Hi everybody. I’m really excited to share that I will be running an ongoing series of interviews on my blog, called ‘Be My Guest’, with the first one starting today!
We all know the value of Social Media but it can be a real challenge to know where to start/focus. I invited the lovely Rebekah Harriman, a Social Media expert to share some of her hints and tips on how to make Social Media work for you. She’s also sharing a giveaway of the top ten things to do once you’ve done a blog post.
Having worked in a research centre at the intersection of e-science and the arts Rebekah learned about blogging before it exploded onto the internet, and social media as a mass form of communication before it became cool. It also taught her all about virtual teams who pulled together from different locations round the world to work on the same project.
Another boss, who was a professional networker, led to her realization that being good at talking to people and making connections is a valid job that she could actually earn money at doing!
All of these experiences led her to setting up her own company, in 2009, that combined her love of creative flair, business knowledge and the ability to communicate and connect with people. Supporting, coaching and training other small businesses combines her passions with her practical side in helping them thrive and demystifying what social media is and can be for them.
Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences
- I’m a quirky, retro girl with a love of all things 50s in appearance.
- A contradiction as I’m an immensely practical person who is a daydreamer and artist
- Overall a passionate communicator who loves meeting and getting to know people!
Why did you choose to become an entrepreneur?
A combination of necessity in needing a flexible job that worked around my young children and needing to do something fulfilling, that makes me happy and earns money at the same time! I’m also much better when I’m in control of how I work and who I work with!!
Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?
My friend Nicola Wise. She is passionate, creative and inspires me to keep reaching for my dreams. She has been the person who has introduced me to the work of people like Danielle La Porte, that have had major impacts on my validation and my journey. She doesn’t realise how important to the world she is and still searches for what will be her mark on the world, when she has already made a massive difference. I love her humility and generosity and it is this integrity I strive for in my own business.
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?
We all make mistakes, just pick yourself up and keep going!
What three tips would you give when working on Social Media?
- Pick your platforms – you seriously don’t need to be everywhere.
- Choosing themes each month makes coming up with consistent content across platforms much easier
- It will take longer than you think to have an impact on your business, but the impact it does have is ultimately more than worth the effort.
What are the three biggest mistakes that people make online?
Giving up too soon, just broadcasting and selling what they do. Social media is just that, social. You need to build trust, relationships and give value with people more than you let them know what it is you do.
What if I’m completely technophobic, what do you suggest?
It’s not that scary really, change your mindset on how you view a platform. It’s like nipping into a local café for a chat or going to a picnic and meeting some new people. Choose any way of viewing it as a social event that isn’t scary to you and start from there.
How much time do I really need to spend promoting my business on Social Media?
You should not be promoting what you do in a sense, it’s more about meeting people and building trust!! But, that aside, you need to be there every day in some form and you need to be consistent. However you need to keep it to a level you can fit in otherwise you won’t have time to do your actual work you get paid to do!!
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
That people like me exist to help make social media less scary and fit into your marketing plan. I do it because I’m passionate about good ways to communicate with other people and if you are passionate about what you do you stick at it and then you succeed, but always measure yourself by your own definition of success and not somebody else’s.
If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?
Rebekah-harriman.com, where I give away lots of tips, advice and downloads for free, especially if you sign up to my newsletter. Also on Twitter far too much, Facebook , Pinterest and also LinkedIn. I love talking to and meeting new people so please come say hi!!
Thank you Rebekah for sharing some really useful insights with us. Click here to download your Top 10 Things To Do Once You’ve Written A Blog Post
Over to you… We’d love to know what has been working for you in terms of social media, so let’s get a conversation going in the comments section below.
Would you like to be my guest? Just drop me an email and tell me what gems you’d like to share with my readers.
