NEW YEARS #BEMORE FACEBOOK CHALLENGE
As a coach, consultant, and someone who gets to see the 'inside' of small businesses all year long (as well as very large brands!) there are a few tips I'd like to share, and for you to consider, that will help you manage your time more efficiently and your energy more powerfully on Facebook.
Write this down:
Time AND Energy are related.
There's no such thing as pushing through your time and having a ton of energy long term. There's no such thing as being lazy with your time and having a ton of energy long term.
The things that drag the 'life and shine' out of us the most are the things that are not in alignment with our goals, values and purpose.
Facebook is a fantastic place for small business owners! With more than 800,000 people on my Facebook page and a daily reach of over 4 MILLION, I'd say it's a small business owners dream WHEN DONE RIGHT. That emphasis can't be made enough. WHEN done RIGHT. (Refer to articles and trainings on my website for how to market more effectively, find your ideal clients, build a highly targeted Facebook page for your brand and more! All products on my Products page are 50% off thru 1/5. Use COUPON CODE: ENDOFYEAR2014 http://www.arealchange.com/blog/current-classes)
But when it comes to INTERACTING on Facebook, talking to friends, and being a part of GROUPS- now that takes some wise stewardship. You need to be very clear on your goals, values and purpose! (I'll be teaching a class on that very soon!)
Here are some tips that I've written down that have helped thousands of business owners. It's the result of my own 'Personal Case Study' where I was able to watch the behavior, patterns and habits of many small business owners who have been in our paid training groups. In 2014, that were more than 20,000 people in our paid groups- so I have just a small 'birds eye view' of what works, what doesn't, what distracts, what sucks the life (and profits!) out of your business and you.
Facebook Tips To Make Your POWERFUL In 2015!
A. Do not join any FREE groups. If you absolutely must, and you're a group addict, make sure it's no more than two. PURGE all memberships to free groups. They suck the life out of you. Conversations start and people go on and on and on. 95% of the time you will rarely find a successful person you can learn from and aspire to be like in a free group (they're too busy living powerfully! 5% of the time, sure. But most times, NOT.
B. When you join a PAID group, that is a part of a mentorship, treat it like a COLLEGE class. Schedule your participation in that group like you would a class you had to drive to. You paid for this class. TREAT it as such. HONOR your time. Honor your investment and it will HONOR you. There's no need to read every single sentence posted in the group. Make your PRIMARY focus what the instructor is teaching, which includes videos, audios and handouts.
C. If you are in a PAID GROUP that doesn't operate with a schedule, ask the leader to create one. A paid group where people can post anytime they want is a mess. Kindly and honorably suggest to the leader (privately) that they post a schedule for discussions.
D. If you are in a PAID group that doesn't operate with a TOPIC schedule, repeat step C. Remember honor, integrity and always let the leader do whatever they want. They do own the group, after all. Some will welcome your suggestions, some might be offended. If they don't do this, than just create a schedule for yourself to check in. Stay FOCUSED on the topic you need right then and ignore the rest.
E. Don't use Facebook as a tool to 'zone out' on. Use it as a tool to EMPOWER YOU. Follow pages that do that. Follow leaders that do that. Be VERY selective who you follow. LIKE does breed like. DO YOU want to be like the people you are following? The ones that don't serve your goals, purpose and values- unfollow. No explanation needed. Facebook has become the 'Soap Opera' and 'TV' of our generation where billions of people zone out. Use YOUR time on Facebook to empower you. I honestly have seen this one habit change so many lives: They check into FB for a 'tune up', encourage, empowerment. We've built my page for 800k like this.
E. If you run a FB page, for crying out loud DELETE the crap. Delete everyone who spams your page, posts their junk on your wall and do it without any apology. Your followers will thank you! A business page should be run like a business! You wouldn't let everyone in the neighborhood come and post their flyers inside your brick and mortar storefront. Now you get what I mean. 🙂
F. If your personal profile is filled with sarcastic, negative, 'your old life' friends? DELETE IT and get a new one. This one thing could change your life. I've seen more people walk away from addictions, toxic friendships and even abusive family members by simply doing this one thing.
G. Be a SHINY PERSON. Light up every page, group and any profile you visit. If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say it. If you have to say something that might be interpreted as harsh or offensive, write it on a notepad first, pause, ask yourself, 'Would this hurt someone if they misunderstood?' If it would then either don't post it OR take the time to explain, add some emoticons and always season everything with love!
#BEMORE on Facebook. We can change the world with just a few simple steps. More than 4 BILLION times per day (every 24 hours) the 'like' button is clicked. That's a lot of interaction. Be someone who brings life, light and love everywhere you go. What you send out SURELY does come back to you.
Love,
Sandi Krakowski
