Summary

Kate graduated as a social worker but soon realised it wasn’t the path she wanted to take. She then went down a few other paths before she realised that her passion was all about working with Not-For-Profits and helping them stand out.

As she began helping more Not-For-Profits, she realised that there is no necessarily right or wrong way of doing social media, it’s about trial and error. And Kate’s business, Social Mediology, was born.

Kate is most passionate about working with change makers and innovators. Often change magers and innovators have a tribe or community and they don’t know what to do with them or how to engage. And that’s where Kate’s zone of genius zone starts – helping these people learn how to energise and activate communities and motivate people to act on their calls to action.

As Kate has built her business, she has discovered another group of people who need her help. This second group is typically made up of people who are 40+ or are in small teams. She serves them by helping them understand who their ideal client is and how they can connect with them on social media.

Trudy and Kate speak about – 

1. How to activate communities in Facebook groups 
2. The strategy to help achieve the business objectives and how social media plays a role in all areas in that 
3. When talking about the community it’s not just about Facebook but it’s about your customer ecosystem which connects across all areas in your business 
4. How to keep track of all the stages customers go through
5. The grey areas and how every business needs a different approach to social media 
6. Fundamental principles for social media platforms and how to get it right
7. How social media platforms are pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable & the teething issues around that as society’s use of social media changes
8. Deeply understanding your avatar to know which platforms to use 
9. Choosing what to outsource and what to keep in house – staying true to your business voice 
10. Action plans for business goals and for social media (be sure to use a yearly, quarterly & monthly break down of goals) 
11. Promoting yourself on Social Media – being connected, 80% of content is adding value – pain points/frustrations/challenges that your avatar or ideal customer is having to deal with. If you’re stingy with your content, no one will see you, so the more generous you are with providing valuable content and answering questions, the more your “know like trust” factor increases and that’s vital  
12. The need to build trust and connection before you can make the ask – need to show not shout 
13. Blending marketing strategies through social media.  It’s a bit of a balancing act and it’s all about staying agile and flexible 
14. Need to keep remember and see what works for your avatar 

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Resources 

Social Lights 

Social Mediology Website

Social Media Community Success for Business – Facebook Group

Today's Guests

Kate VanderVoort

Kate is Founder and CEO of Social Mediology and the Social Media Success Academy and has worked with over 3000 businesses and Not-For-Profits on social media strategy and implementation across every industry. As one of Australia's leading social media coaches and trainers, Kate specialises in growing and activating customers or “cause” communities.

Kate is passionate about the future of social media and the intersection between technology and humanity. She is a Digital Community Champion with the Queensland State Government and also the host of the Social Lights Podcast, where she interviews change makers and innovators on their work and how they connect with and activate their tribe on social media.