Express Writers

#ContentWritingChat Recap: The Rules of Getting Attention the Right Way on Social Media (& Gaining From It) with Mary Schaefer

by | Jul 29, 2016 | ContentWritingChat

#ContentWritingChat Recap: The Rules of Getting Attention the Right Way on Social Media (& Gaining From It) with Mary Schaefer

Did you miss #ContentWritingChat this week? Get caught up on our recap and learn how you can get noticed on social media!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: The Rules of Getting Attention the Right Way on Social Media (& Gaining From It) with Mary Schaefer

This week, our guest host was Mary Schaefer. Mary is a speaker, coach, and is a TEDx speaker.

Q1: What are some ways you’ve gained attention on social media that returned results?

Have you ever gotten noticed by a big company or an influencer on social media? Some of the participants in Tuesday’s chat have! Check it out:

Mary was lucky enough to snag a free ticket to a conference she wanted to attend. (Pretty cool, right?) All she did to get attention was tag the conference on social media when she shared a link to her blog post about it. They got in touch and offered her a free ticket. It’s super simple, but highly effective. Tagging brands or influencers is a great way to get noticed.

Our CEO, Julia, said she received free event tickets as a result of guest blogs she’s written. She’s also been proactive about reaching out to writers via Instagram as a way to promote her book.

Even I’ve had some great results with getting noticed on social media. Tagging brands has gotten me free swag in the past, which is always nice.

Amanda said starting conversations and sharing honest thoughts is a great way to get noticed. You can’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Start talking to new people.

Even Jacob agrees that starting conversations can be very effective.

Sarah said she’s seen results by writing content that resonated with the audience and also by tagging influencers. Great tips!

Twitter chats are certainly a great way to get noticed. All you have to do is jump in and start making connections with other participants.

Q2: What are some key tips/ways you can stand out from the rest in your social media profiles?

Do you want to make sure your social media profiles stand out from the crowd? Take a look at these tips:

Mary likes to use her social media bios as a way to mention both of her businesses. She also makes sure to include some personal information about herself as a way to make her a “real” person. This is a great way to form a connection with your audience. Those personal tidbits are something they might really resonate with.

By keeping your bio and posts conversational, it’s sure to resonate with more people.

Kyle is absolutely right with his advice. One of the best ways you can stand out is to just be yourself. You need to be genuine and people will resonate with that. If you aren’t true to yourself, people will see right through you.

Be human and show your personality through the content you create. If you have a team working alongside you, let your audience get to know them as well. When you give them a chance to see who the team is behind the brand, they’ll start to connect with you.

Julia agrees! Allow people to get to know you outside of your business. That’s what helps you form that bond with your audience because they can relate to you.

Pamela knows you need to have a distinct personality and point of view. It’s sure to attract all the right people to you.

Kristen said to be an authority on the content you’re sharing.

Jane knows great images can be very powerful on social media. She suggests using high-resolution photos or sharing quick videos to help your posts stand out.

Jessy said to make sure you give them a reason to come back. What makes your brand worth a like or a follow?

Q3: How do you position yourself as an expert and cultivate a great audience on social media?

If you want people to follow you and trust you, you should position yourself as an expert in your field. Here’s how:

For Mary, she tells stories about how she has approached situations that deal with her area of expertise. Not only does this provide informative content for her audience, but it can help build trust with them as well.
She also likes to share content from other sources and add her unique perspective.

Kyle said to make sure you’re listening to what others have to say on social media. (After all, you need to be social instead of just posting about yourself all the time.) Join conversations with others and share your own perspective on topics.

Kristen and Pamela agree that it’s important to get involved in your niche’s community. You can do this by joining Twitter chats, Facebook groups, and even online forums. As Pamela said, just make sure you’re engaging with others and adding value.

Brandie said to talk to people. You can participate in chats, connect on other platforms, and even take it offline. Make sure you’re not just sharing your own content, but sharing the content of others as well.

Jane recommends also sharing the articles and opinions of others. It’s not just about sharing your opinions, but you need to know what others are saying as well.

Showcase who you are and the knowledge you have. People will see that you know what you’re talking about and will want to stick around.

Lenka said to be helpful and provide useful information for your audience. This will help build your expertise and trust.

Great insights from Ted! Knowledge speaks and wisdom listens. Experts do both.

Jessy said to make sure you’re asking questions, staying current with industry news, sharing experiences, and learning from others.

Never stop learning! As Zachary said, experts are students of their niche. Even if you think you know it all, there’s always more to learn. Stay updated on what’s going on and keep an open mind.

Q4: Can you really connect ROI to a social presence?

Can you connect ROI to your social presence? Here’s what some of Tuesday’s chat participants had to say:

Mary said YES! You can definitely connect ROI to your social presence. She said people see her TEDx talk from her LinkedIn account and then they often end up working together. That’s results!

Kyle also said yes. He said to track the numbers so you can view progress over time. He recommends tracking engagements, checkouts, web traffic, etc.

Kristen feels social engagement can lead to productive and profitable relationships.

You never know where you’ll find your next business deal! Social media can certainly help you gain the attention of someone who wants to work with you.

Zala knows that engagement and conversations can lead to something. You just might wind up with your next deal, referral, or job.

Q5: What are key ways to connect your social presence to earning revenue?

How can you start earning revenue through your social media presence? Check out these tips:

Mary encourages those who send her LinkedIn invitations to join her email list. Once someone is on your list, it becomes a great way to make connections and drive sales.

Pamela said social media can help build the Know, Like, and Trust Factor with your audience. Ultimately, this can help you convert a follower into a client or customer.

When you engage with your community it helps to build brand awareness. People are much more likely to buy from a brand they know and trust.

You can use social media to promote your products and services to drive sales.

Lenka said you should focus on building your brand, loyalty, advocacy, and legacy.

Great points from Tim! Instead of promoting your business all the time, you need to make sure you’re also engaging with your audience. You want to be social and establish a relationship with them.

Hasan recommends tying your social media goals into your business goals.

Q6: How do you start engaging with influencers in your niche on social media?

If you want to start engaging with influencers, there are a few things you should know. Take a look at these tips:

It’s so simple, but it works! Mary knows a great way to start engaging with influencers involves sharing their content and updates. It shows that you’re listening and that you’re interested in what they have to offer. If you share an influencer’s content regularly, he/she is sure to take notice.

Mary also recommends tagging people on social media if you’re mentioned them in your content. It’s a great way to start a conversation and the influencer just might share your work.

Kyle recommends commenting on their content. Try retweeting or reply to their pinned tweet since that’s likely their featured piece.

Andy said you should retweet their posts, follow them, and engage with what they’re posting.

You can’t be afraid to put yourself out there by starting conversations with influencers. Niall recommends asking questions as a way to get a chat going.

Jane said to join in the conversation and make a platform for yourself.

Jenn knows many consumers just want to feel heard and like their opinion matters. Reach out to them and start a conversation to let them know.

Brandie’s advice is to connect with influencers and develop a relationship with them. You can share their content, talk to them, and find ways to offer value.

Sarah said you could even take it a step further by introducing yourself. You can also ask questions or request insight on a post you’ve written.

Julia recommends approaching it like you would in real life. How would you start a conversation with someone? You can retweet their posts and reply to them to get started.

Cheryl said to find a common area of interest and start a conversation. You can also let them know why you’d be useful.

Q7: How do you reshare old content without becoming stale?

You don’t want older content to get buried in your archives. Make sure you’re resharing it by using these tips:

As Mary said, people likely didn’t see it when you shared it the first time around. No one is judging you for resharing your content, so don’t be afraid to do it.

Put a new perspective on your older content. Jacob feels good content seldom expires, so you can always reshare it later.

Kristen suggests design a new image to go along with your posts, changing up the title or description.

Christie’s advice is to add a different angle when you reshare older content.

You can even jump on a trending topic to gain exposure for older content that’s relevant.

Here at Express Writers, we share blogs that are over a year old as long as they’re evergreen. You want to make sure it’s still relevant to the times and to your audience. You can change it up my writing a new blurb for each share.

Q8: What brands are doing it right with a powerful social media presence?

Who does a great job with their social media presence? Check out these brands:

We’re also fans of Buffer, so we agree with Tim. They’re always killing it online!

Brandie shared a great list of brands she feels are doing an amazing job on social media.

Jane is fangirling over BuzzFeed! Who doesn’t love them?

You’ll definitely want to check out the brands on Cheryl’s list!

Brittany loves Travel Alberta and Everlane. She also knows Gary Vaynerchuk is awesome at everything on social media and we have to agree!
We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM CDT for great chats centered around content writing and marketing. Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated on our new topics and guests!

Tags: social media