millions of other people trying the same thing. The important thought to remember is to not get overwhelmed, start with these simple steps, and if you need help, ask those around you for support. If you would like to have a conversion with us, just email me and let’s set something up, you might be closer than you think.

To hear more on this subject, you can listen to a recent podcast where I was interviewed on Influencer Marketing: “Turn Attendees Into Super Fans Using Influencer Marketing with Dean DeLisle”

 

Social Jack™ is also a proud sponsor of the Virtual Event: Best Practices in Influencer Marketing, which will be taking place on Tuesday, August 1st, 2017.

 

Can’t wait to see you looking good as a social influencer online soon! – Dean

18
Jul 2017
1

Facebook Live – Three Easy Steps for a Successful Webcast

Thanks to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, the video streaming world has been opened to everyone. While it’s been out

Facebook Live – Three Easy Steps for a Successful Webcast

Article, Facebook, Social Jack Best Practices , , , , , , , , Dean

Thanks to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, the video streaming world has been opened to everyone. While it’s been out for a little while now, Facebook Live’s popularity shows no signs of slowing down. This is all by design, of course; Zuckerberg figured that if he could get everyone streaming from Facebook, then he could beat out Googleat their YouTube game and dominate video streaming, both live and recorded. He is so invested in this that his team built an algorithm: once you commit to a Facebook Live broadcast, Facebook will immediately start to gather an audience for you. Now this works better from a personal page than a business page, but below we will show you three easy steps — or as we like to call them, “Power Moves” — to help you prep either way.

Power Move #1 – Plan Your Production

Typically, no more than one day ahead is required for this, because these streams are meant to be short and entertaining. For us, our business is Influencer Marketing, so we make sure we add a little bit of education and inspiration to the formula, but this all depends on your brand and image you want to portray. For clarification, please see our previous articles on Personal Branding and Storytelling.

So one day ahead, plot your topic. Keep it easy to digest and engaging. Next, determine your target audience; if you have hundreds or even thousands of followers, determine who you want to attract and then tailor your message to that person or that audience This will make it seem personal, and your audience will better relate to it if your message speaks to them. Also think hashtags and tagging, no shame in using a couple of hashtags; even though it’s Facebook, it can still play a role in helping your video get found once it’s posted. We also recommend tagging others who might be in the video or mentioned in the video. It’s always best to get permission before you tag someone, especially in video; always remember that this business is all about the relationships. Don’t be a tag spammer (tagging a ton of people without permission). This is a huge turn off. Another consideration is that time is valuable, and it may be difficult at first to figure out who will take the time to do this, but ask your audience for feedback as well.

Once you have this process set and in place, tell your social network in advance what and when you are doing your subsequent production. This will allow them to plan to tune in, once Facebook notifies them.

Power Move #2 – Talk to Your Audience

The best thing we can tell you here is to make sure to remember this is a conversation with your audience, so acknowledge those who are tuning in, mention those who comment, and create a level of engagement so that others will be encouraged to chime in. Once they join, Facebook will notify their network that they are on the live stream with you and this will allow your audience to grow even more. This is wonderfully simple – and beautifully effective.

Power Move #3 – C.T.A. – Call to Action

Now that you have an audience, make sure you know where you are taking them next. Are you using this process to build community, take them to the next broadcast, have them download something, go to a landing page or website, call your office, you name it, it’s yours for the asking, just remember to ask.

Summary

Remember: thanks to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, you are now in the live broadcast business, so use this to your advantage. Even when we do our large Influencer Marketing Broadcast Events, we do a few Facebook Live feeds to help drive engagement. Whether you are doing small production work or big production work like us, there is always a place to insert Facebook Live!

Remember the three easy steps:

1.     Plan

2.     Engage

3.     Call to Action

I hope you found this helpful and we look forward to seeing your next online broadcast!

Here is the Power Point from one of our Flash Classes on this topic:

Facebook Flash Class – How to Thrive with Facebook Live

01
Feb 2017
0

7 Steps That Will Excel Your business and Build Social Culture

Growing your company from in the inside out might be one of the easiest things you could do

7 Steps That Will Excel Your business and Build Social Culture

Article, Blogging, Social Selling , , Dean

Growing your company from in the inside out might be one of the easiest things you could do for your company. In today’s world of employee advocacy, social media, leadership and transparency, companies are beginning to change the way that they act and feel in front of their clients. This is also changing the way we do business.

One of the most important shifts that we see is a new commitment by companies that have been talking about becoming a social business. We’ve seen this take on many different meanings.
But what does all of this have to do with culture? In order for us to be social, and in order for our clients to feel connected, we have to be connected internally first. The way we look at it, is that this is where the application of our Social Jack system and social teaming come into play. When we go into an organization, whether it’s from marketing, sales or culture side, we look to see how the company is connected together, before we start connecting them externally.

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This allows them to begin to work together as a team but also be transparent together. This works best when there is a top down initiative, and the leadership is bought into the fact that the company will not operate in this fashion.

The great news about this is that you can be any size company, what matters is that you operate as a cohesive team internally, working together so that clients are connecting to you but also the brand. We also see this as a marketing incentive that we call “humanizing the brand.” All of a sudden, we’re bringing the brand alive with people from within the organization. So this does promote a couple of great things as we begin to take this shift and make this happen.

 

  • It builds a stronger internal trust between the team members and the culture.
  • It allows us to connect to each other’s networks for resources and visibility.
  • It helps support employee retention, recruiting, and career development.
  • And ultimately it helps marketing the brand through the people to the rest of the world.

 

So when we look at building a social culture from the inside out it has a lot of benefits although it has to start with training the core employees making sure the brand and the people operate in concert with each other as they begin to communicate externally. This we see as culture changing for any size business. Here are seven tips to build the social culture within your own compa435ny.

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  1. Top Down Initiative-leadership buy-off: Without support from leaders within a company, social culture cannot strive in the business atmosphere. To make this work, you must be enlightened and a reformist CEO. Another way is to make the business care internally by reverse engineering out of the company’s business goals. By doing this, you are showing how social practices can help achieve social culture.
  2. Corporate Mission-: Quit overlooking the pages of the annual reports, today mission statements must be influential and inspire employees at work. Does this support the effort?
  3. Policy-: Remember to educate your employees on what can and cannot be said on behalf of the company. What type of rules do you have in place at your business? A known social media policy is also important, remember what goes on the Internet, stays on the Internet.
  4. Roles: Within a social business, roles become an important dynamic between how the employees help the business operate. Social media isn’t just for the younger employees, today it is key for all employees to utilize social media. Get online, get to tweeting, posting and snapchating away! Who are your internal champions?
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  5. Rewards and celebrations: Employees are the root of expanding the brand and the story your company tells, remember to recognize and reward employees on their efforts. It is important to create a culture of socially sharp employees.
  6. Contribution: When employees show extra effort in volunteering to make the company thrive forward, it shows customer’s that the brand displays an authentic commitment.
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  7. Measurement: Every marketing company knows that they have to measure levels of engagement among posts. What are the metrics that your company is using? Which KPI’s (key performance indicators) work best and how do they tie back to business? A productive business will help employees become hard working brand ambassadors.

 

So no matter where you are in the journey, start changing your culture today so that you can reach more business from the inside out. Let us know if you need any support around getting started, we would love to help!

20
Oct 2016
0

How to Increase Your Membership with Webcasting and Webinars

In the last eight years, we’ve seen a trend of membership organizations looking into increasing their users value

How to Increase Your Membership with Webcasting and Webinars

Article, Blogging , , Dean

In the last eight years, we’ve seen a trend of membership organizations looking into increasing their users value per membership. In the traditional sense, membership organizations provide education to their members in a variety of ways. Our Social Jack System, has been a part of that movement, where we provide a ton of education to membership organizations related to Social Selling, growing your business, career advancement—things that help us define what social media and social teaming is.

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In our recent observation, many membership organizations are still in legacy mode, where their education is based on premise or at conferences, and have not completely leveraged the internet with things like streaming and video. Also many membership organizations have seminars and conferences to promote new members. A lot of times there’s education about the organization but not necessarily around the education that is provided to the members. The movement that we’ve seen, and benefit greatly from, is leveraging the internet for webcasts—which we have been involved with for many years and providing that education not just to the current members but to the perspective memberships.

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For instance, we recently held a webinar on ‘how to grow your financial services practice with the use of social selling’ for Exit Planning Institute. This service was provided to their members and perspective members. The members that are “prospects” get to see the high quality education that is provided from the membership and then get test drive of some of that education and value the membership provides. We also allow space in those presentations so that the membership is able to explain the additional value that they provide when registering for a full membership.

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We’ve been doing this over for 8 years and have seen a rapid acceleration of this model being used and the simplicity is, providing web-based information because people want to have a convenient way to get the information without always having to travel to conferences or events. This is also a great way for organizations to attract perspective members to their platforms.

While we see that this is huge movement and we’re seeing more & more membership organizations and institutes going in this direction there’s still many that have to make the move. The good news is for those organizations that this a proven model and it can help them not just for retention of membership but also increasing admission.

Our Social Jack System has a very specific recipe for effectively getting participation, filling and getting people to show up to the webcast. There is a science behind this all and it can be indicated in this slideshow.

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We hope this opens your eyes to the power of Webcasts and Webinars to increase your membership and have people sample content en route to joining your membership organization.

29
Sep 2016
0

How to get your dream job in 8 steps or less

You took your last final two months ago, you walked across a grand stage and shook the Dean’s

How to get your dream job in 8 steps or less

Article, Blogging, Business, Business Building Tips, Facebook , , , , Dean

You took your last final two months ago, you walked across a grand stage and shook the Dean’s hand, and now your diploma just is collecting dust at your parent’s house. For young college graduates, the unemployment rate is currently 7.2 percent (compared with 5.5 percent in 2007), and the underemployment rate is 14.9 percent (compared with 9.6 percent in 2007). Employers are looking to hire employees who come through referrals. Think about the saying, “it’s who you know, not what you know.”

The-Next-Step-College-Graduate

  1. Pick your destination:
    Before applying for a job, think about the location in which you envision yourself and where you want to work. This means you will have to decide which industry you will want to pursue, which company interests you the most or geographically where you see yourself. Regardless which one it is, you will want to pick that destination.
  2. Targeting Individuals.
    Next you will want to identify and name the targets. Make a list of what type of people would be connected to the destination you strive to be at. If it is a particular company you are interested in, connect with the employees currently there. A good starting place is to connect with the head of HR, and send them a message introducing yourself and that you applied for a position. You will want to have a clear vision of that target individual looks like. Within the target, you will want to focus on “hubs” or organizations that would contain those people. This would be associations you are a part of, your alumni group, chambers of commerce or past conferences you’ve attended. There all kinds of past involvement that you can tap in to for career opportunities.
  3. Social Media Accounts:
    Make sure to update your profiles so that they are consistently representing who you are as a person, and for where you want to go on your destination. Build your LinkedIn page to its maximum worth. The use of social media for for recruitment has grown 54% in the the past 5 years. A recent SHRM study found that 84 percent of organizations are now recruiting on social media; only 56 percent of companies were hiring on social media in 2011.group of graduates
  4. Current State Team:
    Then you will build your current state team. Start by looking at everybody within your circle of influence and build a team of people. You then match those people with the targets you identified with.
  5. Get Connected:
    After that you will then make sure you are connected with that team on social media like LinkedIn. If these people are personal connections, follow them on virtual hang out places, that could be Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. This will be different for different team members
  6. Stay Connected:
    The next step is to pick four people a day to connect and have conversation with to then build your rapport and your connection with deepen. You want to let these people know what your destination goal is. By reacting out, having simple conversations, being genuine and authentic, you will have access into their networks and can connect with them. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask questions, because your end goal is to get into that destination, company or industryimages
  7. Scouting:
    Scouting for new team members on the professional side is seen as almost identical to scouting for a sports team. One thing that is easy but challenging for people is to let go of current team members who are not getting you to your end destination (Derrick Rose to the Knicks??). Thus, we have a scouting and drafting process in our Social Jack system that helps people bring new team members on board. We recommend that you go our Social Jack website and get a free account, and you will have access to the training we provide. It’s easy and fun!
  8. You’re hired!
    Enjoy the benefits that come along with getting hired., most importantly tak
    e advantage of the snacks! We promise that if you follow these steps, and get into a routine on this, your network will ideally connect you to your ideal destination.

 

We’ve successful training over 100,000 professionals, (high school, college, graduate students) with this simple process yet if you stick with it, it works. Make sure to share this blog post with your recent college graduates.

 

06
Aug 2016
0

Microsoft buys LinkedIn for $26.2 billion: Good for business, bad for social?

In reading recent articles the last couple of weeks, it seems there are mixed reviews on the good

Microsoft buys LinkedIn for $26.2 billion: Good for business, bad for social?

Article, Blogging, Business, Business Building Tips, Social Media News, Social Selling , , , , Dean

In reading recent articles the last couple of weeks, it seems there are mixed reviews on the good and the bad around the purchase of LinkedIn. I have a few thoughts on this:

  • Microsoft has stated that it has plans to integrate LinkedIn and Social Selling into its existing CRM product, Microsoft Dynamics CRM- which is second to sales. I believe this is great for Microsoft but not so sure how it will impact the rest of us that do not use Microsoft CRM. There are also current LinkedIn tools, like “Sales Navigator,” that work well in the sales force. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.

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  • My personal thoughts are that Microsoft is genius at wanting to own the data that LinkedIn has. The business intelligence that LinkedIn has from a social perspective of how people are connected and how people work and communicate together, there is nothing out there like this. Microsoft will be able to obtain social trends, social data, business trends, business data all blended together. I believe this is the main reason why they wanted to do this and also give new life to their new CRM products.
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  • Microsoft has historically not been that successful when it comes to social networking or social media. This to me validates that now they’re seeing the value, and it has increased, of social media and social networking. Many people think that this is potentially the death of social media, where these platforms cannot survive on their own, however I believe just the opposite. Microsoft has proven the value of connection, which is what we teach in our Social Jack training programs on coaching individuals the value of their connections based on their own ROI (Return of Investment).
    Microsoft-buys-LinkedIn
  • The fact that Microsoft paid $26.2 billion in cash for 433 million users, tells me that they found the cost per user came out to be $60. In our system, we look at it by value of user based on the ROI and outcome of the relationship, which is expediently more. The fact that Microsoft has placed a value on those connections, which have relationships, shows us that there is a value in social networks and connections.

So, connect with someone new today and you never know where it will take you.

14
Jul 2016
0

Social Jack is the new standard in Social Selling for Exit Planning Institute Members

Our new partnership with EPI, Exit Planning Institute, started in late May, when I traveled to the University of

Social Jack is the new standard in Social Selling for Exit Planning Institute Members

Article, Blogging, Business, Business Building Tips, Social Selling , , , Dean

Our new partnership with EPI, Exit Planning Institute, started in late May, when I traveled to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, to certify some of their workers with CEPA. I am proud to announce that Social Jack is their official Social Selling learning provider for EPI.

The Exit Planning Institute is the premier provider of education, networking, professional development, and tools for exit planning professionals worldwide. Exit Planning Institute whose representatives are typically wealth managers, financial services, accountants, and other business related careers, want to add exit planning to their book of business.

Our Social Selling technique is essentially another product line for their members. Social Selling can be defined as, “the interaction between two people to get to an entire network.” This functions no differently than when people build a sports team. That’s the system we use: scouting, drafting, and building a core team around your book of business.

At EPI, we have been brought in to be part of their sales track, part of adding the view add of Exit Planning Institute is that they teach and certify you in how to help a business strategy exit but they also help teach you how to sale those services.

 

This is where the Social Jack curriculum, and modules for Social Selling have now become a standard as part of their modules that they deliver to the membership. We’re so excited to start working with EPI and their members to help them produce more new business by generating this new product and by having the knowledge of leveraging Social Jack and Social Selling.

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Now let’s break down our business plan. Our curriculum is about people teaching people how to do social teaming. Social teaming is when people who are in practice management, (accountants and wealth managers) that have a network, but they don’t know how to organize their network. We then step in and teach them to structure their network, clients, friends and family and then convert that to into a powerful team to generate referrals.

 

As part of their CEPA certification, members of EPI are enrolled into two classes. The first was Social Selling 101: How to harness the power of social selling and thought leadership and Social Selling 201: How to build your influential network. Then members will migrate and become members of the Social Jack system, where they will be introduced to all 15 modules, bi-monthly coaching, and library of over 200 other classes.

About Social Jack

Social Jack is a Micro-Learning coaching and training platform that allows you to learn at your pace for your own objectives, sales, career, culture, business building or lifesyle. We use Social Teaming as an exclusive core to all of our programs. All learners will set an objective, get a game plan and quickly move into result driven power moves with a proven system. Over 100,000 professionals have been coaching and trained on this system and more information can be found at www.SocialJack.com.

About EPI

EPI is emerging as a worldwide recognized leader in the exit planning industry and is on a wave of momentum, powered by a strong, active community of CEPAs, members, faculty, board and leading industry experts. Our team is dedicated to accomplishing this vision, providing leading educational opportunities, certification programs, events, member support, and industry research for exit planning professionals in the United States and worldwide. More information about can be found at http://www.exit-planning-institute.org.

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20
Jun 2016
0

Triple F: Friends, Followers & Foes

The inspiration for this blog post came from two recent conversations I had with fellow colleagues, along with

Triple F: Friends, Followers & Foes

Article, Blogging, Business, Education, Facebook, Social Jack Best Practices, Social Media News, Social Selling , , , , , , , Dean

The inspiration for this blog post came from two recent conversations I had with fellow colleagues, along with life experiences that come along with working in the Social Media field. We currently live in a world that is ever changing, and we have access to so many different social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) in which we can connect with our network.

 

Think about Facebooks new feature Safety Check, during major disasters the feature will let friends and family know you’re safe, and can mark other friends as safe.

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Now let us discuss your entire network. Over your lifespan, your network has grown by connecting with people around us and we can classify these connections and put them into three different categories.

 

The first is “Friends.” My definition of friends is, people who we connect with, with the intent for relationship. They can be career connections, friends and family, or even the team you build for your life.

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The second is “Followers.” That is defined by, people who have interest is us in some capacity, either professional, or personal and they literally follow what you do. As a professional, often times people follow your social media pages to stay up to date on what you are posting. Having followers is a choice, check your privacy settings on your social media accounts, because each platform is different.

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Lastly, “Foes” can be identified as the people who connect or tune into your page, for reason of harm. Like theft identity, competition, or possible stalkers. When connections begin to feel disruptive they start to feel more like a foe.

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Here at Social Jack it is purely about relationship building from connections and acquaintances with the intent to attract good targeted followers that someday will become friends and relationships we do business with. That stems from the practical business side of social networks. Once you have categories of friends, you can then decide how you want to operate those friends and networks, we define this as your Social Team. These networks and collection of friends can help you with building a business, marketing a brand, and having a good life team.

 

Remember that there are positives and negatives when connecting with people from your past, but above all it is your choice if you stay connect. Never feel obligated to stay connected if it is not a mutually beneficial.

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