Choose Your Social Media Platforms Wisely
By Cheval John
It seems like every few months we see the next big social media platform that would benefit us.
It’s a mad rush to jump onto that social media platform because of the fear of missing out.
In the last year and a half, live streaming platforms like Periscope, Snapchat, Blab have changed the game of how many businesses market themselves.
Then Facebook’s subsidiary, Instagram “created” Instagram Stories” about three weeks ago to rival Snapchat.
And recently, Google announced that they are shutting down Google + Hangouts On Air and moving their users to YouTube Live starting on September 12th.
It is understandable of why so many people are jumping onto live streaming platforms.
The advertising dollars are now in live streaming according to this New York Times article.
You might hear from many telling you that you need to be on this live streaming platform or that live streaming platform because many of your fellow entrepreneurs or professionals are there.
So a person can wonder which live streaming/social media platform should they or their business be on.
The answer is “it depends on where your audience is and which live streaming/social media platform you feel comfortable using.”
For example, the Sam Houston State University athletic department are only on Youtube, Instagram (Facebook) and Twitter because their audience want to see highlights from the sporting matchups that their teams participate in.
Ashley Johnson, owner of Mouth Marketing, LLC, told me on my show, What’s The Word, that she is not using Instagram Stories because they integrated Snapchat like features in their platform.
Ashley also said that she does not use Snapchat and was getting used to Instagram.
And for myself, I only use Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and LinkedIn because I feel comfortable using these platforms above.
Plus, I am trying out the live streaming platforms like Firetalk and Huzza.io to see which one works well for my podcast recordings (I was using Blab before they shut down their live streaming platform last weekend).
You do not want to jump onto the next big live streaming platform because other tells you to.
What you should do is focus on the social media/live streaming platform that works well for your business and your personal brand.
If you try to be great at all of the social media platforms, you will wind up burning yourself out and create a bad digital trail of your social media presence.
It Not’s Me, It’s You
By Cheval John
Everyone was enamored with the live streaming platform called Blab when the app came out in July of 2015.
We saw influencers like Kim Garst, Michael Stelzer, Sue B. Zimmerman using the platform to record their shows and provide valuable information to us about social media.
We also saw celebrities and brands like ESPN using the platform to record their shows.
Then we got the message from the CEO of blab that they were not investing more resources into the platform because they saw that the audience was only there for the hangout after the shows were over with, paraphrased.
Everyone of us knew that it was a matter of time before blab was going away for good.
So we look at alternatives to record our shows.
Then we got the message last night from the CEO that they were shutting down blab.
My reaction was mixed because blab was the reason why I became a better podcaster.
Plus, I met amazing people like Jackie Bernardi, Gerald DuBose, Victoria Taylor, and Vicki Fitch who I would not have met before.
And I had the opportunity to talk with Kelly Hungerford, Brian Fanzo, Rachel Miller, Christin Kardos, Adel de Meyer, Samantha Kelly and many more which I don’t have the space to mention.
Blab revolutionized live streaming because they had saved the audio in addition to video of the live streaming show.
They were the reason that many people who were not podcasters became podcasters.
Now I will get to the disappointment of blab.
The CEO of blab had a lack of communication with their users.
They did not give any warning of a change in direction of the platform.
I understand 100% that blab was their business and that the main goal is to be profitable.
However, they should have at least have the decency to let the users who was heavily invested in blab, know that they were moving in a different direction.
If they would have been more transparent about the change in direction of their business, I honestly believe that many people would have been cool with them.
And the fact that they decided to shut down everything without letting the people know about it was utterly classless.
They should have allowed the users of blab to have ample time to save their recordings so that they can have a track record of the interviews that they did on the social media platform.
It is so sad that the CEO had the audacity to blame most of the users for blab’s failure.
Other than the lack of transperency, blab opened up the possibilities to see that podcasters can also be live streamers.
Blab also allowed me to be featured on Ebony Magazine’s website.
What I can say is that I am thankful for the opportunity to record my show, What’s The Word on blab and later repurpose the show on BlogTalkRadio.
At the same time, I am grateful that I did not leave BlogTalkRadio entirely because if I had moved my show fully to blab, I would have regretted the decision above.
Now, I am using different live streaming platforms like Firetalk.com to record my show and putting that same show onto BlogTalkRadio.
The lesson that blab teaches us is to never put all of your resources in one social media platform because in the end, you will get burned.
Building “Momentum” In Your Business
By Cheval John
Courtesy of mariaross.com
I had the opportunity to chat with Maria Ross, owner of Red Slice on my podcast, What’s The Word.
Maria is a brand strategist and the author of “Branding Basics for Small Business: How To Create An Irresistable Brand, Rebooting My Brain, and The Juicy Guide Series For Entrepreneurs.
I had Maria back on the show to chat about her upcoming group coaching program, “Momentum“* which is set to begin on September 5th.
She has been one of a few people who made an appearance three times or more since I began the show over three years ago.
Maria is a lady who is on demand for interviews from national media, local media, bloggers and podcasters because she shares uplifting content that solves people’s problems.
Her story of becoming an entrepreneur is refreshing because she guides her audience through the ups and downs she faced when she was building her business.
And she will tell the truth like it is because she sees how marketing has gotten a bad reputation over the years because of a few people who cut corners.
Maria is one of the reasons why I host my show because I want to learn from entrepreneurs and business professionals who have succeeded in their careers without cutting corners to achieve their success.
And I know that entrepreneurs, sports organizations and business professionals will get valuable lessons from Maria Ross after listening to her interview.
Disclosure* I am not an affiliate of the Momentum program
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