Episode 510 Marketing With Bridget Willard The Power Move Hit Reply

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Show Summary

The SDM podcast episode features a discussion between Rob Cairns and Bridget Willard about leveraging the reply button on social media as a powerful business development tool. Bridget emphasizes the importance of engaging with others’ content to build relationships, increase visibility, and demonstrate humanity. They outline strategies for commenting authentically, offering valuable insights, and connecting with individuals in parallel industries. The conversation also shifts into related areas, underscoring the necessity of business development activities such as networking and niching down to find your market. Ultimately, they advocate for building genuine connections and providing value, which will then lead to increased business opportunities.

Show Transcript

Hey everybody, Rob Cairns here and today I’ve got my good friend, Miss Bridget Willard. How are you Bridget?

How’s it going Rob?

It’s going. It’s uh winter and cold and at the time of this record, we have more snow coming this weekend. So, would you like some?

No, thank you. My friend from Wisconsin called me the this week and said, “It’s February. Everybody’s like rustling up drama because there’s nothing to do.” I’m like, “Go skiing. You’re young. You could do this.”

You know, you know, it’s funny. I I grew up in Montreal and there was 10 times more snowed than here and people complain and I just say, “It’s winter. You got to dress for it.” And I’m out and about and we have things to do this weekend. So, you know, life is good.

Um, today today in our marketing segment, we were thinking we’d talk about what let the power move on social media and why. So, why don’t you dive into that?

The reply button and I I cannot state this enough because and I and and actually I’ve been ranting about this ever since I started managing social media or even remember when people used to comment on blogs

like that was like so the power move. I I just I’ve been cleaning up broken links on my site and I had like 12,000 or 1,200 comments that I just deleted because people’s blog posts aren’t even the their website addresses are all different now.

The pro the problem though with commenting on bot and before we get into the the real power move is I think that’s been replaced a little bit because what people are doing is making comments to post on Twitter on Twitterx Facebook and other social media. Right.

So much so that right or wrong, I decided long time ago I didn’t want to manage all the spam, so I just turned them all off and said, “Forget it because people are going to go to social anyway, right?”

Yeah. I mean, that’s the whole thing. It’s like I haven’t gotten a comment on blog posts in a hundred years, so it doesn’t really matter. So, but so when we’re thinking about having our businesses and getting people to know who we are to um do that business development,

bisdev,

we want to be seen and you want to be seen in places that other people will see you that already don’t know you. Okay, so that this is why you join Chamber of Commerce, BNI, like if you’re if you’re looking for the analog version of this is you want to be invited to those mixers, you want to join those clubs, and you want to be visible. and be invited. And so the thing is on social media, what you’re going to do is you’re gonna find somebody else’s post and reply to it. Now, there’s two kinds of replies and there’s the um I recently heard, okay, I’m I’m like hijacking myself. There’s two kinds of replies. There’s a like, hey, that’s awesome. 100% totally agree with you. Congratulations. Like you just had a baby. Congratulations. There’s that reply. There’s the human element reply, which is always a good thing. If you’re a human and you see somebody else pose their humanity, you have a chance to respond with empathy and um and something that makes you proud to be a human, then do it. So for me, that means if you say, um, I just got promoted at work. I’m going to say what I would say to you in person. That’s the rule. So, a lot of people say, “Oh, there’s one word comments or just bots and they’re garbage. I’ve had this argument for years.” But when we’re having a conversation with somebody, okay, and they say, “Hey, guess what, Bridget? I just got a new client. That’s awesome. Congratulations. or um you know my dad died last week. I’m so sorry to I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m so sorry to hear that. Um you know sometimes people will just ask questions like there’s kind of that um it almost looks spammy now but it was just normal to ask questions so you could get to know people like are you going to are you going to root for Kansas City during the Super Bowl this year and you would say, “Yes, of course. It’s my aunt Py’s favorite team.”

Or I mean, sometimes you’d be like, “Nope, yes, yep, nope.” Do you use this tool? Yes. Like it’s some of them are just naturally one-word answers. And this is still a very good place to be um to to train your feed. Like if you are seeing stuff on LinkedIn X Instagram or Facebook that you don’t want to see, but especially LinkedIn, Twitter, just ignore it.

Yeah.

And do the opposite. So, even to train the algorithm on what you want to see, you should be commenting. Um, and so that’s just I mean there’s a bunch of reason you build outreach, you build um compassion and connection with other businesses. It’s Especially if you know that there’s other businesses in parallel industries of yours and or you have friends who have small businesses, you should be commenting as a way to zero cost help that small business. You know, there’s a lot

I agree with you. And not only that, you’re building a relationship with the people you’re commenting with and that’s the most important thing.

Yes. Yes. That’s one word and it says it all. all but emphatically with all my body language and if you’re not listening to the if you’re just listening I’m sorry I’m body language is like my thing

so so I always say and this is what I talked about a lot in my book keys to being social it’s still on Amazon it’s still true still available it’s the humanity the motivation the behavior the behavior that matters to build relationship ships mirroring active listening not listening just to go like I can’t wait to say d blah blah blah blah blah

and if I’ve lost you in the first whatever minutes of this of this you’re like whatever but always I’m not going to do that it’s a waste of time you can do this in just a few minutes a day it’s really not that hard

um I have a 321 method for connecting on social media and like really like ramping it up and it’s connecting or following three people a day. So, it’s really originally in LinkedIn, but it applies everywhere. Um, replying to two other people’s posts, two of them, and then putting an original post. Like, that’s like you can literally do that in five minutes a day. Do it while you’re drinking your Earl Grey tea, and move on with your life. Or if you’re really trying to build a business, which is something that I’m very good at, like Like I built GiveWP. I built Greywell Farms. I built, you know, Briggins Construction. I’ve built all these brands from like nothing. That’s like I So that this is if that’s what you want to do. If you feel like you don’t have enough reach, you’re not hearing from the right people, this is what works.

Yes.

Over and over and over and over and over again. And there’s a second reply move. Now that this is There’s So if you’re like, “Okay, so the humanity stuff, maybe I’m not good at small talk.” Now, I’m going to say small talk is the social glue, and it always has been. So, um, before I get to that other part, so I’m like intentionally leaving out the second half so people will finish listening. But Rob, you know, um, this social capital of kind of I Okay, I can trust with this conversation. We’re everything seems fine. Um maybe I want to take this further. Maybe I can try doing this one thing with you. Oh, that worked out. Like whether you think of it as dating or a secured credit card that you have $500 on and then the credit card company trusts you more. They raise your limit and raise your limit and raise your limit.

Or you think of it as, hey, I do enjoy that person. Let’s go have lunch. Oh yeah, we should do business. together or we should get married like whatever the reason is that you’re doing this

um or refer work or whatever like think of it in your own use case but this is human behavior and so that’s what I’m always when it comes down to it doesn’t matter what the tech is what matters is who do you want to be when you wake up in the morning and look yourself in the mirror who do you want people to think you are which hopefully is the same as who you want to be when you wake up in the morning and look yourself up in the mirror.

Yeah.

And and how do you want to be known? How do you want to be remembered?

This is highlevel stuff. You know, I’m very good at giving, you know, the tactical steps. But you have to remember the reason why you say I’m so sorry to a stranger is what if that person was sitting next to you at the doctor’s office and they just started chatting with you. Yeah.

Are you just going to turn away because you don’t want to hear it? I mean, that kind of social interaction is really what bonds us as humans.

It’s true.

And um I I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. Now, not everybody wants to do this. Not everybody’s good at it. I totally get it. Sometimes it can feel forest. Mhm.

You know, and um sometimes it is because um it’s not always easy to have um conversations that you’re uncomfortable with

or conversations that are heavy.

But having but but having heavy conversations and uncomfortable whether it’s on social media or in your personal life, off social media or in business or anything else is important because you can’t grow if you don’t have those conversations.

Exactly. And sometimes we forget, but it’s like even if you have a really good relationship with somebody, like for example, my my very good friend Heather Newbie called me yesterday and had a great great conversation with her. I was actually apprehensive of talking to her because she was a friend from California. We used to go to church together. We used to sing together on the worship team. She’s actually does the backing vocals. on my album, Come Away. It’s still on iTunes or whatever you call it now. Um, I say that ironically. It’s Apple Music. They’re sponsoring the Super Bowl, but Chiefs are going to win. And now I’m just razing you. But um anyway, and I I really was like, she’s like, “I’m tired of texting. Can I call you tomorrow or something?” I was like, “Ooh, I don’t really want to give her this. You know, if like if you have it had those touch points, then sometimes it’s harder. It’s hard to re-engage. But I’m gonna tell you something. As soon as I heard her voice and she said, “How are you, Be?” It was like I saw her yesterday.

Mhm.

Because we had all of those experiences since I’ve known her for the last almost 25 years. No, it has been 25 years. It’s been 25 years. Yeah, because her daughter used to be in my Sunday school class and she’s turning 29. Like, this is because you’ve built that foundation with somebody and you and you’re still connected on social media. Like, I like her a little. I thought it was hot yoga, but I guess it’s I guess people do Pilates on the floor now. Like, what do I know? I’m just trying to be encouraging because it takes a lot of guts to be like, I did in my 1600th day in of Pilates.

What are you gonna do? Just not say something?

Especially for people who just start working out. Like it’s a big deal. Um they go I know like my partner Tis goes to the gym three days a week, does yoga and one day is always for example Saturday morning and it’s always oh I can reschedule my class and I’m like no because that’s important. So you Yeah, it’s a it’s a big deal. I mean, I I walk almost every day unless it’s freezing out. So, you know, I’m too. So,

so the other thing that’s good about replying and small talk in general before I get to the other part is

y

that it’s a good way to test the waters.

So, if you want to apply this to inperson life, like those um good morning, how are you, all of that, is a kind of a social lubricant, but it also is testing out whether or not that person has the time or is open enough to have a conversation. Like if I wanted to to um tell somebody, hey, do you have a minute? I really want to tell you that, you know, budget changed and I don’t want to have I don’t want to work with you anymore. Or I really think maybe it’s a good time to break up. Um we’re just have different goals, whatever it is, or like, “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to work on a project with me.” It doesn’t come from out of nowhere. And that’s why auto DMs like on LinkedIn or in on Twitter X are so like, “Wait, you haven’t you uh too much too fast, dude.” Like, whatever it is,

that’s why it always hits us wrong as spam, inappropriate, unasked. But if you have if you build that relationship and you’re like, “Hey, I really want to do this website, but I need somebody who will nail down the content.” Well, if you’re if I don’t even know you, I don’t know if I’m going to want to work with you because I don’t know if you’re going to be able to collect and pay me, you know,

sorry, but if we’ve been somebody who’s talking on the internet, I’m just, you know, then it’s different or been talking at the Chamber of Commerce or whatever or a combination. But that but those touch points keep a relationship alive. Even if it’s like my 25 year old friendship with my friend Heather or if it’s somebody you met at a word camp. I was looking at old word camp pictures. I was redoing my speaking page.

I was like, dude, I haven’t been to a word camp since 2019. That’s six years.

Yeah, I’m probably in the same boat to be honest.

I mean, the pandemic really like disrupt like literally disrupted a lot. a lot of our business relationships, right?

So, here’s but here’s the second part, U Rob. So, another good reason to reply

to other posts is something that I really learned from my friend, old friend Robert Nissen Brown from Tactical Social Media and it came to the front of my mind actually when I was deleting all these blog comments because we all supported each other back in the day.

Yeah.

And um it’s like on LinkedIn especially, if somebody says and you have a a slightly different point of view,

this is an excellent time to politely say, you know, have you thought about this way? Like I just had um I just responded to a comment right when I was pouring my Diet Coke in my mug. It’s a great podcast tip. It’s not loud. Anyway, so So, um, Keith Bert, I don’t know how to say his last name, but he’s Bald Guy Marketing in in that Seattleish Tacoma area. And he he was saying, well, we used to have the no rep no um no reply emails are so inhumane. I think

that just goes back to like, but that’s my thing. That’s like my thing. It’s like bring humanity to dis

Well, the the problem the problem with no reply emails is what they scream of is you don’t want to engage in Why would you want to get why would you want to get involved with a company or an individual who doesn’t want to engage? That’s the stupidest thing you can do and the most unprofessional thing. So, you know,

I would not call it no reply 100%.

If you don’t want to reply to it, that’s on you. But that

but but if you look at big brands, especially in the retail industry, all their emails for their their specials are marked. There’s no reply. Well, that’s ridiculous. If a customer’s got a question, they hit reply and ask a question, you should be answering that question. You shouldn’t because that could lead to a sale or two sales or three sales. But if you stand there and say, “I’m not going to answer if I’m that customer, I’m not dealing with that brand.” Sorry.

Exactly. And and so here, so this is this is so like fourth the fourth ball almost.

Um so here’s Mike Demo posting on LinkedIn like he’s applying for jobs. You guys, if you’re If you hear this, go hire him before you find something else.

He’s great.

He’s amazing. And he was talking about this no reply email when you apply for a job. Why would you apply for a job and they’re like, “Don’t reply to us.”

by email.

That was Kansas City just fumbling to fourth and one on the goal line. And you know how that goes.

Stop it. Stop it. Although they don’t really play well into the first fourth quarter. I don’t know what it is with them.

But anyway, so here is Mike D. Somebody I really admire and love and I’m like I’m commenting just like because I love talk, you know, having the conversation and for visibility like dude’s looking for a job

and so and so I go on there, you know, the no replies inhumane and Keith who I just referred to Bald Guy Marketing replied to that. So here’s here’s Keith following things that I’m doing because he gets notified. He doesn’t know my demo and he’s responding to this and now we’re talking about it on a podcast. This subject that is top of mind because it’s being

it’s being talked about on LinkedIn on somebody else’s post.

Yeah.

And this is something and this is huge because so many social media managers ridiculously overpaid social overpaid because they don’t do this. Like I know people I know of people that are paid just to post something and that’s it. And I’m like, what what am I doing wrong as a human that you guys are paying people to like not deliver results or even engage with or even build an audience? This is ridiculous.

But like if you’re a business owner and you have a time for bit, you need to build in those bisdev activities.

It’s your business. Like being a guest on a podcast, that’s a business development exercise. You have your audience. You’ve invited me to be part of this. This is like the podcast version of replying to somebody else’s post. I have my own podcast. I could definitely keep it going. I have my own YouTube channel. That’s not the point. It’s outreach. Business development is outreach. And not enough WordPress professionals, freelancers, agencies, or plug-in companies do outreach. And this

So what I what I would argue with you, Bridget, is in that group of companies you just mentioned. Most of the people in the WordPress space are good designers and developers, but they can’t market if their life depended on it. And if they could market, they wouldn’t be scrging around with the way they are right now. And it’s one of the things I notice constantly because they become such good designers, but they haven’t figured out. A website is only part of the marketing puzzle. And when they figure that out, they would be miles ahead of everybody else. Right. And that’s why doing business development things is so important.

I agree

because you have to learn these other aspects of business. You should learn accounting.

You should you should be using an actual I would love to have this as a topic but I know it’s like marketing segment but you should be using an actual accounting program. Zero is what I use. It starts with an X. Um I’ve used Fresh Books in the past, Quickbooks, whatever. You should be able to spit out reports and send them to your CPA. I just talked to my CPA this morning while I was getting ready.

I give my accountant access to my online accounting. I don’t even spit the reports out. But the point I agree with you like you got to you have to know

you don’t necessarily have to do it all but you have to understand the basics so you can run your business. And the problem is with most entrepreneurs and small business business and I see it all the time even with clients right whether it’s a real estate agent for example the real estate sector they like to go feast or famine so does the web design cycle so does and what these people haven’t figured out if they built an hour to an hour and a half in every day put it in your calendar folks the market business development and stick to it

and then and you’re allowed to take an hour a day and that might be taking a course that might be working on an ad. That might be working on your own website instead of a client site. That might be planning your social media strategy using a tool like Publer for the week. I don’t care. Spend the hour a day. Because here’s the thing, folks. It’s easier to generate business when you’re busy and insane than when you’re not busy. Trust me on that one.

Yes. And I mean, I know this isn’t like I know maybe if somebody got this far on the podcast, they’re thinking, I thought we were talking about the reply button. We are talking about the reply button.

We are.

This is why. So if you’re a designer, for example, I’m a writer

and your audience is mostly WordPress people.

So my bizdev play is being on a podcast, basically letting other WordPress people know that if you’re waiting for people to give you content for your website, and that’s why you haven’t gotten paid, you need to hire a writer. My name is Bridget Willard. You can find me at bridgwillard.com. Right? It doesn’t have to be me. It could be anybody. Find people who do the things you don’t. For example, I was asked to help somebody start a new business. Okay? And so, I built the website cuz, you know, five page website, it’s not really that hard.

Forms are my nemesis, but I’m getting better at it because it’s like doing it, right? But then I needed somebody to run the PPC campaign or at least to set it up.

I didn’t do it. No,

I had Warren do it. Warren Lane Naida is a PPC like king. And then if he has any questions, he has your Gistler who’s like

Yep.

been doing PPC for 100 million years.

Find the people that could do the things you can’t.

You you’re you’re doing more than that. So, let’s take that one more step.

I used to have I have a mentor. His name is Paul Toby. Um you might and you know Paul

and Paul’s a friend. Uh uh now lives in Niagara on the lake in a beautiful he’s moved out of Toronto and uh for those who don’t know in this space who don’t know Paul Adrian Toby the founder of Groundhog is Paul’s son and and a genius as far as I’m concerned but Paul used to have a theory which I agree with and his theory when he taught entrepreneurs was if you’re not good at something get somebody to do it for you and if you don’t like doing it get somebody to do it for you and concentrate on what you’re good at and what makes your money And I so subscribe to that theory. The other thing we have to stop doing just cuz we’re on this tangent about money is stop fighting the race to the bottom. Please people, you’re not doing your business or your family or anybody else any healthy. You are not in the dollar store chain. And what you really got to do is take your business and make it stand out from another business. And the best place I would suggest and uh Paul would concur is go Find the book The Inside Advantage by Robert Boom and read it and then read it again. Because what Robert teaches is how to make your business different and not fight this race to the bottom. And by making your business different, you’ll stand out because folks, what people look for is people they like. That is more important than fighting your business on price. And when people get that, they’ll be miles ahead of everybody else.

And this is why it’s so important to reply in social media because Imagine if you go to a par a party and I’m not even talking about responding to comments on your own social feed, you know, which I should never have to tell you to do that ever, but let’s but like this is this is why this is the humanity. It’s so annoying. It’s a cliche, but we do business with people we know, like, and trust. This is a survival behavior, psychological human instinct. and it will always be this way. So, for somebody who recently found out she’s autistic and ADHD and you know, I would like put on these costumes. I didn’t even realize I was doing that. They call it masking. And I was so wanting everybody to like me, but now I realize you should be likable to your people.

Yep.

So, if somebody likes your style of working, they’re gonna want to work with you

and that and that’s what that’s what matters. So, it’s not like don’t go out of your way to be unlikable like I would unless you like there’s I’ve always you know you remember like when we grew up Rob and there’s like rules about what you talk about at the dinner table sex politics and religion just don’t do it just don’t it now it’s almost everything but that’s the point

listen I used to help campaigns of Republicans in California um that was and then I was and then I like had a turning point where I was like first of all I don’t want all this conflict in my life

because when my husband died I realized none of this stuff really matters now that could be offensive to somebody listening to this who’s very passionate but I was very passionate when I was young and politics is for the young people Okay. So, keep going and do your thing, chicken wing. But also, I decided that I didn’t want my livelihood attached to whether or not somebody wins or loses a campaign. I’d rather help small businesses and uh, you know, be better. So, the other thing to like piggyback on what you were saying about, you know, having a sustainable business is picking a niche. And, you know, there’s a way to do this. Um, I actually build a a Google sheet once um to like audit your top 10 like make a list of your top 10 of jobs like by um price

and then see if you can categorize them by industry because we should never have everyone’s our customer like for me I work in SAS and WordPress so my clients are either a WordPress business or a SAS business I’ve had tons of tons of clients in other industries and that’s fine, but that’s not where I make my money. So, that’s not really where my

Yeah, that’s not where you want

website is languaged.

That’s that’s not it’s like the resume. You know, you take a resume and if you’re applying for five different jobs in five different sectors, you really should be having five different resumes. Well, guess what, folks? A website’s not any different,

right? And if you already understand the industry, so when I was before I went to market uh went to before I became a marketer, you know, by working at my construction office manager job and then doing work on the side and then I found out I was good at marketing. Before I did that, I spent like 20 years in marketing. I mean, I I’ve written for construction things for like 20 years and I was worried at the time that what made me valuable as an office manager was my head for construction policy. policies and procedures, right? And so it’s sometimes it’s hard to reinvent your So then I went to a franchise um focused marketing company

and then we worked with restoration businesses and home inspectors. So it just like what it was a natural fit.

I get it

because I had that industry u industry experience and I could still like flip it any time and just just start doing work in construction but my heart is for work. press people who aren’t building in enough profit in their jobs and not not partnering with other people who can help them do their like just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

Yeah.

Like you need help and if you need help in order to raise your prices. I mean it there’s like this point in your business where like you know you maybe you can’t afford to hire somebody but you can afford not to.

Yep. And and the other thing I would say is if we’re talking about pricing and you raise your prices, what you’re going to find is you’re going to attract a different type of client. And as a rule, as a rule,

every time I give somebody a break, I shake my head at myself and say, “Why did I do that?”

Because it usually means headaches for you and I. And those people who jump,

not usually, Rob, always

always. And those who jump in at the high end, and I do some work with some, as you know, some big company I can’t name them but do the NDAs but you know that’s just the reality of it all. They don’t even qu and they pay thousands of dollars. It’s like here.

So the ones that are prepared to pay the money are the ones that aren’t going to corrupt you. The ones that aren’t prepared to pay the money. I hate to tell you they’re going to be your headaches. They’re going to be your pain in the butts.

Um I just sent yesterday for an email to a longtime client who likes to penny pinch and said you’re not the right fit for my business. Your contract comes up in two months and I’m not renewing and here’s what we’re going to do to transition. And what did I get back? An email basically blasting me the ever and it’s like fine, but I’m still not renewing because you don’t fit.

And that’s the other that’s the other thing. And not that it’s related to what we’re talking about, but

it’s very related because the the reply button is the humanity.

Yep. And if you don’t fit for somebody, you need to tell them to go away because they’re going to kill you mentally and emotionally like you wouldn’t believe. So, this is the hardest part that entrepreneurs have in this space is they get into situations and they’re chasing that dollar all the time, not realizing that taking on these bad clients isn’t good for your mental health at all.

Oh, okay.

And you and I, and it’s fair, and I can say this on this podcast, and don’t kill me, have both been in therapy and seen people

Oh, I’m loud and proud.

So am I. To help And I won’t get into our issues, but I mean, I’m I’m even doing stuff with my partner. And the point I’m making is we’re we’re smart enough to say, “Hey, we go to the doctor to check out the arm when we fall or the heart when we have an issue. So, why wouldn’t you check out the head?” But even more so, folks, look at your life. Take a piece of paper and figure out what friends and what people you need to get rid of. and do it yesterday because you will you will be so much better off in your business in your life and then you can get back to working on your marketing, right?

Well, I mean it’s all it’s all connected. That’s the thing. It’s like when you have your own business, it is kind of all connected and we like to sort of as much as we can part it out. Like for example, I’ve started using my office again my kitchen table and I shut the door when I’m done and I’m shut my laptop off and I shut the door. That’s the equivalent of a lot of people taking social media apps off of their phone.

Whatever method, whatever method you have,

you know, that that helps you decide when closing time is is is really important.

Yeah.

But also when you choose when you choose a niche, you know it.

Okay. And this is so powerful because I don’t have to get onboarded into what a SAS is I don’t have to get on boarded into um what it is to um market in WordPress today. I know you can’t say WordPress hosting anymore.

I know you have to say hosting for WordPress.

Oh, whatever. Whatever. Whatever.

Okay. But but I’m just saying like just to be super relevant and timely like because when you’re in an industry, you know it so well. You know what your clients are facing. You know what their obstacles are. So when I first started marketing with plugins when I was with G and then after that by myself, I know what it takes to market a plugin from nothing to something.

When I took over G’s Twitter account, it had 286 followers.

In June of 2016,

2015, June of 2015, um, G had Give WP had 286 followers. Yeah.

Okay. So, I know what they’re going through, but in 2025, how many plug-in owners do you know or how many plugins in WordPress do you know that aren’t owned by a hosting company?

Yeah, some

very few.

Yeah. Well,

very few.

There are some independent ones like WS is owned by Mark Mascar and there’s a few.

There are some, but when you so so like even WS forms competing with WP forms that it’s not owned by a hosting company by Sed Balky is this big company now

that even though he’s not a host awesome motive it’s a very big marketing budget

oh I don’t I don’t disagree the other the other thing is too and you mentioned when you

anyway so my po but let me tell you my point my point is you have to know when you know what those what those nuances are then you know how to shift your tactics.

Yep.

That’s my point.

And the other and the other point is folks, if you’re looking for somebody to help you with social media, I the other one I got an email from a guy and said, “Oh, you need social media help?” And I just kind of chuckled and laughed and said, “Have you bothered to look at my accounts and see where my numbers at and see where my reach is at?” And then I went and looked at the I’m going to use the word bozo account because I can. It’s my show. And and I went and looked at his ex profile and he had like 450 pro uh followers and he’s trying to tell me how to run a social media account and I’ve got over last I left I got about 23k give or take and and I I mean the point is too is it’s like why would you go to somebody who doesn’t know how to do it? It’s like if you go to an investment counselor I give you the the advice the analogy and he doesn’t know how to manage his home portfolio. Why would I trust them to manage my money? For God’s sake, social media is not a social media in the digital world’s not any different,

right? And the other thing that’s that’s an important nuance I would say is that there are a lot of creators

y

who have extremely lopsided follower to following counts on social media profiles because they want to build something so that they can dance around and get money. or become an affiliate marketer. That’s a different way. That’s a different income stream. It’s a different category

and it’s not how you make B2B relationships on social media by dancing around like a monkey.

But most of the good creators don’t dance around. I I you know, I looked at a guy I know quite well. He’s released his fifth edition of his book, Ross Brand, who’s big into live streaming. If you know Ross, and Ross doesn’t dance around,

right? He’s he’s a creator. He may he his game is live streaming and podcasting. And um he’s released five books of the 100 live streaming tips and digital media tips every year. His latest book just came out in January.

Um you know, I’m not just touting it because I’ve written chapters of the book. I mean, Ross is Ross is an old friend, but Ross doesn’t dance around.

Well, the only reason why I say this is because a lot of times people like people don’t distinguish the difference between entertainment.

Yes.

And social media for business development. Okay. Because all of us in the Tik Tok reels even b even um once you get on a video on Twitter on X, it does that same thing where it just goes on and on and on.

I would agree.

That is entertainment.

And like uh the guy who does click clickup comedy,

I was like what who is this guy? He’s recogniz recognizable to me. And then I saw an old Holderness family video and I was like, “Oh, it’s them.” Because they did all this stuff in the pandemic dancing around songs and being funny. And I’m not saying it’s wrong. It’s funny.

But now he’s It has a time and a place for

Yeah.

Well, it’s different. It’s different. It’s like you’re you’ve become an artist and an actor and now you’re getting paid by advertising companies. Um, it’s different than being a social media manager. for building relationships with other businesses to do business with other businesses. Those are different things, but they’re on the same platforms. And sometimes I think like even Warren Lane was telling me that in this social media class he’s teaching, they have they cover Tik Tok. I’m like, why? That’s not social media. That’s entertainment. It’s

some people consider social media.

That’s it’s a gray area, right? Is YouTube, social media entertainment, too. I mean, we’re into that same area. Is Instagram social media entertainment, too? Uh, if you talk to my partner, Tis, she would tell you it’s entertainment. I would argue otherwise. So, it it all depends. Like, we’re now

it’s really it gets really great. But when but when you’re But like my advice for people that listen to your show is stick to the strategies that work for business development. And the reply is that power move for all of the even seemingly tangents we went on.

Yep. And

because you’re a human, because you want to build a business in that industry, because you want to niche out. So important.

And the bonus power tip is to to find time to do those business strategies. Just book some time into your calendar and get it done every day.

You have to. You don’t find the time, you make the time.

You make the time. Yep. 100%. Bridget, the you know, tangents aside, I think um there’s a lot there today and I I think the entrepreneur needs to listen to the show because they got they got a power move given to them. They got a bonus power move given to them and they got a few entrepreneur life lessons given to them. So,

and you got some homework. 3, two, one. Follow three accounts, reply to two posts that aren’t yours and post one new thing a day that links to your website. You want social media to bring traffic to your website. That’s your homework. for five minutes a day. Just make it happen.

And if they want to find more about you, bridgetwillard.com or go by

bridgetwillard.com

and go by or go by Bridget on X Twitter or LinkedIn. She’s always there, right?

Yep. Yep. Because those are the big four. That’s where I’m going to spend my time.

Yeah. Hey Bridget, thanks so much. We’ll talk to you soon. Have a great day. Bye.