The Case for Social Media
When we’re talking about our businesses - small, micro, work at home parent, large corporation – no matter what size, there is always the question as to whether your time (and money) spent promoting your business is giving back what you put in. I’ve heard people say that social media is a waste of time because it can’t be measured in this way. Thankfully I didn’t listen to those naysayers, as I just did my figures and they’re wrong.
I spend a fair amount of time on social media, Twitter is my SM platform of choice, building relationships, making friends, and getting to know who else is out there. It’s not all business talk, but it allows me to put my personality into my business and be there to help people with their tech questions right when they have them. (Ask me a question about Mac and I’m probably going to be able to answer it for you, or find you the answer). I have been on Twitter for three years this month and I can say that it is worth my time for my business and for breaking the isolation that working from home on your own can bring.
Because I really hate it when people quote statistics that they pulled out of the air, I wanted to sit down and do the sums. I keep a list of every transaction that comes in and how much it’s worth for each financial year, so I printed out the last financial year (July 2010 – June 2011) and this financial year so far (July 2011 – February 2012) and highlighted the transactions according to how the people found me. They were split into Word of Mouth/Offline, Blog, Scoutie Girl and Twitter. Other categories like paid advertising hadn’t brought in any money so it wasn’t included.
To save you from the boring bits, the most interesting thing I found is that 51.16% of my revenue this financial year (so far) has come from my connections through twitter. That is a pretty significant amount, I think, especially as I don’t often directly advertise in my tweets. If that isn’t proof that SM can work for you if you make time for it, I don’t know what is. I’m really thankful for those connections and the fact they allow me to do what I love.
Social Media doesn’t have to be sleazy or just shouting about your products all the time (if you do that I stop reading your tweets). It’s about creating relationships and using your personality (flaws and all) to be of service to the people that are your ideal clients. You can quickly learn on twitter who are the people you will gel with, if their complaints bug you or they seem to offend, then they are probably not “your people”.
It can allow you to find like minded people from all over the world and give you opportunities that just couldn’t and wouldn’t happen without it.
Pick the social media that works for you and be good at it. You don’t have to be everywhere, but just somewhere they can find you.
What have been your experiences with social media? Has it opened up a whole new world for you? Do you know how much business it brings your way?
Being Friends with Your Numbers
I’ve been working on content for the Art of Creative Business e-class I’m running with Brandi and I’ve been focusing on the part of a business so many people avoid: the numbers.
photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the figures as they can really get you down if you’ve been working hard but the numbers aren’t there. And because with2ns designs didn’t go as well as I had hoped I put off facing them.
But in preparing the content for the class, I decided to bite the bullet and take a look at my financial year so far. The numbers weren’t nearly as bad as I had expected. And it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.
Not only can I see on the page in front of me that my decisions are paying off but I know where I stand and what I can aim for in the future.
I suppose it’s like my dad always says “you need to have a train timetable or you wouldn’t know how late the train is”. Without knowing where you are and where you want to be, you are never going to get there.
Money is a huge part of your business, it wouldn’t be a business without it. Knowing your numbers sets you free from the uncertainty that guessing and putting it off gives you.
It’s not always easy to do, you have to overcome your fears to do it, but you never know you could surprise yourself like I did and feel the need for a happy dance.
After feeling exhausted from the long hours and 3 years without a break I’m now feeling great and ready to roll with the punches again.
It never ceases to amaze me how knowledge can change everything. Making friends with your numbers and knowing where you want to go can be a game changer.
Are you friends with your numbers? Or is it something that you put off?
If you think you’d like to become friends with your numbers and want to know how and get yourself a proper plan, go here to find all the details on our class.
