Your Social Media Page is Renting, Your Website is Owning. What is the Difference?

 This is a common analogy in digital marketing, and it effectively highlights the fundamental differences in control and risk between social media platforms and owning your own website. 



Here’s a breakdown of why this comparison works:

Social Media Page: Like Renting a House

When you build your online presence solely on social media (like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or X), you are essentially a tenant. 

• No Control Over the Rules: The landlord (the social media company) can change the rules, algorithms, or even the terms of service at any time. A change in the algorithm can drastically reduce your visibility and reach, much like a landlord raising the rent or implementing new, restrictive house rules.
• Risk of Eviction: Your account can be suspended or deleted without warning, and often with little recourse, for violating terms you might not even be aware of. This is equivalent to an eviction where you suddenly lose your home and all your belongings (followers, content, and data).
• Limited Customization: You are restricted to the platform's layout and design options. You can choose the paint color (profile picture, bio), but you cannot knock down walls or add a new extension.
• Data is Not Yours: The platform owns the data about your followers and their interactions, not you. 

Your Website: Like Owning Your House

Owning your own website (using a platform where you control the hosting and domain) makes you the homeowner. 

• Full Control: You set the rules, design the layout exactly how you want it, choose what content to display, and decide how user data is managed [1, 2].
• Security and Stability: No third-party company can shut down your website overnight (as long as you pay your hosting fees and follow basic legal guidelines). You have a stable foundation for your business or personal brand [1, 2].
• Your Asset, Your Equity: The effort you put into building your website—optimizing it for search engines (SEO), creating valuable content, and building an email list—builds long-term equity for you, not a corporation [2].
• You Own the Land (Domain/Data): You own your domain name, which is your permanent address on the internet. You also own your audience's information, such as your email subscriber list, allowing you to communicate directly with them without an algorithm in between.

In summary, while social media is excellent for building initial traffic and community (like renting a convenient apartment while you save up), a website provides the essential, long-term stability and control necessary for a sustainable online presence.

So, do you want to buy your own website property?

Contact us - http://www.aimcbizsolutions.com

How To Score a Rocking Linkedin Profile - Cheat Sheet

 

How To Score A Rocking LinkedIn Profile – Cheat Sheet

By Jeffrey DeSocio – AIMC Business Solutions/Mass Professional Networking

u  So What If You Had No LinkedIn Profile at all?  The World Before LinkedIn.

u Why Should You Care About Your LinkedIn Profile?

u  Clients & Co-Workers Are Checking You Out

u  Potential Employers & Employees Are Checking You Out

u  Potential Job Leads

u  Build Relationships

u Some LinkedIn Statistics

u  Over 500 Million People Use LinkedIn

u  40% of LinkedIn Users Login Every Day

u  41% of millionaires use LinkedIn

u  122 Million People got an interview from their Linked Profile

u  91% of Marketing Executives List LinkedIn as the top place to find quality content

u  80% of leads come from LinkedIn versus 13% from Twitter and 7% from Facebook

u Eight Tips for Scoring a Rocking LinkedIn Profile

u  A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words – Be Professional & Smile

u  Your Headline is Your Future – Your Expertise

u  Your Summary is Your Story to Tell – Results You Deliver – Call to Action

u  Experience is Not Your Resume – Focus on What Impact You Have Had

u  Get Specific and Use Facts – Set Yourself Apart from Others

u  Highlight Your Leadership – State Accomplishments

u  Flaunt Yourself – Show Certifications – Publish Content – Share Interests

u  Grow Your Network – Join Groups – Connect – Follow Companies

Need more guidance to kick-start your LinkedIn Profile?  Ask us about the “Networking & Personal Branding Toolkit” by contacting us via email at jeff@aimcbizsolutions.com.   Also join Mass Professional Networking on LinkedIn and Facebook.

You are the CEO of Your Life - So What Are You Are Going to Do About It?

Earlier this week, I decided to be a little social at the company cafeteria and sat down with some people I knew.    I figured why not, the cafeteria was serving some BBQ and it would be great to get my mind off of work for a few minutes.    So, I sat down and the conversation started with some small talk, which led to what people did for evening activities after work.   There were six of us sitting at the lunch table so I am sure I would be hearing about some interesting hobbies, maybe about their children's activities or even about a little side gig they are doing.   Not a chance.

The conversation was dominated by news events, TV shows and more TV Shows.    I heard about "The Walking Dead", "The Game of Thrones", "13 Reasons Why" and then more "Game of Thrones".  The excitement and energy over these TV shows was baffling.   Then everyone looked at me wondering why I was so quiet and then proceeded to ask what do I watch on TV.     I answered, well, I don't really watch TV, except maybe Shark Tank or The Profit.  But most of the time, I read books when I am home.    Being nice, one person asked if I was into Science Fiction books.    I said that I was not into Science Fiction and proceeded to mention that some of my favorite authors are Gary Vaynerchuk,  T. Harv Eker and maybe Napoleon Hill.

By now, everyone looked at me like I was some freak show with no life.   I mean, I don't watch "Game of Thrones"?   How lame is that?  One person asked me if Gary Vaynerchuk was some pyramid scheme.

Ok, now I was at a point, that maybe in the future, I will look to spend lunch with a different crew.

You hear these facts all the time.

95% of people work hard to make the other 5% rich.
It is not the size of your TV, it is the size of your Library, that matters
With today's volatile economy, it is more important than ever to have multiple streams of income.

My impression from the TV addicts I sat with is that they basically rely on their company and their boss to dictate their own success and their free time is staying up to date with the most popular TV shows.  After all, what does "Game of Thrones" have to do with investing in a business?  

I didn't have a problem with my lunch colleagues, in fact it was fun and informative.  The time I spend at lunch made me think of how I am a little different from most of my colleagues at work.

So, let's talk about being the CEO of your life.

You are the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of your life.   You are 100% responsible for your life; its happiness, its wealth and its health.  Your life is the organization and as such will have different departments such as accounting, marketing or health.   In other words, how you manage your finances, your resume, and your wellness.

Here are some tips to get your own departments in order:

- First, assess who you hang with and who influences you, and make any changes that have nothing to do with what you are working to accomplish.

- Second, what is the purpose of your own life?  Is it to be Rich?  Healthy? Compassionate? or all of the above?   Write it down on your dream board so you stay focused.

- Third, assess how you are spending your time.  Are you spending at least 80-90% of time on result producing activities that work toward your goals as the CEO of yourself?  Build a roadmap toward your goals and stay on track.

Personally, my goal is to not rely on a corporation to reach my goals of financial independence and happiness.    I am working toward my goals by reading the right books, hanging with the right people and spending my time on result producing activities "after work" such as my business ventures.  That is what I am doing about it, how about you?

What Exactly is Digital Marketing and Why You Need It - A Blog for Businesses That Are Slow to Change

20 years ago, a local business could put a simple marketing plan together and call it a day. They would place a yellow pages ad, newspaper campaign and some basic advertising.  It was really all it took to get in front of potential customers and meet their revenue goals and business objectives.

Back then, people consumed/received information very differently than they do today.   Remember all those cold calls you use to get or the stacks of newspaper advertisements in the Sunday paper?

Today, people spend an average of 5.2 hours per day on their mobile devices scanning the Internet and social media channels.  Because people are predominantly online, it only makes sense for local businesses to be advertising and engaging people online.

Over 20 million people are active on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at any one minute so why not go where the people are?   People are more likely to react to a great advertisement on their phone than taking the time to read the newspaper or search for those yellow pages.

A second thought is with social media you can quickly engage with your current and potential customers by posting specials and asking for customer feedback.  The last I checked, it is pretty tough to acknowledge customer feedback in the newspaper.

The problem with most businesses is that they do not have the time to engage with customers and actively post content on the social media platforms and they are right.   Business owners normally need to focus on their business whether it is service oriented, their art (music) or a trade.   Spending money on a Yellowpages ad or newspaper advertisement is easy and fast and they assume they work.  Most businesses do not have the time to measure the Return on Investment from their ads whether they are offline or online.

In reality, a simple social media post has more reach than a newspaper advertisement or a TV Commercial, since a post can go viral with the right keywords and get re-posted over and over again for free.   Try placing a second newspaper ad for free.

So in closing, before taking a leap into the world of online marketing, take a look at your business goals.  Are you meeting your revenue projections?   Do you have enough customers?  Are you getting the right customers?   Have a solid business plan and a way to measure what type of marketing can be successful to grow your business and then engage a digital marketing expert to help you.   Digital Marketing is a full time job and you will need to focus on your expertise/trade first.

Why a Network Marketing Business is the Best Side Gig.

You may have been approached by them at a networking events, the supermarket, in the coffee line or even at work.   They use the buzzwords such as "I got a ground floor opportunity" or "We are expanding in this area and looking for some ambitious entrepreneurs" or "Do you want to retire on a beach with a martini by next week?"  etc etc.

To be honest, these folks are onto something, but as always, it is all about their approach and team building concepts that tend to scare people away.  More on that later.

We are in a different economy today.   Long ago, you can get by and have a great living off one income, including buying a nice house and even a vacation home, a nice car, and then look forward to a great retirement on a golf course in Florida.

Enter today's world, the one-income diligent professional works hard, does more than they're than they're paid for and hope that the boss will notice.  Then maybe, just maybe, they'll be given a bonus at the end of the year to acknowledge their work.

Some would say this behavior is admirable and shows industry and initiative.   Unfortunately, it is tragic.   To work so hard for someone else in the hope of being tossed a bonus feels like a real waster of a person's time and talents.

I say, if a person is willing to work SO hard and performs at such a level that someone else feels they deserve more, why don’t they put that effort where it can do them some real good?

So what are the options?

First, you would want your side gig to be a case of money working for you and not you working for money.  So that would mean, that second job and freelancing are out.   It is good side money, but you are still trading your time for money.  Note the left side of the infographic below.

You can start your own business or get into franchising, but it takes a huge monetary and time investment to get started and you can go years without breaking even and starting to make money.  Also remember, we are talking about a side gig here, so you cannot work full-time and own a successful business that you would have to dedicate over 50 hours a week to.   You are still trading time for money.

That leaves investing in real estate, investing in general and of course network marketing.

Investing in general whether it is in stocks or real estate is a great side gig, since money is working for you and you are starting to experience residual income (a.k.a make money when you sleep).   For example, let's say you bought an apartment building and have a number of units paying you rent every month.  After all operating expenses are taken out, you are still building a passive residual income.    Not a bad feeling when you wake up and made a few thousand dollars while counting sheep.

The big drawback with investments and real estate is that you would have to have the knowledge and connections to assure that you are going to have a positive flow of income.    It takes time to learn the ropes and not everyone makes money on investing and in real estate.   Think of the big Florida Real Estate bust in 2008.

Network Marketing is the defacto best side gig you can do today to build a residual income, hands down.  There I said it.

The challenge with network marketing is that it has a perception to be a scam.  Typical responses are the organization looks like a pyramid or I need to force my family and friends to join my club, or the best one, I don't have time for network marketing since I have HBO shows to watch at night.

The lure of Network Marketing is that you invest very little with the potential to make a lot of money.  The goal as always to be financially independent where you dictate what you want to make depending on how hard you work.   You can't get that with a job.  The environment is positive and team-oriented, you are learning new concepts, and the products and/or services are top notch.

With most network marketing compensation plans, you can build that residual income where you can be doing other things and become financially independent.

There are some amazing network marketing companies out there, so how can you decide which one is right for you.   I will leave you with these ten tips for evaluating a network marketing business and you can decide if it is right for you.

1)  Make sure the company has been around for at least five years and has had a consistent executive team.    This show commitment and reduces the chance of the company going out of business.

2)  Check with the Better Business Bureau to review the rating and what complains were filed against the company.  Also check if the company have won any awards.  The last thing you want is to invest time and money in a company that has more complaints than the IRS.

3)  Review the company's financials and Annual Report.   You would want a company that is consistently growing quarter to quarter even through recessions.     A company that has gained every quarter is even better!

4)  Select a company with more that one product or service or better yet provides more than at least three divisions/ product lines.  Not only you would have more to offer your customers, but it will also make it easier to build your organization.   Not everyone wants to sell makeup, where that wrap around their waist or drink that passion juice that takes off five pounds.

5) Review the compensation plan closely more than once.  If bonuses and/or monetary rewards are given for recruiting people, run away as fast as you can.   The network marketing company should build its compensation on retail sales volume and be customer focused.  This is a big one.   Some times there are hidden rules that you need to maintain a lot of products and the sales cycle is very short and you lose hard earned volume monthly.

6)  If a company's promotions focus on that you can work from a beach, drive a Ferrari and tell your boss to take a hike, they are playing with your emotions to join their "business".  Stay away from gimmicks and start a business simply on emotion.   A lot of companies post on social media how their product changed their life, and you would be crazy not to join them.   If you need hard sales techniques and to convince, then maybe your company is not ideal.  Start a business to learn, grow and be financially independent first and leave the gimmicks aside.

7)  If you think that you don't have time to start a network marketing business, think about how you spend your time.  There are 168 hours in a week, you work 45 hours on average, sleep for 50 hours, drive/eat/do chores for up to 40 hours a week.   That still leaves around 30 hours a week for that side gig.   Turn off that TV and leverage your time to learn and build a great business.

8) Be open minded if someone approaches you about a network marketing business, and don't be afraid to ask questions.   It allows you to evaluate your potential future business partner and the company you are building your business with.    Simply listen and don't be closed minded.

9)  Try out the product or service of the company first and evaluate and build a passion.   Once you find yourself referring the product/service to others, why not make money doing the same.  No brainer!

10) Finally, review how you spend your money today on day-to-day items, will the network marketing company provide a way to build a residual income on what you are already spending money on?  The whole idea is to have money work for you and not you work for money!

I hope this blog helps and if you need any help evaluating a business, please contact me!

As A Business Owner - Always Remember it is a Two-Way Street - Always Respect Each Other

With the widespread use of social media as a quick and easy way to speak your mind regarding a product, service, restaurant or political figure,  the old saying to think before your speak is more important than ever.

Case in point, my company was approached a while back from a future business owner that needed a website and some social media help for their new business.    Just like any service provider, I asked the business owner a few questions to get an idea what they are looking for, so I can create an adequate proposal and price it according to their budget.  About one minute into the discussion, the owner got very inpatient and started yelling at the phone complaining,  I was asking two many questions and screamed "what does it cost for a website, just give me a cost, I have no time!".   I stayed calm and collected, and patiently stated that in order for me to provide a cost I need to gather information about your business.   The business owner acted if he was hiding something and got very agitated with me, so I gave him an option and a ballpark cost to think about and then asked he can call back when he was ready.    After he hung up, I was thinking to myself, was this client worth the aggravation?

The business owner called the next day and wanted to know when his website can be ready, since his business was opening in three weeks and he wanted a website up and running.   Keep in mind, I had no content to go by, so I guess I had to make something up to get this website activated.   I mentioned this to him and again, he got all defensive and started screaming in the phone that I didn't understand how important he is and that I was too nosy asking him all these questions about his business.  Again, the conversation ended.    At this point, I did not want to take any calls and hoped to never hear from this person again.

Months and months went by and this new business never opened.  It finally opened last month, eight months after I had the last conversation.   From what I heard through some channels was that this business owner treated everyone he came across like dirt and was not able to get his business going since he was so difficult to work with.  Needless to say, there are a bunch of people that do not want to have anything to do with this person.

So what is the lesson here?

Had this new business owner demonstrated more patience and had been more collaborative, he would have gotten his business off the ground faster.  He would have also started to build a sizable referral network and become known as the hot new business owner in town.    The irony is that we are in the social media era and word travels fast and we are not trying to compete with each other trying to be tough kid on the block anymore.   This business owner had the "Don't Mess With Me" approach with everyone he came across, which doesn't work in today's business climate.

I will leave this with some recommendations:

- Always treat your business colleagues with respect and dignity.  Everyone you meet has a talent that you need or knows someone that has a talent you need.

- Don't ever think that you are better than the person you are talking to.   You would turn this person off and they will talk about how difficult you are to others.

- Remember, you want people to recommend your product/service/business.  If you are rude and obnoxious, guess what, you will not be recommended.

- All it takes is one bad post on Twitter, Yelp or Google about your business, and instantly you can be out of business.

- Be positive, all the time.   Positive  vibes get you through any challenge and difficult people.

- Think Karma.  What goes around comes around.