#RelationshipsMatter – Message Someone You Haven’t Seen in Years



Friends come and go. It is a natural part of life. We grow up. We move. We change jobs. Throughout it all, the one constant is usually change. Occasionally, you may want to reach out to an old friend, or colleague, but navigating this process can be cumbersome. However, you can reconnect in so many ways, from social mediamessaging to good old fashioned hand written letters. If you want to kick it old school, you could even pick up the phone and make a call.  
Do a Little Research

There is always a reason to reconnect with someone, whether it is just to re-kindle a friendship or make a business connection. Once you know your reason then it’s time to do a little research to help guide your interactions and avoid possible awkwardness. Keep in mind the reason why you lost contact, it may be awkward to reconnect if the reason you stopped communicating in the first place was a bad one.
You may have known the individual very well a few years ago, but are you in the same place you were then? More than likely not and neither are they. Take a peek through their social profiles to see what they have been up to and what is currently going on in their life. You may find an opening to use to get in touch with them. Popping a Happy Birthday message across and following up or commenting on a picture are both great ways of softly reconnecting.
Connect!

The simplest way to reconnect with someone is by sending them a message, but avoid the generic ‘HI, how are you?’ lines as this usually leads to a short awkward conversation. Using your research try sending a more detailed question such as ‘Hi, saw you went to Hawaii this year. Did you have a great time? I went last year and stayed at (hotel name). Where did you stay?’. You are opening a channel of conversation based around a common topic. This could easily lead to branching out into other topics and building your friendship again.
If you are looking to connect with an old colleague the utilize some memories of working together, or find something that you know will interest them to share. Avoid coming across as a cheesy car salesman pushing a proposal that may not even tie in with their current activities. 
Reconnecting and building new relationships with people can be nerve wracking for some and does not always pan out but taking that risk and sending them a message does not cost anything and could result be socially beneficial. The holiday season is a great time to reach out and wish people well and ask how they are doing.
Who will you reconnect with this week? 

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

#RelationshipsMatter – Write a Letter to a Friend

In our digital age so many people rely on text messages, social media updates and instant messaging to stay in touch with their friends and family. We are becoming more and more distant from our friends without even realizing it; relying on these quick electronic updates to feel connected. However, getting out a pen and paper helps you to connect in a much more personal way and can make people feel more appreciated. Here are a few reasons as to why:

Letters make us feel special – When you open up the mailbox and see a hand-written letter, straight away you are curious, exhilarated and happy that someone has taken the additional time to write you a letter. Many people keep hand written letters received in a binder or special box to look back on – although you can save an email it just doesn’t feel the same.
You don’t know need to write much to make a difference – If you have just met someone, why not send a postcard with a little note to say ‘Hi, was lovely to meet you today :)’. It can make them smile and help your friendship bloom.
You can focus on that individual – Writing a letter allows you to focus on that individual rather than make a generic message out to everyone, it forces you to think about the person and your friendship with them. It gives the reader the feeling that you are having a conversation directly with them and although slow – as the name snail mail suggestions –  the connection is consistent and continues to stay personal.
No pressure to respond instantly – all our lives are different and when we receive text messages or instant messages we feel it necessary to reply straight away, if we can’t we feel guilty for ignoring them. However, a letter allows us to take our time replying and make the content more valuable than a quickly typed text message. 

Not just for personal but for business too – Business is so fast paced that the last thing we think about is writing a letter, due to the time it takes. Instead of writing a newsletter, handwrite it as a letter instead sending it to those special customers who deserve a little more of a personal touch. Handwritten letters to business associates and consumers can allow you to let your creativity to show – especially if you are a designer. Additionally, there is less risk of it getting lost amongst other emails and more chance of people taking the time to read them – who isn’t interested in seeing what a hand-written letter has to say.

Relationships matter and the more effort that goes in to cultivating those relationships, the stronger and more valuable they will be. Letters are the simplest forms to foster those friendships, so take a step back in time and start re-connecting with your friends.
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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

#BuildYourTribe – How to Engage Your Tribe

Jeff Goins once said “Something I’ve learned about building a tribe is that it’s not who you know, it’s who you help.” When you’re ready to engage your tribe, you need to keep in mind that you must connect on an emotional level with them. That connection has to be authentic and sincere.
Here are some fantastic ways to engage with your tribe:
  • Share a struggle. Highlight the pain point and be vulnerable in a way that makes you uncomfortable. People connect with humanity. Keep your audience in mind during this process and try not to get too personal in areas that will make your tribe members uncomfortable continuing to follow you.
  • Talk to them in one-on-one conversations. It’s okay to be the tribe leader and send your message down the pipeline, but if you don’t engage with them on a personal level, their loyalties may shift elsewhere.
  • Help your tribe by offering valuable insights. Appeal to your community, and teach what you know.
  • Ask them what they’re currently struggling with by asking the question (either through social media or through an anonymous survey): “What is your biggest struggle regarding _____?” You fill in the blank with a general topic that you’re familiar with. Leave the answer open. Don’t give a multiple choice. You may be surprised what your tribe struggles with. When you get the results, start looking for ways to help them overcome those obstacles.
  • Be yourself. Do the things you love to do. Share the joys of your life with your tribe.
  • Supportive and positive is the key. If you are constantly negative or passive aggressive in your conversations, your tribe will pull away from you. Every time you find yourself ready to say something negative, try to spin it into something positive. Remember, the only failure in life is the person who doesn’t get back up when they fall. They give in when they should persevere.
  •  Encourage them to share their stories, their successes, their stumbles, and their joys with your community.
  • Don’t let your tribe get stagnant. Focus on the less vocal members as well and encourage new blood. You don’t want an unofficial hierarchy to form. That can lead to isolation and frustration within your tribe. 

Take the time to cultivate your tribe and you’ll find them ready to move on anything you share. Their willingness to go the distance for you depends on your willingness to provide content they enjoy. They need that emotional connection in order for this to work. So make sure you do your part.
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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

#BuildYourTribe – Who Are Your Influencers?


Identifying the influencers that impact your tribe is not a complicated task. It requires interaction, paying attention, focusing on what makes them tick, and what piques their interest. These influencers will automatically be gathering the types of clients and customers you want. The largest benefit to this is that they will have their own large tribe of people that might also be interested in what you have to offer. Building a relationship with both your influencers and the individuals that influence your target audience will open up opportunities for growth that you would find both difficult and time consuming to do on your own.
Here are three steps to help you find and engage with your influencers.
  • You need to understand your community.
    This includes your customer base, clients, power partners, followers and brand advocates. Research your target audience. Educate yourself on their demographic, psychographic, and social media preferences. Be prepared to engage based on their wants and needs in the market they’re interested in (make sure you are completely mobile-friendly, for instance). Get to know your customers. This is part of building your tribe. Once you find them, pay attention to what they are following. Who influences them? Where are they finding support and inspiration? What information are they sharing with their own audiences?
  • Now that you know your tribe and you’ve targeted your audience, you need to where to promote your business, product or service. Your observations should show you where your tribe congregates, so make sure you’re there. Which hashtags are the most popular, what social media shares do they engage in with your posts, etc. are very important. Start building both an online presence and awareness for your signature programs. Before you go courting your influencers, it is vital that you have a handle on your brand and what you bring to the table.
  •  Find your influencers and the people that influence your audience. Follow them. Pay attention to what content they are posting and actively engage with it and make your existence known. This can be a slippery slope since you don’t want to come off as spammy or appear to be poaching from their client base. This works best when you locate an influencer that has a similar audience to you but offers a non-competing product or service. This would be an excellent potential power partner for you and allow you both to refer to one another. Share their content, engage with them, and make your brand stand out. Ask to do a guest post or interview them for your blog/podcast/YouTube channel. This is a nice reciprocal move as you will both gain more online presence and expand your reach.

 

Keep in mind that any influencer you cold contact will need to benefit from having a business relationship with you. Any influencer is an essential member of your tribe. If you abuse the connection, their influence could swing in the other direction, so keep that in mind.
Follow these three steps and you’ll find your influencers are just waiting for you to connect with them. Be patient, listen, and most of all learn what makes your tribe tick so you can utilize that information to #BeAwesome at what you do and continue to grow your own list and funnel.

 

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

 

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