Hey there, my fabulous listener, welcome to episode 91 of the Small Business Made Simple Podcast.

Thank you for lending me your ears today – I know you have lots of choices, so I sincerely appreciate me being one of them!

If you’re a first time listener, super super welcome, I am so pleased to have you here.  I am your host Jenn Donovan, and it’s my job, via this podcast, social media and everywhere else actually, to make your business life simpler. 

I’m a thought leader when it comes to marketing here in Australia and I’m a marketing strategist for small business.

Why? Because business can be lonely and hard and complicated and it’s hardly ever easy, but it should be simple or at least simpler, so that’s my commitment you to on the Small Business Made Simple podcast!

One way I help to make your life simpler is by having a group of like-minded business owners all in one stop.  To ask questions, get answers and enjoy the journey of business! If you haven’t joined the Like Minded Business Owners Facebook Group, then hope over there after this episode and join!  Simply search Like Minded Business Owners in Facebook or come to the show notes for the like.  Show notes are at www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/91

www.facebook.com/groups/LikeMindedBusinessOwners

This episode is sponsored by my next round of my 6 weeks mastermind program.  We’ve just finished up a 6 week program and the next one starts 12^th October – 8 spots only and 4 are already taken!

If you want results like Anne who says:

Best Investment I’ve made in my marketing.  I loved our 6 week mastermind.  I learned so much and come away each week inspired with clear direction.  It was exactly what I signed up for!

Or perhaps you need clarity to move forward like Jo:

I have come SO far in just 6 weeks.  I cannot believe how much I’ve learned and how much I’ve changed (both in thinking and in business) in JUST 6 weeks.  Keen to keep going now Jenn.  Thanks.

6 weeks might not seem like a long time, but my last lot of amazeballs 6 week mastermind business owners have proved just how far you can come in 6 weeks with clarity and a community to support you and a mentor who gets you and pushes you (and calls you on your BS)!

Anyway, if you’re keen to find out more go to: https://bit.ly/mastermindwithjenn

On the episode today I am talking about 6 things to STOP doing on social media and because I’m a positive person, I’m throwing in 6 things to keep doing (or start doing) when it comes to social media.

Ok, let’s start with the DO NOT’s:

1. Don’t post and ghost! If you’re going to post on social media, even if you are a scheduler, make sure you are spending time on the platform engaging, responding to comments, establishing connections, engaging and educating, building trust and differentiating yourself as the expert in your field!  If you want algorithm love, give the platform some love.
2. Don’t use canned response – be authentic – say it like you would at a BBQ. On LinkedIn send a connection message with your connection request. When responding to comments, respond back with a conversation starter (if appropriate) or just with grace!  We are all getting pretty smart and can smell an unauthentic rat these days!  Be you, it’s your secret weapon for standing out in a crowded market place!
3. Don’t expect every one of your connections to come from social media. Get off the platform and network.  Get off the platform and email market and provide value.  Get on podcasts, start your own.  Not everyone of our leads will come from social media – stop asking them too!  Give them some marketing alternatives to get to know you and what you can do for them!
4. Don’t hide behind your brand. If you are the person who answers the phone or sends the email or writes the social posts etc – then you, my friend, need to introduce yourself to the world.  In my 30 day Social Media and Marketing Challenge that starts in October, 1 full week is spent challenge you to come out from behind the brand – it works miracles – I promise!  Again, you are your secret weapon – use it!
5. Don’t go it alone. Surround yourself with amazing people who will challenge you, push you and celebrate with you.  Get yourself a mentor, paid or unpaid.  If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.  This is the one number thing that I would credit propelling me to the business success that I have today – a good mentor and freaking fabulous people around me.
6. Kind of a pet hate of mine – don’t get involved in a follow for a follow chain letter type crap. It could ruin all your hard work, confuse the algorithm, so it has no idea who you are or what content you want to see or worse still, who to serve your content up too and remember it’s not a numbers game.  I’d rather than 500 followers who comment, engage and buy than 100,000 who don’t.  Some number are just vain.

So that was a whole heap of negativity all rolled into one hey!

So, let’s get positive, here’s some do’s for social media

1. Do go back and strengthen your social media profiles. Look at the bio photos – are they you?  Look at your cover photo – a picture paints a 1000 words, what does yours say?  Fill in all the gaps, re-read and make sure it’s still what you want the world to know?  Answer these two questions

• What do you want to be famous for?
• And why should I choose you over your competitors?

2. Do post regular content. Position yourself as a thought leader in your industry or in your space.  Remember the 3 E’s (podcast ep 13: socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/13) Educate, Engage with Value and Entertain but remember repurpose repurpose repurpose your content – that was episode 53 – www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/53
3. Do join Facebook groups and be super proactive. Give, give, give and then ask! Use Facebook groups to learn more about your ideal client, more about what the market wants or to help you grow your business by finding the right people to hang out with!  Facebook groups are amazing!
4. Do Nurture your leads. They say that a client needs at least 16 touch points before they make a decision to buy – that’s debatable for sure in retail, but probably fairly true for business to business.  What touch points do you have in your business and how far apart are they?  Like if Facebook is your only touch point and you only post once a week – that’s a long long nurture time – if they even see all your content.
5. Do use conversational marketing, H2H marketing (human to human marketing) everywhere and for everyone. Watch how often you talk about YOU, watch that you are using customer centric language and if in doubt, say it like you would at a BBQ.
6. And finally, be you, be real, and do get off topic. It seriously doesn’t have to be about business all the time.

Well, that’s it, that’s 6 dos and 6 don’ts!  Where did you stand with both?  Perhaps there’s things to stop doing, perhaps there’s things to start doing – either way, you are exactly where you need to be for today, and the only way is forward.

That’s it for episode 91.

Got questions?  Head into Like Minded Facebook group and ask away – or send me a DM on Instagram or an email jenn@jenndonovan.com.au

I’ll be back next Thursday with another great episode to help you simplify your business in 2020. 

If you’re enjoying this podcast, which if you have listened to here – you hopefully are, don’t forget to subscribe, share this episode with another superstar business owner who’s doing the daily grind and would appreciate someone making their business simpler, and leave a rating or review to show how much you are loving this free weekly content.

See you next week on the podcast for episode 92.  But in the meantime, let’s hang out on social and get social on social – you’ll find me on Instagram, Facebook and my fav LinkedIn.

But whatever you do,

……..remember small business peeps, as my opening song says, there’s no point in dreaming small!