I’m seeing this issue a lot lately.  Are you?  Some internet entrepreneurs have an assistant or behind the scenes person doing social networking for them.  Others swear they do it all themselves and it’s a rip off to do it any other way.  Who’s right?  I think BOTH are.

On one hand, social networks are about being social and connecting with others.  They are about getting visibility for your business and creating trust with potential clients so the relationships are profitable.  They are also a place to connect with like-minded people and have stimulating conversations about your chosen profession.

On the other hand, there is a lot of work involved with social networking.  The profile maintenance, the branding customizations and the plug-in additions.  Not to mention the actual communication that goes on.  Much of this can be handled by a skilled social networking expert who knows the technology.

So, what’s possible to outsource?  Well, that depends on how much time you have for social networking.  If you have time to communicate and run the technology without taking time away from other income-generating activities, well then have at it and do it all by yourself.

If you have limited time for social networking, but it’s been a huge reason that you have been successful, then it might be time to consider outsourcing it.  Okay, so what EXACTLY can you outsource on social networks?  Let me give you a list:

• Profile changes. Especially in Facebook, where there are so many apps and customizations you can make.
• Branding changes. When you change your brand, your networks need to be updated.
• Friend/Follow maintenance. Once you set up a clear criteria, this can be handled by someone else.  Give them a list of all the people you just met an event and they can add them into your mix too.  To keep your voice in it and continue building trust, write out some personal connection messages, so your outsourced professional can use them when they create connections for you.
• Marketing Messages. This is great for a Fan Page where it’s all business.  Have a great writer take what you’ve written for your marketing campaign and break it down into conversation starters, then post those on your networks.
• Affiliate posts. If you are an affiliate, have someone pre-set your affiliate postings if possible.  Have them go in on a regular basis and post updates with affiliate links.
• Customer service issues. If you get people coming to you through social networks asking standard questions that your customer service team can answer, have them do so.  Make sure they identify themselves as such in the responses.  This will represent your company in an honest way…building trust.

Now, the every day responses to others will be all up to you.  Your outsource company can get the conversation started, but you need to be present to keep it going when you get a response.  You also need to put your “in the moment” thoughts out there, because these are most attractive to potential clients.  You don’t need to be into the technology.  If you are making money from being on social networks, then you can invest in a team to allow you more time to serve the clients you get from you social networking activities.

So, the answer is yes and no.  Yes, you can outsource if you’re business is growing from social networks.  No, you can’t outsource EVERYTHING…because no one is you and your social networks want to know YOU.  Your trust factor increases when you are consistently present on social networks and are personally engaged in the conversation. You CAN get help from professionals when it pays off.  So, are you ready to outsource yet?  What are your thoughts?

Kristen Beireis, Trust Marketing Expert

Kristen Beireis is the Trust Marketing Expert for Group Coaching Mastery.  She helps coaches and other personal transformation professionals establish trust through marketing.  First, she establishes a foundation that's rooted in your authentic differentiation. Then she follows up with solutions that bring consistency to everything that has your name on it — from your newsletter to your business card to your social media pages. And while she's happy to teach you how to do all this yourself, many of her clients love the way her team reduces their workload and overwhelm.

Greater trust means a shorter sales cycle, more of the right clients, and the confidence that comes from knowing your sales and marketing are in integrity with who you are as a person.

How many products or freebies do you have floating around on your website?  When people sign up for or purchase one of these products, do they hear from you again?  And I’m not talking about the autosubscribe to your newsletter.  I’m talking about a follow-up campaign that keeps building trust with those who have already shown interest.

I’m sure you’ve heard it before that repeat customers are more willing to purchase from you than a newbie.  I’m sure you know that keeping in touch with them will create more income for you.  Right?  Then, why focus SO much attention on getting them to download or purchase something if you aren’t going to continue to harness that relationship?

I’ve seen it all too often.  An experienced coach who is GREAT at attracting new clients, but has 20 different lists in their autoresponder that they haven’t spoken to since the day they purchased or downloaded something.  That’s lost money right there!!  A follow-up campaign can keep you in touch with them and when they are looking for the next thing you offer, they will be ready to buy!

If you want to successfully build a relationship with this group of people, here are a few important things to consider when setting up your follow-up campaign:

1)  If your autoresponder system allows for an HTML and a text version of your messages, use both! A branded HTML e-mail is going to be remembered sooner than a plain text e-mail.  So, you want to make sure that you get that branding in front of anyone who is willing to accept an HTML e-mail.   This will reinforce that they already know you which increases your trust factor and continues to help them remember who you are.

2)  Be consistent. If you get wishy-washy in who you are within different e-mails, people will subconsciously think you are wishy-washy as a business owner.  Do you trust wishy-washy business owners?  Make sure everything is consistent; your signature, your logo, your colors, your subject (not word for word identical, but have the same format and feel).

3)  Be conversational. From the opt-in message to the 3 month follow-up message, have a conversation with your reader.  Share with them who you are as a business.  Ask questions.  Encourage them to write you back.  Invite them to participate with you in the design process.  Offer them special opportunities because they are in a certain group of people.  This kind of special treatment creates a sense that you care about them (you do, right?).  Hmm…don't you automatically trust people who seem to care about you?

4)  Be a coach. As a coach you have a unique opportunity to start challenging their thinking.  Do it in every e-mail that goes out.  They may not get it right away, but if you have a campaign built around one concept and you keep coming at it from different ways, they are going to eventually get it and when they do, they will clear on your expertise.  They'll trust that you know what you are talking about and will buy from you again, when they are ready.

5) Provide opportunity. In every e-mail you want to provide them an opportunity to continue THEIR growth.  Do this by sharing resources, pointing towards other opportunities (that are the next step in your marketing funnel) etc…  Again, showing you care about their well-being builds trust.

Every purchase or download  is an opportunity for you and your potential clients.  Treat them with respect, be transparent and make sure you get your branding in front of them as often as possible through the entire campaign.  In the long-run this will create trust, leading to more purchases and more clients!

What are your thoughts on follow-up campaigns?

Kristen Beireis, Trust Marketing Expert

Kristen Beireis is the Trust Marketing Expert for Group Coaching Mastery. She helps coaches and other personal transformation professionals establish trust through marketing.  First, she establishes a foundation that's rooted in your authentic differentiation. Then she follows up with solutions that bring consistency to everything that has your name on it — from your newsletter to your business card to your social media pages. And while she's happy to teach you how to do all this yourself, many of her clients love the way her team reduces their workload and overwhelm.

Greater trust means a shorter sales cycle, more of the right clients, and the confidence that comes from knowing your sales and marketing are in integrity with who you are as a person.

The other day I stumbled onto the website of a business coach.   Two seconds after I got there, I was ready to click away.  I know I’m one of the most skeptical internet buyers out there so I’m always curious as to what makes me click away.  It keeps coming down to the same thing…sales jargon and cold information.

Let me define what I’m talking about first.

Sales Jargon - Pre-formed statements that supposedly get people to buy.  Things like “Sign up right now!”  “You’re going to love this.”  “You can’t live without this.”  That kind of thing.

Cold Information - Information for information sake, with no real value to offer.  These are the sites that explain exactly what you are going to get without telling you why you want it.  This feels cold.  Like there is no person behind it.  A robot could have written it.

For some people these tactics work great!  In fact, your website shouldn’t be devoid of these things.  You just need to add some of YOU into your website if you want clients to trust you enough to share their life stories with you.

Let’s go back to the website I saw the other day.  Most of the headlines were some sort of marketing jargon.  In between it was all information about building a business that I had heard 100 times before.  Now, yes, I do surf coaching websites all the time, so I’m more likely to have read it elsewhere.  At the same time, do you think your potential clients are going to go to your site without checking out others like it?  I doubt it!

Market to me without telling me your marketing. They are on your website.  They already know you are trying to sell them something.  Talk to your target market as if they are in the room with you.   Share with them that you know who they are by describing them.  What would your ideal client want to know up front?  Give them the information they need conversationally.  As if you were answering their question one-to-one….not one to masses.  That’s why it’s so important to get to know your ideal client. So, you know who they are and can speak to that.

Infuse your personality. I have editors that review my copy before I put it out on my website.  Many times they make suggestions to get rid of certain colloquialisms.  Usually, I ignore their advice because it’s MY words.  I want MY words out on that website so people can relate to me.  It’s important to use proper grammar and use correct spelling, but it’s also important to speak like you do in person.

I didn’t see a picture of the coach anywhere. In fact, there weren’t any graphics for me to connect with at all.  Just a bunch of words.  When I did finally find my way to the “about” page, I found even more information.  Information about the education of the coach.  I found information about how that coach works with their clients too.  That’s not going to cut it.  By the time I get to the end of this page I should have a sense of who this coach is and why they care about me.  Credentials, experience and the coach’s process substantiate that but if I’m going to trust you with my dreams then you have to give me a little more than that.  I want to know who you are as a person and as a coach.

Share with me. Tell me that you run marathons, enjoy time with your kids, play baseball in the summer, and go on a hiking retreat every year.  Substantiate your expertise with information about who you are and what you love.  Tell me that your mission is to help your clients find happiness in their lives, because you once weren’t happy.  Things like that will get my attention.

Your most valuable asset is not your list!  It’s YOU! Use it to your advantage.  What do you think?  What do you want to know?  Is there anything you want to change now?

Kristen Beireis, Trust Marketing Expert

Kristen Beireis is the Trust Marketing Expert for Group Coaching Mastery. She helps coaches and other personal transformation professionals establish trust through marketing.  First, she establishes a foundation that's rooted in your authentic differentiation. Then she follows up with solutions that bring consistency to everything that has your name on it — from your newsletter to your business card to your social media pages. And while she's happy to teach you how to do all this yourself, many of her clients love the way her team reduces their workload and overwhelm.

Greater trust means a shorter sales cycle, more of the right clients, and the confidence that comes from knowing your sales and marketing are in integrity with who you are as a person.