Social media works

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."

~Oprah Winfrey

Firmly at the bottom of my social media scale has been firstly, the great people whom I am connected with.  Without people, you will go nowhere.  That lesson resonates with everyone everywhere.  It is a leadership principle and a people principle.

Social media personalities are there for the duration and the long haul.  They are never scattered, nor a politician, celebrity or brand looking for a boost in numbers.  Or more aggressively trying to innovate a hashtag (#) to trend by money or influence.  The real social media superstars make things happen and inspire others to reach out to absorb their message.

What can you do to merge with the crew and start the climb?  I would have to say, you have to adapt a "do-it-yourself" attitude immediately after you start making the connections.

"Dream on it.  Let your mind take you to places you would like to go, and then think about it and plan it and celebrate the possibilities.  And don't listen to anyone who doesn't know how to dream."

~Liza Minnelli

Only YOU can build your brand.  That is what social media tends to forge ahead by:  what resonates with you personally?  Is it something you like to do?  Do you jump up to write, take photographs, create scrumptious dishes, read, debate, view, leverage, learn, lead, quote, inspire others?  

The ones who have gained followers, are heeded, invited to speak, write a blog all began somewhere near the bottom.  They had the commitment and work ethic to start at the bottom and build up what they tend to love.  

They do have a photo everywhere that is recognizable because of the consistency it portrays.  Their bios can set them apart but the gracious wording with boasting humbly set aside.  The proof is there.  Simple.  It shows in the numbers.

Do you ask others or ask those you find appear to have found the secret formula on creating massive followings how they got there?  I asked one of my earliest friends within a group:  what makes you so special?  How did you get so many followers?  I pause for the holy grail or secret ingredient.  I hesitate a few minutes wondering if he will even respond.

I shouldn't have been surprised that he did respond.  These rockstars are everyone's people and they practice what they feel is relevant to those who have joined their crew.  They are self-made socialpreneurs or omnipresent everywhere it seems.

Stephen's response was mild, simple and a little amusing.  He said:  "I just show up."

Remarkable isn't it?  The best of the best are more than likely do-it-yourselfers.  They craft their home pages and bios with a dedicated eye for standing out in the crowd, with simply an self-image that presents a "normal" person and a short concise bio.  

I'm sure if I had a private conversation with each and every one of them, there would be that common thread of being true to themselves and not the narcissistic personality many off the mark will identify them to be when they are far from the truth.

What is certain is that singing is not merely modulating a song by means of the voice: we sing and we celebrate the beauty that we can grow and live every day. If you want to sing and give emotions to those who are listening, you must have something to tell through your singing; you have to use singing like an instrument to tell something.

~Andrea Bocelli

You see, friends.  The true, great, superstars are people.  They have uncovered their true calling and hitched on to a passion that was bubbling below the surface just waiting to escape as more than steam.  

The overnight, viral campaigns that catch on are fleeting.  The social media super stars show up daily, evening, morning or the wee hours.  They stroll through the information, images, quotes, knowledge to disperse with and share.  Some have become lucky enough to be travel bloggers or convention speakers for sums of money.

I'm not sure who really has made a bucket load of money from their notoriety.  Money seems to fall far below on the list of must haves when they are gaily enjoying what floats their boat:  a passion, a cause, a knowledge morsel, travel, writing, creativity.

A Bad Hair Day by Aaron Karnovski on Fivehundredpx

It isn't really who you know either.  That eventually works itself out.  People recognize authenticity, a magnetic force that other talented people gravitate to.  If you are good at something, it is usually because you love it.  

The irony of being this do-it-yourselfer is that I am not really an artist nor a photographic genius.  I simply think my eyes seek beauty.   It could be artistic, word, graphic, illustration, advertisement, photographic objects or people.  I just love looking at visuals.  I like when my brain softly says:  "huh".  That translates to my internal mechanism that something I am looking or reading is striking.  

The challenge of being a do-it-yourselfer is balancing the real world, life, family, work, friends with the online one.  Some may believe it is an addiction of sorts.  I've never missed a birthday celebration, work event, training schedule, taking my dog for a walk or cooking dinner.  

My social media world continually inspires, amazes and pleases me immensely.  I can turn off the computer, I don't stop to do selfies everywhere, and take pleasure in many offline interests.  I garden, I paint, I text kids, have phone conversations with friends and family or meet with them over dinner or a coffee.

Life outside social media is more enjoyable.  I have discovered ways to continue my gardening as a fledgling green thumb, I recycle things daily with my blue box, I commute to work and see things with new eyes.  I try adding a new menu element I wouldn't have otherwise tried.  I volunteer to do a gingerbread house for my team at work.  

I have at my disposal the wonderment of the outside world, embellished by the knowledge and discoveries I find online.

That, my friends, is the secret to an online social media personality.  Be authentic, read, watch, listen or view what rocks your world.  As you continually fill your mind and brain with wonderful things, your world and karma evolves to attract only those great things.

"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and sheroes."

~Maya Angelou

Sweat equity

 “Social media is not just an activity; it is an investment of valuable time and resources. Surround yourself with people who not just support you and stay with you, but inform your thinking about ways to WOW your online presence”

 Sean Gardner (@2morrowknight)

It goes without saying that I am lucky.

I am honored to be amount a distinguished group who continuously inspire me.  

They are the true champions that demonstrate that you can find your path to 

freedom which is gained by freedom from employment. 


These people are the gutzy ones.


 They have taken their gift of liking people and people liking them to a whole 

new level.  They have awesome personalities that have won fans because

they have consistent, positive messages, images, share knowledge for the 

good of the people worldwide.


Social media superstars


Social media superstars by my own definition are those that have been able to

 take their talent to attract multiple fans and turn it into a business adventure.


They are not famous musicians, artists, actors, writers or heads of large 

corporations (that can they can leverage to increase their presence and where 

people pay heed to them solely because of that fact).


They are not power hungry politicians.  They are not followed because of who 

they are but by what they represent:  social media power.


At the feet of these powerhouse social media rock stars is information, images,

quotes, advice, smarts, intuitive ability to tweet, post or share what resonates

most with the average person and the not-so-average.

Many are following their dreams hitched to their passion:  whether it is

 statesmanship by  +Sean Gardner country music from   +Jessica Northey or

or wisdom from +Libby Baker Sweiger  or +Leanne Hoagland-Smith  or a 

contagiously positive personality like +Dave Reynolds .




I had coffee with a former stellar colleague Philip 

yesterday.  We all know those people who stand heads

 taller philosophically than most with whom we

 stay connected with.    Having coffee with Philip 

restored my faith by the reminder of how lucky I am to 

have so many great experiences I have and the 

opportunity to have learned from the best people and

honored to have worked with.








I often credit Linked In


Linked In was where it all started for me.  I was driven by the desire to keep in 

touch with the best of many who have  something unique to offer:  Like 

Philip, I have found my former colleagues from Xerox to be the most talented

 and positive people to have been worked with.  Thanks Michael R.

 Kimerbly O.  Then there is a great mentor Rodger G. (President of a very 

important big company) and There were many others, but they haven't been into 

the commitment of keeping in touch.



Some have helped me, supported me, worked with me, mentored me, or shared

wonderful friendships without any expectations of  reciprocation like May C. 

Donna D. Evelyn J. Jay D. Kathy C.  Jeanne P. and others who  remind me daily 

how faith and friendship, firmly at the core, can help rejuvenate one, inspire 

others, and motivate many.  My best source of learning are rooted firmly with 

my kids:  Kyle, Chantal, and Kelsey whose conversations frequently push me 

outside my own views to see things from their young, up-and-coming and 

youthful perspective.   Fortunately, they are have an entourage that count me

among their unique adult source of information, philosophy and most of all

manners.


There are those who only know me from

 social media that I optimistically sense

 would expand their great connection of

 friendship if I were lucky enough to 

meet personally like +Sandy Hubbard 

+Mike Lehr +Joseph Ruiz to name just a 

few.  Gems in their own aura of giving, 

knowledge, sharing and gift of relating to

real people.  There are a couple whom

 I would like to recognize for their constant

 support of my posts with a like or a share.  I

 look forward to the opportunity to work

 with you in the not too distant future when

I complete my website and engage your

 SEO savvy knowledge and graceful 

imagery -- the best the world has to offer:

 +Syed Mazhar Shah +EsmatMorshedy who 

exude talent combined with humility while 

making inroads towards fame.  You are

 always there Mazhar and Esmat, and never

 go unnoticed.

Watch for updates in the upcoming couple of months while I put sweat equity to

 task to help someone launch their social media for their service offering that 

will revolutionize an industry and follow the mantra by Steve Jobs that

 inspires endless +SteveJobsFans across the universe:  find something that the 

populace of people don't know they need yet will enrich their lives.

Dear friends, readers, followers, subscribers:  thank you for your faith and 

commitment in watching me grow.  

You can #follow me here:

Foggy dreams create goals that stick

"A goal is a dream with a deadline." 

~Napoleon Hill

Hi Jeannette,

Good morning, I noticed you might have a requirement for some of the services we offer.

If there's anything we might be able to assist, we certainly happy to have a chat with you.

Please share a little brief about your requirement and leave us your email-address/phone number. We will review your requirements and get back to you with our past work details, testimonials, samples with best offer.

Looking forward to hear you.Thank you,
Enthusiastic young sales gal

Dear Enthusiast:

I understand and appreciate that you are "cold calling" virtually.  However, there is nothing there in your communications that would entice anyone to respond.  Sadly.  Not even a statement on your service offering or a link to your website.

I suggest you follow my Blog and go to the articles on sales -- I have some nuggets there that may inspire you.  I admire your effort and want to encourage you to carry on.  I just sense a bit of blindness in your approach.  We all have to make a living, but a few of us want to be great at what we do, understanding that the money follows later on.

What is your value proposition to a start up?  How would they best benefit from your service?

What's the catch?

Are you tapped into social media?  I go by the pseudonym @optioneerJM .. if you are, follow me, follow my blog (if you can find it, lol) and all my platforms.  Like a scavenger hunt of a virtual kind.  Let me know you've found me by being unique.

How's that for a challenge?

We all have to separate ourselves from being average to one who is remarkable,

Jeannette

Is that mean?  Too harsh?  Perhaps and most certainly.  However, as a young gal starting out in sales, I had nobody take my arm and point me in the right direction other than kick me out the door and say:  find customers, cold call!

Lucky for me, and likely for many others, I had a tenacity and goal for success.  When I was about 22 I wrote a vision statement about goals that I found about 15 years later, when I had started to be recognized, and was astounded:

* Be successful at doing something I love:  I started out in magazine advertising sales, graduated to bleeding edge document management via printing sales at the very infancy of one aspect of the cloud as we know it today.

* Live in a white house with a picket fence:  I live in a white house with a chain link fence that backs onto a green pathway.

* Own and drive a Jaguar:  I ended up with a silver Mercedes CLK 500 coup that was classic, classy and exuded class.  Today I drive a Hyundai Accent (which is a story in itself that anyone with adult kids will relate to). 

I understand today that the car or house do not make the person.  Setting goals which often are aligned with dreams and writing them down are the glue that sticks everything together, but makes you accountable for what you think or say but more often only confirmed with proof.

I remember as a fledgling sales manager, having a seasoned sales rep under my wing who was firm on following in my footsteps because I had just been promoted to a sales team lead, tasked with creating more of MEs.  Gord soaked it up and was a sponge.  I never heard him ever accuse me of talking to much or too fast (I often get that when someone is not wanting to be in tune with what I am saying).  

One of my first coaching sessions with him, when he said that, I asked:  "Why?"  

He said because he didn't think he should try to reinvent the wheel by trying untried things via stumbling, but by mirroring someone who had already demonstrated success seemed like the wisest approach.  Wise probably.  That isn't an ego statement.  That is because when I started out in sales, I subconsciously tried to read or grasp on to follow someone else's example who had already proven to do what I was setting out to do.  I see that now as beautiful instinct.  I achieved acclaim, awards and recognition not because I was so special or gifted, it amounted to a driven desire to REALLY want to pay attention to those that have already paved the way.  

Most definitely, I asked questions of the people who worked with the sales people on their advice on what defined sales greatness.  More often than once, I was told that I was already on the first step:  asking others for advice and their feedback or opinions.

Seriously,  the archaic, traditional sales "experts" defined all the tricks and tips that appeared revolutionary were just plain dumb.  

Cutting corners is a sport that only schemers and used car salespeople use.  Eventually, they blow out so much steam, that they deflate or are fired because they cannot deliver on the over promises they make or the grand tales they tell.

Asking questions is the one key ingredient that only the finest, best, sales professionals discover.  They stumble upon the magical formula by accident at first.  They are fueled by wanting to actually deliver on the dreams or goals of the person they are selling to.  Instinctively, they know in their subconscious that if they could only deliver a small portion of that goal and not only build upon it but execute beyond either their's or your own possibilities, does the money, fame, awards and recognition follow.

Back to Gord.  His answer being defined that he wanted to do well, and he saw the easiest path to doing that was following in someone firmly established on the success train, with the idea that he may be able to progress faster, easier than stumbling around in the dark.

Again, I asked him:  "Why?"

Now, some people do think that you're off your noodle when you ask the same question at least two or three times without guiding them or pointing them in the right direction of the answer you are probing for.  I've been considered that often and still, almost always lately.  That is because if you haven't established the right metrics, results, awards or recognition from peers, subordinates, bosses or leadership ... you won't be heeded.  That can be frustrating.  Especially if you know you have had a gift in defining the easier path and just want to help others get there faster with less pain.

Finally.  Eureka.  Gord asked me what I meant - why was I asking why?  To me it seemed as elementary as writing that passage of goals as a fledgling college graduate who really had no idea where to go, how to start, or what I really wanted to do with that diploma or degree.  

I really wished someone had asked me that before I even left home and headed out to post secondary.  Back in those days (now I'm really sounding old), the expectation was you were going to go to school after high school, it was simply up to us on what that career would mean.  Blessedly my mom, thought it would be a good idea to be a legal secretary so I would marry a lawyer.  Years and years later, and even more recently, she has stated that she regrets not recognizing to tell me to pursue law.  I have no regrets.  I would have probably made a pretty good lawyer.

A lawyer is paid to orate, research, study character, evidence and sell others on their ability to help them achieve their goals.

Hahahaha ... well, folks.  That is EXACTLY what sales people do.  Yet, we cannot accomplish anything without asking the right questions.

Back to Gord.  "OK, Jeannette.  What do you mean by why?"

I am sure I smiled.  I recognized that my Padawan (Star Wars trainee term) was ready to absorb my wisdom.

So, again, I asked why but this time, expanded it by asking "why do you want to learn from a successful example so you can climb faster, easier and farther?"

I'm sure I was frustrating.  I have a knack of doing that.  My brother-in-law told me recently that my family had discussed me stating that sometimes when I talk I am in the clouds and those listening are trying to grasp a morsel of what I am saying.  That can come off being perceived as flighty and dumb.  Dumb as a fox, some might say.

Realizing that Gord was in the palm of my hands and it was time to expand on the question "Why?"
So I asked him: "what makes you want to be successful? 

For a talkative soul like me, taking a pause to allow someone else to absorb the question, formulate their answer, then say it is not something that I am often associated with.

As the note in that 22nd year was proof.  I wanted to be successful because at the immature time, success was  defined by the house I lived in and the car I drove.  The magic was that it fueled my desire and motivated me to accomplishment.  Not as a monetary value, simply as a testament to arriving at the end goal.  Often it is a status symbol.

Lucky for me that day, Gord said that his goal to be successful meant making enough money so that his new bride could retire from a medical technician career, not work, begin a family and build a strong foundation of life the way he deemed important to him, his values and example from his own upbringing.

How cool! Seriously, how many super stars have such humble goals?  Very few I must say.  Most of the greats.  Simply demonstrating that the ones with the most humblest of goals, stick-to-it-ness to achieve those goals, making good on promises are the ones that achieve it. 





The humble ones are really not bragging, writing big stories of accomplishments (that can be broken down easily by anyone with half a brain), and professing wisdom that only the loudness of their voices and exuberant tone gets people to believe they've discovered the holy grail.

My friends.  There is no easy, miraculous path to greatness.  Ask Steve Jobs, Wayne Gretzky et al.  They got up maybe a little earlier, spent a few extra minutes studying, stayed later than anyone else practising.  Not because they anticipated super stardom but from the sheer pleasure and passion that doing so gave them.

So.  Then.  If.  You want to be great.  Start out being humble and hungry to learn from others.  Don't proclaim you have discovered a recipe for success and try to sell that to others.  As Nike says:  Just do it.

The proof IS by doing it, not talking about it.  While it starts with asking questions.  There is no better path or plan than to start out with a goal, define your path and then plan on how you will execute on it.  More often than not, the best ones have goals aligned with love, family, health and happiness and NOT power, fame, money, possessions (I'm not an expert but I have a very strong hunch).

"Never lose your inquisitiveness."                                    ~Jeannette Marshall