How excited are you for all the amazing happenings soon to be happening at this year’s MonaVie !magine Convention in Salt Lake City, June 9-11?
Please note the coolness of keynote speakers Chris Gardner and Paul Zane Pilzer, as well as, live entertainment with Club Fedora and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, which may or may not be one of my nicknames.
Another great addition to this year’s convention will be breakout sessions, including one entitled “Social Media and YOU.”
So, in an effort to cover the YOU part, we are asking for input as to what you would like to learn related to all things social media. We will then create content from your questions and hopefully make the most of your !magine Convention experience.
And I managed to get a hold of a few fun prizes to incentive question sending – those of you who offer a question that is picked and ultimately helps build the content for the “Social Media and YOU” breakout will receive a little somethin’.
Now you’re most likely wondering, what said somethin' will be...
Well, it’s a secret…okay, I’ll give you a visual hint in the form of a MonaVie super silver goody bag image:
Inside each bag is a collection of kind of awesome items. If you want to be entered to be a recipient of one of these goodie bags then by all means, send us your “Social Media and YOU” breakout question. And make it good.
When it comes to social media, what is it you are most longing to learn?
Please leave your question in the comments below, or email me at shantes@monavie.com. This poll and giveaway opportunity will close on April 26 at midnight MST – winners will be announced after we careful examine all questions and pick the winners.
Share it!
Shante
MonaVie Chief Blogger
NOTE: This giveaway opportunity is officially closed. Thank you for all your questions. We'll be combing over them and selecting as many as possible to answer during the !magine "Social Media and YOU" breakout session.
Fear and doubt…two of this life’s biggest happiness robbers, according to Marci Shimoff, keynote speaker, New York Times bestselling author and featured teacher in the film and book, The Secret.
Seth Godin said, “When in doubt, look for fear. That’s almost always the source of your doubt.”
When it comes to business, and especially when business is so connected to life, family and friends, which is most often the case in the network-marketing realm, fear and doubt can wreak havoc on all of the above.
So, what do you do with said fear and doubt as they inevitably creep into your life, your business building efforts and more?
A popular knee-jerk reaction is to mask the fear and doubt with faux confidence, usually coming across as arrogance or defensiveness. Another option is to busy one’s self with other tasks and doings and avoid the fear and doubt altogether. While these may offer short-term relief, are they not ways to simply suppress negative feelings until they inevitably resurface and bowl us over in the long run?
Let’s explore some other options…
Embrace the power of positive thinking and habituate ways of being that entice happiness, confidence, peace of mind and success. Norman Vincent Peale, minister and author, penned the book The Power of Positive Thinking that speaks of having faith in oneself and eliminating the most devastating handicap – self doubt, from your life, through visualization, prayerful exercises and positive reinforcements.
Other forms of mediation include, but are certainly not limited to, yoga, tai chi, qigong and mantras, repeating a calming word or phrase to realign your focus and eliminate harmful distractions throughout your day.
You may also consider exercise, dance, music or any number of fun-filled activities your fear and doubt dissolvers of choice.
And still yet, for others, sometimes, and often times while in the moment when fear and doubt seem to rear their ugly heads, it’s as simple as seeing through the negative emotions to find the peace and courage that you already are.
What is your preferred means to overcoming fear and doubt in your life?
One of the best ways to stop the perpetuation of spaghetti throwing is to have a plan in place for using social media. Very few people actually sit down and think about how they want to communicate or better yet, how they want to be communicated with. And that’s the problem. We should THINK! Social media should not be looked at as a magic bullet that will suddenly make you rich or bring in tons of leads. Too many people in direct marketing think social media platforms are a giant sea of prospects that they can cast their nets into and get immediate rewards. If your view is similar to this then you most likely will not look at people as “people” or relationships, but more like a number or leads. In my opinion…this is a dangerous approach.
This is not to say that spaghetti chucking from time to time might bring some success, it might...but there might be other factors at work that influenced your success like timing, the type of trust you've already built up with certain friends, a strong personal brand already, your friends like the MonaVie brand, etc. The problem with this type of strategy is that the modest success from chucking spaghetti only perpetuates continuous chucking behavior. Most don't realize they're chucking spaghetti until it's too late. When spaghetti chucking is no longer working, many friends are turned off from your constant "selling" approach, and now you're left starting over and frustrated because all people know about you is that you're always trying to sell something. Is it worth chucking spaghetti to get a few people signed up while alienating or turning off 90-95% of your friends or family? I think most will agree, those who are successful in network marketing are also good about establishing relationships. No relationship is the same and no relationship is built overnight…although many of us treat our contacts on social media platforms like we don’t know them or are highly impersonal. In this post we’ll talk about steps you can take to formulate your social media strategy and subsequent blog posts will look at tactical ways to execute your social media strategy.
So the following are steps you can take to perform a personal audit of your personal social media brand so you can start formulating a social media strategy. This is about YOU…as a person…not a company or brand.
1. Purpose, Goals & Commitment. In social media there is a lot of experimenting that can be done tactically, however, having a sense of purpose, some goals and committing yourself to doing it is important if you want to get the most out of social media. One of the basic purposes I’ve found within social media is creating new relationships and enriching current relationships. My own personal views shape my purpose, but to me a big part of life is about the relationships we make. With this purpose in mind I’ve been able to look at social media as a great way to fulfill this purpose and create goals that have now become natural to me.So with that overarching goal (of creating X amount of connections) I can start looking at tactical goals that may include number of posts per day, the type of posts per day/week, wishing every friend a Happy Birthday, retweeting friends posts, 10 compliments per day using social media, reconnecting with 1 person a week, etc. Before social media came along, I was more guarded and comfortable in just having my own little clique of friends. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if you’re in network marketing that’s no way to make friends! So write your purpose down, write a your goals to get there and then commit to doing it daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and before you know it the goals come naturally.
2. Know Thyself. What do YOU want people to know about YOU? Think of the characteristics you have and the ones you want to have. Are you funny, interesting, trustworthy, knowledgeable, adventurous, genuine, etc.? Now look at the information in your profiles and see if these characteristics are coming through in what you post, in pictures and videos, etc. Don’t look through business glasses when making your profile…look through the glasses of who you think you are, or want to become. If there are pictures, or videos that don’t match your personal brand, you may want to remove them. Social media makes it easy to chuck spaghetti...but the positive is that it also is easy to make a first impression, so don't think that just because you don't look at your profile, others don't--they do and will especially if they are going to invest time or get involved in a business!
3.Put Yourself In Your Profile and Posts. If you are on Facebook or Twitter, go to your profile and look at your most recent posts (20). Not replies or comments on your friends’ posts, but your own posts or tweets. Classify the posts as funny, interesting, quotes (inspirational), business related, informative, sports, personal, or other. Now look at those posts and see which posts are getting the most reactions from your friends/followers? Look at the results. Are they positive/negative? Are they one-sided? What do they say about you? To take it a step further, have a close friend who is also on your social media platforms to give you an opinion of how you are perceived online, it could be eye-opening. BTW…explaining that you’re a MonaVie distributor within your profile is fine and is part of being authentic…but are most of your pictures of MonaVie drinks and events? Are the bulk of your posts MonaVie or business related? If so…that’s probably spaghetti chucking. Keep your results and then compare after you start your new strategy. I would also look at your friends’ posts and noticing which posts you like, which friends are engaging and why?
4. Target and know your audience. This can also summed up with one word—listening. People generally like information and content that is interesting, funny or unique to them or their situation. Look at how people post information about their businesses and themselves. We touched on this in a previous BlogMV post about the Golden Rule and you will need to decide whether the content you post is something that can apply to everyone or to only a select few. Our next blog posts will address how to target your audience, but a good idea might be to separate your friends/followers into groups or lists. Which ones are most engaging? Which do you know better? Which are most influential? Which are customers? Once you have an idea of who your friends are, you can start being more strategic with the way you reach out to them, instead of everyone. (more to come here folks!)
5. Diversify and limit yourself! No this isn’t mutual funds, but the principle still applies. Be genuine, be human, be funny (not crude), be informative, most importantly BE YOU first! After looking at the results of posts to your social media platforms, you will have an idea of what content is engaging, who is responding to YOU, and what is not working. Take into effect how much you post and the time of day. Studies have shown over-posting turns people off. So if your sending out mass Tweets to a bunch of people at one time promoting your business, don’t be surprised to see your follower count decrease. If you're posting more than four times a day on Facebook (and if they're Farmville posts!) you might have friends hide you or de-friend you. Timing can be critical and typically more people are online in the evening, and many check their social media streams first thing in the morning. So diversify the types of posts (if necessary) and the timing.
6. Remember the 3 Bs. Be generous. Be giving. Be authentic. There’s probably a few other B’s I could write…but let’s start here. Limiting your posts, does not mean you have to limit your ability to be human. Remember, friends and followers are sharing something with you and others using social media. This is an opportunity to respond and engage with generosity, empathy, humor or whatever the occasion calls for. This is most likely, NOT a chance to hit up people for business, to offend or argue. Remember, we’re building relationships (the marathon) and when people know and trust you, introducing a business opportunity will not be a major obstacle nor as stressful had there been no relationship in place. So compliment others on their accomplishments. Add words of encouragement. Be empathetic when others are struggling. Go to lunch with a new friend once a week . Invite a neighbor and family over for dinner. Get involved with your community. If you have kids, get involved with your kids PTA or activities. Volunteer your time for a cause. It's amazing how many friends and connections you will make when you get out (of your comfort zone and house) and do something. When you make face-to-face connections don't forget to follow up and invite them to connect on your social media accounts!! And do it because it’s the right thing to do and you want to…not because you have some hidden motive.
7. Work at it! My parents taught me, if something is worth doing, it's worth doing well. Cliche as it sounds...I believe it. Relationships are not a get rich quick scheme, they require effort, they require giving and nurturing. And the results you put into relationships, will come and if you’re only looking at people as numbers then you’re missing the point. You’re results should be looked at in terms of connections. Work on enriching your relationships using social media (because that’s the real beauty of social media) and your business goals will follow. There is evidence all over the Internet and in social media of little strategy and effort.
Our next blog posts will focus on ways to use content strategically and also ways to target your audience more effectively. I invite you to leave a comment and let us know about your personal brand and effective strategies you may have used to use express your personal brand using social media.
[caption id="attachment_1102" align="alignleft" width="272" caption="Michael Jensen, MonaVie Social Media Promotions Manager"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_12810" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="The cure for throwing spaghetti? Using your noodle!"][/caption]
Spaghetti throwing, we’ve all done it. OK, maybe not actual spaghetti throwing, but figuratively speaking most of us are guilty, especially when it comes to social media, email or marketing a business in general. So what do I mean when I say spaghetti throwing?
Good question.
You might be a spaghetti thrower if you:
Send out mass emails/posts/tweets to people you know (and most likely many you don’t know) about a “great opportunity”
When business posts outnumber personal posts -- remember social media is SOCIAL!
Link to a “great product” or video on your Facebook/Twitter page with the last line mentioning “if anyone’s interested let me know”
Using auto-feeds of MonaVie or other types of content and flooding your social media streams without interacting
Cook spaghetti and throw it (this goes without saying)
The Shotgun/Spaghetti Approach vs. A Strategic Approach
A couple of years ago I was laid off from my job, (a harrowing event in my life, but not unexpected working in the real estate industry in Southern California). With a wife and two kids, this life changing event was one I was not prepared for (who is?) and the job search market was a completely new frontier. One of the first job opportunities I looked into was a great position, with a great company. Before applying for the position, I decided to call the hiring manager about the position. After a few ninja moves and creative negotiations I was transferred to her. She informed me that she had received over 300 resumes to go through and that there were many qualified applicants. My heart sank. I soon figured out, simply updating my resume and posting it to online job sites (which I have done before) was not going to be enough to get interviews, and not only that, the competition for jobs was fierce. (Cue the self doubt!)
How was I going to stand out?
How am I going to differentiate myself from the competition? (sound familiar?)
I decided to dig in. I read tons of articles. I spoke with an outplacement agency. I delved into LinkedIn (a great resource BTW) and I revamped my resume to try to truly stand out. For job postings I wanted to apply for, I researched the company, the products, and would customize my resume to fit the job position. I would also customize a cover letter as well. The process was slow, and at times I would apply for up to 2-4 positions maximum a day. But a strange thing happened... I started getting interviews. In fact the job I originally inquired about later called me back for multiple interviews (they ended up offering the job to an internal candidate who “changed their mind”—but stay with me here there’s a point coming!).
During this time a colleague of mine, let's call him Chuck (short for spaghetti chucker), who was also unemployed, spoke to me about how his job search was going. His frustration was evident.
“I’ve sent out thousands of resumes and have not received a single interview,” he said.
It was clear…Chuck was clearly throwing spaghetti on the wall hoping it stuck using the age old argument of quantity over quality--you know the same methods of cold-callers. And he really thought he was doing his best, with an “at least I tried” kind of mindset.
The point!
Many who are trying to generate interest in their business "Chuck" out links, offers and other content and hope someone calls us or is interested in some way, or even just comments. But are we really looking to connect with others or are we simply taking the easy way out? Sending out links, emails, Facebook posts, Tweets on any content is easy. Sure it took you some time to post, maybe come up with a little headline, etc. However, do you have someone in mind when you post or do you have everyone in mind? Customizing a message, or telling your story to one person or even a group of people takes time and effort.
Most of the time it is simply not enough to just blast content out to the masses because you think you’re spreading a message to everyone hoping to find someone…when in fact you are connecting with no one, and possibly chasing them away (and damaging your reputation/as well as MonaVie’s in the process).
Over the next weeks we’ll post some ways to :
Have a social media strategy for YOU
Find quality content
Tell a story using content
Tell YOUR story using social media and other tools
Today you may have heard about a Twitter spam attack that was due to a security breach of the popular media and technology Gawker websites (LifeHacker, Gizmodo, io9, Jezebel, Kotaku and others). Hackers were able to access more than 1 million Gawker user’s email and password accounts from their servers, and because many users use the same passwords for multiple sites (like Twitter) they were able to access Twitter accounts and start posting spam. The spam sites they are linking to are none other than acai berry diet sites.
While it appears those who are responsible for the attacks are targeting Gawker, the important take away from this spam attack is to change your passwords or make sure you are not using the same logins for online sites as you do for social media sites. So, I would strongly suggest changing your personal social media login names and passwords (go ahead, put it on your "To Do" list)!
The MonaVie Collateral Damage
But for MonaVie, this issue goes even further. The hackers are using spam and are doing so at the expense of the acai berry because they think of those who market these type of sites are jokes. And why are they a joke? Because these acai sites and those that market them are known for spamming social media sites constantly and buying annoying ads on websites. Look no further than my recent blog post about our social media guide to see a version of this type of spam. Of course the acai diet sites and other companies using the acai berry are not MonaVie, but as the “premier acai blend” MonaVie does not come away unscathed.
Change the Perception
Over the past year we’ve used social media and provided advice on how to communicate effectively and personally using these platforms. Why? Because when we don’t we are no better than the acai sites that spam the social media platforms. So while there’s no way we can control what others not associated with MonaVie can do, MonaVie distributors can decide how they will act online and if they’re going to be a part of the problem or try to CHANGE the perception (notice our most recent blog posts are a great place to start!).
I vote for CHANGE!
Leave a comment if you have ideas or ways to make our online communications more valuable and less spam-like!
[caption id="attachment_1117" align="alignleft" width="0" caption="Michael Jensen, Social Media Promotions Manager"][/caption]
For those of you who frequent Facebook, you may have run into, oh…I dunno, about 100,000 Farmville posts in your Facebook feed (btw..there are over 80 million players!). For those not familiar with Farmville, it’s a virtual farming game with animals, crops and all the fixins, that about 10% of all Facebook members play. (BTW…A co-worker here at MonaVie said his Mom is addicted, and she actually sets the alarm to feed the “virtual” animals at 4 a.m., then goes back to sleep—Yikes!). You may have clicked on a Farmville post (you're not off the hook either Mafia Wars!) and even started to play the game, OR...if you’re like me, you were constantly annoyed and had to hide it in your Facebook feed.
The Golden Rule
Since one of my jobs here at MonaVie is monitoring our online presence, every day I see what is being said by you and by others about MonaVie. The good. The bad. The ugly. Almost daily I think how can we communicate with others online more effectively? Are we essentially showing up in our friend’s feed like a Farmville post, or other spammers? How would I want to be communicated with? I kept coming back to the Golden Rule as an answer to that very question. Before you post on social media channels, have you asked, "Is this how I'd want to be communicated with?" I asked myself what characteristics do I look for when connecting with someone (and I suggest you make a similar list—do it…do it now!) and quickly wrote down the first things that came to mind (start writing!). My quick initial responses were:
Authenticity – someone who is real/honest
Trustworthy
Interesting
Common interests
Pleasant, humorous, positive
Helpful
The Real You
I recently shared the article “Will the Real You Please Stand Up?” on MonaVie’s Twitter feed and is a rather thought provoking article that questions if we are the same person online, as we are face-to-face? So who are you really? Do people know you as MonaVie, or for the real you? Are you a person or a brand first? After writing that list, I realized, those qualities are ones that I want others to perceive in me! My next question was, so how would others be able to find out that I have these qualities? I realized that to make real connections it’s not going to happen in one post, or even 10, but that it takes time, and am I patient enough to get there? Are you? Comment below and let us know how you connect with others!
[caption id="attachment_1138" align="alignleft" width="201" caption="Michael Jensen, Social Media Promotions Manager"][/caption]
A few weeks ago while on Facebook, I found a link to one of my favorite social media books and authors, Chris Brogan and Julien Smith (BTW…I highly recommend their book Trust Agents, and following them on Twitter @chrisbrogan and @julien). To my disappointment, the first post on the Facebook site was a spammed post for an acai weight loss product. Now while the authors admittedly don’t monitor this page regularly and allow anyone to comment, the irony of the situation is what really caught my attention. For anyone who has read their book, or their blogs, would know that they preach the importance of establishing trust for business purposes using “non-sales-oriented” tactics that result in creating deeper personal connections. How ironic was it to see a spammed message, from none other than an acai product? (Seriously…who ordered some of that product?)
It’s “Social” Media, not “Selling” Media
Obviously, such products and their “marketing” have tarnished the MonaVie “crown-jewel” a bit, and it is our hope and desire to make sure MonaVie does not perpetuate such behavior. For that reason, we have made a conscious effort to make sure the MonaVie Facebook page, Twitter page and BlogMV is not a spamming free-for all, but rather a platform for us to communicate with one another, interact with all of you great distributors and provide value. It is also our hope that our distributors will reciprocate that behavior in your own online communications. One of the greatest analogies I heard discussed when approaching social media, was to pretend you were invited to a social gathering. Your friends, co-workers and family are all there. Just before everyone sits down to eat, someone grabs the microphone asking everyone at the event if they want to buy some juice? What do you think the reaction would be? Yet, some are approaching social media platforms when posting status updates with similar statements, simply because it’s easy, hoping just one person randomly has interest.
So what's in the Guide to Social Media?
Last week we announced the release of MonaVie’s Guide to Social Media on MonaVie on the Move and made it available in the distributors’ Virtual Office Document Library and on BlogMV (look to your right…now back at this blog post). It is our hope that you will all download and read the document, hug it and hold it close, never letting it go. Within the document are items we feel are important for you to know, and find valuable as you maintain an online presence such as:
An introduction to social media and social media platforms MonaVie is currently using (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube).
MonaVie’s 9 Rules of Social Media Engagement (social media etiquette).
5 Tips Every MonaVie Distributor Needs to Know about the New FTC Guidelines – which provides important details on testimonials and endorsements that all distributors need to know.
In the future, we will update this document as needed. We hope you will use this document and remember its content as you proceed to post anything online that is MonaVie related and to also inform your fellow distributors as well. If there are any questions, comment below or feel free to contact Shante (shantes@monavie.com) or myself, Michael Jensen (michael.jensen@monavie.com).
Can’t wait to talk WITH you (not at you)-- at the party!
Calvin Becerra is the youngest Black Diamond in MonaVie history and his rise to such a rank is a true test of determination and willingness to hit the ground running, spending every waking moment when not working a tradition 9-5 job building his prospect list and enrolling new distributors.
“You have to be willing to work,” said Calvin. “Many are not willing to do that.”
Work was what took him to the rank of Black Diamond in a mere eight months after enrolling in MonaVie. However, just because you hit Black Diamond, doesn’t mean it’s smooth sailing thereafter. In Calvin’s case, Black Diamond was a starting point and launch pad for many lessons learned – lessons he has gladly agreed to share with us through a series of videos highlighting his own “a-ha” moments and best business building tips.
[caption id="attachment_1326" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Calvin on stage during 2009 Anaheim Regional"][/caption]
But first, let’s get back to Calvin’s story and lesson number one, which starts where his last Black Diamond documentary left off…
Lesson #1: Do not take your foot off the gas pedal and expect your business to build itself, especially if you did not build that business with a strong foundation.
Calvin learned this the hard way. Shortly after hitting Black Diamond he said he decided to take a step back and enjoy the fruits of his eight month labor.
“Where I went wrong is I took my foot off the gas and coasted for 5-6 months and it takes that long for people to lose faith in you,” said Calvin. “If you’re not doing anything then your people won’t do anything – your people are always watching you.”
Calvin said he stopped doing tasting parties, he stopped enrolling and he stopped leading.
He also experienced his first “jumpers” or those who left MonaVie for seemingly greener pastures and admits to having his own doubt and wondered if he should do the same. Luckily he took good friend and fellow Black Diamond Todd Hartog’s advice and put “principles before profit.”
Eventually his volume dropped to that of an Emerald (15,000 points) from Black Diamond (150,000 points), which to many a loss far less significant would have meant throwing in the towel but to Calvin, it meant an opportunity to rebuild and to do it on far more solid ground. But first, he sought the advice of other MonaVie leaders, gleaning as much information as he could get his hands on.
And then he went back to work, making himself a student of networking, and rebuilding his organization from the ground up, this time with some key principles in tact.
He became a prolific enroller, sponsoring 50-60 new distributors in the next year. Also, instead of being the sole leader within his organization, he encouraged his people to organize and sustain their own groups and tasting parties and to ultimately take charge of their own businesses.
Which was Lesson #2: When building a network, key principles must be locked in from the ground level and leaders forged or success is fleeting.
“What I realized right away is that relationships had to be molded and while I had achieved success my people were still just finding their way and if I didn’t build that community within my team and forge those relationships their businesses and subsequently my business would fall apart like in the past,” said Calvin.
Since then, Calvin considers the importance of empowering people right up there with enrolling.
He also decided to get himself grounded. He found just that when he met his fiancé Shannon, and as a new father he appreciates the strength and support of a strong partner who keeps him focused.
[caption id="attachment_1327" align="alignright" width="199" caption="Calvin and Shannon on Black Diamond Destination in Bora Bora, Tahiti"][/caption]
He also got behind the MonaVie brand, not just the products, this time around.
“The MonaVie brand is about more than products,” said Calvin. “It’s about success and strength.”
Finally, he launched himself into the social media platforms, learning as much as he could and using the content generated on MonaVie’s Media Center, BlogMV, Twitter and Facebook pages to fill his own Facebook and Twitter accounts. He used the social media platforms to first, build relationships, which eventually lead to prospects and new enrollees, including most of his leaders in his international business.
“If you are not using these tools, you are missing out,” said Calvin.
And his goal moving forward is to share his lessons learned, as well as, reignite the US market and recreate the excitement felt at the beginning of the MonaVie birth with the help of Senior Vice President Jeff Graham.
Oh, and to secure his Black Diamond status and beyond month after month.
“I had to rebuild over 135,000 points and I did it and that means anyone can bounce back from less – you just have to be willing to go back to work,” said Calvin. “I am proof that success can be achieved over and over again.”
To view Calvin’s first installment in a series of “Tips and A-Ha Moments”, visit the MonaVie YouTube channel. Feel free to comments, questions and video responses
As the Social Media Promotions Manager for MonaVie, I get the privilege of working with Shante and the rest of our Marketing team and have been following you all on BlogMV, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and it truly is exciting. One of the projects I helped spearhead was MonaVie’s involvement with Alyssa Milano’s UNICEF Haiti Tweet Challenge that I discovered on of all places…Twitter!
Alyssa had been involved in the Haiti Relief efforts from the beginning and partnering with UNICEF and using the power of social media and Twitter, the challenge was afoot! The idea for MonaVie to take on this challenge was pitched to our executives, and they all loved it! Within a half an hour, emails were flying back and forth to make this a reality at the Anaheim Regional, and MonaVie responded by not only matching the amount, but doubling it! I was lucky enough to be able to communicate our efforts to Alyssa and she was very grateful and many of you saw her tweet “@monavie” to her 740,000 followers numerous times as other companies donated as well. She was also grateful when we sent her a case of (M)mun!
Last week, I was able to go to Hollywood and attend a taping of her new pilot show, “Romantically Challenged” and able to meet her in person. The taping of the show was in the same studio as Seinfeld and is directed by Jim Burrows, who also directed Cheers, Friends, Frazier and Two and a Half Men. We were able to get “VIP” seating and sit with Alyssa’s family and friends (one of whom I later found out was the Co-founder and Chairman of Twitter!). For those who have never seen a taping of a TV show before, it truly is an experience as it usually takes over 4 hours to just shoot a 22-minute comedy (and yes my face was hurting from smiling so much!). The show was very funny, and it was their 6th and final taping as the show will await its final fate from ABC (we’ll be sure to pass along details if/when the show airs!).
After the show, we were escorted onto the set where the cast and crew were having a party and we were extremely fortunate to be able to meet Alyssa and others from the cast and take a few pictures as time was short. Alyssa was very friendly and accommodating and was kind enough to tape a little video message as well.
For me, this experience highlights two things: 1) the amazing MonaVie culture and 2) the power of social media. While I was fortunate to be able to pitch the idea, I was amazed at the reaction of our wonderful leaders and their vision to run with it, inspire others to donate and to set the bar high to double the amount. The generosity of MonaVie distributors and its employees was also on display as many of you answered the call, which is why MonaVie and the MORE Project are so successful today.
In regards to social media, I think a point that often gets lost in all the excitement of these new communication platforms, is that it’s a tremendous channel to simply listen. Many have a perception of Twitter or Facebook that it’s a waste of time, or they don’t know what to say. Well, I’m here to tell you, it’s OK to not say anything; in fact, I encourage you to not say anything until you’re comfortable or find a way to add value to the conversation. There are opportunities to reach out to others if we are willing to listen, to learn and to then interact. This opportunity is evidence of just that. What’s even better was actually meeting Alyssa face-to-face to make this experience even more memorable for me, and now hopefully for you too.
Here's more behind the scenes from my day:
Michael Jensen
Social Media Promotions Manager, MonaVie
Excellent question posted yesterday by Alex Giftos that I would like to address:
Hopefully I’m asking a question that many want to know but just aren’t asking.
I have a Facebook account (which most people are using for fun and not business), and I also have a Twitter account.
One of the things that I hear from people I ask to join is that they are concerned about privacy issues. They don’t want their name and all their personal information available to anyone who wants to search for it (you can find your Facebook account on a Google search).
Since joining Twitter at the request of @TheMonavieTeam before our St. Louis Winter Leadership, I have gotten many people following my Twitter account. Many of these people I do not know or have never heard of. When I check their profiles, I see that they are either involved in a competitive MLM or think that they have a training system that is the World’s greatest. (of course, they are wrong. There can’t be two #1 training systems out there….said in jest….said in jest). Sometimes they market a completely unrelated product, and I realize that I’m being added to a list.
How do you protect yourself and your privacy from people who want to take advantage of social media to either steal an identity or just spam you to sell their wares?
First of all, kudos Alex, on the awesome question. I think there are many wondering the same thing. I’ve certainly answered the question at trainings before.
If you are new to Twitter you may see a number of individuals start to follow you that you don’t know. Don’t be alarmed. Individuals and organizations often find other individuals and organizations by doing a search using key words. If you happen to mention one of these key words they will most likely start following you and never do anything more than that, which makes them relatively harmless.
For example, and this may sound more risqué than it is, back in my beginning Twitter days I happened to mention something about the acai berry lotion by Victoria’s Secret on my personal account. Soon enough, Victoria’s Secret was following me along with a few other questionable organizations/individuals. Again though, it was harmless and I never had anyone contact me or solicit any product. Another example is our social media manager mentioned bacon in one of his personal Twitter updates and Denny’s popped up in his followers soon after. Random right?
If you wish to take a few precautions or have been spammed beyond what you think is common here are a few things you can do:
Block that individual or organization from following you or visiting your page– this is under the Actions drop down menu on Twitter and links are posted on your Facebook page as well. The person you are blocking will not be notified. They can still visit your Twitter or Facebook page by going directly to your URL but your Tweets will not show up in their Twitter feed, and your Facebook status updates will not show in their news feed. You can also report anyone who you feel is spamming or being a cyber bully or for any other reason you feel warrants reporting. Links are provided with every comment. Both Twitter and Facebook discourage spamming and give you many options to report this activity.
Create lists – both in Twitter and Facebook, you can create lists of people and then designate when you update your status or add photos or video with whom you want to share the new content.
Privacy settings – there are privacy settings for nearly every social media platform and while it would be quite lengthy to walk you through each platform here, know that they are easy to find and navigate if you do a simple search. You can privatize your Tweets, making them available only to those you designate; much the same way you can privatize a blog.
Finally, not everyone wants to be as out there as say, a chief blogger for a global company. I realize my personal Facebook page and other social media sites are available to anyone who can Google my first and last name. This is a decision I made before I went live with MonaVie’s social media platforms. I knew I would be found and was open to contact and to date, I haven’t had any negative experiences.
However, if you don’t want your world open to the world, including photos and content about your kids, family, or anything you would consider off limit to the general population, I suggest you set up a second profile/account (ie under a nickname) that you share with only those close to you.
As for spammers and competitors, it’s a managed risk. As MonaVie gains popularity and our communities grow, spammers and competitors will also gravitate towards these communities. Consider it a natural by-product of success. Also, this is another reason we have the Policies and Procedures and adhere strictly to the FTC guidelines. Those with competing interests are watching and will report bad behavior while others (and I’ve found this is definitely a minority group) just wish to antagonize. In the words of my father, “It is what it is…”
While the advantages of social media are awesome, you must realize that nearly everything you put on the Internet can be viewed. Even that credit card information is not safe from the most savvy of hackers. So, be cautious, be professional, be aware and be informed.
If you have suggestions that you wish to share, please do. This is by no means an exhaustive list.
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