Goodbye Follow Friday

I’m over Follow Friday. I’m really, truly over it!

Follow Friday has become more about quantity than quality. I tried to negate this by following my 2 simple rules for the Follow Friday, but I’ve learned that I’m not very good at it. In 2 simple statements, here’s why:

  1. Blog Post. I’m always writing Blog Posts featuring someone or something that I believe in. Isn’t that the point of a blog post? If there’s no passion around it, then I won’t put it out there for others to also be uninspired by. Thus, do I really need a “Follow Friday” just to have a “Follow Friday?”
  2. I don’t need you Friday. I’m in the “social” because I love it 24/7. There is nothing special about following someone on a Friday, especially if it’s just to push numbers. I build my relationships all week long. If I get a recommendation to follow someone on a Friday, then great -  a cap to the week. If not, there’s always Saturday!
Mother carrying daughter

No, this does not mean I won’t give out the #FollowFriday each week. Because I will. I like to recognize a few people I find over-the-top-spectacular! It just means that I’m not devoting a whole Blog Post to it when I feel there is better and more useful information to share!

On that note, I’m re-doing my content calendar. I decided to do this when I realized that many of my Follow Friday posts lately have revolved around health, fitness, foodie and overall “inspiring” people, like the Joyce Cherrier one I created today. But those posts don’t really “belong” here. They belong with Confessions, Truths & the Journey of a (Mis) Fortunate Foodie-Fitness Junkie.

So what does belong here? Connie Bensen said during the #CaribouChat21 meetup the other day something along the lines of (after you have blogged for awhile) ask someone (perhaps a mentor) to look it over and help you determine a “focal point.” What do you talk a lot about? What is your writing niche that you can further develop via the Blog? Where are your strong points? And how will you best provide value?

I think Connie is absolutely right. I need to find a pair of eyes to scan my blog, a mentor and have a more “true” vision of what this blog is all about. I have a broad idea, but I’m not sure that’s good enough. If you have any thoughts or comments, I am open to suggestions and criticism. That’s how we become a better version of ourselves, capitalizing on the person we will be! Happy Friday!

ROI: The Ladder to Success

ROI is no “numbers schmumbers” chat! It is (part of) a step on your Ladder to Success. It is real. And it is real important. Though I’m no expert and can’t provide a book of information, what I can provide is the argument that it’s relevant and important.

No business runs with a  lack of ROI Interest. Nowhere in history has a company sat back and said, “We’re in this to have fun. We don’t need a return on investment.” With each decision a business makes they are thinking “bottom line” and how will this affect it? The past may have resembled more along these lines, “If we run this TV Campaign at the Super Bowl, what will be our ROI?” Today it just so happens to be, “If we run this social media campaign, what will be our ROI?”

There are still individuals claiming that “It’s not the ROI that matters – it’s the sentiment, engagement and constant interaction that matters.” I agree and disagree. The “sentiment” matters; being there matters. But….

  1. That in and of itself is ROI, and
  2. ROI, in terms of numbers, matters

ROI: The Ladder to Success

If ROI for the social media part of Marketing is irrelevant, then why are working so hard to “Climb the Ladder?” We climb this ladder in business to capitalize on our products/services and to have a recognizable, respected brand in the marketplace. Each step of this ladder are like the “pieces to the puzzle” that help us achieve those goals.

At the end of the day, Return on Investment can mean many different things to many different people. The one thing it will never mean, though, is arbitrary. You must figure out a measurable way to make ROI (for social media) matter. Decide what metric(s) makes it matter for you and your company, and then put procedures and goals in place to produce results!