Here in southern Maine, a number of us gather each month for SMBME (Social Media Breakfast – Maine). We get together to share experiences and learn from each other on a variety of different topics in and around the social media sphere. A recent program was entitled “Making Time for Your Marketing and Growing Your Business.”
The speakers spoke on energy and stress, the components of a successful social media strategy, and the relationship between passion and success. Their comments seemed relevant beyond social media marketing to how we define and articulate our Leadership Narrative – the story of our unique value – what we do better than anyone else and love doing; our professional brand.
Don’t Define Success
This was one of the more intriguing comments. By defining success, we limit ourselves to a finite state. Instead, we should strive for authenticity. We should under promise and over deliver to achieve tribal leadership for the community of people in whose lives we make a difference – our true fans.
To achieve authenticity and to reach our true potential, we need to work on our passion. There’s been a lot of backlash recently about passion and work. That it’s impossible to “find our bliss” and make it our life’s work. But the fact is if we can’t get excited about what we’re doing, we’re not going to realize our full potential. I mean, why bother?
Follow the Big 6
The point of social media is to tell the story of who you are – your Leadership Narrative. There are basic components to a social media strategy that also apply to telling your story.
Why? What’s your motivation? What are the goals you want to achieve? What’s your purpose? Listen to Michael Hyatt: “when you’ve lost your why, you’ve lost your way.”
Who? Who are you talking to? Who are you talking about? How do you want your customers/clients/bosses/staff to feel? How can you help them grow? It’s not who you know, it’s who you help.
What? What are you talking about other than yourself? How does it help others? Share what you know. What is obvious to you is amazing to others.
When? What opportunities can you take to reach out and help others?
Where? What’s the platform where you want to tell your story? Jeff Goins talks about your platform as your “stage,” your way of reaching out to the people who are listening to you. Leverage that stage.
How? What’s your plan for engaging people? How will you reach out? How can they reach you to engage?
Make Time
We’ve all heard about the importance of telling the story of our unique value, our professional brand – our Leadership Narrative. The biggest lament I hear from folks is about the time involved. No one else will do this for you; you can’t contract it out. You have to integrate this into your daily activity, so that it’s a habit. You have to make the time.
So, over to you…Do you see the connection between a social media strategy and your Leadership Narrative? Can you make the time to strive for authenticity in your Leadership Narrative? What do you know that’s amazing?
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