Is The Future Anti-Social Media?

A few things to tell you about today…

First…

“Social Media” is all the rage everywhere you turn. On TV. In Magazines. Newspapers. Movies. And more. You’ve probably heard “Facebook” and “Twitter” so many times now in your life that you’re probably tired of hearing about them.

But the big question is… is using Social Media really good for you and your business? I think for most entrepreneurs the answer is NO.

At least “no” because of the way most people are using it. I’ve always said that Twitter and Facebook are great for SYNDICATION efforts. There are some great ways to auto-publish links to your articles, blog posts, etc. with them. And that is definitely something you want to be doing.

But I see so many entrepreneurs spending hours upons hours of their time ‘chatting’ with people on Facebook or Twitter. Somehow they feel that because they are using those sites, and because the media is so ‘big’ on Social Media, that somehow their business is benefiting from it.

In many cases, it’s THE OPPOSITE. Spending hours of time on Facebook and Twitter is most likely LOSING MONEY for folks.

In most cases, the traffic that can be generated from those sites is often very untargeted or very unqualified. Facebook Ads is the exception and I highly recommend you test with it and use it to generate targeted, profitable leads if you can. That’s where you can buy ads that run across Facebook based on user demographics and interests.

If someone takes the same amount of time they spend on Facebook or Twitter and spends it setting up ad campaigns on Google Adwords, or creating some targeted, highly optimized content for their site, they will make more money in their business. I guarantee it.

Something to think about.

Again, I DO think those sites can help your business, but you shouldn’t be spending more than 5% of your “business time” on them.

I challenge you to use “Anti-Social Media” for 2 weeks. (Or longer if you can do it.) Don’t use Facebook or Twitter at all. Put all of your time into SEO efforts, setting up AdWords campaigns, and writing articles. You’ll be surprised how much faster your business grows.

The second thing to tell you about today…

Is an update on ME.

A lot of people have been asking me about my travels and my ‘experiment’ with minimalism. After traveling non-stop for 2 months, I can tell you one thing for sure…

IT’S TIRING.

It’s rough to go from place to place and constantly be on the move. It’s like it’s hard to ‘relax’ for very long because you know your current surroundings are only temporary.

And being without a “home base” of some sort, I believe, works against you mentally. Your mind is always aware that you’re just a perpetual nomad and in ‘motion.’ I think the key to being able to perpetually travel is to stay in certain places for long periods of time. Even setting up a little “home base” and then travel to and from that point.

What’s up next for me is to spend some more time in MY OWN COUNTRY. There are some great cities in the US that I want to experience. I also want to be in the US to spend more time with my family. I’m realizing more and more that that’s what is truly important in life. (Yes, obvious, I know.)

As many of my long-time customers know, my brother died about 5 years ago. And not a week or so goes by without being reminded that I wish I had spent more time with him while he was still alive. And I know that one day (even, though, I definitely don’t like to think about it) I’ll probably have the same thoughts about the time I spent with my parents.

So along with a lot of other areas that I want to have more balance with, spending time with my family is one of them.

I definitely still have lots of destinations on the “To Do” list and I still plan on getting to them all — but I have already come to realize that I need a more balanced way to continue to travel or I will reach a major point of BURN-OUT.

As for the minimalism stuff, I’m still a huge believer in it. Not necessarily in only having a few shirts and outfits, etc. but just not having tons of STUFF in my life that can become a distraction. I’m sure that I’ll be acquiring some new things as I set up a little home base, but I’m definitely never going back to the life I once had in regards to owning an overkill of stuff.

The one thing I’ve really experienced so far on my little ‘journey’ is getting some perspective. I’ve had plenty of time to think about my life and focus on what’s really important — I’ve also thought a lot about past choices and how things may or may not have been different.

More than anything, I’ve realized the value of BEING PRESENT. That life really is short and it’s passing by in the blink of an eye. And I’ve been doing an interesting “Time Machine” mental exercise (you should try it)…

Whatever you are doing today, or with your days right now, imagine eventually being 10 years into the future. And imagine being able to get into a Time Machine and visit TODAY (10 years earlier). Would you want to be doing whatever you were doing then? Or would you wish you had spent those days doing something else?

Like not to harp on the Facebook/Twitter stuff, but think of a day in the recent past when you caught yourself ‘surfing’ for several hours on Facebook, Twitter, etc. You know, when you were just chatting it up with people, etc. and you really didn’t do much to make more money in your business that day – heck, we’ve all been there and done that many times.

Don’t you wish you could have a ‘do over’ and get that essentially worthless day back?

Something to think about.

And if you have a dream to start a certain type of business or to do something you’ve been thinking about for a long time, DO IT. Don’t wait. Just go for it NOW. Often times the “worst case scenario” if it happens when pursuing that dream isn’t all that bad — so it’s definitely worth the risk.

Since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of having a video game company. And now, after putting it off for more than 25 years, I’m finally going for it. And even if it ends up not having the same success as other businesses I’ve had in the past, I really don’t think I’ll care. Because I know I’ll be a lot HAPPIER and excited about it. And at the end of the day, that’s really what matters.

So I challenge YOU… don’t wait. Do whatever you’ve always wanted to do TODAY — or at least get started with ‘it’ in some small way that you can accommodate in your life right now.

Yours For Online Profits,

John Reese

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