Speaker 0 00:08 Okay.
Speaker 2 00:11 Hi and welcome to another episode of social PR secrets. My name is Lisa buyer and I will be your host in today's episode I interview Kim Garst. Kim is very sweet and very smart. She's a speaker at social media marketing world. Several years in a row you can find her speaking throughout different conferences and also on different webinars. I love Kim because she is always giving very actionable advice for brands at any size to use, whether you're trying to figure out how to do live streaming or what social media platforms are working today and what maybe social media platforms are out. Enjoy this episode with Kim.
Speaker 0 00:53 Okay.
Speaker 1 00:54 <inaudible>
Speaker 3 00:58 hi everybody. So we are, we have very special guests today. We're going to be focusing on Facebook and I've invited Kim Garst to be our guest and Kim is a guru in social media and I have been following her for years and we just realized that we knew each other in a past um, company. But, um, so Kim is the author of will the real you please stand up and she is also the owner of social boom. And I'm going to let Kim take it away. And Kim, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into the space of social media.
Speaker 4 01:30 Sure. I am so excited to be here. One, so thank you Lisa for inviting me. Um, I'm always about, um, you know, empowering and encouraging young entrepreneurs in particular. So this is exciting to have that opportunity to have that touch point. Um, but I, you know, frequently tell people that I was doing social media before it was called social media because I've owned an online business for over 20 years, dating myself a little bit, but way back in the day, um, all these youngsters won't understand what I'm getting ready to say. Perhaps. Maybe they will, but, but I, uh, used to, uh, connect with people on BTB boards and AOL business chat rooms. You know, I'd go into specifically the AOL business chat rooms and try to find what I consider my ideal customer and I'd reach out to them. Of course it was harder.
Speaker 4 02:19 It wasn't social media technically, you know, like we know it today. But, um, it was still a connection point in a way to reach out and form relationships with people that you didn't previously know. You know, it was, it was a way to do business with people that you would never in the ordinary course of life meet, you know. So, um, but as it relates to, you know, um, actually taking my business in the social media direction, I was marketing a business and the business that we were previously associated with. And, uh, I kept getting a lot of the same questions that I had gotten from previous businesses and that more about, you know, my knowledge, how are you marketing, you know, how are you doing what you're doing? And I quickly realized that my knowledge was actually more valuable than the services that I had been offering.
Speaker 4 03:11 So that's when I said, okay, I really need to dig in and learn all I can about social media and the marketing of it specifically. Um, you know, leveraging it to market so that I can, you know, share this knowledge with other, um, entrepreneurs, small business owners, et cetera. So that was kind of the pivot for me was, um, the knowledge piece and knowing that people needed to know what I knew or you know, what, what else could I learn and implement so that I could be that, um, way of shortening the learning curve for others.
Speaker 3 03:48 And that's definitely something you do very well. Kim is, you know, thanks to you, we can turn to you to shorten our learning curve. And speaking of learning curve, we're going to really focus on Facebook. And the audience here today hasn't had, I don't know if you want to call it a luxury, the privilege, but the, the history of, you know, you and I were around when Facebook popped up into the scene and we've been around since day one. So when you've been around since day one, you've learned as Facebook has changed. But now today our audience is now jumping into Facebook for business for the first time. So Facebook is complicated. So what would you say to the future social media managers about w what do they need to know about Facebook for business today?
Speaker 4 04:33 Well, um, you know, I know a lot of young people aren't, or they think they're not using Facebook themselves. You know, they're more active perhaps on Instagram or Snapchat. But, um, the reality is that if you want to leverage it for your customers or your, um, your perspective clients, the reality is that there's not really a business out there that can't be, um, benefited from Facebook because Facebook has such a massive marketplace and I think it's just started to scratch the surface frankly. Um, I'm seeing them innovate in some very clever ways specifically. Um, Facebook live, you know, is a biggie. You know, they're entering that live video element, which I personally think is probably more of the future of social media than what we currently are experiencing in the social space. And that's what I think from a, just from a pure business standpoint, uh, Facebook ads are amazing.
Speaker 4 05:32 They're like an ATM machine for your, your client base if you know what you're doing. Um, and what I find really intriguing is the, um, the journey that's just beginning as it relates to messenger and how they're really starting to build out the messenger platform for business. Um, you know, here in the U S a lot of us are not familiar of just communicating through messenger services. You know, we know we send photos or we, you know, we have private chats, et cetera through messenger. But the reality is in a lot of other countries, they are using messenger apps and, or specifically Facebook messenger apps for business. You know, they're booking their hair appointments. They're um, you know, reserving their fish down at the fish market. You know, little while I say little things, but things like that that we really don't have a frame of reference for yet here in the U S but it's coming. Um, it's going to be really interesting to see how we can not only, you know, help our clients engage in and connect with their customers through messenger, but ultimately how they can click and buy within the messenger app. So I'm really excited about that.
Speaker 3 06:45 So, um, those are some things that are trending. So I'm just gonna kind of rattle off a couple keywords here that are very relevant to Facebook. So, algorithms, Facebook is famous for its algorithms. What can you tell us about that?
Speaker 4 07:01 Um, well, we hate them, right? We hate those algorithms because, you know, they mess with how our content is being, um, it's being shown or not shown. And the thing about the algorithm is it's constantly fluctuating and there's like literally a hundred thousand ways that Facebook determines how our content is displayed or not displayed or who sees it more specifically. And, um, and there's no way to game it. I mean, honestly, outside of live video and or video right now, video in particular is something that you can leverage to, uh, to get more exposure for your content. But, um, it's, it's just one of those things, if you think about it, they have 1.7 billion billion users and, uh, over a million, I'm sorry. Oh, I'm right. At a billion of them are active each and every day. That's a lot of, of people consuming content. And it's a lot of people creating content. So it only makes sense that they had to do something in order to, you know, surface the best content. And to their credit, they are very committed to giving us the best user experience based on what they decide.
Speaker 3 08:17 Yeah, yeah. I mean it's definitely gotten harder, but I mean I'm still happy with the content I see on Facebook.
Speaker 4 08:22 Yeah. And I think the thing that we have to be cognizant of is that they're really trying to give us the best user experience and it is based on how we consume content. So you know, if we pay more attention to, you know, the three of our friends for example, and their content or you know, certain types of content, they'll try to surface more of that content for us. So it's, you know, it's just one of the things that we have to work around. And from a business standpoint, specifically fan pages, it can be really difficult to get our era content, the newsfeeds of our fans. Because the reality is that over 90% of people who like a fan page never revisit that fan page. And that's pretty stunning. So the only way they see the content from that particular fan page is if it shows up in the feeds of their fans. And that's where the conundrum becomes a problem for a lot of business owners. That's it. It is still possible to get in front of a fan base or organically are free, um, with great content and with some good, some good strategies. Um, and you know, outside of that, you know, you can spend a little bit of the ads budget that your client has and, you know, try to get as many of the fans that you as they have in order to get that content into the, into the, into their newsfeeds.
Speaker 3 09:44 So is it still possible to get in front of, get into the newsfeed without having to pay to play? And can you give us some examples of, of what type of content would work best for that?
Speaker 4 09:56 Yes, actually I am blessed. I have a, it's kind of like my, um, my project. I'm constantly, um, working on, on my own content, on my fan page to see what does work. I have the average, um, uh, engagement for most fan pages is less than less than 2% now. So it's crazy. And my, um, my engagement rates are 800 times the average. So, and I do most all of it for zero ad spend, uh, zero. So some of the things that I have done is focused on things that will, um, uh, connect me to people from a human to human, um, level on a human to human level. Because the reality is that if someone's just encountered me in the social space, they're not interested in how I can help them with their social media or, you know, digital marketing or, you know, in other words, most people are not interested.
Speaker 4 10:59 They're not on Facebook to buy someone's product or service right out the gate at least. So you have to connect with people on a human level, a relate-ability level. Um, it's just like going to a social event. Um, you don't rush up to someone and say, Oh, Hey, I've got a sell on my website, 20% off. Hey, go, go buy now. You don't do that. Um, in real life. So why do people think that it's okay to do it on social? It's social media is life. And if you treat it like that and you treat it like it's a connection point and that there are other people on the, on the other side of those computer screens that you're trying to engage with and, or serve, um, then the content that you share should be content that isn't always about buy from me or Hey, go look at this blog post or you know, those types things. So I have built my fan base around, um, content that's she's human, relatable, and I weave in the marketing message. I don't do it in the reverse. In other words, you know, share all marketing stuff and then weave in occasionally something that is relatable or not at all, which is what happens to a lot of businesses.
Speaker 3 12:13 So we're going to use your Facebook fan page as the model page for this week. We'll be looking at it. So Kim, can you tell us if you're a small business or a personal brand, how you can best use Facebook to, to market your business?
Speaker 4 12:29 Absolutely. And I'm kind of a hybrid because essentially I'm both, um, you know, I have a personal brand and uh, and then we have them social as well. So it's, uh, it's been difficult sometimes to make, to have that defining line on where, you know, what's the message? Because I'm kind of both. Um, but I can speak to both because I am both, I'm mine both essentially. So I think the key again comes from a very, um, core place and that service, you know, how do you show up each and every day with a servant-based heart, um, and, and knowing that you, your goal for the day is to make a difference in some way for your ideal customer. You know, whether that's a giggle or whether that is a, a nugget, a tip, a business tip or a, you know, maybe it's a product or service that ultimately they end up buying.
Speaker 4 13:28 But it at the root of it, it's not about us at all. As business owners, it's all about them. And they know it. You know, there's, there's that, uh, real estate analogy where it's a buyer's market or it's a sellers market, you know, and it's definitely a buyer's market today. There's so many choices and you know, showing up authentic authentically, um, with a, you know, I'm here to serve is the difference maker in my opinion for small business owners. And then, you know, taking care of the customers that you get. Um, instead of worrying about the next one, you know, uh, you know, really love up your customer base and they'll bring you more, more customers.
Speaker 3 14:10 So true. So true. So, um, we'll go check out your page for sure. Kim, you are a super inspirational, you're a very inspirational person. Where do you gain your inspiration from? Where do you, where do you get it from? What do you turn to?
Speaker 4 14:22 Well, I have a multitude of places and I am really big on not recreating the wheel, you know, in other words, what kind of content, um, is already resonating out there. So I'll use, um, tools like BuzzSumo or, um, or postplanner.com for example, to find content that, um, that people are already resonating with. And then I will to recreate it in my own words. Like, if it's a inspirational quote, for example, uh, how would I say that message? You know, how would I take that message and word it in my, my tone, my voice? Um, so I do a lot of that, um, because I do create a lot of original content myself instead of sharing other people's content. Although there's nothing wrong with sharing other people's content. Um, it's just that, um, I'm okay. I'm a bit of a visual content snob. I want things to look good. And sometimes the things you find that really resonate don't always look good, you know? So I try to make them look good and, and have my tone, my voice, um, versus, uh, you know, just sharing something that doesn't look as good as I would want it to.
Speaker 3 15:40 Okay. You're kind of a Facebook lab, you know, we want to come and look inside your lab of what's happening in there. What are some resources that you turn to for face for tools and managing Facebook or, um, just measuring or just resources in general? Where do you get all your knowledge from?
Speaker 4 15:58 Well, the interesting thing, um, about Facebook is Facebook gives us a lot of like core insights, you know, and they're better than they used to be. They're not awesome, but they do at least give the average business owner enough information to know what's working and what's not. You know, they've gotten better. They've gotten a lot better than they used to be. And, um, you know, as far as management, I mean, honestly I do a lot of management just from my own van page. Um, and or I, I love a Gore at pulse. I don't know if you're familiar with the girl pulse, but I find that their, their platform, both their mobile app and, um, their web based platform for Facebook in particular is amazing. Um, I'm, you know, I still like, uh, sprout social for Twitter, but um, or HootSweet even is another great tool.
Speaker 4 16:48 But I really do love, um, a girl pulse for Facebook in particular. Um, so that's a great little tool. Um, as far as, um, other things that I use daily, probably outside of the, the page itself or the app itself, I use the app a lot, you know, just to connect and you know, responded to people, uh, on the go. Um, I probably would say that post planner comes a close second because I'm always looking for, again, content ideas, you know, how can I find content? Uh, that's really great. BuzzSumo's another option that I, um, I leverage a lot as well. So BuzzSumo is really interesting because they have what they call a Facebook analyzer. So you can type in a hashtag or a keyword or a key phrase or even, you know, look at individual, uh, fan pages and it will pull up the most viral content on that. Or it'll pull up the most viral content based on a keyword or a key phrase. So it's pretty amazing. It's just like, you know, if you're using it to find blog post ideas, except it, it takes it out another direction with the Facebook pages themselves.
Speaker 3 18:05 Okay. We'll have to definitely check that out. So Kim, if you are hiring a social media manager, what would you look for as far as requirements?
Speaker 4 18:13 Um, somebody who is social for sure. I mean that is probably the first requirement. And, and I would take it one step further and say, not, not just someone who is social but can translate that to the written word because I found some people are social, but when they engage with people, they can't translate that emotion into their words. And um, hopefully that's making sense. But it's a, it's sometimes it's a disconnect. Um, I even had one, uh, person, uh, that was, you know, had a master's degree in, um, and social media and really struggled with communicating, you know, through the written word. And you really have to be able to not only communicate well through text, um, but, or the written word, but you also had to be able to convey emotion. And, um, and I think that's a big piece of it. And sometimes that can be a disconnect.
Speaker 4 19:11 So that's probably the first biggie. Uh, for me when I'm looking for a manager or community manager or a social media manager, um, and then I'm also looking for someone who's creative and thinks outside of the box. Um, because I think social media is constantly evolving and it is, um, not just the strategies that you know, up today, it's what's next, what's new, what's fresh, what is a new idea that you know, you've been creatively come up with and implement. Uh, and I think that creativity, uh, is definitely something that that is a must. You can't just stay stuck in, Oh, this is working now because trust me, it won't work tomorrow. Only constant social media is changed.
Speaker 3 19:59 Exactly. Exactly. So my last question is for the future social media managers that are in our audience, and even the ones that aren't going to be social media managers, but we're using social for their personal brand, what advice would you give them going out into the career world?
Speaker 4 20:14 Well, both of those are kind of different. So if you're, if you're going to use social media for you and your business and your personal brand, um, be authentic, be real. Don't try to pretend to be Joe down on the corner or you know, SU who's got this great website, or is this, you know, a superstar, you just have to be you. Um, and I think that's critically important and I think that's also critically important to success if you're managing other social media accounts, which is where the difficulty in, uh, you know, it's very difficult to be the voice of a brand, especially when they won't participate. So, um, it's a fine balance. And Lisa and I were talking about that earlier. I S she, she asked me this question and I'm like, so I guess it wouldn't be a good idea to tell them not to do it, saying don't become a social media manager.
Speaker 4 21:08 I'm just saying it does come with some challenges and therefore because of the authenticity piece, it can be a real, uh, Booker for us because of that factor. You know, when you don't get buy in all the way from someone who's hired you, um, it can be a little bit of a challenge, but that's the ad. Let's put that to the side and, and assume that all is going well and what can you do? And I, I think one other thing that I would really like to bring to your attention that I don't think a lot of people think about. Um, if you're going to be managing social media for someone else, the very first thing you have to see too is your own business. You know, you have to demonstrate in your social media presences that you know what you're doing, you know, because otherwise it's very difficult to say, Oh well yeah, you should hire me when you're not demonstrating what you would you're telling them to do.
Speaker 4 22:07 You know? So, uh, walk your own own talk is a big piece of my advice. And as you grow, you are going to be, and I'm going to tell you this, you're going to be tempted to not see to your own household. And I'm just saying don't do that because the very first thing you should do every morning before you get started is CD or own your own business, your own social platforms. Make sure you're engaging during your growth. Doing whatever it is you would normally do, um, before you take care of client work because you, you can't just focus on the one client you have or the five clients you have because you've got to be on the lookout for and presenting your business in a way that will attract new clients to you. So a lot of times, um, I see social media, um, experts who don't do that.
Speaker 3 22:59 Definitely, definitely. Well, Kim, um, you have a lot of things going on with your business and, um, first for the audience that might want to expand on their knowledge, I know you have some workshops going on. Can you tell us a little bit about that? So if anybody wanted to take it to the next level, what they could do with you?
Speaker 4 23:16 Sure, absolutely. Well, one of the things, um, that I do that's very cost effective for literally everyone. And the, one of the reasons that I designed it, like this is kind of like an open source to a lot of my training and it's what I call my inner circle. It's, um, and it's available. It's $47 a month that you can try it out for a dollar, literally. So that's an opportunity, but my blog has a ton of free content. Um, and you can check that it Kim garst.com, forward slash blog. I publish a couple of times a week normally. Uh, so there's constantly new stuff. Um, you know, out and about. Um, I'm also, um, pretty active, um, in, in the live space and that will be increasing, uh, going forward. So that's an opportunity as well, uh, to learn for free and not, you know, really invest a lot of, uh, of dollars other than your time. I know as a student you don't have a lot of extra dollars laying around and you know, learning who to pay attention to and, um, learn from can be difficult. But these are opportunities, like I say, to tap into my knowledge. I love sharing. Um, feel free to tweet me. I'm always available.
Speaker 2 24:31 Okay, great. So, and when you, when you say the live space, would that be Facebook live? We can watch for you on Facebook live
Speaker 4 24:36 actually starting a Facebook live show. Yeah, I'm, I'm telling you first time, this first time I've gone public with this, but the first show will be September the seventh. And, um, I'm of course going to get back into prepare a scope and uh, you know, I think Facebook live for me is probably going to be a steady, consistent thing. And then, you know, I'll just occasionally, um, do other live videos as well based on, you know, what's happening and that kind of thing. But having a consistent show is definitely one of my goals.
Speaker 2 25:11 Okay. Awesome. So we will watch for you on Facebook live your new show. You heard it here first by the time this airs, it might be after when, I'm not sure, but watch for Kim on Facebook live, what? Follow her on Twitter. Her blog is awesome. You're going to have assigned reading from her blog anyway and you'll get a taste of it. But thank you so much Kim for joining us. We really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 25:29 Thank you. And I'm so glad I got a chance to, uh, to um, offer up some of what I know. So thank you for inviting me.
Speaker 2 25:36 Thank you. And everybody. We'll see you next week. We'll be talking about Twitter. Thank you for listening to this episode of social PR secrets. If you like what you heard, check out the book on Amazon or follow our
[email protected] this episode was sponsored by the buyer group, a social PR agency, striving to keep our balance in the digital world, practicing public relations, social media, and search marketing while occasionally drinking a glass of wine or two for the best creativity and results. Thank you all for tuning in. If you would like to get a free chapter of social PR secrets, go to social PR secrets.com/free.
