vrijdag 12 december 2014

What's Your Social Signal? A primer for using social media.


Before the Internet came along, people would look you in the eye and size you up based on your appearance or perhaps your handshake.
These days people judge you based on your Social Signal without possibly ever having met you. This time, there really may be no second chance to correct the wrong message.
What's your social signal?
It's the vibe, the feeling, the sense that you give off from your social media posts. It's your online "first impression".
That's right, it used to be said that people made a judgement about you in the first 30 seconds of meeting you.
Now they review your social media posts on Twitter and Facebook and form an impression of you immediately and sometimes permanently.
So think about this in the context of being a business owner. Think about what you are posting or not posting, both reveal something about you and your business.
Negative posts reflect poorly on you not just now. Long after you're gone, negative, impulsive, ill-advised posts or rants can live on.
Not posting or not using social media can also be a problem.
The kinds of things you post online form a picture about you, your personality, your interests, what matters to you, your ideas, beliefs and personal and business philosophies. And not just to your friends, but to the the world at large, potential employers, your neighbors, associates, customers, friends and family. Online posts - good and bad - can last forever.
The good news is YOU can control the content. You can create the conversation. You can build a lasting positive Social Signal that conveys the right image for yourself and your company.
One of the downsides to social media is it that it's INSTANT and LASTING. Censor your posts in consideration for the viewpoint of the reader. After-all successful business owners know that its more about your customer then just being about you. Positive, honest connections with people lead to more profitable long term business relationships and happy customers.
So what do you post to give off the right Social Signal?
Post and share, tweet or retweet positive, genuine stories, and images.
Share images of yourself, your staff, your community projects, your volunteerism, your products.
Video sharing is encouraged for promoting your company, products and services. Videos don't have to be ultra professional, a simple web cam will do and a sincere script will work. An honest unpolished approach is refreshing and appreciated by a smart public. Search engines gobble up video content, so produce and share good quality videos with useful content.
Be sensitive and thoughtful in your posts in what you say and how you say it. It's a lot easier to take a few moments to consider the best choice of words, then it is to issue an apology - if you even get the chance.
If you comment on other social media posts, make them positive statements, helpful, not negative.
If you have a company blog, produce useful content, images and video to both help your current customers and draw in new customers (and search engine indexers too).
If you are a business owner or consultant, make your posts about your business, present yourself as an expert, whatever it is you know about, share it. It doesn't matter if you are a dog groomer, or an exterminator, make your social posts work to promote a positive image of you and your services.
In the online stage, helping is not only well advised it makes good business sense. Help your customers, help your prospects, help yourself by creating a positive Social Signal.
I often hear from people who don't see the value of Twitter, or who think Facebook is a waste of time. Ok that's your opinion, and you are welcome to it but understand that the rest of the world IS using those services. Those people are your prospective customers, now and in the future. Those people DO use those services and want to connect with businesses using that medium. You can't ignore this opportunity to grow your business, and reach a worldwide market that is growing and demanding more convenient communication and access. So by NOT having a Facebook account, or a Facebook Fan page for your company or Twitter account, Linked In account, Instagram account and so forth, you are missing out on business opportunities and connections with your customers. In this way NOT posting ALSO plays a role in creating your Social Signal. It sends the wrong signal to your customers that you don't care about connecting with them, that you don't have an online presence, and you aren't keeping up with the times and needs of your customers. It makes your business (and you) look outdated, behind the times, unavailable, unaccountable.
So having read this, ask yourself, "What's my Social Signal" What message am I sending about myself, or my business? How will people judge me based on my social media presence?
Why not make your Social Signal and your online impression the best it can be.
About the Author
Sandi Hunter is the President and Co-Founder of Worldprofit Inc. For over twenty years, Worldprofit has provided web-based training, support and specialized software and advertising for small and home based business owners. Republished with author's permission by Dirk Vanderdonckt http://MaxMoney101.com.























dinsdag 10 juni 2014

10 June 2014 - I won 414 TCredits

Only 12 days to go to the end of the one year SFI Entrepreneur 365 Contest and I'm well on my way to become the Champion. Today I won a fabulous amount of 414 TCredits in the Eager Zebra game. I guessed the correct ranking for the new Godzilla movie on the BoxofficeMojo.com website and voilĂ , I won 414 TCredits. What a joy! Now I can bid on Pricebenders auctions to my fullest satisfaction.

As for the E 365 Ranking, I'm still on the #1 position as I have been for the last several months now. Unless someone comes with a huge surprise, I will be a Champion on the 22nd of June. One year SFI! It has been a wonderful learning year.

So here is today's ranking, after I bought 200 TCredits with my MRP yesterday, worth 1661 VersaPoints. I also won 50 VP is the Daily Grand yesterday. It looks like Lady Luck is smiling at me.

1. Dirk Vanderdonckt - 46,545 VP  (+38563)
2. June Todd - 25,241 VP (+17425)
3. Christina Ings - 21,662 VP (+12121)
4. Brou Assouan Pierre Claver N'GNUAN - 14,759 VP
5. Mary Horn - 12,923 VP (+7541)

Even our #4 position in the ranking is an affiliate who is not in contention anymore. Most have given up then?

zondag 1 juni 2014

1 June 2014 - The sprint to the end

Wow, it's the 1st of June and I realize I haven't written in a while about my progress with the E 365 Contest. There is actually no exciting news, my competitors seem to all have given up, so my win is almost guaranteed. Unless a sleeping giant wakes up and buys maybe a house or a car from TripleClicks, my win will be secured. Let's have a look at the Ranking for today:

1. Dirk Vanderdonckt - 47,815 VP (+36852)
2. June Todd - 25,230 VP (+15925)
3. Christina Ings - 21,445 VP (+11911)
4. Mary Horn - 14,667 VP (+7541)
5. Alida Koegelenberg - 13,057 VP

Come join in the fun and buy some Tcredits to win fabulous prizes: 


vrijdag 16 mei 2014

16 May 2014 - Eager Zebra Game Lost

Today the results of the Eager Zebra game were revealed and again no win. It seems as if I am not allowed to win. Anyway, next time maybe. As for the rankings, except for June and Christina who seem to be still a little active, everyone is dropping VersaPoints quickly. Let's have a quick look at the new ranking today.

1. Dirk Vanderdonckt - 47,863 VP (+33902)
2. June Todd - 26,842 VP (+15925)
3. Christina Ings - 23,294 VP (+11911)
4. Mary Horn - 16,009 VP (+7541)
5. Alida Koegelenberg - 13,230 VP

dinsdag 6 mei 2014

6 May 2014 - Driving day

After a long day of driving, here is a quick update on the Ranking. Tomorrow I will lose about 2500 VP, but still ahead of the others. Soon I will buy more TCredits.

1. Dirk Vanderdonckt - 49,138 VP (+33902)
2. June Todd - 26,727 VP (+14425)
3. Christina Ings - 25,399 VP (+11911)
4. Mary Horn - 18,518 VP (+7541)
5. Muzi Maseko - 13,499 VP

Increase of about 1335 for Christina Ings today.

zaterdag 3 mei 2014

3 May 2014 - My Birthday Month Has Come

Yep, 23rd is my birthday this month. With May having come, my Standing Order has been fulfilled and the VersaPoints are more or less in a stable position now. Let's see in my records when the next big hump of VersaPoints will be taken out. Hmmm, looks like I'm going down a bit this month, unless I buy a lot of TCredits and bid.

6 May 2014 – 142 + 215 = 357 vp
7 May 2014 – 2472 vp
19 May 2014 – 694 vp
20 May 2014 – 1200 vp

30 May 2014 – 1200 + 316 = 1516 vp

20 May probably the sale at TripleClicks will be happening of 694 VP so this will equalize. The rest, 7 May and 20 May I will have to buy some more to keep the VersaPoints on the same level. Of course, I can partly use MRP to buy for about 1800 VP. Still, I'm far ahead of the #2 of contestants, so nothing to worry. 

Let's see how is the E 365 Ranking Today: 

1. Dirk Vanderdonckt - 49,547 VP (+33902)
2. June Todd - 26,732 VP (+14425)
3. Christina Ings - 24,064 VP (+10756)
4. Mary Horn - 18,781 VP (+7541)
5. Victor De Legarreta - 14,545 VP

And we welcome Victor back to the #5 spot. Congratulations, buddy!

woensdag 30 april 2014

30 April 2014 - End of the month

Today is the end of April and about 2000 VP expired. Tomorrow my Standing Order will give me back 1500 VP. I will wait till tomorrow to get into Pricebenders auctions again. We can see the VersaPoints of other contestants are going down as well. That means most of them have become inactive. Yes, it is hard to keep faith if you see you are not making progress. Even some of my best CSAs now have fallen away. It takes determination to go on when the times get rough. So far I have done a great job this last year. I have got my own Payoneer debit card to receive my commissions, and I monthly make at least something which makes paying for the Standing Order easier. Not really that much of a profit yet, but I stay positive, which is the most important in a business like this.

Okay, let's have a look at the E 365 ranking today:

1. Dirk Vanderdonckt - 47,982 VP (+32362)
2. June Todd - 26,715 VP (+14425)
3. Christina Ings - 23,605 VP (+10156)
4. Mary Horn - 20,563 VP (+7541)
5. Shanda Secondi - 13,455 VP 

Beyond #5 most contestants are hanging around the 13,000 VP. We see today that everyone, except for maybe Christina, lost quite a good deal of VersaPoints. That means all these contestants had a standing order on the 1st 6 months ago. Let's see tomorrow who is still keeping up with it.