Part of my role at the Academy includes managing our social media presence and engagement. As such, I always have my eye out for a really useful tip or system I can employ or use a version of to make my efforts more efficient and more powerful.
While doing some research recently, I came across the following blog posted by Target Marketing. The idea was almost revolutionary to me that rather than spend “an hour a day” on social media management, we should be maximizing the content we post using some simple but specific tactics. It brought to mind the phrase, “work smarter, not harder.” I’ve included the blog below and hope it will help all of you maximize your law firm’s social media management, as well!
Why an “Hour a Day” Doesn’t Work on Social Media
Posted on: May 01, 2015
You’re consistent. Diligent. You spend your hour a day on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ or Twitter. And then you get back to something that might actually generate a lead or sale. Like cold-calling. You know, that “dead” strategy that is difficult these days—yet still gets you paid!
Being consistent with social media is not working.
For most of us, there are too few leads coming from being diligent. So why, then, do you continue to post updates, share content, re-tweet?
Maybe you still believe in LinkedIn or Twitter and realize success (at anything) requires diligence. That’s true. Good for you. Or maybe because your boss expects you to—and you continue despite the lack of outcomes.
Despite having a reliable process. This process.
Having a Process Always Gets You Paid
Can’t find time for social? Don’t want to invest time because of lack of results? Your process is wrong. Stop focusing on being consistent. Instead, get a few small results, then build on them.
Be diligent. Be consistent. Most of all, be sure you have a chance at getting early results that you can build on.
Let’s be honest. Getting early results is all that matters. This isn’t about doing things to feel accomplished or satisfy management. Time investments on social media should pay you in these terms:
- more appointments in less time
- moving through your prospecting list faster
- leaving fewer voicemail
- less time asking for demos—more time giving demos to pre-vetted leads
How can you get these kinds of early results? Follow a proven, effective system.
- Attract Attention by saying something bold, new.
- Spark Curiosity in what you have to say by holding back details.
- Provoke Response by using words that trigger immediate reactions.
The Process Must Make Sense to You
Don’t just follow a system blindly. Make sure YOU believe in the system. Most of all, make sure the approach you use has a high probability of paying off—producing want you want in the near-term.
“In general I like the approach you are recommending, Jeff, because it really makes sense and it’s something I can relate to and believe in,” says IBM Digital Sales’s Johan Hoffert.
In fact, in a matter of a few days Hoffert tested this approach on a non-responsive prospect he was struggling to reach. He turned it into a lead. What changed his luck? Process, not diligence.
Beware: If it feels like a waste of time it is. Trust your instincts.
You’re an Idiot, but I Have a Cure for That
“When was the last time you bought something from someone who said, ‘You’re an idiot, but I have a cure for that?” asks Bruce Johnston, a respected provider of outsourced LinkedIn lead generation services.
Johnston is concerned with many social selling experts and trainers—their approach to helping reps who need guidance in this area.
“Underestimating your customers’ intelligence and using a fear based approach rubs me the wrong way,” says Johnston who blogs at www.practicalsmm.com.
In a recent email exchange, Johnston told me the message he tries to get across respects his customers and tones down the revolutionary hyperbole. Specifically, social selling, when combined with what you are doing now, is a sales accelerant.
“What many of these ‘experts’ are doing is pushing an ‘if you are not doing social you are a Luddite’ point of view,” says Bruce Johnston. It’s time to tune them out!
What Sellers Need to Know—Versus What They Want to Hear
The truth is this “hour a day” idea is a lie. It’s an excuse to be lazy. The act of “sharing valuable content” with customers is not effective. These ideas are what we want to hear—not what we need to know.
It’s natural for us to want shortcuts. But when you’re a front line seller you can’t afford to waste time. And if you manage a team of sellers you had better pay attention!
“The experts” all agree: Diligent use of social media is the key. An hour a day.
But they’re wrong. Dead wrong.
Evolution, not Revolution
Can you generate leads by regurgitating information (“sharing valuable content”) and Liking prospects’ posts in an hour a day? Is this a revolutionary idea? No and no.
Success is rooted in sales fundamentals—not digital time-wasters coming from people who have never actually sold a B2B product or service!
Your/your team’s success depends on evolving to use what we already know works with the new tools. It sounds trite, obvious. But most organizations have yet to put the obvious to work for sellers. Now you have the key … the process. Good luck!
To view the original post of this blog, visit http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/blog/why-hour-day-doesnt-work-social-media
Kathryn Adams
Marketing Manager
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com
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