Instead all of us feel targeted. We have a bullseye on our backs. I thought the “do-not-call-list” was bad enough to put telemarketers on notice to leave us alone. We can mark unwanted emails as spam. We can ignore ads on Facebook, MySpace, Google Plus and many more personal social networks. We can still see solicitations on professional networks like LinkedIn or GovLoop that don’t concern us or ever will. Let’s not forget Twitter. Easy to forget, but an awesome powerhouse. Even the networks hound you to death. Buy the professional package so you don’t see the ads. It’s the same with the apps. Using social media effectively is using those ads in part.
My first experience with hiring someone to use the social media to help me market my novel was a disaster. Turned out, I actually have more contacts of my own and those are probably the ones she contacted. I know there are good people out there who specialize in this rather new marketing, and are willing to train others. I only wish there were others who would take your product and for a reasonable price and social market it for you. That, of course, is me being too stubborn to learn something new. It happens with “old dogs” like me.
I have an real “old dog,” but she never liked to be taught anything so she taught herself. For the most part, these are good things. Butterscotch, our Golden Retriever, (when she was young and spry) taught herself to climb up into the kids wooden playset and come down via the slide; also, she would leaped onto the trampoline. All this was in effort to escape being around dog number two, Ranger, an English/Canadian standard, Labrador Retriever, who was heavier than her and couldn’t follow. He was annoyingly different I suppose. Neither would harm each other or humans. Rodents, birds and other yard critters beware. With social media giants, I feel like a critter.
This happens with young dogs, too, in terms of social media; however, I must admit I use social media too even here but not nearly enough to make a nuisance of myself. Young dogs, businesses and services, are shotgunning their products to the general public without any sense or direction. Some are losing friends over it and some would lose relatives, but you can’t because they are family.
I remember in sales that you had to sell to your grandmother. Now, you are! Literally. It’s utterly ridiculous. Unbeschreiblich! (We’re taking a German exchange student in. Couldn’t resist.)
We need trainers to make the process easy (not just market it that way), with ongoing support, or provide less expensive services we can use to sell our wares via the social media. It seems everyone wants to be a trainer these days. Sell services and in your spare time sell training, too. Right? See my last two blogs. Businesses, small companies and nonprofits used to buy ads. Public relations and marketing were different, too.
I know I seem to be taking the non-trainer side, but, in part, here is the problem:
- First, the training content doesn’t stay with you. It’s too fleeting and the information sites change all the time.
- Secondly, it may already be dated. You won’t know until you try.
- And thirdly, trainers have businesses organizations gasping for air, and that is a character issue with me and should be for everyone.
Put it in Biblical terms if you like: thou shalt not prey on businesses if you can’t truly help them or tell them someone who can. The businesses and other organizations are already gasping for air. Now, I’m not talking about the huge corporations who have social media geniuses on staff, but the smaller companies, nonprofits and government entities that might hire you as contractor.
Here’s what I’d like to see (and I can’t believe I’m saying this): we need more affordable direct services that work with training to keep up with trends. Not a one-time training shot that’s easily forgotten or absorbed and used by the time the general sites have changed or techniques have been disallowed. Hence, we need ongoing assistance. Smaller companies end up hiring someone to be in-house not nearly as qualified as they should be to do the job a trainer “trained” them to do.
Everyone wants to make money and I believe everyone should be paid fairly for their service or product. This economy isn’t terrific, especially for smaller businesses that can’t absorb the losses like the larger corporations. We need the smaller businesses, too. So, make friends, not enemies. So, you don’t get rich or make what you made when the economy was better. You will later, and save your self respect. I know I talk a lot about survival of the fittest, but even that comes with a moral code and strong character. Your friends will be there when you need them.
I welcome an opposing view. I gladly welcome a social media trainer or someone who sells services to be a guest writer; however, this is an opportunity to sell your products or services generically. You don’t sell your particular services or products, but everyone’s, to include yours. You don’t have to name names. It’s not a paid gig, but you will have a link to you and your company and we hope you link back to us. Interested readers are mostly to go to your website for more information.
*Just a short note to let you know I have shut down my website and re-named my Acting Smarts blog to Shaw’s Reality, which reflects my more eclectic writing these days and I use instead of my website. Still doing some acting, directing and performance criticism; however, I am more involved in writing these days and want to focus there. I promise straight talk and not to encrypt or decrypt, or be cryptic about anything on my site, which is meant to enlighten those who read between the lines. Harry’s Reality is still on sale at Amazon will be available through all other ebook distributors and directly through Smashwords in all digital formats after September 30th.
Happy training.
For more resources about training, see the Training library.