Earlier today, I led a class on social media.
Topics I covered:
* Why I decided to stop using social media about five years ago.
* How this decision has impacted my professional and personal life.
* Is it possible to be self-employed, run a business, and find clients without using social media?
* A few questions to consider if you'd like to stop using social media, spend less time doing it, or use it in a different way.
If you attended the class, thank you! It was amazing to see people pop in from the United States, Europe, Brazil, and beyond! If you missed it, here's the recording:
Password: social2019
Length: 49 mins
A few questions I asked during the class:
* How do you feel about social media? (Love it? Don’t like it? Mixed feelings?)
* What are you afraid might happen if you stop using social media? (Do you feel afraid that you will become invisible? That people will forget about you? That you'll miss out on potential clients or career opportunities? Or something else?)
* What does social media currently “add” to your life? Is there another way you could get (or experience) this same reward? Could there be another way?
* If you had 24 hours to live, what would you do with your time?
. . .
During class, quite a few people asked: "How can I find clients (and sell my work) without using social media? What are some other ways that I could promote my work?"
There are lots of ways you can find clients!
A few ideas:
* Send a personal email to your dream client inquiring if they'd like to hire you.
* Send a personal email to all of your friends, family, and colleagues letting them know that you have availability for new clients. Ask them to keep you in mind and send people your way! You never know who might be able to help you out. (Read this free e-book for tips on how to send out this type of
request.)
* Circle back to previous clients via email. Say hi. See if they'd like to hire you again.
* Have a face-to-face meeting. Pitch your services over coffee.
* Send snail-mail to your dream client: a postcard, brochure, packet, or maybe a small gift.
* Pitch yourself to the media (podcasts, radio, TV, etc). Get booked for appearances. Use this as a way to promote your mission and business.
* Start an email newsletter and send it out consistently.
* Start a podcast. Use this to build an enthusiastic audience of listeners/fans/potential clients.
* Do something kooky—for instance, make a quirky poster with a mysterious message and a website link. Pique people's curiosity so they wonder, "What's that website all about?" and want to visit. Pin up posters all around town.
* Talk to people out in the world: at the gym, at dinner parties, on airplanes. You never know who might be sitting next to you! (I've gotten hired because of "airplane chats" in the past!)
* Gently remind clients that you love (and appreciate) word-of-mouth referrals. Encourage them to send new clients your way.
* Teach a free class in your community (or online) as a way of connecting with potential clients and giving them a small "sample" of your skills.
* Write articles/essays/blog posts on your site—and for other publications, too. People might discover your work that way.
* Introduce yourself to fellow business owners who might want to refer clients to you. (For instance, if you're a proofreader, introduce yourself to a book editor. She might have clients who need to hire someone like you!)
Bottom line: there are infinite ways you can get people excited about your work. You can certainly use social media to promote your stuff. Social media is one option! But it's not the only option.
. . .
I hope those materials are helpful.
Maybe you will decide to continue using social media. Great! Or maybe you will decide to use it less, use it differently, take a short break, a long break, or a forever-break. That's great, too.
Whatever you decide...is awesome. All choices are valid. I encourage you to listen to your "hut" (heart + gut) and do whatever feels right for you.
No two people are exactly alike. Do life—including digital life—your way.
Have a beautiful weekend!
-Alex
PPS. Happy 70th birthday to my daaaaaad! His party is this weekend. It's gonna be WILD. Lord have mercy.