3 Ways to Strengthen Your Marketing Leadership

These days, marketers don’t just want a chair at the table—they want to lead the meeting. But no matter how smart and fast your marketing team is, it’s only one piece in a larger puzzle that runs your company.

Whether you’re part of an in-house team or a member of an agency brought on to assist, it’s your job as a marketer to ensure the rest of the business understands that marketing influences all areas of a company. Sales, services, development—they all need marketing to amplify or clarify their message.

For these reasons and more, we are now seeing the path to CEO begin in marketing. But before you can lead, you have to gain the respect of the company.

While your marketing metrics might seem obvious to you, no one cares what an MQL or SQL is. If you aren’t making it a priority to change the way your company perceives your marketing initiatives, you’re undermining your own success.1  Your entire company should be invested in the success of the overall marketing strategy. To accomplish this, they have to understand what you’re doing and how it impacts both the individual and the company as a whole.

That’s easier said than done, but here are three critical ways to change your company’s perception of marketing.

1. Be a Leader

Every company has annual, quarterly, and even monthly revenue goals that are agreed upon by the executive team at the beginning of your fiscal year. But is the rest of the company aware of these benchmarks?

When you spend all your time on content, email campaigns, webinars, and events, it can be easy to get tunnel vision. It’s important to ensure that you’re keeping the company focus where it belongs. Marketing can take center stage in making these goals visible.

Internally, marketing the progress of teams and tying them back to company vision is an area of marketing that’s been largely forgotten. The most successful teams don’t allow this to happen. If you can’t see the forest for the trees, you’ll get mired down in routine and lose sight of the “why.” This causes even the best organizations to lose their way. Let marketing be the beacon it’s meant to be, steering the giant ship to port.

2. Connect to the Individual

Allow everyone to understand how their role contributes to company goals.

You already know that your efforts create business interest, leads, and revenue. But depending on their background, the department managers and the company executives might not understand exactly how marketing drives the bottom line.

When you finish a webinar that results in an impressive lift in a pipeline, share that internally. Champion the sales associates who use your content most effectively, and demonstrate your content to show others in the department your value, too. Not everyone cares about infographics, email open rates, and marketing tech. Everyone cares about revenue. Showing the company how you’re making a difference on the bottom line is the ultimate way to get them on your side.

Beyond the one-to-one results of some marketing campaigns, the number one shortcoming of marketing departments is their failure to produce accurate attribution reporting. Marketing is an additive process and one that is mainly rooted in influence. Recognize this, and educate the rest of your company around this crucial fact.

After you’ve pollinated the idea, be sure to enforce it with accurate and frequent reporting. If you are only able to produce simple “lead”-based reports, you’ll fall victim to the “eBook fallacy.” Everyone knows a prospect downloading an eBook doesn’t close deals. It certainly does help, though. Attribution reporting will allow you to show this influence rather than undermining your metrics by trying to take credit for revenue with nothing but a download to show for it. 

3. Dwell on the Past

Be a steward of results, and remind every one of successful initiatives. Marketing is often the victim of ignorance. Simply put, sometimes the organization doesn’t know what you’re doing.

Don’t sell yourself short. When you have a record number of qualified leads coming in as a result of a new campaign, send around a note to the company celebrating your success. When a piece of educational content goes viral on social media, let everyone know. Call out by name the other departments who helped you, whether it’s Customer Success bringing in great customer stories or Accounting who helped you meet your budget goals on a big event. Put your successful campaigns up for an industry award, and name people outside the marketing department. Then, put the plaque you get for winning right above the coffee maker.

By championing the success of the company as a whole, the marketing team changes the perception, gets more allies within the business, and encourages more excitement towards future campaigns.

Marketers and the companies they represent have a symbiotic relationship: You need each other. By explaining your approach, stepping outside your comfort zone, and crediting others with some of your successes, marketing can go from weird artsy kid to class president in no time.

There’s no time like the present to make the changes outlined above. Marketing is still shedding the stigma that has plagued it for too long. The modern-day marketer is an ambassador of the brand, the poster child for duality. Analytical and yet creative, today’s marketers can’t be ashamed to highlight how rare it is to see their rare skill set in one, highly effective executive. If the path to CEO is the CMO title, the vigor with which marketers perpetuate their brand must also be applied to advertising their results internally.

 Source: http://bit.ly/ideasnews

7 Habits of highly effective people

1. Be proactive

Start small by first being conscious of your thoughts, values, and actions. Every day, see how controlling your responses to situations will affect your circle of influence. Don’t rush, but, be more mindful on how you process your thoughts and feelings in every situation you face.

2. Begin with the end in mind

Focus your energy on your desired outcome. Then, make a plan and as much as you can, stick to it. Yes, there may be times you may need to be flexible and make changes, but never lose sight of what you want to happen. Remember, it’s always about changing your ways to get to your goals, not changing your goals itself.

3. First things first

Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, so why do some people seem to get more things done than others? Priorities. Be absolutely critical of how you spend your time and make sure you organize your activities to the goals you want to achieve. Concentrate only on tasks that will bring you closer to achieving them.  

4. Think win-win

The world is full of great opportunities, more than enough for everybody. Always aim to have a win-win approach to your strategy, whereby both or more parties get the best-desired results. That way, the task is motivating and are the definite success for all.

5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Having great interpersonal and communication skills go a long way. Just think of all successful people — Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Tony Fernandes — they are master communicators. Their strong ability to effectively articulate their vision, engage their consumers, as well as convince their stakeholders and partners, all require some good communication skills. Remember that building good relationships mean being a good listener and being able to read the ‘body language’ as well.

6. Synergise

I’m sure you’ve heard of the paradox of 1+1=3, but how’s that possible? Simple, the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. Great talents with different strengths coming together with a shared vision can achieve remarkable results, compared to even the most efficient person alone.

7. Sharpen the saw

This involves forming a habit of reflecting and evaluating yourself. This should cover four aspects of your life: physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional. Be equally honest and critical about yourself and take daily steps to make the changes needed to achieve what you want.  

  Source : http://bit.ly/1T3AYOK

Quote of the day.

5 reasons to say "No!" to marketing

Over the course of my 15-year marketing career, I have evaluated my fair share of marketing ideas. Many of these ideas have come from co-workers, managers, and owners. I have had requests for everything from videos to exhibiting at trade shows in Las Vegas to creating printed brochures and more.

Early in my career, I didn't spend much time evaluating their requests, rather, I would add them to my to-do list and get working on them. As I gained experience, I also got smarter, and I soon became critical of internal marketing requests.

Now, when approached by someone who says "We need to attend the annual tech conference in Seattle the first week of October" the first question I ask is "What is your business case?".

I can't recall a single time when someone has been able to provide a reasonable business case. Most of the time I get one sentence responses something to the tune of:

"We need to do this because our competition is doing it."
"We have always done it this way."
"I can't explain it - just trust me."
"I'm the boss - just do it."

I usually end up categorizing these requests as RAM - Random Acts of Marketing. Sometimes they pay off and other times not so much. None of them lead to long-term growth.

So, here are five reasons to say NO! to marketing:

1. The idea has little impact on the bottom line.

If you think the issue with marketing is that only 50% of your efforts pay off but you don't know what 50% is paying off then you're doing it wrong. Marketing efforts can be attributed to bottom line results when benchmarks are put in place and campaigns tracked correctly. If you can't draw the path from a marketing initiative to sales then just say "No!".

2. The idea is not part of the company strategy.

Small businesses serious about growing will have a strategy. Most plans will outline the target consumer of the main products and services key to a company's success. If the marketing idea does not focus on your primary audience then just say "No!".

3. Your customers expect you to do it.

There is limited time and money in every department - marketing is no different. It would be nice to be able to do every initiative, but it doesn't work that way. Choices need to be made every day. Where is marketing time and money best spent? If the only reason you are running a campaign is your customers expect it, then just say "No!". Only consider the campaign if it is strategic.

4. The competition is doing it.

If you want to be a leader in your industry, then be just that - a leader. Base your marketing on a sound strategy, defined objectives, and continuous measurement. If the main reason to go through with a marketing campaign is your competitor is doing it, then just say "No!". Second place follows. First place leads.

5. You have always done it that way.

Executing a marketing campaign simply because you have done it before is not a reason. There are variables constantly changing that impact the growth of business. What worked at one time may no longer work today. Marketing is ever-changing, and so marketers and businesses must adapt. If you're executing a marketing campaign for the sake of tradition then just say "No!".

The growth of a small business requires marketers to be strategic and to say "No!" is an important part. However, always saying "No!" and never saying "Yes!" will get you nowhere.

As mentioned, marketers of small businesses have limited time and resources. Removing the "noise" that doesn't contribute to the growth of a company leaves a lot more time to focus on marketing initiatives that do have an impact on business.

 Source: http://exm.nr/1qPK5Wm

7 Simple Tips to Boost Your Personal Brand On LinkedIn

Your personal brand is your image. The right image can get you that job, attract people to your business, and win over connections that you would have never stood a chance with otherwise. Boosting your personal brand on LinkedIn should be a priority whether you are the manager of a large firm or launching your first startup.

Boosting your personal brand requires time and effort. You have to commit to using LinkedIn if you are going to make your mark on 400 million users. These simple tips will show you how to use LinkedIn.

Tip #1 – LinkedIn is Not X Social Network

It’s easy to treat all social media networks the same. And that’s because most of them are the same. What you post on Instagram may be transferred to Pinterest. What you post on Facebook can be shortened to go on Twitter. You don’t have to put much thought into what you post.

LinkedIn is different. The best thing you can do for your personal brand is to publish unique content on LinkedIn. It’s worthwhile to link it to your other social media networks, but this isn’t the same as simply copying your Facebook update for LinkedIn.

Tip #2 – Fill Out Your Profile

This is the simplest tip of them all, and yet people fail to do it time and time again. It’s a time-consuming process to completely fill out your LinkedIn profile, and yet if you put the effort in it can make such a difference.

Many people will view your profile before they consider formally connecting with you. Make your profile public and allow people to find out about you first. This will encourage people to find out about who you are as a brand.

Tip #3 – A Professional Tone

It’s good to innovate and to think outside the box. But that doesn’t mean you should go against what everyone else is doing. LinkedIn is different to every other social media network because it’s the one network that adopts a professional manner. Whenever you are filling out your profile or writing to someone, make sure you adopt at least a semi-formal tone.

Tip #4 – Can the Default Messages

LinkedIn has a default message for everything. Whether you’re connecting with someone or just asking to be invited to join a group, you will notice default text populating your window. It’s tempting to save time by sending this, but this is really a huge mistake.

Anyone who has used LinkedIn for a certain length of time is well aware of what the default text says. If you send it, you are sending the message that you don’t really care about that person. They are not worth a personalized message. You are not serious about forming a relationship with them.

Cancel these default messages and write something personal. It can be a rewritten version of the default message if you like, but the point is you have done something different. You have gone out of your way to respect that person.

Tip #5 – Participate in Group Chats

The easiest way to spread your reputation as an authority in your field is to participate in group chats. Give people the benefit of your wisdom by answering questions and posting opinions on current topics.

This is where LinkedIn can become time-consuming because it can take many hours out of your working week to get this done. But it’s what most people don’t do so that fact alone is going to make you stand out from the crowd. Choose only relevant group chats. For an added bonus, you should target the groups that your prospects are members of. To build authority is a great way to create connections.

Tip #6 – Take the Relationship Away from LinkedIn

Building your personal brand is one thing, but it doesn’t mean anything unless you can make that personal brand work for you. Whenever you connect with a lead on LinkedIn, offer a face-to-face meeting or the chance to exchange email addresses. Get the relationship away from LinkedIn so you can advance the relationship early.

This is a statement of intent and this statement could make all the difference with your ability to turn that lead into a customer or something more.

Tip #7 – Recommendations

Finally, wherever you can, have people recommend you for certain skills. Repay the favor and this will help you to craft a profile filled with skills that other members can vouch for. These are essentially brand testimonials.

  Source :http://bit.ly/23bc29w

Quote of the day.

5 Ways Small Business Brands Can Use Instagram Video

So it happened. Facebook owned Instagram released video functionality on their app to go head to head against Twitter’s Vine app. The battle lines are drawn and people and brands are already choosing sides. But what does this mean for your small business?

With Instagram already boasting more than 130 million users, there was already a case to be made that your company may want a presence on the photo sharing platform. That said, there are some stories that a still image just can’t capture. The addition of a video feature (even at a max of 15 sec.) provides even more flexibility to the message that your brand can share with your audience.

Still need more convincing? Instagram’s videos can be directly shared on your Facebook page. When posted to Facebook, they appear in a large, timeline filling thumbnail, there is no doubt that your fans will take notice.

If you are considering adding Instagram videos to your social media marketing mix, here are a few creative ideas you should try:

1. Before & Afters

Although not applicable to every business, before and after videos are a wonderful testament to the effectiveness of a product, or service. Showing a potential customer the end result of working with you may prove to be the final push that causes them to reach out. Unlike a before and after photo, video will allow you to show multiple angles, or focus points of the true difference you offer.

2. Previews

Are you about to launch a new product or service? A 15 second sneak peek behind the curtain may be the perfect way to build excitement and anticipation about its release. If you can show your existing and potential customers the value of your new release, you may be able to get a few pre-orders, or at least create a list of interested parties to eagerly anticipate your launch.

3. Comparisons

Is your product, or service really better than the competition? If so, it’s time to prove it! Show your solution toe to toe with the competition. If you can outperform them on video, it will be pretty hard for viewers to choose your rivals over you.

4. Mini Commercials

It’s time to get creative. Just because you are a small business doesn’t mean you can’t have commercials. Instagram’s video capabilities give you everything you need to produce short, free, and meaningful communications with your audience. Don’t be afraid to try something. If you don’t like what you’ve produced, simply delete it and start over. You never know, maybe you’re a regular Ron Howard.

5. Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonials may be the most powerful use of Instagram. Who has the budget to send a film crew out to every satisfied customer? Now you do. Anytime a customer brings up how your product, or service benefits them (saved time, saved money, increase production, improved sales, increase ROI, peace of mind, etc.), simply take out your phone and ask them for a 15 second testimonial on the spot. Not everyone will say yes, but the ones that do will be giving you pure video gold.

No matter if you decide to use Instagram and its video feature, or not, the addition to the app will make an impact on the way brands tell their stories. You have the chance to take advantage of this new feature and use it to tell your brand’s story. Will you accept the challenge?

How will your use Instagram videos to spread your message?

 Source : http://bit.ly/1RHWB6u

4 Ways to Integrate Instagram Ads Into Your Marketing

It's official: one of the fastest-growing social media networks worldwide is now offering advertising opportunities for marketers large and small. After months of testing its new ad format to a limited audience, Instagram rolled out the platform to advertisers everywhere on Sept. 30. If you're looking to integrate the ads into your social media marketing strategy, you've come to the right place! Keep reading for an in-depth guide to Instagram ads.

1. Understanding the network

Experienced digital marketers will be familiar with Instagram, the social network that has experienced a meteoric rise since its $1 billion purchase by Facebook three years ago. Today, the network boasts 400 million active users, propelling it to a high ranking behind industry giants like Facebook and its Chinese competitor, QZone.

Compared to its direct competitors, Instagram boasts a relatively young audience with 53 percent of its user base being 29 years or younger. Thanks in part to this young demographic, the network is one of the few which doesn't see college graduates as the top education demographic, though 31 percent of its users do have at least some college experience.

In other words, the network has long offered a premier opportunity for brands to expand their reach to millennials, promoting consumer-based products and services in the sub-30 age range. In fact, 32.5 percent of U.S. companies now use Instagram for marketing purposes, and eMarketer expects that number to rise to over 70 percent by 2017 -- surpassing Twitter.  

If I were a better person, I'd put money on the new ad capabilities for that induction of brands into Instagram.

2. The ad format

If you've been using Instagram since its early stages, you might think of the network as a digital photo album. And in essence, that remains true -- thanks to a layout that emphasizes pictures and the multitude of available filters, Instagram offers the perfect opportunity for brands to visualize their imagine and provide behind-the-scenes photographs of their operations. But now that the network has entered the ad landscape, it can offer so much more than that.

Currently, Instagram offers three types of ads to marketers: Image ads, video ads and carousel ads. Considering that the platform is owned by Facebook, it should come as no surprise that all three are closely related to their Facebook counterparts.

• Image ads are the equivalent of Facebook's Link Ads but with a heavier emphasis on visual. They offer brands the opportunity to add a call-to-action button to their ad, which enables them to drive web visits in addition to raising brand awareness. 
• Carousel ads are similar to image ads but offer additional functionality in the way that Facebook's carousel ads are essentially enhanced (and diversified) link ads. Instead of just one image, you add multiple images within the same ad, which enables you to showcase multiple pictures and calls to action with a single targeting option and ad copy.
• Finally, video ads do little more than drive video views -- you can add up to 30 seconds of moving images, but call-to-action buttons are not yet available for this ad type. 

While Instagram does not currently offer conversion optimization, the network has promised to add that feature in the near future.

3. Facebook integration

Here's without a doubt my favorite part of Instagram ads -- the set-up integrates seamlessly into Facebook's Power Editor, enabling marketers to take advantage of the numerous advanced targeting methods that they've come to love on the world's largest social-media platform. The new Power Editor even lets you create an integrated Instagram / Facebook marketing campaign that ensures you reach your target audience through a variety of channels.

When Facebook purchased Instagram in 2012, many users and marketers worried that it would mean the end of the picture network's independence of its larger brethren. The introduction of widely available, integrated Facebook ads have made that worry a reality -- but early on, it looks like marketers are benefiting rather than suffering from this integration.

Considering that Instagram ads became widely available less than a month ago, we don't yet have compelling statistics that show the network to be more effective than its competitors. But a variety of marketers who were able to take part in earlier tests, from Starwood to Levi's, has claimed to find significant success and favorable return on investment in their paid Instagram efforts. For what it's worth, the network itself is already showcasing a variety of success stories in promoting the new ad features.

4.Integrating Instagram into your social media marketing

Considering the early excitement around new ad features on the world's fastest-growing social media site, predict a large number of advertisers flocking to this shiny new toy. In fact, I encourage it. If only 32 percent of marketers are currently using Instagram for marketing purposes, the amount of competitive noise should be significantly less than some of the more established sites. But when moving to Instagram, it's important to integrate the new capabilities into your existing strategy rather than simply racing ahead.

Fortunately, the network has made this integration easy by working flawlessly alongside Facebook ads. But as most marketers know, that doesn't mean you should simply duplicate your efforts. Instead, you should develop ads that fit within your strategy and match the network's audience.

Business models that can provide easy visuals, from multimedia companies to fashion outlets, will find Instagram to be a great fit for their audience. Business-to-business companies, on the other hand, may not easily find footing on this consumer-based network. Put simply, Instagram ads make sense only if the network would have made sense for you even without the paid possibilities. If you haven't seen the need for an Instagram presence in the past, you should not change your mind now.

If, on the other hand, you're looking to enhance your presence on Instagram and spread awareness of your brand beyond your current followers, the new ad capabilities are huge news. They are without a doubt the new, shiny toy in social media marketing -- and I look forward to tracking just how well they perform compared to other networks.

 Source : http://bit.ly/1U0Wcwo

More about me. Be curious.

3 ways marketers can improve customer experience

Customer experience is a hot-button topic in marketing.

As more and more marketing pros seek to add this skill to their toolkit, advice from one of the leading minds in the field, Brian Solis, can help.

I met Solis, a former public relations and digital media executive, a year ago. My blog post about our conversation, Is Customer Experience the Next Killer App? was one of the most widely shared, liked and tweeted blogs that I have ever written. Since then, marketers are chiming-in everywhere you turn about improving CX.

I was talked to Solis again while he traveled to one of his worldwide speaking engagements discussing CX, and gathered more insights. Here are three main ways that Solis says PR and marketing pros can improve customer experience:

1. Uncover points of friction.

The first step is the most difficult. It requires that you recognize that customers’ experiences could be improved and requires you (and others) to step outside of your roles and collaborate to bring about sweeping change. But, it can start with small steps.

Any employee or manager can address customer experience by looking within their domain—whether it is sales, marketing, product development or customer service.

A good place to start is uncovering points of friction. This can be done personally or with the help of other team members and customers. Look at the experience within and outside your department, paying attention to what happens before and after your department becomes part of the customer experience.

When you involve your customers and other departments, interesting developments can appear, enabling you to identify things that are broken and how to fix them.

2. Place innovation over iteration.

Changing the customer experience may not require a complete product or customer journey redesign, but every aspect can benefit from a benchmark review through the eyes of the connected customer.

To make meaningful changes, you need to look at the experience from both ends. This leads to improvements and opens the door to innovation. It’s important to find a balance between innovation and iteration. Both are required for success.

Take a note from Steve Jobs and the development of the iPhone. Jobs didn’t want designers with traditional cellphone experience on the team, because he didn’t want any previous biases. Rather than focus on what a phone was, Jobs looked at what it could be.

3. Rethink what success means to CX.

Improving the customer experience can have widespread value. It is important to determine goals and how to measure them early in the process. Goals should focus on business value as well as how they affect the customer experience.

What’s the ROI of customer happiness? You can use existing metrics, but to truly track experience, rethink what success means and develop additional metrics that ensure how the two align.

Track key performance indicators related to customer satisfaction, shared experiences, customer paths and conversions. Focus on new customer growth baselines, looking at revenues and return on revenues once changes are completed. Also look at the journey and whether or not it is efficient for customers based on intent, context, device and immediacy.

The more tangible goals that you set, easier you can measure success.

  Source : http://bit.ly/24Uyndd

9 ways marketers can stick to their strategies

Consistency is important when you’re trying to implement a long-term marketing plan, so resist the temptation to abandon a strategy if it doesn't work immediately.

Give it time to work. These nine steps can help you make the most of your well-crafted plan:

1. Every day, be renewed by your vision. Your mind can be your greatest asset or your most tiring obstacle.

Begin your day by renewing your mind with the clarifying power of your vision. When W. Clement Stone and Earl Nightingale both said, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve,” they knew these were far more than simple words on a page. There simply is no substitute for the power of belief.

When you believe, obstacles that would throw your entire day into chaos suddenly become bleeps that you just intuitively know how to solve without expending valuable time or energy. Don’t laugh this off as touchy-feely. This is one of the most inexpensive and profitable investments you’ll ever make in yourself. Just do it.

2. Focus on your niche. Become the expert in all things involving your niche. Don’t limit your knowledge to the services you offer.

The more you know about your niche’s priorities and challenges, the more valuable a resource you can become to them. Become familiar with other professionals who can assist your niche with challenges outside your expertise.

When you’re tempted to work with clients outside your niche, make sure the time and payoff will be worth it and won’t draw you away from your commitment.

3. Stay close to your ideal client. Networking, surveys, online community forums, trade magazines and associations are all great ways to keep sharp about the things that matter to your ideal client.

Stay on top of the news and ask yourself how your client’s needs will be affected by changes in the business and world environment.

4. Keep your eyes on your competition. If your clients stop think­ing that you offer a competitive advantage in addressing their needs, you lose and the competition wins. Enough said. Don’t be the last to know what your competition is doing.

5. Make sure you’re positioned to win. If you’re doing the first four steps, you’ll know when it’s time to change your tune, tweak your message and speak a new language that’s more in tune with what your ideal client needs.

Ask yourself, “Is my unique selling proposition still unique? Does anyone do it better? What one thing can I do to serve my clients better?” That’s how you stay unique.

6. Take action every day. Stick close to your plan. Follow your schedule. Complete the actions you say you'll complete in your daily sched­ule.

At the end of the week, give yourself a grade for effort. Then give yourself another one for accomplishment. If you’re getting A’s for effort and C’s for accomplishment, trouble­shoot.

7. Focus on one marketing project at a time. One of the greatest mistakes people make in setting goals is trying to work on too many things at one time. There's tremendous power in giving focused attention to just one idea, one project, or one objective at a time.

8. Ask yourself good questions. As you think about your goals, instead of wishing for them to come true, ask yourself how and what you can do to make them come true.

The subconscious mind will respond to your questions far more effectively than just making statements or wishes.

9. Congratulate yourself. You’re halfway home. You’ve done something that less than 3 percent of the population has done—set goals and create a plan for achieving them.

Every study on the subject tells us you’re far more likely than most to succeed with your plans if you'll only do one thing: Take action.

Be that external force. Plan your work—then work your plan—and you’ll have an unstoppable money making system that can grow your business beyond even your most amazing vision.

Source : http://bit.ly/1PTjFLG

9 ways social media can set back your addiction recovery

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have certainly made the world a much smaller place in the past decade by bringing people across time zones to within a finger's tap of each other.

For many of us, the time we spend online socially is positive. But for others, it can be detrimental to their health and well-being, especially those recovering from addiction. While that's not to say it will have a negative impact on everyone, here are some reasons why social media use should be guarded when in recovery.

1) Social media can be addictive

From a purely clinical perspective, social media is not a true addiction like drugs or alcohol because it doesn't change the structure and function of the brain. But it does share some of the same behavioral aspects of addiction, such as excessive use that might interfere with daily life or interpersonal relationships. For this reason, it's important that it doesn't become an obsession.

2) Sleep deprivation

Speaking of obsession, it's not unheard of for people to lose sleep because they couldn't get off the Internet. Proper sleep is important for everyone, although it's especially true for those in recovery. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep is crucial for mental health and staving off depression and anxiety. Turning off phones and computer screens an hour before bed can help getting to sleep much easier.

3) Information overload

It's no secret that following hundreds of people on your favorite social site produces an endless stream of tweets and posts that quickly multiply with even the slightest bit of engagement. For those with an addictive personality or others with depression or anxiety, it's easy to become overwhelmed. The first step of treatment is often detox, and the same is true of the Internet. Simplifying life, practicing mindfulness, and taking a digital detox might be necessary during recovery.

4) Comparing ourselves with others can be unhealthy

It's human nature to compare ourselves with others, and the feeling of not measuring up can be harmful to recovery. People fresh out of treatment sometimes have a lower than normal level of self-esteem or confidence as they work toward repairing personal relationships. In life, as well as on social media, it's important to surround oneself with positive people and role models while avoiding negative or toxic people. Even then, comparing or competing with how much other people have, or what they've accomplished can be a recipe for failure. And we all know how much people like to show off online.

5) Drugs and alcohol are glamorized

It's common sense that people in recovery avoid bars and parties where alcohol is flowing liberally. Just thinking about partying can ignite dangerous triggers that cause relapse. However, if you're following the same friends you had before recovery, chances are good they're posting pics at their favorite bar or last night's party. Drugs and alcohol photos aren't just available on social media—they're often times glamorized. Until there's a way to filter drug and alcohol pics like there is with porn, understand that you will find it, or rather it will find you.

6) ‘I read it online’

For all the good information available online, there's just as much misinformation that can be destructive if not used correctly. Social media is chock-full of dangerous suggestions for ways to detox at home, or alternatives to drug or alcohol therapy. Addiction is a chronic disease that needs to be treated by doctors and addiction specialists, not the poster with the most “likes.” If something sounds too good to be true, investigate it thoroughly and always speak with somebody that knows before acting on it.

7) FOMO

Not being able to go to the same places or doing the same things as before recovery is almost as bad as seeing drug and alcohol pics online. FOMO, or the fear of missing out, can produce anxiety or depression. Finding new hobbies and cultivating new interests is important for recovery, which might mean finding new people and things to follow on social media. Better yet, get off social media for a while and get out and start living a new life offline.

8) Potential employers are online too

Addiction takes its toll on careers, and many people enter rehab as a result of losing their job, among other things. This may require finding a new job or career after treatment. Because many employers use social media as a screening tool for new hires, it would be wise to delete negative activity from before rehab that might have an impact on your job worthiness. Even posting information about being sober and in recovery might be a turnoff to some possible opportunities.

9) Face-to-face is better

Repairing personal relationships that may have been ruined because of drugs or alcohol is a positive step for those in recovery. It's impossible to undo what's already happened, but it is possible to turn things around again. The best way is to do it up close and in-person instead of trying to mend things over social media. This isn't always possible for those who live far away, but for those close to home, it's always better to meet up face-to-face and get things out in the open.

Social media has changed the way we communicate on both a business and personal level. It has made life easier and quite often more efficient. For some in recovery though, it might be wise to unplug for a while and focus on nurturing personal relationships offline. For those who can't seem to get enough social media, now would be a great time to practice moderation like never before.

Source : http://bit.ly/21kuuin