Mike McGuff, Blogger and Social Media Power Influencer
By Cheval John
December 13th, 2017
Today’s episode of What’s The Word? features Mike McGuff.
Mr. McGuff is a blogger who covers breaking news in the Texas media.
He was named a Houston Social Media Power Influencer in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Mr. McGuff’s work has been featured in media outlets like the Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, NBC News, The U.K. Daily Mail and CNN International.
He also been interviewed on media like ABC 13 Houston, The Roula and Ryan Show and Fox 26 Houston.
Mr. McGuff also served as a correspondent for ITV’s Good Morning Britain
In this episode, you will hear:
-How he started blogging
-Why Texas media outlets sends him press releases of changes happening within their organizations
-The importance of being patient in building a business
Snippet on Vallano Media TV
Full episode on BlogTalkRadio
Website: www.mikemcguff.com
Twitter: @mikemcguff
Quotes from Mike McGuff On
FACEBOOK LIVE
I think it’s important to remember that even if you do not have the audience immediately during the live broadcast, you will get more of an audience after the live broadcast in the replays in people’s feeds.
I think what businesses can do is show a more personal human side to the business and get the information out there that they want.
You do not want to sell or market to someone.
Video is a great opportunity to get in front of someone.
It seems one-on-one though it’s not.
But you kind of feel like you know the person when you are watching them on video and actually seeing them and hearing them talk.
I think that makes a stronger connection from the client or customer than just reading words.
So really you’re going to humanize yourself and get the person to like you or your brand more and you can be selling indirectly at that point.
BUSINESSES LEARNING FROM THE HOUSTON ASTROS
When the Astros were sold, they lost a lot of the heart and soul of the team.
What they smartly did was used analytics to look at what they needed and they drafted the players that could help them.
I think any business should say, “Nothing Is Immediate.”
You’ve got to take time to grow your business.
You got to use analytics and measurements to kind of figure out what works and what does not work.
You look for people with specific skills and have the smarts and talent that you can help nurture.
You want to eventually achieve your business goal.
So I think any business can learn a lesson from the Astros definitely in that sense.
Work hard and do it smartly though.
You really got to have an ultimate strategy.
Clearly they had a strategy laid out to win the World Series.
SOCIAL MEDIA
I think social media is a daily struggle.
You always have to have new content out there that’s relevant and interesting to your audience.
What can I do today that will get me more followers tomorrow.
It’s something you always have to be thinking about.
If I miss a day, it’s probably because I’m sick or extremely busy.
Even on vacation, I sometimes put out stuff on social media.
I learned that from working in television because you are putting content out there and I think having that training is perfect for social media.
TWITTER BEING AN UNDERUSED RESOURCE FOR ENTREPRENEURS
A large percentage of my audience are members of the media because that is where they are.
The reason they are on there is because Twitter is immediate.
It really is perfect for delivering news.
Twitter is a headline service.
Though Facebook is fun and has news too, it has a lot of extra distractions.
You can sort through twitter and make your own lists.
For journalists, that extremely important.
So it is a great way to get out in front of them because a lot of times, while going on assignment and their photographers driving, they are scanning their phones looking at twitter and facebook, largely twitter though to search for stories.
HOUSTON MEDIA PERSONALITIES WHO STAND OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Some of the most popular, Dominique Sachse and Jennifer Reyna, those are two of the top people I think of.
Dominique has a YouTube channel where she is offering make up tips because as a television anchor, she has done make up for 20 years on herself and has learned a lot about makeup techniques.
The last time I looked, she had around 50,000 to 60,000 YouTube subscribers.
This is not just the channel to viewers in Houston, this is all over the world apparently.
She gotten this massive following by doing this.
That’s pretty smart to be able to have one successful career in television and then having a totally separate career in YouTube.
John McClain of the Houston Chronicle and Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston are excellent at using twitter to breaking news on the social platform.
You can leave a comment below if you agree or disagree with this post.
Building Online Presence One Step At A Time
By Cheval John
The old days of having a career at one company is over.
This holds true for journalists too.
The sequence for every journalist back in the day were:
Spend a couple of years in a smaller media market in order to gain work experience before moving on to a top ten media market like New York City, Houston and Chicago.
Move on from the major media market and work for national media like ESPN, NBC, CBS or ABC.
In this environment where technology is changing the way how we consume content, major media and news stations are cutting back on staff to save money.
Sometimes though, people who work in journalism, decides to leave the profession because the work is demanding.
They might end up leaving for positions in media relations for a large company, a professional sports franchise or even the athletic department at a university.
They believe the transition to a media relations role is easy.
They get a rude awakening of how challenging being in media relations is.
Erica Holloway depicted the transition from journalism to public relations with her article here.
Though journalists stayed at one place their entire careers in the past, some still made a change in careers because they were led to.
Sabrina Cadini spent a couple of years as a television announcer in her native Italy before moving to the United States
She transitioned to event planning and is now the owner of La Dolce Idea Wedding and Soiree, a wedding planning company.
She explained to me how she made the transition to wedding planning
One thing to note.
Sabrina knew how important live streaming is for her business and is using Periscope on a weekly basis to share tips with her audience about social media.
Smart people like Sabrina understand the dynamic of live streaming, podcasting and blogging because it saves them a whole lot of money on their marketing budget.
People who are looking to make transitions in their careers should be building their online presence one step at a time because they never know when their department will shut down.
Are you building your online presence now through social media? Leave your comment below
Journalist Are Human Too
By Cheval John
Here in Houston, a top ten media market, a journalist have to know how to do live shots, write their own scripts and put together an article for the respective news station’s website at the same time.
They will have to start their journalism careers in a smaller television market to earn work experience before they can apply for larger television stations in the major media markets.
To add on to the workload, they now have to be on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to keep track of breaking stories happening in their respective cities and the world.
Since a lot of journalists are being laid off across the nation at their respective media outlets, it puts a heavy workload on the rest of the staff who managed to keep their jobs.
So these same journalist are looking for news stories everyday.
What does this have to do with an entrepreneur of a small business or a larger company?
Plenty.
If you are looking for media coverage for your business, you will have to provide a story which will generate enough interest for the journalist to cover.
That means having a blog which chat about certain business or social media trends happening in the industry and having stats to back up your story.
If you can provide value to your audience on a weekly basis with your blog, podcast, live video, etc., I honestly believe you will get the media attention you are searching for.
Now I mentioned “if” because most businesses still believe they can use social media to sell their products or services to a potential customers.
They are still sending media outlets press releases of how their business is so revolutionary that it deserves the coverage.
They believe if they can hire a public relations firm to help them get national attention, it will change their business forever.
The ship of press releases has sailed because of social media.
Remember what I said about journalist being on social media looking for news stories?
Social media is where businesses need to be because it is the new “media outlet.”
If you want to earn media coverage from organizations for your business, here are three steps to follow:
1. BE A GIVER
Do not go out and spam journalists with your products or services the minute they connect with you. Look for ways to provide value to them.
2. SHARE THEIR ARTICLES WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
When you share a journalist’s story with your audience, they will know they are doing something right in their reporting.
3. CHAT WITH THEM
You can actually have a conversation with a journalist on a daily basis via social media especially Twitter.
Most are consistently interacting with their fans to let them know they are paying attention
One journalist here in Houston is constantly sharing live video about stories she is working on for the local affiliate station of a major media company.
She also shares her love for the Houston Astros which I respect though I told her at one point I am a Chicago Cubs fan.
Hopefully, this article will inspire you to take action, build credibility on social media and in the long run become a reliable source for journalist around the world.
If you have any other advice to building trust with journalist, you can leave your comments below
Top 10 Livestreamers To Follow In 2018
By Cheval John
As we are coming close to the end of 2017, we can see the rapid changes in social media.
Facebook continues to be the dominant social media platform with over two billion monthly users.
YouTube is second with one billion monthly users this year
The biggest shocker was YouTube TV being the official sponsor of the 2017 World Series in which the Houston Astros won (yeah for my friends here)
Instagram (a subsidiary of Facebook) achieved 800 million monthly users and is on pace to reach one billion monthly users next year.
Snapchat has 178 million monthly users by the third quarter of this year according to Statista.
Though it is less than facebook, snapchat seem to be the dark horse in social media because they are more focused on dominating the iPhone market.
Which leads to video.
It has been the driving force for 78% of all internet activity this year.
It is set to be at 82% by 2021 according to Cisco.
Snapchat is leading the way with ten billion video views a day.
YouTube is second with five billion video views a day.
Facebook has 500 million video views a day.
It is a different story in the case of live video.
According to the state of live streaming by Go-Globe.com
17% of video views is on Facebook Live
16% of video views is on YouTube Live
12% of video views is on Snapchat
And more live streaming shows have become more professional looking thank to third party video platforms like Blue Jeans Network, Zoom and Crowdcast.io.
We can expect to see more businesses invest in live video next year due to personalizing their message to their target market.
We also will see more post cable networks created next year and become a force like Cheddar.
Businesses can take a look at the people who made the top ten livestreamers to follow in 2018 list.
They use a variety of social media platforms like facebook live, youtube, periscope and snapchat to put out quality content on a weekly basis and grow their audience.
So without further ado, here are the top ten live streamers to follow in 2018 (not ranked in any particular order).
1. Vicki Fitch
Vicki’s shows are business related topics since she is a direct sales expert.
She hosted Vicki Fitch Live, A Fresh Perspective which she interviews highly successful entrepreneurs.
You can catch her shows on Periscope and Facebook Live.
2. Jessika Phillips and Mike Gingrich
Jessika and Mike co-host Magnet Marketers, a weekly training which give the viewers advice on social media tactics and the latest trends in social media.
Sometimes, they interview guests who are highly regarded as the leading experts in their particular social media niche.
The show airs on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. eastern, 3 p.m. central on facebook live.
3. Chelsea Peitz
Chelsea is regarded as one of the leading experts on Snapchat.
She written a book on the social platform called “Talking In Pictures: How Snapchat Changed Cameras, Communication and Communities.
She is the host of ChelsChat, a morning weekly show which talks about marketing and the latest tools for social media.
The show is only on Snapchat and you would have to see them within the 24 hour time frame.
4. Kat Macauley and Chris McManamy
They are the host of “Simply Social Live”
The show dives into the world of social media, content marketing and other related topics.
What is really cool is Chris is based in St. Louis, Missouri while Kat is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
They just completed their second season and will be back on Facebook Live next year.
5. Ross Brand
Ross is the founder of Livestream Universe.
Under the company, he hosts Livestream Stars, a weekly show which interviews live streamers who have made a dent in social media.
Ross recently branched out into hosting Livestream Deals, a show which showcases deals on products and services for livestreamers.
The shows airs on Facebook Live.
6. Stacy Harp
Stacy is the host of Bible News Radio, an interview based show which has grown a loyal listener base.
The show is now available on Spreaker and Periscope.
7. Jennifer Quinn
Jennifer host the JennyQTips, a show where she interviews experts on livestreaming and social media.
Her show airs on Facebook Live
Jennifer has been live streaming since 2015.
8. Winnie Sun
Winnie is the founder of Sun Group Wealth Partners and hosts a weekly twitter chat called #winniesun
She gives advice on finance and managing your money on facebook live.
This week, she has been sharing tips on smart spending during the holiday season.
9. Madalyn Sklar
Madalyn is a well known expert on growing your audience using twitter.
She is the host of two popular twitter chats called #twittersmarter and ManageFlitter‘s #socialroi.
Madalyn host a live streaming show recap with the guests of those twitter chats to dive deeper into the questions.
Both of those shows airs on Facebook Live.
10. Dr. Ai Zhang.
Dr. Zhang is a digital consultant.
She served as a professor at Stockton University in the Philadelphia area before moving to South Korea.
Dr. Zhang was recognized as top social media blogger at Medium and host “Classroom Without Walls.”
The show features experts in higher education and how they use social media to incorporate in their classes.
It airs Wednesdays at 5 p.m. eastern time on Facebook Live
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Lindsey Henry
Lindsey is a reporter at Fox 26 Houston where she covered events like the Super Bowl and the World Series.
She gives her audience a preview on Facebook Live on stories she is working on for the station.
Sometimes, you will see random singing especially during the holiday season.
Meisha Johnson
Meisha is an anchor/reporter for CBS Philadelphia.
She is also the host of #askmeisha.
The show talks about motivation to overcome all the obstacles thrown into a person’s live and learning to have an attitude of gratitude.
It airs every Monday at 2 p.m. eastern time on facebook live.
Cynthia Bazin
She is the founder of Smart Chic, a company which helps business owners stay laser focused on their goals.
Cynthia shares tips on how people can eliminate distractions from their lives and have a question and answer day.
It airs on Periscope.
Kami Huyse
Kami is the host of Social Media Breakfast Houston, a “seminar” where she interviews experts on different trends like livestreaming.
It is held at the Canopy Houston the second friday of each month and is filled to capacity.
The “show” airs on Facebook Live
Do you agree or disagree with this list? You can leave a comment below.
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