One of the most common things we do when looking at a new way of doing things is to look at who is doing now and who is doing it well.
This is certainly true when it comes to working in social media in the UK. Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and many others are inventions from the US and rightfully they were the first to fully understand its potential for businesses and then sport.
When I look at examples of best practice in the industry I will naturally look to people who are the foremost thinkers on social media + marketing are also based there such as Chris Brogan, Gary Vaynerchuk, Lewis Howes, Seth Godin and many more.
Why can this be a problem? Well, take a step back for a moment and think about the differences in personality. We see Americans as being brash, self confident and loud (sorry for the sweeping generalisation but just take it in the context of this post… it works I promise!). Whilst we British are seen as being traditional, stiff-upper-lipped and more inhibited.
So when we see US athletes, thought leaders and businesses tweeting every few seconds, checking into everywhere they go and shouting from the roof tops what a great job they are doing, would we copy exactly what they do?
On the whole probably not. We are nowhere near as good at self publicity when we are building up our on and off line profiles. Social Media provide us with a massive opportunity to let people know we are experts in our field and make connections around the world.
To do this you have to put yourself up there and not be afraid to show that you know your topic and are confident enough to write, make podcasts or videos about it. You need to do this regularly and consistently to let people know that you do what you do and that they should hire you.
There are examples of people making videos and websites devoted to getting them a job with a certain company… and it succeeding. I am not saying we need to become American and copy everything they do and say. But if you can let go of your inhibitions and shout from the roof top every once in a while, you will be amazed at how many people are listening.
Good article, I totally agree that us Brits can be a little more reserved.
As an independent artist I've taken the advice from More Machine Digital (www.moremachinedigital.com)
who have been fantastic at Social Media promotion with very useful advice thats really helped me push my artwork and become more business minded.
Excellent post Daniel. I acknowledge that you were using generalisations to make a point and you are right about the opportunities that social media offers to get our message and our brand out there – to coin a Seth Godin phrase, if you have an idea or a product 'ship it!'
Blogging and contributing to groups is a long term strategy. For this very reason, it can put some people off. It is very easy to create a blog on a platform like WordPress but, like all things, for it to make an impact you need the discipline to add content on a regular basis.
Where social media is most effective is where there is an exchange. Individuals giving and exchanging their information and expertise. Once this level of trust has been built up, people are then more likely to exchange money for your expertise.
Keep up the good work.
Best regards
Charlie
Great comments Charlie. Building up trust and offering expertise with no immediate reqards being sought is key to growing your profile and showing people what you are capable of.
I can wholeheartedly back you up that it is a long term strategy from my own experiences. You cannot be afraid to put yourself in the firing line and make people aware. Too often we hide at the back and let others take the limelight.
Get out there and, as Gary Vaynerchuk says, 'Crush It' (great book if you get the chance to have a read)
Dear Daniel,
Social media is very good for sport, a good example is "Padel" a new racquet sport, is the racquet sport is growing faster in the 21st century and social media is spreading it around the world. I wonder if you could help us. Do you know Padel? is not very popular in Uk, we have only 4 public courts and 6 private but the number of brittish people who play is growing really fast and our national team is not doing bad in the last two international competitions.
We, PLAY PADEL UK promotes Padel in UK. Making Padel popular, accesible and wellcoming to all with an interest in Britain. Our facebook platform is growing and any advise will be more than wellcome.
Best regards
J. Yelo
Hi J
Thanks for getting in touch. There are plenty of social media + sport articles on the site that I hope you will find useful. If you need any more guidance then get in touch and see how can help.
Thanks,
Daniel
daniel@theuksportsnetwork.com
@danielmclaren