Have you ever tried to teach someone to play golf? I don’t mean helping someone refine their stroke. I mean teaching them to golf… in all their noodle-armed, divot-digging, never-held-a-club-before glory. A spouse, a son or daughter, a friend?
I’ve golfed for about 15 years now, playing competitively for a portion of that, and I can’t tell you how many of my friends have asked me to teach them to play. Now, I’m not the greatest teacher and patience is definitely a virtue I struggle with, but there is a secret to teaching someone to play golf (successfully) that I quickly learned, and I’m sure anyone else who’s tried has learned as well: Start with baby steps.
As much as I love to spend 4 and a half hours knocking out 18 holes in an afternoon, this will teach a beginner one thing: how to hate golf. They will get overwhelmed, frustrated, and (in some cases) incredibly annoyed to the point of swinging a pitching wedge at their instructor. Instead, you have to start with the putting green, hit a bucket at the range, head to the clubhouse for a beer afterward. The key is to start slow.
I’ve learned that this is the key for using social media as well. Here at Financial Social Media, we would love nothing more than to watch all of you advisors fly through a metaphorical 18 holes every day, but if you’ve never spent time on social media, you will end up overwhelmed, frustrated, and (in some cases) incredibly annoyed to the point of throwing your keyboard through your window. Baby steps are the key to getting started and being successful on social media. Here are a few examples:
Listen first. Speak second. This is a great lesson in life, but it’s also a great lesson for your social media. 40% of all active Twitter profiles have NEVER sent a tweet. These people are what we call “social media spectators.” So you aren’t ready to start tweeting and posting? You might not know what to say, you might be social media shy, or (one of the most common ones) you might be insecure about “doing the social media thing wrong.” That’s fine. Just create your profiles and watch, listen, and learn.
Start with your comfort zone. You don’t have to grab the megaphone and shout to the world with your first post. Keep your audience small to begin with. Connect with your kids, your spouse, your college buddies, whoever. Get the hang of using it on a personal basis and learn the do’s and don’ts protocol with people you are comfortable with. Trust me, if you are using Facebook wrong, your kids will let you know, and they will love every minute of it.
Join some groups. This is huge on LinkedIn in particular. There are hundreds of thousands of groups covering every topic under the sun. Financial Advisors. Golf. Financial Advisors who Golf. Literally, everything. Join some groups based on your interests. Check out what others are posting and start to comment on and discuss within topics that you know and understand. A little confidence can go a long way.
Save your time. One of the biggest reasons people don’t use social is because they are afraid of how much time it will take up. Starting with the baby steps will give you a minimum time commitment, and once you become a pro, you can check out some easy time-saving tools that will make your life a whole lot easier.
You don’t have to be a social media pro today, or even tomorrow (but, I mean, if you’re not there by Monday we might have to chat… just kidding). The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, right? And as someone who has played too many rounds without a cart, I know a lot about steps. Start with the basics and get your feet wet with social. I’ve found that with baby steps, not only does someone learn how to play the game of golf, but they learn how to LOVE the game of golf, and I know you will feel the same about social media.
Amy McIlwain
@amymcilwain
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