How to use social networks to build your new business
We are seeing the most tremendous growth in start-up businesses this year, I am spending more and more of my time supporting them. (In fact I have created this GROUP on Ecademy to see if I can garner the support of Business Coaches ). I guess it is no surprise that there is an increase, with fear of job losses combined with one million unemployed 16-24 year old’s in the UK alone, there is a lot of motivation around to take life into our own hands. It is not all doom though. The opportunity for creativity and a desire for success grows during adverse times and combine this with the amazing resources now at the disposal of new businesses, I feel very positive about the future for today’s start-ups.
There is a drive toward independence equaled by the desire to live a life that is more in balance. I have met many hundreds of people inside the social networks who have achieved a balance in their lives through leveraging a personal network and through leveraging the tools on the Internet that connect them to others and allow them to build a marketing strategy at a very low cost. We now live a 24 hour day, the 9-5 life is definitely a thing of the past. In fact, when I started my business 12 years ago it was all done at night when my very young children were asleep. An opportunity that my mother didn’t get. I never feel I have compromised my desire to be a mum in building my business.
Here are some tips I like to pass on… perhaps you could add some more for people wanting to learn what social networking can do for them
Start to network at the point of conception
Being self employed, owning your own business, going out on your own for the first time, or perhaps creating your business while still employed (the 5-9er http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=145553) is common place within the social networks. I have many people say to me that their business is not ready to be ‘marketed’, they want to come out all guns blazing, ready to take orders. But stop and think for a moment…. social networks can be the best place to test market your service or products, learn the best strap lines that attract interest, discover the right message; they can be the place where you can find the people you need around you to advise you on running your own business before you make mistakes. I think the best time to start talking about your business is when you have just conceived it, before it is actually born. The analogy I like to use is – ‘if you were planning to climb Mount Everest, wouldn’t you talk about it and start preparing before you actually got to the bottom of the mountain and started the climb?”
Don’t force yourself on people
When you start your business you will judge your success on sales achieved, of course, it would be wrong to not assume that, but be very careful. If you join the networks with selling in mind you will be at risk of putting people off, of scaring people away. Within the networks there is a desire to connect for friendship, this is why they are called Social Networks, so the way I like to teach this is to imagine you have just moved into a village. The village has a thriving community of people who support one another, have a drink in the pub, walk each others dogs, pass on useful suppliers, if you join the community slowly and gently you will be welcomed in, if you rush in, shout about yourself you will over whelm. There is a fine balance and the best balance you can achieve is to be a friend first and show an interest in others and then they will show an interest in you. How do you do this inside social networks? Well add comments to Blog, have a chat on your own blog about your journey, introduce yourself and your dreams. I was very impressed with the way Marcus Fielding introduced himself on Ecademy recently (HERE )
The right people, at the right time.
You are on a journey in your life, you have not reached the end yet, and your needs now will be different to your needs in one month, 2 months, a year, 5 years. Joining and being part of the social networks is about finding solutions to your needs in real-time with real people, right now but at the same time ensuring that you build a momentum around you that helps you adapt and survive as the world changes. These are the sherpa’s that help you up the mountain, you need many as they are all skilled in different ways.
Belonging to a Social Network gives you the opportunity to build a very successful business based on advocacy, referrals, collaboration, advice, care, kindness, inspiration, through feedback and friendships, this is why we call it a Social Business Network. As you build your network around you and you become part of thousands of people’s networks you will start saying to your friends ‘something amazing happened to day, just from out of the blue’, and when this happens you will know that you knew enough people, enough people knew you and fundamentally a lot of people liked you.
The most powerful force you can create around your business is friendship.
Don’t treat Social Networks such as Ecademy, Twitter and FaceBook like some giant networking event where everyone stands around and throws business cards at one another. Treat the networks as your friend, a place that wants you to be successful, and a place where you can feel safe asking for help, telling your story, and gaining respect because of ‘who you are’ as an expert, and someone who is living the dream of loving what they do.
So remember -
“friendship is the killer app for business online, because trust is the killer output”
………. build trust around you and your business and you will secure a great future.
Warm regards
Penny Power
+447771 543478
Founder-Ecademy
Supporting Business People
