My Love/Hate Relationship with Social Media

On September 23, I had the opportunity to attend the Agents of Change (#AOC2016) conference in Portand, Maine. This was an all day “love in” for all things social media. For me, this was a great opportunity to learn from the experts about some of the best practices in the digital marketing space.    As some may know, My Love/Hate Relationship with Social Media has been key on how I’ve built my business and I listen to A LOT of podcasts about building and growing your business, along with all things social medial. I have listened to Amy Porterfield, John Lee Dumas, Rick Mulready and Pat Flynn, who all share lots and lots of tips on how to be successful. But this was my first time attending a live event that didn’t have anything to do with cats!

I thought I would share some of my thoughts and take-aways from this event (some serious and some… not so much).

1. Boy, is it weird not being around animal people! I definitely found the energy to be very different at this conference. Yes, everyone is passionate about digital marketing, but the group wasn’t rallying around a specific cause. I’m used to feeling the intense energy that you see at an Animal Welfare conference!

2. This conference offered free beer, spirits and pizza at the end of the conference. I thought that was something people who go to the animal welfare conferences would really enjoy. What a great idea!

3. There were a lot more men at the conference! It felt like it was a much more diverse group, as well.

4. Now on to more serious topics… I walked away feeling like managing social media and marketing can really be overwhelming. If you let it! The intensity and details of the speakers at times, made me feel like I didn’t even want to try to cover the social media realm with my business.

5. That being said, I know that social media is a necessary activity. It helps to grow and market yourself and cause! Getting the word out in print media really doesn’t mean much in today’s market.

6. Most people have no idea what Community Cats are (what?!). I met a lot of different people and shared with them what I do. And… I got a few blank stares. It was good to bring home that not everyone knows the language that we know. There is just still so much education and sharing that needs to be done! So please… keep sharing those links and this blog!

7. Using tools is a must! I am so proud of the work that my social media assistant, Jamie Hovey, has done to set up systems to manage our social media exposure. Using a tool like CoSchedule is very helpful in taming that overload feeling, as well as batching work!

8. Finally, much of this conference was about encouraging folks to take chances with their businesses.  I would encourage YOU to take chances and take the opportunity to dream about what you would like to see happen for cats. Than? Make it happen! Set goals and benchmarks. Keep yourself accountable by asking friends or fellow volunteers to support you. Continually re-evaluate your successes. Do you need help with getting on the right track and setting up goals? On Friday, October 28th at 12pm EST I will be holding a “Burning Questions” conference call that is free to attend.  This will be a time you can ask me any questions and I will answer. Just email me at stacy@communitycatspodcast.com if you want to attend and I can send you the call in details. This offer is only open to our subscribers.

All in all, I was glad I attended this conference. It is always good to be outside of your comfort zone at times. They say that’s how you experience growth! If you’re also in the midst of figuring out how to best position your business, you should try this too!

Speaking of conferences, if you are in the New England area, the Humane Society of the United States is putting on a free one day program in Providence, Rhode Island on October 14th.

Have a great week and thank you all for what you do for the kitties.