You have done the “social networking thing” and got a Facebook fan page to go along with your long-forgotten LinkedIn profile. A little updating on the profiles and then, “now what?” How do you stand out in the crowd? What makes you different from all the other insurance agents using social networking? How do you give everything your look and feel in a way that inspires prospects?
You have to start sticking out in a sea of social networking conformity. Without your ability to be different and show in marketing speak your USP(unique sale proposition) no one will be interested.
If you have been reading this blog long enough you probably noticed that it changes regularly. Why? I am always testing and tinkering until I discover what works and what does not. In order to stand out, you have to always be looking where to stand.
A place that separates you from the social networking sea of conformity that you have probably seen all around you. That is what we are going to help you learn about today.
Social Networking Stand Out Test
Oh no! Did that just say test?
Why yes it did! Instead of actually telling you whether you stand out or not I thought we would complete a “social networking stand out” test. Fear not! There is no scoring, except for the score. However, this grade will be useful to you only in determining how you are doing with your social networking right now.
Social Networking Instructions
The test is very simple. Count up the number of items that you do (Yes’s) on the list below to determine whether you are a social networking standout.
- Facebook profile
- Twitter Profile
- Completed LinkedIn Profile
- Have a completed bio and professional picture
- Post something of value at least once a day to Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn
- Make sure that the content you post is unique
- Create a useful blog post once a week
- Interact with your social network. Participate in groups, respond to comments
- Look at your network’s profiles and make relevant comments (At least 1 profile/day)
- Find your niche in a Facebook group
- Have a Facebook fan page
- Customize your Facebook fan page (Effective Facebook Fan Page)
- Youtube account with one video relevant to your target market
- Connect with 5 valuable followers, fans, and connections every day
- Have a Yelp account
- Joined one social network relevant to your target market (Warrior Forum, MLMSocial, etc)
- Share other’s content
- Developed a following in your target market
- took your offline connections online
- Be yourself…being someone else is just not you
- Have a USP
- Your network can repeat your USP (Eg. take your social networking from snooze to schmooze)
- Your content has gone viral
- Have a website or blog to direct traffic to from social networking
- You took the entire test and shared it with others
Let us know where you were a stand out below. Also, if there is a way that we can help you with your social networking, please let us know below in the comments.
Learn More At... Get a Copy of Your Writing Partner
Great post. Love the idea of the questionaire at the end!
Margaret,
Glad you enjoyed the questionnaire!
Andy
Great post and list. Can be overwhelming for beginners just getting in the game. So taking it baby steps at a time. I consider myself a stand out, especially since I make comments, and share, etc.
Alecia,
Commenting generally puts people into a standout place, because they have reached beyond their comfort zone to speak with others.
Andy
Providing your readers with the opportunity to interact with your blog is unique. It allows us to reevaluate how we are running our businesses using social media. I will be implementing a few of these techniques. Very informative blog. You have a new follower.
LeJon Ratchford
LeJon,
Thank you very much! Let me know what you implement, and more importantly how it turns out.
Andy
Love this post and this has been something that has been on my mind a lot lately. There are so many people online trying to do similar things so you really do have to do things that stand out. I love your list, I know a lot of people are going to find it to be valuable!
Angela,
Thanks!
The hardest part of social media today is not sounding like the other robots!
Andy
Thanks for list, I didn’t know about some components. Agree with you that in out time it is hard to be special, and not be like clown.
It can definitely be a juggling act!
So it’s good to know I’m not a complete social marketing moron. Just an incomplete one… since I haven’t gotten every point checked yet.
Liked how you snuck that last one in there. 😉 Well done.
Danielle,
Improving what you do with social networking does not mean you are a moron. It means you are getting better than most everyday.
Andy
I was just teasing Andy 🙂 But I love your positive perspective!
Danielle,
I had a feeling, but thanks for the confirmation! 😉
Andy