No Risk… No Reward In Social Media

I love me some Switchflops! They’re comfortable and it makes matching your outfits as simple as Garanimals. So, I was thrilled (and so was may daughter who’s also a big Switchflops fan) when Lindsay Phillips spoke at both the Tampa and Dallas Spark and Hustle events. The creator of this “must have” shoe is truly an inspiration!

Lindsay came up with the idea at 16 … and 11 years later, she’s sold 1.5 million. But, there were bumps in the road including the fact that she was turned down for patents three times. She says it all just helped her come up with her motto:  Don’t give up…don’t give in. She said, “NO one cares/loves what you do more than YOU. No risk.. no reward. GO FOR IT!”

It was just funny that after having just seen Lindsay in Dallas on Thursday that today I ran across the quote:

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
~Albert Einstein

So let me ask you.. what have you done to take a risk in your business? Are you doing the same thing and EXPECTING new results? This is where social media could really open up a new world for you. It can help you expand your brand farther than you EVER thought. It can also help you deliver almost immediate customer service when your competition is not. It can show potential and current customers you care by asking what THEY think and delivering what your customer wants. For instance, 1 in 7 adults is on Facebook… ONE IN SEVEN!! If you’re not putting your business out there on Facebook then you’re missing on one heck of a party! It truly is the gathering your business can’t afford NOT to be a part of.

So, how can you shake things up, take risks and GO FOR IT on social media? Here are three ideas:

1. Contests
   1. I love to use the Wildfire App to run contests. It has proven to be cost efficient for my clients and trustworthy with entrants’ information. Take a chance and run a contest. We recently did one between my client Just Between Friends and Merry Maids which netted almost 1,000 new “likes” in a month for JBF. It was a great way to collaborate for the benefit of both companies and did not cost too much b/c expenses were shared.
2. Ask What Your Customers Want
   1. So many times business owners are afraid to ask what the customers want… because it might not be what their selling! LOL. In the days when corporate America ruled the world, we had no choice but to take what they were dishing out. But with social media, you have a chance to develop real relationships and turn back the clock to the kind of customer service only our grandparents enjoyed. Ask questions, engage and HELP your customers… it WILL pay off.
3. Go where you’re customers are
   1. I’m so tired of business owners telling me, “no one reads my email newsletter”. My answer? Either you’re not delivering stuff that’s worth reading (PEOPLE ARE BUSY!) or your customers may not be interested “into” emails. Maybe they’d like to get their special discounts by text message? (Hello… 90+% of Americans text. Yes.. that IS a platform they like and use.) Maybe you cater to executives so LinkedIn may be the way to go. Don’t ASSUME that just because you like emails, Facebook or whatever that your customers do as well. Go where THEY are and where THEY feel comfortable. I actually just wrote a blog about who is using what social media platform – What I Learned From The Georgetown Cupcake Ladies.

I’d love to hear about what risks you’re taking in social media!