Last night was incredible. I've been buzzing and on a high all day. The text messages, facebook posts, phone calls and face to face feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and I'm so incredibly thankful.
Ted Rubin, where do I begin? Your energy is contagious and the way you can work a room of women is beyond impressive. You wowed us all with your insights and basically had us hooked with your comment... "Women make the best entrepreneurs". Thank you and yes, we do. There were so many great points you made last night about how to engage with your online audience and there isn't enough time or room to list them all but here are a few that have come back to me today that I think are worthy of sharing.
We are living in the Age of Influence where relationships are the new currency. Don't just count your friends, fans and followers - they are your biggest assets. Engage, converse and you will convert. Invest in them (or as I would say 'foster' them) and create the value.
Be consistent, authentic and true to yourself. Real trumps perfect because being REAL creates TRUST and trust creates loyalty.
Research your followers, learn something about them, address them by name and connect with them.... authentically. In other words.... Look people in the eye digitally, listen for moments and make it personal.
"Relationships are like muscle tissue, the more the are engaged, the stronger and more valuable they become'. -Ted Rubin
Following Ted, which was not an easy thing to do but was done beautifully, was security expert Brian Valenza of Guidry Group. Brian didn't disagree with Ted when it came to the power of being social and how social media has completely changed the world we live in and how we live. With social media being such an effective tool for connecting and delivering information, how do we control the information that is free flowing? 'Knowledge' was the answer and Brian gave us some great tips on how to be socially smart.
Social media is like a loaded gun. Don't go running around with the safety off. Know the tool you’re using and know how to use it before posting and sharing personal information. Once you fire it off, there's usually no turning back.
Companies no longer dictate branding, Social Media does. Make sure your brand is prepared for others to be the ambassadors.
Irresponsible use creates vulnerabilities. Education is key when it comes to Social Media.
Stay on top of the latest apps and devices and ensure that you are all posting responsibly.
The event also featured some great vendors offering their services in the social media space:
Alexis Hines Photography - http://www.alexishinesphotography.com/ - Offering headshot packages starting at $75 for a 30 minute session and 2 edited photos.
Beth Granger Consulting - beth@bethgranger.com - Discounted prices for upcoming workshops on LinkedIn Lessons and Social Strategies.
Jessica Garmise - Out of the Box Creations - jessica@outoftheboxshop.com - Boost your Branding Packages - including logo, business card, 5x7 postcard and social media icons and headers.
Reach out and mention #FosteringSocial to capitalize on all of these great offers.
The event concluded with more networking among smart and inspiring women looking to connect and #beSocial with other amazing women. Stay tuned for more events from Foster Inc. and in the meantime, connect with me on any of my social channels and I promise to engage authentically and in the words of @TedRubin.... #justbenice.