Are your goals holding you back?

One of the first things I do when I speak with a client about their social media strategy is to ask what their goal is. I try to determine early on what they are hoping to accomplish by using social media so I can ensure their activities are in line with their goals.

The first thing people always say is, “I want to get clients”. That’s certainly an excellent goal to have and, in all honesty, everyone needs more clients. No one ever says, “I’d like to make some friends” or “I’d like to donate my time to others”. Most of us aren’t using these networking sites strictly for personal reasons. We mean business!

Before you jump into social media and begin looking for clients, consider this. Getting new clients isn’t the only way to get results! You must take consistent action that is designed to produce ongoing and long term results for your business!

All of our professional activities get results. Those activities may include developing mutually beneficial relationships with others or submitting content on a regular basis in order to gain visibility and/or recognition from target market influencers. The results those activities achieve come in the form of web/blog traffic, press, comments, emails, friends, etc. These activities don’t always have a direct financial impact but if we plan those activities correctly then the non-financial impact they do have should result in a positive financial impact.

Participating in groups, having conversations online and answering questions for others all make an impact. Creating strategic partnerships and gaining visibility among your target market definitely makes an impact. If your actions are meaningful and positive then the impact comes in the form of more visits to your website, more members on your Facebook page and more subscribers to your mailing list. All of that translates into more opportunities for you to promote your products and services and it should translate into sales at some point.

When someone’s only goal is to get more clients, they very often get disappointed early on. Clients don’t just appear when you set up a profile. It takes time to find your audience, determine what they are looking for, build relationships, gain trust and provide them with the solution that will help make a financial impact on their business. It takes time to gain visibility among your target market, build relationships with reputable influencers in the industry and reap the benefits of regular referral business.

Are you so focused on your main goal of getting clients that you forget to get out there and participate in other strategic activities? Are you creating relationships and taking action that will impact your business financially in the long term?

As a business owner I’m always looking for conversations and strategic relationships. In addition, I love helping other business owners find the same! What actions do you need to take in order to make an impact on your business? What types of relationships are you looking for? I invite you to post your Facebook page link here (LinkedIn and Twitter as well if you’d like), introduce yourself and share your business with us. Take the first step towards creating relationships and taking action that produces results!