Social Media - Not a magic pill for every business!

Bare with me a moment. I just need to get something off my chest

I haven't had an overwhelming desire to write an ebook or blog, but I always seem to end up writing when people annoy me... Today I have encountered 3 different people in Facebook Business groups asking for advice because January is slow, "how do we get the phone to ring?" It's a common problem for a lot of businesses, because frankly everyone spends too much over the holidays so they try to recover in January. I see it in my business, and I see it in my clients businesses especially.

Anyway...for each one of these people asking, they got 20+ people trying to sell them on their social media marketing package/plan. No offense to Social Media Marketers if you happen to be reading this, I provide that service as well, but let's face some truths here!

Social Media is not the right solutions to every business problem. I will even repeat that...Social Media is not the right solution to every business problem.

When my bathtub stopped draining, and I was told I needed a plumber. I didn't wait until I happened to find a plumber updating his Facebook Page. I texted a friend who has lived in this area longer than me, and said "hey, know any plumbers you trust?" Then I texted a friend who is a local Realtor, and I said "hey, who is the plumber you trust? Not a single one of them, answered with "Oh I saw a Facebook Ad for XYZ Plumber on my news feed!" Shocking, right?

The Realtor builds a networking by trusting referrals from other Realtors. If you are new to the business and don't have that trust yet, then get your face and business name in front of the Realtors! The Realtor groups I know have weekly or monthly meetings for everyone under that Broker, and you know what...a good plumber will find out when that meeting is and spend a few bucks and PERSONALLY drop off donuts and coffee or a tray of cookies from the local bakery to the Realtor office DURING the meeting. Guess what? That plumber just got his name and face in front of a group of Realtors! Hmm, think they might remember his name when that next home inspector says "the kitchen sink is leaking slightly"? It depends - were they good donuts or the cheapie ones from Wal-mart? Was the cookies day olds and dried out? Spring for the good ones! :)

OH and my 2nd bit of annoyance from the people "selling" the people on their social media package....Not everyone who comes to ask for advice wants to be sold! Frankly, if I get desperate enough that I'm posting on Facebook "Hey, My phone isn't ringing...how do I make it ring?" I am likely more worried about paying my rent / mortgage or groceries to feed Little Johnny, than I am about buying your product! I know you are trying to make your own phone ring, and I get that. I am trying to get clients too, but seriously - build a relationship!

We buy from people we Know, Like, Trust and Respect. Get out of behind your keyboard and go meet someone for coffee, build a referral network, and please to God don't immediately start PMing the person telling them why your product or package is better than everyone else's! Seriously people!?!?

Now don't get me wrong, I think plumbers should have a Facebook Business Page and I think they should be active on it. Business Page being the key word there too...don't get me started on the people promoting their business via their Personal Page...that's a blog rant for another day. But Service industry companies, I'm sorry, but social media is not your magic pill to make the phone ring. It just isn't...

By the way, I'm using Plumber because I recently had to hire one...this is true for Water damage, restoration companies, Electricians, contractors, auto repairs, Realtors, etc...not just plumbers.

*steps off her soap box and goes to bed* Night all!

Unfinished projects

So how do you handle unfinished projects?  For example,

1) scrapbooking - I have major guilt over this at times.  My daughter has at least 3 FULL scrapbooks devoted to her life ages 0-6 yrs.  Then this little bouncy bundle named Jacob came along and Kalissa's albums are frozen in time, and I think Jacob has 2 pages done, only because a friend of ours made 2 pages from photos at the hospital and included them in his baby gift.

2) writing - I have started writing several short stories. I love writing but my mind has to be in the story and for a while there, it became stressful to think about writing, so I stopped.  I really would like to get back to it, but it just never happened.

3) Genealogy - I started while Kalissa was a baby and LOVED the stories I found. I loved learning about my family and the country at the time via their diaries and such I found.  I am not sure this is a project you ever finish because there's sooo much you can find. I loved it and I had several trips I wanted to take to see the area where my family is from, to visit libraries and get copies of records....but the stuff was boxed up for a move and has never been unboxed.

Those are the major personal projects...but then there's the other projects I have I want to do for my family, charities, etc....I have always felt I was a good organized person who kept busy and did a lot of things, but today I'm feeling overwhelmed and I know the tricks...make a list, set a timer, blah blah... But at the same time, I don't feel overwhelmed and lacking motivation on the things that I "have to get done" which is what the timers and such works for...I can get the coupons sorted, I can get the emails for GFH answered, etc.  It's the BIG things...like scrapbooking that I can't get motivated to do and I don't even know where to fit it in anymore.

I think I have made myself work alone too long :(

Task Lists

Someone told me at the funeral Saturday that I should write more blog entries.  I figured they need a break in their day to laugh at my goofy logic, but I really don't know that I have a lot worthwhile to say...but here goes...Lisa-Logic aka whatever pops into my head.

So task lists, to do list, HoneyDew List...whatever you want to call them, do you keep one?  I'm a FIRM believer in task lists, in fact, I find that I'm Completely and Totally lost if I don't have a list.  Right now, I'm frustrated because the task list software I found and was going to use only allows for one list.  I prefer to sort my task lists electronically by "Roles", such as "household", "school/church", "GFH", "someday".  The software I'm currently using (free app, because I'm cheap!) allows me to do tags so I can still sort them, but everything is still on one list.  Not sure I'm crazy about that, but I do like that I can have the app on my tablet, my phone and the website on my laptop and sync the entire list in all 3 places.  I'm all about syncing and being able to work with whatever tool aka laptop, phone or tablet I have handy at the time moment.

Anyway, so if you have a task list, how do you maintain it?  I'm looking for actual feedback here folks, in case you're wondering.  I know, I know, some of my blogs are just me talking and feedback is optional, but this is one where I'm really looking for ideas.  So here's my situation...I have a task list I'm working on completing...because I'm __wow, so many words come to mind that all fits depending on the day__ an active person with lots of irons in the fire...yeah, we'll go with that because it sounds better than a busy body who overcommits herself on a regular basic LOL...anyway, so I'm plugging away working on something, and POP! suddenly I think of something else I need to do.  (You mean you don't hear that Pop! sound?  Oh maybe it's just the alarm going off on the dryer then :P)  The task is simple, would only take maybe a second or two to do...such as recording that receipt you just found on the kitchen counter.  So do you go and do it immediately or do you ask it to your task list?  Serious question!  Which do you do?

Now, here's why I ask...simple task...would only take a second to do it.  But the problem is the "other" things that will go with it: Using the receipt, I pick it up from the counter, need to record it on the computer...let's say the laptop is already booted up, turned on and ready to go, because that saves a step or two....  I sit down at my laptop, since I work on facebook, it's most likely already open with the notifications bright red.  Say I'm even good and immediately open the receipt file to record it.  I didn't immediately check facebook first...say I'm good (stop laughing, I can be good!)..so I record the receipt.  It immediately adds the info, and updates the little automatic graph-thingy (technical term for you!) of our spending, and in this case analyzes our grocery spending.  So then I'm thinking about grocery and spending and the budget for next month, and that normally gets me thinking of other bills that are due.  Next thing I know I'm looking at our budget and end up log into the bank acct and paying a bill online because I see that it's coming up on it's due date, which was on the task list, just not as high up because it didn't HAVE to be done today.  All because my husband left a receipt laying on the counter where he brought milk last night.   So, do I add that simple task to the task list or do I just do the task immediately, because it's such a simple task? And if I do it immediately, how do I keep myself focused and not go off on a thousand other tasks, because of that one simple "only take a second" task?

Oh and by the way, because I went ahead and did that simple "just take a second" task, I started thinking about this and ended up writing this blog, and so now an hour later, I guess I'll go back to what I was doing before I found the receipt on the kitchen counter.

Answered prayer or added stress....haven't decided yet.

If you know me at all, you know I hate waiting, especially waiting on the unknown.  So I tend to push the issue until I get an answer, rather it's the answer I want or not. In this case, I'm not sure what answer I wanted, but at least I got an answer.

A couple weeks ago, a former co-worker told me they were looking for instructors again and planted the seed if I wanted to go back to teaching now might be a good time.  I decided to at least test the waters and contact the new dept chair to see what's available.  I heard via some former students that they were struggling to find instructors for the next semester as well. My initial email was returned with a "we'll be in touch" message, then I heard nothing for almost two weeks.  So I decided yesterday to send a "just checking in" kinda message, and I got back the answer that they wouldn't be needing me this coming semester.  So, the unknown is now known...but I'm left examining how I feel about it.

In some ways, I really don't want to go back to teaching right now. I'm home with my son, I'm enjoying this time in his life. Homeschooling is going...OK.  I pledged to be honest in these blogs, especially to myself, even if I don't want to admit something.  Homeschooling is challenging, because it means keeping a schedule.  Some days, that's fine because deep down I like a schedule.  But there's other days, when the schedule seems too restricting, like today, when I need to run some errands, and homeschooling isn't done.  But I do feel like he's learning well, and getting the work done, just not as structured as I would like at times.  We are about 2 weeks behind the "schedule" of where we should be, but at least it's not a month, and we are working to close that gap and be back on schedule.  So, it's all good.  I just would rather be "on schedule".

At the same time, I worry that my son is falling into bad habits with homeschooling.  He doesn't sit still during the lessons, like I know he would be expected in public school. He takes too many breaks, and he watches more TV these days then he did when he was in public school.  I'm sure these plays into the being behind, so it's a cycle we must break!

Part of me is also a little saddened, because I would have rather been offered a class or two for ME to decide if I wanted to teach them, rather than be told I wasn't needed.  I mean everyone likes to think their employer recognizes their value and wants their contribution. Plus I have always been told I was good at what I did; I felt like I was good at what I did, so I would have liked to have had the opportunity to do that work again.  I would have at least liked the opportunity to evaluation what she offered and decided if it was right to go back or not.  But instead it feels a little like I wasn't "good enough" to be asked back. I know that's not the case, truly, but the devil sitting near ready to whisper negative things, did get that in before I could shut him down.


The bottom line is I will be continue homeschooling come January. I will be more determined than ever to get us on schedule, because I want us done with our school year at the same time that our daughter is done with her public school year. I will continue to try to get this "couponing" thing figured out, because without my teaching income, things are tight at times. And I'll continue to spend time at home with my favorite little guy and the dog.  That's the best part of the entire deal!