FAQ: Followers

Those adorable “lifestyle influencers,” big-name experts, toy-opening kids (seriously, what is that about?), and even shady internet marketers make it seem so easy:

Getting TONS of followers.

Understandably, someone sufficiently committed to business growth as to hire a social media strategist wants to know how they can accomplish those dazzling numbers themselves. Here’s my two cents on why they might be chasing the wrong thing - and the way to get the right thing.

(Hint: it does not involve purchasing followers!)

And in case you prefer to have knowledge dropped on you in a more visual format:

FAQ by anonymous

(It’s by me. I’m “anonymous” in this case. StripGenerator’s registration is broken.)

#MidweekMinute 7/12/17: Everyone's copying everyone else...

Today's #MidweekMinute reminds us that everything is just racing to become everything else... though a few truly new technologies are in the works.

Instagram adds video & photo responses to Stories:

You can now reply to Instagram Stories with photos and video (TechCrunch)

Instagram Gives Up, Goes Full-on Snapchat With Latest Update (NY Mag)

Now you can add a personal touch when replying to Instagram Stories (Techzim)

Instagram makes Stories more visual as it looks to keep users engaged (The Drum)

Snapchat "Paperclip" function lets users add links:

Snap now lets users add links to snaps, opening up a possible way of making money for users (CNBC)

Snapchat shifts policy to allow hyperlinks in posts (LA Times)

Facebook Bonfire app:

Facebook is building a Houseparty clone for live group video chat (The Verge)

Facebook's Response To A Significant, Emerging Threat (Seeking Alpha)

Facebook looks to social video to connect users (Business Insider)

Emoji Search:

War on words: Emoji search is spreading (Digiday)

Domino's ANYWARE (Domino's)

How It Works: Text Message a Pizza Emoji to Order Domino’s (Tatango)

VR Eye Tracking:

Agency Exec Sees Potential In VR Eye Tracking (MediaPost)

Facebook Jayden K. Smith hoax:

Jayden K Smith: Why you should ignore this Facebook hacker hoax (The Telegraph)

Rock Your Personal Brand workshop at #MRCCSocial

I attended the first ever Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce Social Media Day in June 2016, shortly after launching my own social media business. It was the first time I had been in a room full of people who geeked out about social media as much as I did (if not more!). I learned some incredible lessons that I use - and quote! - on a near-daily basis, with full awareness of where I got them from. And I made some great connections that I've kept up...some of which resulted in my spot as a presenter at THIS year's Social Media Day conference!

I submitted several abstracts, and the one that the organizers chose was "Rock Your Personal Brand." While this was the one I was shakiest on, it's also a topic I'd already been conceiving an ecourse about, so this was a great opportunity to strengthen some of those concepts and see what needed more work. Consider it a rehearsal for the intro section of the course, which I plan to develop and release this summer. And of COURSE I live-streamed it. ;)

Get Seen, Be Heard webinar

Do I live-tweet and then Storify basically every educational talk I attend?

Practically.

I first met Karen Yankovich last year at Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce's Social Media Day (I'll be giving a workshop on personal branding at this year's event, on June 15) and we stayed in touch via social media. I took her free LinkedIn webinar last year, knowing full well that it would end with a sales pitch for the paid course. And you know what? I learned so much in that free hour that I went for it. And I've used the specific knowledge I gained in that longer webinar to make at least ten times what the webinar cost me, in less than a year.

Karen's been working with PR pro Christina Daves on their Get Seen, Be Heard program, which is all about the potent 1-2 punch of social media + PR. One of my professional goals right now is to establish industry expertise and become a more in-demand speaker. The time for this was right for me. Yet I still somehow entered today's free webinar expecting to just do the freebie, see how those lessons worked for me for a little while, and then maybe do the paid course this fall or something. But a) they may not be offering it in the fall, because this isn't a pre-recorded course, it's live, so it's happening when it's happening; and b) they're masters of making it sound so good that you just can't not. And I do believe that I will once again turn my soon-to-be-learned knowledge around into a more-than-tenfold profit.

Anyway. Here are some jewels from this afternoon's freebie. I expect I'll be getting plenty of blog fodder out of the full course, too (though don't worry, Karen & Christina, I won't give away all your secrets!).

Episode 3 of Social – guest Maria Colaco

Thanks so much to social media creative & content creator Maria Colaco of The New York Mom (among other pursuits) for a great conversation on Instagram Stories, influencer marketing, streaming TV and more!