I enjoyed the heck out of my maternity leave… and it feels great to be back at Medusa Media!

Our clients achieved some terrific personal and professional wins in 2023 and I’m thrilled to share them with you. Think:

• A Wall Street Journal bestselling book
• A submitted manuscript
• Over 500% growth in LinkedIn followers
  

I’m also excited to work with a new cohort of thought leaders in our signature program, Exponential Influence. If you’re ready to grow your audience, authority, revenues and impact, I’d love to work with you. Details on page 3.

A break is a wonderful thing for the mind and body. Several of our clients took sabbaticals this year. How I prepped for mine is on page 8.

To an energizing New Year . Yours,

– Eva and the Medusa team

PS For the PDF-version of this report, go here.

Exponential Influence

The struggle is real: lost opportunities for income and impact, overwhelm from all the marketing options, feeling stuck on where to focus your thought leadership.

The system is the solution.

That’s why clients come to us: to create a simple, repeatable system that leverages their network and content for growth, income, & authority.

Exponential Influence helps you develop that system—we call it your eco-system—by strengthening your core ideology and distribution process.

You’ll walk away with more authority in the marketplace, new opportunities to earn, accelerated audience growth, greater confidence and team capacity. Clients include keynote speakers, professors, founders, consultants, authors, and more.

We begin on February 29th, and I’d love to have you join us. Secure your seat, and I’ll see you on the inside.

Her Words

Professor and author Dolly Chugh:

“Thought leadership, especially social media, used to drain me completely. But since completing Exponential Influence, I see a different way forward. Eva showed me and my team a more intentional, steady approach that feels right for how I want to put myself out there—it’s sustainable and genuine.

Over the weeks we worked together the changes were subtle, but like a ton of feathers adding up, by the end my entire philosophy and approach had completely changed for the better. If you’re feeling overwhelmed like I was, working with Medusa is a must. Eva’s teaching is powerful.”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

“Quick Confidence” was a WSJ bestseller!

Selena Rezvani did a beautiful job leveraging her network to boost bulk orders. We also collaborated on leveraging her 100k-strong LinkedIn newsletter audience and email audience. It worked!

Congratulations, Selena, on this dream come true. You did it!

In other book news, speaker, researcher and forthcoming author Kandi Wiens submitted the manuscript for “BURNOUT IMMUNITY: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work.” We’re thrilled to work with Kandi to launch her book, which comes out on April 23rd. It’s now available for pre-order!

Author and speaker Amy Gallo’s ideas were highlighted in a “Big Think” video:

Professor and author Dolly Chugh’s book “A More Just Future“ captivated audiences on big stages, including SXSW. Dolly was also featured on many podcasts, including Dr. Phil’s “Phil in the Blanks,” where Dr. Phil praised her work, stating, “This book should be required reading.”

Thought Leader Roundup

• Selena Rezvani was featured on the TODAY show and interviewed by Washington Post and Bloomberg about her creator journey.

• Author and speaker Charlene Li’s LinkedIn Learning course, Generative AI and Workplace Transformation, debuted.

• Somatic educator Jay Moon Fields’ signature program Yours Truly is now evergreen! Jay’s 4th LinkedIn Learning course, Learning to Prioritize and Express Your Needs at Work debuted.

• Leadership consultant Aiko Bethea and the RARE Coaching and Consulting team debuted their LinkedIn newsletter, Street Lights.
  
• Amy Gallo and Kandi Wiens will be speaking at SXSW 2024.

• Executive coach Muriel Wilkens hosted two seasons of her popular podcast, Coaching Real Leaders.

• Has Cynicism Infected Your Organization? and Stop Overworking After Vacation by Kandi Wiens were published by Harvard Business Review.

• I cared too much about my job and landed in the ER. Here’s how to spot the red flags of ‘overcaring’ by Executive Coach Teresa Vozza was published by Fast Company.

SUCCESSESS AND MILESTONES

Melina Cordero, DEI advisor and founder of P20, says:

“I had posts featured by the LinkedIn News team 3 times in 2023, each one generating a big spike in engagement and followers. I definitely attribute that to the strategies and consistency Medusa trained me on!

On another note, I had a random LinkedIn post go my-version of “viral” with 32k impressions. It was a post of a blog I wrote almost 2 years ago which I was recycling. I followed Medusa’s learnings and BOOM! How wild is that?”

Speaking of viral, Amy’s LinkedIn post “Women are held back at work due to 30 biases out of their control, says new study” earned over 100k impressions, 866 likes, 51 comments, and 123 shares.

On Sabbatical:

• Amy: “I had my biggest revenue year yet – while taking 4 months off!”

• Jay: “I took a sabbatical/family medical leave for the last four months of 2023. I’ve worked very hard over the years to build a business that can sustain me even if I need to take a break. I’ve built that business, and I need that break.”

• During her academic sabbatical, Dolly explored two new spaces— documentary filmmaking and improv theater—showcasing her “semi-bold” willingness to explore new avenues of non-fiction storytelling and science communication.

5 million and 10k:

• Dolly’s TED Talk How to Let Go of Being a ‘Good’ Person — and Become a Better Person crossed over 5 million views, further solidifying her impact globally.
• Through her popular email newsletter Dear Good People, Dolly connects with over 10,000 readers monthly, with zeitgeist-y, evidence- based and action oriented tips.

Elaine Lin Hering, speaker, facilitator, and author “Unlearning Silence” says,

“I continue to use the approaches you taught me about LinkedIn and am approaching 8k followers. I also found a rhythm with the newsletter that feels good and sustainable, and recently crossed a big subscriber milestone. It still boggles my mind that people beyond ’everyone I know’ want to hear what I have to say. Thank you for getting me started on both those ventures.”

Elaine’s book is available for pre-order!

Achievements and Awards:

• Dolly was promoted to Full Professor and remains Jacob B. Melnick Term Professor at NYU Stern.

• Amy was shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Talent Award.

• Selena was awarded Thinkers50 Radar, named a LinkedIn Top Voice, and earned the title of Premier Expert on Self-Advocacy at Work by Forbes.

IMPACTING OTHERS

• Dolly remains involved with the NYU Prison Education Program as well as the High Mountain Institute. And thanks to Exponential Influence with Eva and Medusa Media, Dolly’s thought leadership on LinkedIn continues to grow.

• Kandi delivered 6 keynotes and facilitated 27 workshops helping professionals lead with resilience and develop burnout immunity.

• Jay shared her talk “What Thought You Here Won’t Get You There: When Smart Isn’t Enough)” at the 15 Seconds Festival in Graz, Austria.

• Amy says, “One of my favorite audiences was a group of staff from the National Health Service in Belfast!”
  
• Bias disruptor and speaker Stacey Gordon’s company debuted Unconscious Inclusion: the Work Beyond the Workshop: “Unconscious Inclusion is an all-encompassing, neuroscience-backed program that delivers meaningful cultural trans-formation. It’s not just about awareness; it’s about action, evolution and sustainable change.” All participants receive a DEI Professional Certificate upon completion, and HR professionals receive 13 CEU’s.

HIGHLIGHTS

I share how I planned my sabbatical, including what I had to build, let go, and risks. My time off was for maternity leave, but how I planned it applies to anyone taking an extended leave from self-employment. Read about my sabbatical >>

Features

What is the curse of knowledge? [11:26] Why are “non-consensual coaching” (and unsolicited advice) my pet peeves? [18:37] These are some of my favorite topics which Jessica Fearnley and I cover in this episode! Listen to Seven Figure Consultant >>

If you read others’ content and think, “Yeah but…”, that’s the sign of a hot idea! In this episode, I explain how to develop your thought leader ecosystem. Diane Mayor and I also go over: What exactly thought leadership is, how it differs from content marketing, and more. Listen to Coffee and Converse >>

1% OF PROFITS

We donated 1% of our profits in Q2-4 to Black Feminist Fund—one of a kind funding focused on supporting Black feminist movements that are fighting against systems of oppression and building another world that is affirming of Black women and gender expansive people. Thanks to Ellen McGirt for sharing about this organization.

The post Client Impact Report: Q2-Q4 2023 appeared first on Medusa Media Group.

I write this Q1 Client Impact Report just weeks before my maternity leave (for my first child) begins. Whoa!

Of course I’m excited, and of course I’m a little nervous. To stay in touch with me and the Medusa team while I’m away, make sure you join our private email list.

Now! On to our clients:

One client’s book is out (!), another is giving a huge talk in Austria (!), still more have seen great leaps in their audience growth and incoming opportunities (!!!).

We also published an important resource about thought leadership accessibility, and are proud to donate 1% of our profits to a wonderful organization — scroll down to see both.

Wishing you good thoughts and feelings,

– Eva & the Medusa team

PS For the PDF-version of this report, go here.

Exponential Influence

I’m extremely lucky (by USA standards) to be able to take a 7 month caregiving leave after I have my first baby.

That means I’ll work with new clients again in January, 2024!

However, I am super-early-bird enrolling a handful of qualified women leaders in our signature thought leader program, Exponential Influence.

These are women who know what they want and value planning their learning and development.

Sound like you? Apply here.

In the program we work with authors, speakers, coaches, and consultants to build inner depth and outer resonance — the key components of a thriving and profitable thought leader ecosystem.

If you’re considering working with Medusa, now is a special time to begin. I’m offering unique bonuses (and the best investment price ever) to honor early enrollers. I hope you’re among them!

Recent Exponential Influence members include:

Dolly Chugh

• NYU Stern professor, author of two acclaimed books and creator of the popular “Dear Good People” newsletter. (Dolly’s assistant Anna McMullen is also pictured below!)

Maryam Kouchaki

• Kellogg School of Management professor and organizational psychologist

Simone Ahuja

• Keynote Speaker, bestselling author of two books, and global authority on innovation and intrapreneurship.

Thought Leadership

Selena Rezvani launches a book and is named among LinkedIn’s Top Voices

Quick Confidence: Be Authentic, Boost Connections, and Make Bold Bets on Yourself by leadership and self-advocacy expert Selena Rezvani is out!

You can support Selena’s dream of making this book a bestseller by ordering your copy today!

Bestseller lists tend to be overwhelmingly male and white. Getting Quick Confidence on such a list would be an achievement for Selena, and a powerful symbol to anyone who’s felt like they don’t fit in due to their identities.

Selena Rezvani has also been named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices! She shares her insights on agile growth here.

Top Voices is an invitation-only program featuring experts in a range of professional topics, to help users uncover valuable knowledge relevant to them. Congratulations on the recognition, Selena!

Jay and Amy’s highest-performing posts

Congrats to Amy Gallo for her highest-performing post since working with Medusa Media, earning over 1500 engagements: Stop Undervaluing Exceptional Women. Amy shared the article during Women’s History Month and it resonated strongly.

Somatic coach and educator Jay Fields had her highest-performing post since working with Medusa Media: Empathy is the Most Important Leadership Skill According to Research, earning 860 engagements.

Elaine Lin Hering made immediate impact

“A CEO is adding a feature to their product for reporting harassment and mis-conduct based on what I posted last night on LinkedIn.”

– Elaine Lin Hering, speaker, facilitator, and author of Unlearning Silence (2024)

Charlene Li featured on Idea of the Day

Charlene Li, a disruptive leadership expert and author, was featured by LinkedIn’s Idea of the Day for her valuable insights on how how to navigate change in uncertain times. Read her article: 2022 Reflections: Crisis, Change, and Continuous Opportunity

Congrats, Charlene!

Success & Milestones

We’re thrilled that not one but TWO of our clients made Thinkers50 Radar!

Congratulations Selena Rezvani and author and HBR editor Amy Gallo, for your dedication to delivering transformative knowledge to your communities.

Jay’s joining a big European Stage

Speaking of milestones, Jay Fields is proud to be filming her 4th course for LinkedIn Learning, and…

Prepping for her talk at Europe’s leading Future Conference, the Fifteen Seconds Festival (a prestigious event often compared to TEDx)!

Elaine and Melina’s successes on LinkedIn

I got my first client referral off LinkedIn. Here’s to thought leadership and social media monogamy in action! I’m starting to see the power of this network in action and am all for it.”

And:

“LinkedIn wins for the week so far: a leader DMed me to ask if I would be interested in being a guest on her podcast after seeing the comment I left in her thread.”

– Elaine Lin Hering

“Wow. I wanted to share that I’ve been seeing steady growth in my Linkedin follower numbers since starting your Micro Marketing Method program. Today I had a really big lead reach out ON LINKEDIN for an opportunity! Proof is in the pudding…”

And:

“Update: I’m up 50 followers… and they aren’t just ‘followers’, they’re the kind of people I want in my network and to partner with!”

– DEI advisor Melina Cordero

Stacey Gordon’s Impact Stories

Workplace culture consultant and global keynote speaker Stacey Gordon published the first edition of DEI Impact Stories.

It’s a valuable resource for starting genuine, transparent conversations about DEI, featuring five incredible organizational leaders whom Stacey has worked with through her firm, Rework Work.

JJ Jank accepted at a major speaking event

“I’m excited that my application to speak at a major California HR conference (CAHR 2023, put on by Professionals in Human Resources Association or PIHRA) was accepted!”

– Chief Brain Hacker Jennifer “JJ” Jank

Highlights from Medusa Media

Do you provide alt text on social media?

If you’re like a lot of people (including us, until recently) the answer is probably no.

That means you’re missing a critical step in making your work accessible. Not using alt text isn’t only ableist, it also limits your audience… by the millions!

In our resource learn what alt text is, why it matters, and how to include it in your thought leadership going forward:

1% of Profits

IllumiNative is a Native woman-led racial and social justice organization dedicated to increasing the visibility of—and challenging the narrative about—Native peoples. Thank you Amanda Hirsch for introducing us to this organization.

The post Client Impact Report: Q1 2023 appeared first on Medusa Media Group.

This article is long, informative, and a living document. As we learn and technology evolves, we’ll edit this resource so it’s as helpful and accurate as possible. 

It starts with a short story (content warning: the story discloses my own ableism. Please skip if reading about ableism will cause harm). Then we go over what alt text is and why it matters, best practices, and examples from LinkedIn. You can use this table of contents to go directly to the section that will be most valuable to you: 

• Recognizing My Own Ableism (story)
• Why Image Alt Text Matters
• What is Alt Text? And Best Practices (Dos and Don’ts)
• Check in: How do you feel?
• Medusa’s Alt Text Practices and Scope
• Use Alt Text for Every Image
  • Alt Text on LinkedIn
  • Alt Text using a Social Media Scheduler
• Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q: How do you determine if an image is “informative” or “aesthetic?
  • Q: How do you avoid making identity assumptions about people in images?
  • Q: Why do some resources recommend using alt text and image descriptions?
  • Q: What if people (colleagues, bosses) think alt text looks weird?

Thank you for being here. Accessibility and inclusion are important yet often neglected, which is hurtful and limiting. While this is not an exhaustive resource, I hope it piques your curiosity, educates you, and equips you to make your thought leadership more accessible. 

If you have feedback that would improve this resource, please email me: evaj @ medusamediagroup . com.

If you’d like to spread the word about accessibility, thank you! Here’s a social media post you can share, so your audience can use this resource too: 

Share “Make your Thought Leadership More Accessible”:

Copy this text, and paste it into a post on LinkedIn or other social:

Do you provide alt text for your content on social media?

If not, you’re missing a critical step in making your content accessible to and inclusive of people who use assistive technologies. 

Not including those individuals isn’t only ableist, it also limits your audience… by the millions! 

Learn what alt text is, why it matters, and how to include it in all your social media, emails, and articles going forward: https://medusamediagroup.com/thought-leadership/make-your-thought-leadership-accessible-with-alt-text/ by @Eva Jannotta

Recognizing My Own Ableism

If we’ve not met before, hello! I’m Eva Jannotta, I use she/her pronouns, and I live on O’odham Jeweḍ, Akimel O’odham, and Hohokam unceded indigenous land. I’m a thought leader advisor and trainer, the founder of Medusa Media Group, and I don’t love to admit this, but: I’m ableist. I’ve learned that I’m especially ableist when ableism seems more convenient than practicing inclusion. Ugh and yuck. 

Recognizing my ableism, especially in the context of thought leadership, started when I saw a tweet with this tip: “capitalize the first letter of words in your hashtags. It makes them easier for screen readers to read” (thank you Christy Batta for sharing!).

Ever since, my team at Medusa Media and I have always capitalized the hashtags we provide our thought leader clients and use ourselves. Why wouldn’t we!? It’s an easy way to make social media posts more accessible to blind and visually impaired people.

Yet not long after that, I learned that providing image alt text is another important way to improve online accessibility for the blind and visually impaired. Despite learning about the importance of image alt text years ago, I didn’t make it a priority for Medusa Media Group. 

Why? Honestly, it “seemed inconvenient.” I didn’t know how, it wasn’t something I could do quickly (whereas capitalizing hashtags was), and so I ignored it. I blithely went along in my vision-privilege, until a prospective client asked, “how do you make sure your social media is accessible? Do you capitalize hashtags and provide image alt text?”

*Gulp*

Clarity hit like a bell: by not adding alt text to all the social media we create, I’d been consciously ableist for years. Yuck, but it’s true: What else explains why I refused to take action on image alt text even though I knew it improved accessibility?

It’s ugly to admit, but the reality is that I decided my convenience was a greater priority than inclusion.

Those days are over. In this lengthy piece, I’m sharing Medusa Media Group’s practices and guidelines for including image alt text on all the social media we provide our clients and ourselves, as well as how we teach inclusive social media in our group programs.

(Note: we’re a small team, and implementing these practices is taking time. Depending on when you read this, you may find alt text still missing from some of our content. If you do, please reach out and let me know so we can fix it!)

Why Image Alt Text Matters for Accessibility

Providing image alt text for imagery used in thought leadership articles, emails, and social media posts matters because of accessibility. 

“If someone went on your website or profile with their eyes closed, would they still be able to find their way around? By adding alt text and image descriptions, barriers are lifted and more people can access your content.”

Veronica Lewis (source 1)

If you don’t provide an alternative textual description of your imagery, there’s a gaping hole in your content — a hole that would be difficult (impossible?) to bridge for someone using assistive technology like a screen reader.

There are other reasons why providing alt text is valuable:

1. Ensure your visual content is accessible to people using screen readers (I consider this the most important reason!)
2. If an image doesn’t load on someone’s device, alt text will display instead which will give the reader an understanding of the missing image’s purpose
3. Search engines index alt text, which can bolster SEO results 

Providing image alt text makes sure that anyone using a screen reader can experience the images that accompany your thought leadership and other content.

Also: Why would you Consciously Limit your Audience?

Up to one in four adults have a disability in the United States (source 2). Over 13 million adults in the United States have “vision disability with blindness or serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses” (source 2). 

To put it plainly: If you’re not providing image alt text for the pictures you share in your thought leadership and on social media, you are limiting your audience. You are making it very difficult (or impossible) for millions of people to access your work and feel welcomed by it. 

Why would you limit your audience like that?

Alt Text: What It Is? And Best Practices

“Alt text” is when you use words to describe what an image depicts, and either embed that text as part of the image (websites offer this capability, and LinkedIn does in some cases) or include it in post text on social media.

When someone uses a screen reader to navigate a page with multiple images, the screen reader can’t “see” the images. But it can tell an image is there and it can read the image’s attributes. When one of those attributes is alt text, the screen reader can read the text and allow the person navigating to understand the image’s function.

The purpose of alt text is not to describe in minute detail every single aspect of the image, but to give the person navigating clarity on:

1. What the image depicts, and
2. What purpose the image serves

That being the case, image alt text works best when it’s short. Its intended to convey the purpose of the image: 

“A picture may be worth a thousand words, but there’s no reason to write them all out and leave the user waiting for the descriptions to end.”

Veronica Lewis (source 1)

DO — The most effective alt text will have the following attributes:

1. Short. Be specific and succinct — 150-300 characters is ideal
2. Informational. Describe visual information, not aesthetics.
   1. Picture an image that depicts Nike’s logo. The alt text should say, “Nike company logo” rather than “graphic of a swooshy check-mark”
   2. If an image is aesthetic only, put “null” or empty quote marks (“”) in place of alt text so the person knows the alt text isn’t missing, but is unnecessary.
3. Punctuation. Use normal punctuation
4. Text. Include any relevant text on the image.
   1. If your image depicts a book cover or event flier, make sure to include those details in the alt text.
5. Purpose. Convey the context and function of the image (what does the picture do?)
   1. Holly Tuke points out that the function of an image depends on context. Picture an image of a well-decorated room. If you’re an interior designer, your alt text may include design features. But if you’re a leadership coach sharing an image of a nice-looking room with a laptop in it, see #3 below.
   2. “A maple leaf might represent Canada, or it might just illustrate the leaf of a tree.” (source 3)
6. Complexity how-to. For complex images, provide further explanations elsewhere, such as for complex infographics, text-heavy drawings, or a screenshot heavy with text. This is a great example, by Yi Shun Lai (found via Coty Craven, source 4).

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Confused? Not sure how to proceed? Think about it this way:

 “Think about how you would describe the image to someone over the phone.”

– Holly Tuke (source 5)

DON’T — Alt-text pitfalls to avoid:

1. Don’t start alt-text with the words “a photo of…” or “an image of” because it’s obvious to the screen reader that it’s an image. Don’t waste characters!
2. Don’t include copyright information or photo credits in alt-text (again, not the point!)
3. Leave out alt-text for images that are only decorative, like in the leadership-coach-laptop example above. Another example might be a picture of a sunset or smooth pebble in a mindfulness article. Ask yourself, “without this image, does what I’m saying still make sense?” If yes, then you’re likely working with a decorative image.
   1. See #2b above for what to do instead.
      

Check in: How Do You Feel?

Take a deep breath and check in with your body. What do you feel? 

When I learn about something new, especially if it seems to require a lot of steps and adjustment and refinement to implement, I often feel my body get tight. My shoulders creep up to my ears. My breathing is more shallow. I might be gripping my toes or fingers, frowning, or otherwise holding tension.

If I were to give these physical sensations some labels, I’d use words like “overwhelmed,” “intimidated,” and, since we’re talking about accessibility, “guilty” (I feel remorse for how long it’s taken me to commit to accessibility). 

If you can relate to the above, you’re not alone, there’s nothing wrong with you, and you/we can do this. In the next section, I’m going to share the process Medusa Media Group uses to provide alt text for our clients. Then in the final section, I’ll show examples of adding alt text to your thought leadership, particularly to LinkedIn and social media posts (as of this writing, it requires some extra “doing” to implement alt text on social). 

Medusa’s Image Alt Text Practices and Scope

There is a ton of valuable and in-depth information out there about making different types of media more accessible, and providing alt text in mediums like power points, word documents, PDFs, videos and more. 

In our work, we train and advise clients on distributing their thought leadership through:

1. Long-form written pieces 
2. Emails to their list, and 
3. Social media, particularly LinkedIn. 

All three of these modes of distribution can and often do include imagery, especially on social media. That being the case, our practices and guidelines for providing image alt text focus on these modes, and therefore are not exhaustive! I’ll provide additional resources at the end.

Use Alt Text for Every Image

The big, bad takeaway from this entire lengthy blog article is: use alt text for every image you share on social media. Full stop.

That means:

1. Articles: When you’re writing an article, for your own website or another publication, write alt text for the images included in the article
2. Emails: When you’re sending an email to your list, write alt text for your logo, header image, podcast images, or any pictures you include before you press send 
3. Social Media: when you’re publishing a post to social, whether in real time or using a scheduling tool (we use Meet Edgar), write alt text for the image, link preview, or GIF. If you’re sharing a video, make sure it has captions.

Fortunately, most email service providers (ESPs) and customer relationship management (CRM) software provide a field for alt text in every image. Here’s an example from Mailchimp: 

How to Provide Alt Text on LinkedIn

Unfortunately, social media doesn’t always make it that easy. As of 2023 on LinkedIn, only certain types of posts provide an alt text field, and that’s image posts. Here’s an example of a image post and the alt text field it provides:

But another frequent post-type on LinkedIn is link preview posts — that is, when you paste a link into the post box, and a link preview automatically loads. Here’s an example with an eventbrite link: 

There’s no option to add image alt text to that link preview. And while the link’s website may (or may not) provide alt text, someone navigating LinkedIn with a screen reader would have no way of knowing what the link preview image depicts.

How to Provide Alt Text using a Social Media Scheduling Tool

Also unfortunately, scheduling tools (as of 2023) do not provide an alt text field for posts you want to schedule in advance. I hope this changes, but for now the best work-around I know of is to manually add alt text to the scheduled post (see the eventbrite link example above for what that looks like).

If it’s an image post, you can edit the post after it publishes, and move the alt text from the post itself to the image’s alt text field (note: you can only edit a post to add alt text later if it has only one image. If there are multiple images, you must add alt text to each image individually before you publish it. There’s no way to add alt text after it’s published if there’s more than one image). 

If it’s a link preview post, the best option I’m aware of is to keep the image alt text in the post itself, so people with screen readers a) can understand what the link preview depicts and b) know you aren’t neglecting their needs and accessibility.

A case for always keeping alt text in the post:

Medusa’s practice at first was to put all alt text in the body of the post in Meet Edgar, our social media scheduler. Then, when the post went live on a clients’ LinkedIn, we would manually add the alt text to the image (if it was an image post), and leave it in the body if it was a link preview post.

But then I came across this post from Meryl Evans, which makes the case for keeping alt text in the body of the post always. This is more accessible for deafblind people and people using text-to-speech.

This discovery is a case-in-point reminder that accessibility is an evolving work in progress for everyone!

Do GIFs and Emojis need alt text on social media?

Employ alt text for GIFs the same way you would for images: by describing, briefly, what the GIF depicts depending on its purpose.

You do not need to provide alt text for emojis, but be mindful of not using too many emojis in a row, or repeating emojis (the screen reader will read out each emoji. How annoying would it be to listen to “champagne bottle, champagne bottle, champagne bottle” ten times?). Also: “Avoid conveying critical information with emoji” – Veronica Lewis (source 6).

Frequently Asked Questions about Alt Text and Accessibility

I’m not an expert on accessibility. If you are, you might find that I’ve made errors (and if you do, and you’re willing to give me feedback, please email me at evaj @ medusamedia group . com). The Medusa Media team is learning as we go, and these are some of the questions we have about providing alt text. 

I’m grateful to our client Dolly Chugh (she/her), who generously introduced me to Coty Craven (they/them). Coty is an inclusive community builder and expert, writer, producer, and video game producer. I’m extremely grateful to Coty, who provided answers to my questions and consented to let me quote them. Thank you, Coty! They offer terrific accessibility resources to writers in particular, which I’ve linked below (see source 4).

Q: how do you determine if an image is “informative” or “aesthetic?

It’s recommended to provide alt text for “informative” imagery, not purely “aesthetic” (like a picture of a pebble in an article about mindfulness) images. But say you’re scrolling LinkedIn, and you come across a post about mindfulness with a link preview of an image of a pebble. The pebble is aesthetic, but without providing alt text viewers with screen readers will still feel left out, or be left to wonder “did they just skip alt text? Or do I really not need to know what that image depicts to understand the content?”

“For aesthetic vs informative, I would say to always include a few words of alt text regardless of the purpose. So just “A pebble” would suffice. Because people using screen readers will have the file name read to them if the alt text field is left blank in some instances and sometimes think the person did just skip it entirely.

A good way to tell the difference is in how you’re thinking of using the image. If you’re writing a blog post with screenshots that lend themselves to the content in a meaningful way, those would get a better description of how/why they’re included. If it’s just to break up content, short is better. For example, when I wrote accessibility reviews of video games, I’d include a title image with alt “Legend of Zelda press art.” I’d also include screenshots of the game’s subtitles which were an important part of my article, so I’d describe what the subtitles looked like in the image because that was why I shared the image.”

– Coty Craven

Q: How do you avoid making identity assumptions about people depicted in an image?

If an image depicts a woman wearing a scarf over her hair, the alt text could read “Muslim woman,” “woman wearing hijab,” or “woman wearing a scarf.” Each has a different meaning and is making a different assumption. Another example: describing someone as a “Black woman” can mean a ton of different skin tones, hair styles, and more. No group is a monolith.

You touch on this in your presentation, and you point out how important it is not to describe people only from historically underestimated backgrounds. But I’m still curious about the assumptions we make when we interpret an image. Thoughts?

“Making assumptions can be tricky because it relies on prior knowledge and cultural literacy. I caution assumptions more for gender and ethnicity. For example people who know me or have looked me up on social channels would not assign she/her pronouns to me in alt text. But people that don’t know me or hadn’t done their research would be more likely to misgender me in alt text.

Same for ethnicity. People describe “an Indian man” when the man is Pakistani, “an Arab woman” when the woman is Persian, etc. For things like hijabs and headscarves, that’s where research and cultural literacy come in, knowing different styles of cultural head coverings. For skin tones, I’ve taken the lead of BIPOC in writing alt text and many will describe the shade. “A dark skinned Black woman,” “A brown skinned Muslim man,” “A pale white androgynous person.””

– Coty Craven

The conclusion I’ve come to is that it depends on context: when you’re writing alt text for an image of someone you know, make sure to identify them using their words. But if your image is of, say a woman-presenting person on a laptop, and you work with women entrepreneurs, I’d venture that it’s appropriate to describe the picture using she/her pronouns.

Q: Why do some resources recommend using alt text and image descriptions?

(This question addresses the option to provide image alt text AND to provide image descriptions. I didn’t go into detail about image descriptions in this resource, but there are lots of places you can learn about it.)

I understand the recommendation to be concise and specific in alt text. But some images require much more description to be meaningful, especially screenshots heavy with text, or infographics. But with a social media post, I can imagine a thorough image description could end up being longer than the post text itself. When are image descriptions necessary vs when alt text is sufficient?

“With image descriptions vs alt text, you generally only run the risk of them being too long if the image contains a lot of text. Most screen reader users set the speech speed to 2-3x “normal” speech speed, so it doesn’t take nearly as long as we’d think to get through a paragraph. But a good rule is to try and stay under 300 characters (Twitter’s 1000 characters allowance is WAY too long).”

– Coty Craven

Q: What if people (colleagues, bosses, peers) think my alt text looks weird or strange?

They might! As Medusa has begun implementing alt text, I received feedback from one person who said it looked “unprofessional.”

While unpacking “professionalism” is its own conversation, I bet we can agree that, at first, alt text in a social media post looks at least unfamiliar. While I’ve seen a handful of people (For example, Emily Weltman: this post shows alt text for multiple images in the comments!) using alt text in their LinkedIn posts, it’s far from common.

Adding alt text to your social posts may indeed cause confusion and uncertainty at first — and each instance of that is an opportunity for leadership. You can explain why you provide alt text, what it is and how it works. Every time you do, more people will understand why it matters.

It’s my hope that, as the years go on, seeing alt text on social media will be about as remarkable as an emoji or hashtag — that is, not at all.

Connect with Medusa Media

Thank you for reading this long resource! For about accessibility and inclusion at Medusa, see Why We Offer “Equity Pricing” In Our Programs For Thought Leaders and our Anti-Racism Commitments.

Want to connect further? We’d love to have you join our email community. We share our freshest thought leadership, best stories, and opportunities to connect every week for free. Our readers say…

• “This analysis is super helpful. Thank you!!” E.H.
• “So fascinating and mindset shifting. And it bears repeating, for sure!” – D.C.
• “I loved the email that you sent yesterday about putting back out the same content – I applied it immediately :-)” – A.D.

Resources and Further Reading

1. Source 1: How to Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the visually impaired, by Veronica Lewis
2. Source 2: Disability Impacts All of Us, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3. Source 3: Alternative Text by WebAIM
4. Source 4: Accessibility for Writers, by Coty Craven
5. Source 5: Common alt-text mistakes that hinder image accessibility by Holly Tuke
6. Source 6: Texting Etiquette for Low Vision by Veronica Lewis

Veronica Lewis’ site, Veronica With Four Eyes, also has great resources.

The post Make your Content Accessible with Alt Text: Best Practices for Thought Leadership and LinkedIn appeared first on Medusa Media Group.

Have you been seeing like this all over your notifications and inbox? I have, and for me it triggered an internal back-and-forth that will probably sound obnoxiously familiar:

• Everyone’s on Clubhouse. What am I missing? Should I join Clubhouse!?
• No! Don’t add another thing to your plate. It sounds like a time suck and the learning curve’ll be a bitch.
• But look at all the cool people on there! I could connect with celebrities! What if my PERFECT CLIENT is on Clubhouse right now, waiting for me to drop some verbal wisdom on her?

Etc. Etc.

You won’t see me in that chatroom.

You’ve surely heard that back-and-forth internal dialogue in your own mind. You know it’s a normal, understandable response to a new business or marketing tool coming on the scene. But such anxious dialogue rarely makes it easy to take action.

Technology changes quickly and waits for no one. Women entrepreneurs and thought leaders have to assess shiny new objects like this all the time, and sometimes it’s hard to determine if the pull we feel toward something new is genuine… or a distraction.

It’s hard to determine if the push we feel away from something is genuine… or stemming from fear, overwhelm, and a reluctant to learn a new trick.

I had the internal dialogue about Clubhouse and I figured out my answer. So the question is:

How do you determine if Clubhouse is right for you?

Clubhouse is super interesting. A social media platform based entirely around voice? There’s something intimate about hearing people speak. It makes you feel more closely connected that writing or even than video. And unlike with podcasts, on Clubhouse you can actually converse with the other person.

Plus, it seems like not-a-coincidence that this network is gaining ground after a year plus of face fatigue from using Zoom. Remember phone calls!? Clubhouse is like an asynchronous (as in, you don’t have to respond immediately) phone call with a bunch of cool people.

On the other hand (and it sucks that after The Year That Was 2020, a new social media platform can’t learn from literally everyone else’s mistakes and put protections in place against harassment and all the “isms) as The Lilly reported, “even as the audio platform grows in popularity, people say it’s a haven for misogyny and racism.” SIIIIIGGGGHHHH.

It’s enough to make you wonder… should you join Clubhouse?

When I wonder should I [fill-in-the-blank] for my business and thought leadership, I ask myself these questions. They made it immediately clear to me that Clubhouse and I do not have a future:

Do I want to? Am I excited?

No and no. I’m know myself well enough to admit I’m not an early adopter of tech and social media. I find Clubhouse interesting but I’m not drawn to it out myself. Au contraire, to me it sounds overwhelming.

Are my clients there?

I have plenty to talk about, and I’m sure I *could* find clients on Clubhouse, but I doubt I’d find them more effectively than where I find clients now (LinkedIn, podcasts, and networking). Besides, plenty of my clients are not early adopters either.

Would it have a net positive impact?

If I add Clubhouse to the mix and do it well (because why else do it?), what time and energy commitment am I truly making? Probably a big one. So what would I take off my plate to make room for Clubhouse? And would the positive impact of using Clubhouse be greater than the impact of whatever I remove? What’s the opportunity cost of using Clubhouse instead of doubling down on a strategy I know works, or a different new strategy I want to try?

After asking myself those questions, I know what Clubhouse is for me: an interesting shiny object.

Shiny objects do not give you more time and energy to build your thought leadership legacy.

My clients regularly cite overwhelm and shiny object syndrome as barriers to investing in their thought leadership and putting a stake in the ground of what they stand for. One of the ways my team helps is by strategizing how they can focus on less.

I might join Clubhouse in the future. Someday it might feel like just the right new strategy to try! But for now, I’m staying the course with what I know works for me.

What about you? Are you pro- or anti-Clubhouse for yourself?

Speaking of thought leadership…

I have a free email course called the 5 Pillars of Magnetic Thought Leadership. It teaches you exactly what you thought leadership content needs for you to defy the status quo, amplify your influence and expand your wealth and power. Grab the course.

The post No, I will not be joining you on Clubhouse appeared first on Medusa Media Group.

I needed the pliers to unhook the p-trap so I could drain it and clean it out. I needed a specific tool for a specific reason.

It would be nonsensical if I started showing off the pliers by using them for cooking or yard work or cleaning. Yet that is exactly what happens with social media marketing.

We’re told we “need to be on social” to amplify our voice and influence and to build our businesses. Through a combo of FOMO (fear of missing out), shiny object syndrome, and downright confusion we obey. We open accounts on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Clubhouse, Facebook, and more.

But WHY? What’s the reason? What result do we hope to get out of maintaining all those social media accounts?

Women Thought Leaders Need a New Social Media Philosophy

The majority of women thought leaders are using too many social media channels. Worse, we’re using them half-assedly, grudgingly, and uncertainly.

Like channel lock pliers wrench, social media is most effective when used as a tool.

The problem I see is when women thought leaders start thinking of social media as the work. We fall prey to its addictive, competitive design. We see other people’s posts and stories and feel like we have to keep up. It gets treated like its own end, rather than a means to an end.

That’s why I evangelize “social media monogamy:” using one network supremely effectively for specific reasons.

My concept of “social media monogamy” isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. Social media monogamy is a philosophy — a set of guiding principles for social media use for women thought leaders.

The principles of Social Media Monogamy (SMM) are:

1. To need a tool thou must be creating something. That is thy thought leadership work, and it comes before social media.
2. Use the tools thou enjoy, let go of the rest.
3. Thou shan’t dance to the tune of these tools. Thou use them for specific reasons.

Let that sink in. Social media is a tool you can choose to use to amplify your voice and influence. You’re an ambitious woman, you don’t have time for energy vampires. Rather than pandering to ever-changing algorithms, you use this tool for a reason and be done.

How Women Thought Leaders Practice Social Media Monogamy

How does this work in practice? How do Real, Live, Women Thought Leaders practice the philosophy of social media monogamy? Let’s look at some examples:

Eva Jannotta, thought leadership strategist and advisor for women

When I started practicing social media monogamy it was clear to me which network would deliver the best results in terms of networking and reaching prospective clients. Thankfully, it’s also the one I most enjoy using: LinkedIn.

But LinkedIn isn’t the only account I have. Here’s how I use each social media network I’m a member of:

• LinkedIn: lead generation, networking, social selling, marketing
• Twitter: occasionally for news and tweeting podcasts/writers
• Instagram: very occasionally for personal reasons, like DMs and resharing weightlifting stuff
• Facebook: deactivated
• YouTube: private client welcome videos and team training videos
• TikTok, Clubhouse, Pinterest, etc: I don’t use these tools.

I only use LinkedIn for public-facing thought leadership work. The rest I use for mostly personal reasons or privately (like YouTube).

Eleanor Beaton, business and leadership coach for women

My coach Eleanor Beaton runs a multi-million dollar business and has a full time team. Though a bigger company often = more tools, Eleanor and her team are equally strategic about why they use each social media network.

Eleanor and her company SAFI Media exemplify the soc-med-monog philosophy via the 80/20 principle:

• LinkedIn: 80% of their marketing efforts focus on LinkedIn, where Eleanor has the largest following and where her right-fit clients are most likely to be. As she put it, “where we believe we have the strong competitive advantage.”

20% of their effort is in the places they “need” to be because their clients are there (Facebook, Insta, etc). You could make the case — and I probably would — that they don’t need to be there, but SAFI Media has made the strategic decision to maintain a presence in those places:

• Twitter: gently share thought leadership content and commentary/perspectives
• Instagram: stay connected with clients, gently share thought leadership content
• Facebook: paid ads strategy, gently share thought leadership content
• YouTube: where podcast recordings and educational videos can be accessed
• TikTok, Clubhouse, Pinterest, etc: don’t use

Psst! If you haven’t listened to my podcast interview on Eleanor’s show, click here to listen. We talk about booty-shaking for Mark Zuckerberg (#never), social media monogamy, and how I run my popular Women Leaders’ Roundtable series.

Ruchika Tulshyan, diversity and inclusion strategist and author

Many of my clients exemplify the SMM philosophy — thanks in part to yours truly’s benevolent influence! — but I want to highlight my client Ruchika of Candour Global because she uses two social media networks for two excellent reasons:

• LinkedIn: Since Ruchika works B2B with organizations, LinkedIn is a powerful platform for sharing her thought leadership and growing her network.
• Twitter: Ruchika likes Twitter! Remember SMM philosophy principle #2? “Use the tools you enjoy.” If you like a tool, even if it’s not directly tied to your thought leadership practice or business, use it. Do what you enjoy. And although Twitter doesn’t have the “professional” reputation of LinkedIn, you can absolutely find clients there (I have!) and make powerful and strategic connections.

Social Media is Not the Work. This IS:

Neither Ruchika, Eleanor or I are “monogamists” in a strict sense. Rather, we use each social media platform for a deliberate purpose.

Because social media is not the work.

Social media is a tool. And to use a tool you must be creating something.

Creating your thought leadership is the work. Supporting your clients is the work. Building your team is the work. Thinking, speaking, writing, learning, podcasting, that is the work.

Speaking of the work, that’s what stepping into your thought leadership practice and building your platform is.

Thought leadership platform-building happens to be my specialty, particularly for thought leaders in the Women Helping Women Economy. If that piques your interest, here’s the next step to take:

My free 5 Pillars of Magnetic Thought Leadership course teaches you how to make your thought leadership incandescent and irresistible.

It’s brimming with exercises, examples, and insights to make your thought leadership as magnetic as ice water after a marathon.

Click here to join the free email course, 5magneticpillars.com

I’ll see you on the inside.

Image by Good Faces via Unsplash. For more on social media monogamy, read How Social Media Monogamy Saves Time, Cuts Distractions, and Makes Women Thought Leaders Stand Out 

The post The Social Media Philosophy for Ambitious Women Thought Leaders appeared first on Medusa Media Group.

Hey Eva, how do I maintain a public presence right now? I’m used to meetups and conferences and events and just posting on social media just feels like shouting into the ether.

I’m glad you asked.

We will probably never go back to “business as usual” after Covid-19 (I know. It’s a weird thought). Whether there’s a resurgence of the virus or simply higher awareness/wariness of large gatherings in public places, you’re wise to think strategically about how to build a public presence without… going out in public. 

Besides, there might be a day when you’re on bedrest during a pregnancy. Or taking care of someone whom you can’t leave alone. Maybe you live in a geographically isolated place. Whatever the situation, you want more tools in your marketing and networking toolbox than going to events. 

The key is to turn your public presence or events strategy into a convertible marketing strategy.

What do you Want to Happen?

A convertible marketing strategy requires getting super clear on what you want.

What do you want to happen because of going to events? Do you want to…

• meet new people?
• grow your email list?
• get invited to speaking engagements?
• build your LinkedIn connections?
• find new clients?

Once you know what outcomes you desire from going to events in public, you can chart a new course to those outcomes that doesn’t require going out.

A convertible marketing strategy — i.e. your plan for making what you do known, which until now may have been attend in-person events — is your newly charted course to achieving outcomes (growing your network) that is independent of any one medium (in-person networking events).

Say you’re a keynote speaker, for example. How can you take your desired outcomes for keynote speaking and convert them to other mediums like podcasting, writing, videos, or webinars?

Keynote Speaking to Video to Live Video

When I first started working with leadership speaker Selena Rezvani, she wanted to start publishing short videos on social media in which she’d share tips to help you improve your career leadership.

Selena is eminently qualified: she’s a TEDx-er, keynote speaker, and author. The mediums she was used to were writing and public speaking, but when it came to video… she got stuck.

“There’s something about having an intimate one-to-one conversation with a camera that is very intimidating,” she said. “I thought it was okay to approach video, and a keynote, and LinkedInLearning the same way. But when I sent my video to a friend, she said, ‘you’re grandstanding too much. You’re talking like you would in a keynote. You need to be warmer, like a friend in a coffee shop talking to her friend.'”

We worked together on translating what she offers in her public speaking appearances and books into a new medium: video. And it worked! Her Leadership Shorties videos earned 255% more engagement than all the rest of her content. They also led her to start Women + Work Culture, a weekly LinkedIn Live interview series, which is boosting her engagement further and growing her network.

Selena’s public presence is a critical part of her work. But when Covid-19 hit, she was ready to pivot and maintain her public presence by taking advantage of a different medium: social media, specifically video and Live video.

How to Convert your Public Presence into Marketing Strategy

How do you pull a Selena and convert your public presence into a convertible marketing strategy? There are three steps.

But first! A word to the wise: starting to market exclusively on social media can feel like donning an extremely itchy sweater and whispering your content to the dust bunnies under your bed. Be patient and give yourself a lot of grace. It will feel awkward at first. You might harbor some resentment. That’s okay, that’s normal. Here’s how you begin:

1. Figure out what you want

When public presence is a core part of your marketing strategy, you probably have a few intentions for the events you attend. Translate those goals to social media so you are effective and targeted in what you do and say online.

For example, if one in-person networking goal is to collect business cards of prospective clients, you can easily translate that to using LinkedIn to research ideal clients, and reaching out to them through a connection request.

2. The bolder you are, the better

The most targeted, effective and authentic approach to marketing is to have a clear, bold message — just like when you’re speaking in public. The more bold and uncompromising you are in your message, the more you will attract right-fit clients and opportunities like a magnet.

Think about the leaders you follow and the messages you remember. There’s nothing wishy-washy about them, right? Now is the time to challenge yourself to share what you really think, using the most direct language possible.

3. Do the next best thing

A lot of people are in your position: reeling because their speaking engagements and conferences and networking events vanished. Event organizers are in this position, too. If you can’t speak to a crowd of thousands, what’s the next best thing you CAN do? Can you…

• Reach out to event organizers and offer a webinar of your speaking topic, or a free resource?
• Pitch yourself as a podcast guest?
• Host a virtual networking event for a group that normally meets in person?
• Invite people you want to connect with to short acquaintance calls or small group conversations?
• Start an interview series and invite people you admire to be featured?

You CAN maintain a public presence using the powerful tools available on social media. Get clear on what you want, and dedicate yourself to harnessing social media just like you harness in-person events to reach your marketing goals.

And I’d like to help you craft a convertible marketing strategy that feels targeted, effective and authentic to you. So if you want to zoom out of this time period with a powerful strategy that will increase your impact and get you hired, I’d love to connect with you for a Discovery Session.

We’ll map out areas for opportunity to make your marketing crisis-proof, boost your engagement, build your network, and attract new opportunities like a magnet.

It’s free, and it’s fun. Click here now to complete a brief form, and we’ll be in touch to set up your Discovery Session!

Image by Christina of #WocInTechChat via Unsplash.

The post How to Maintain a Public Presence when you can’t Attend Events appeared first on Medusa Media Group.

Maybe you’ve heard about this thing called the Covid-19 pandemic??

Kidding. The year 2020 has been basically cancelled, and we’re surrounded by 360 degrees of gloomy and doomy headlines.

What does it mean for entrepreneurs in the women helping women economy? What does it mean for our marketing efforts? How will it impact how our audience uses social media?

If you’ve been wondering…

• How is social media engagement different now than before?
• What does it mean for social media marketing long-term?
• How can I pivot my social media strategy to meet my audience’s needs?

You’re in the right place and I’m glad you’re here. Let’s talk about what you can do to engage your audience most effectively right now (in the throes of pandemic) and going forward (when we’re back to “normal,” whatever the hell that’s going to mean).

Impact of Pandemic on Social Media

We’re in an… interesting time right now (hahaha, I’m being diplomatic). And, while a lot of industries are struggling, ResearchAndMarkets.com has identified Social Media as one of the key sectors seeing growth opportunities during this pandemic. But while social media engagement has shifted, here’s what you must know: the fundamental best practices of social media have not changed.

In fact, they are more important now than ever.

Today I want to cover:

• How to recommit to social media best practices for impact and results
• The #1 skill you must practice to increase your engagement
• How this pandemic will affect social media long after it’s over, and how you can prepare for that starting now

A Best Practice of Being a Person

Think for a moment about washing your hands. You’ve known since you were a kid the importance of hand-washing: before you eat, when you come in from outside, before you put in your contact lenses (if you’re me). We know that washing our hands is one of the most effective ways to keep ourselves healthy, right?

But… we don’t always do it. I, for one, was not in the habit of washing my hands when I got home until very recently. I knew that it was a good idea, but I wasn’t committed to it.

Hand-washing is a fundamental best practice of being a person. And as we work to curb the spread of COVID19, it’s more important than ever that we commit to this best practice. Our dedication to it is critical right now.

There are best practices that are fundamental and don’t change including when it comes to social media. You must recommit and rededicate yourself to these practices, just like you’re doing for hand-washing. That’s how you deliver the best results for your business and be of greatest service to your audience.

Three Pandemic-Proof Best Practices for Social Media Impact

1. Connection

This most important, fundamental function of social media is so important these days. As we shelter-in-place it’s easy to feel isolated and stir-crazy. Connecting with each other, building relationships, and socializing are the balm — and they can only do them virtually!

The best practice is to show up on social media and connect with your community just like you would with your friends or family members. This best practice is right in the title: social. Your goal is not comments and clicks but connection.

2. Active Listening

The #1 skill you must practice to increase your engagement is active listening.

What do I mean? When I was studying abroad in Peru, I met a person who, every time I spoke with her, I felt like she was waiting for me to stop talking so she could talk about herself. Have you known someone like that? (Probably yes.)

That’s inactive listening, and that’s what most people do on social media. They focus on what they can say rather than listening to others. And it’s interesting, because a study from early April showed that engagement is increasing as posting frequency decreases. The less you say and the more you listen by thoughtfully connecting, the more your engagement will grow.

Remember, right now people are yearning for connection, and for conversation both about COVID and not. This is a really important point — we’re are craving normalcy as much as we have to acknowledge how not-normal this is. So when you’re active listening, make sure you’re connecting with people about “normal” topics as well as current events.

And while active listening means reading and watching, it’s also about how you respond. When you reply to posts and comments, do so from a place of empathy, of acknowledgement, of relating to what was said — not simply putting on the You Show.

Another benefit of active listening is you’ll get so many content and service ideas that will address exactly what your audience needs right now!

3. Resource

This pandemic will impact social media engagement long-term, and you can prepare for that now. The main impact is that social media’s capacity as a resource has skyrocketed. How?

• Networking: we can’t network in person, so a ton of networking has moved to social media. After the pandemic, people will continue to use social media for networking more often and more creatively.
• Trust: there is so much noise on social media, so people who show up with trustworthy information will be rewarded. When misinformation is high, stand out by doing the opposite. Provide consistent information. Debunk false facts. Check your sources. Your audience will remember you for it.
• Training: we can’t go to in-person events, so we’re seeing an explosion in education online. I have clients whose LinkedIn Learning courses have tripled in frequency of how often they’re taken! In the women helping women economy this is especially important, because women are 50% more likely than men to watch how-to videos. Our expectations of high-quality education on social media will continue long after this pandemic fades. So think about it: how can you meet that need?

Best Practices for Loyalty, Attention, and Insight

Remember: when it comes to how this pandemic is changing social media for women entrepreneurs, it’s made fundamental best practices more powerful and effective: connection, active listening, and being a resource through networking, trust, and training.

You will build loyalty, get unprecedented attention, and provide tremendous insight to your audience, by recommitting yourself to the fundamental best practices of social media.

If you want to ROAR out of this time period with a powerful thought-leadership communications process that will increase your impact and get you hired, I’d love to connect with you for a Discovery Session.

We’ll map out areas for opportunity to boost your engagement, build your network, and attract new opportunities like a magnet.

It’s free, and it’s a lot of fun. Click here now to complete a brief form, and we’ll be in touch to set up your Discovery Session!

The post How the Pandemic Has Changed Social Media for Women Entrepreneurs appeared first on Medusa Media Group.

I’ve heard it said that monogamy is an invention of the patriarchy, created to keep the control of women (our bodies, children, property) in the hands of men. And maybe it’s true that monogamous relationships are not inherently feminist.

But monogamy has its upsides: the opportunity to build a deep, lasting relationship that is grounded in trust. The kind of connection that make you feel safe and special. A connection to commit your time, energy, and focus to, where you feel heard, seen, and supported.

Which makes social media monogamy an effective marketing tool and a strategic business decision, and one I urge you to commit to in 2020. Here’s why it’s time to make social media monogamy a priority:

1. You are a rare commodity

Rare commodities are sought after… and command the highest prices. You can’t buy high-quality, artisanal, customized products at Walmart. Neither do you need to be available to everyone, everywhere.

Presence in one or two places piques curiosity. It makes you exclusive and gives you control over where and how your people can connect with you. So be selective about where you are available online. Be a rare social media commodity.

2. You cannot be good at everything

You’re competent at many things. You’re excellent at a few things. But you’re a genius at only one thing.

That’s a concept from The Big Leap, and no, I’m not saying that your genius is a social media network. I am saying that it’s pointless to try to be exceptional at multiple social media networks.

Being active on every social network is an amateur play. At best, it doesn’t help you make your impact. At worst, it lulls you into a false sense of productivity, distracts you from your high-impact work, and overwhelms your audience. Instead, choose one (maybe two) social media networks where you can be irresistible.

3. Social media is distracting

Dedicating your resources (time, money, team’s hours) to filling multiple social channels is a distraction from your work. The impact (dare I say art!?) you’re here to make on women’s lives and our world is not in Instagram posts.

You know this, but sometimes we all forget: social media is not the work. Social media is not the work. Social media is not the work.

The work is cudgeling your brains to write words that help a woman solve a problem. It’s recording a video that helps her get a raise or promotion. It’s designing a course that gives her the tools to build financial freedom, network effectively, and make her impact. It’s pitching to news outlets or speaking gigs.

Writing social copy and curating images are part of the work. But it’s SNEAKY-easy for tweeting to feel like the work itself, and it’s a dupe. The work is what’s in your heart and mind, not on social media.

How to Choose the Best Social Media Network

How do you choose which social media network is The One? I recommend you use my two-step formula:

1. Which network do my ideal clients use the most?
2. Which network do I enjoy the most?

The second question is critical: choose a network that you like. Even if you outsource some of your social media marketing, you will not get the best results if you don’t use social media yourself.

Why? Because you’re here to make an impact on women, and that will not happen if you don’t put in the time. That means connecting with women using words from your heart. It means commenting, sharing, searching, messaging. And you WILL NOT want to invest that time if you hate the medium.

Ideally, there’s one network that fits both questions in the formula.

Social Media Networks: Pros and Cons

If you’re stuck or curious, below is a list of social media networks and their pros and cons. And if you don’t feel like reading that much, scroll to the end, where I (spoiler alert) give you my three top recommendations for social media networks to invest in for the women helping women economy.

Twitter

This short, quippy social media network is ideal if you write articles for news outlets and publications, you are quotable and you like quoting others, and you have an activist’s spirit. Twitter is great for conversations around news and issues in the zeitgeist… or if you want to write short updates and insights on the fly.

• Pro: short by design, easy to use on-the-go, and great for connecting with journalists, authors, and more.
• Con: tweets are short-lived, and the user-base is not growing much.
• Example: Money Strategist and host of the #SoMoney Podcast Farnoosh Torabi

Instagram

The belle of the ball! Peep into the women entrepreneur’s space on Instagram and you’ll see posed-to-look-natural shots of women on Macbooks, drinking lattes, and joyfully laughing. (Can you tell I kind of hate it?) Even with the surge in self-conscious authenticity, it’s contrived. But! That doesn’t mean it’s not effective. A picture is worth a thousand words, and you can use images to show behind-the-scenes, inspiration, quotes, and more.

• Pro: gorgeous imagery, great searchability with hashtags, and growing all the time
• Con: breeds comparison-itis, and Instagram posts don’t have clickable links
• Example: My colleague and Top Millennial Money Expert and Dominique Broadway

Facebook

Ah, Facebook. The original (and most popular) social network. Listen: a lot of entrepreneurs in the women helping women economy get great results on Facebook, using public pages, personal profiles, and micro-communities in groups.

• Pro: ideal if you want to host free micro-communities, and if you sell products or education.
• Con: you’re competing with personal content, and Facebook is crowded so you will likely need a paid strategy to get results.
• Example: Women’s Leadership Expert (and my mentor and coach) Eleanor Beaton

LinkedIn

The social network that is dedicated to professional networking. LinkedIn is great because the content you find there is usually people’s best, and it’s not mixed in with pictures of dogs and vacations (cough Instagram, cough Facebook). Also: video is getting more play on LinkedIn.

• Pro: searchability, great for making professional connections, publishing thought leadership, finding and engaging in conversations in your niche
• Con: there’s annoying spam, and if you’re B2C it’s probably not a good fit
• Example: My client and Leadership Storytelling Expert Lisa Gates (who was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in 2019 after we started working together!)

Pinterest

Not actually a social media network! It gets lumped with them, but Pinterest is a search engine. It can be super effective to drive traffic to your website, especially if you offer visual services (interior design, branding, vision boards) or education.

• Pro: a lot of women use Pinterest (70% of users), and an individual pin can be evergreen for a long time
• Con: I can’t think of many cons to Pinterest. It’s just a matter of deciding if it’s a good fit.
• Example: My friend and colleague Chantl Martin, a vision board expert who generates nearly 50% of her web traffic from Pinterest alone.

YouTube

Also more of a search engine than a social network. Many people get GREAT results on YouTube by investing in search strategy. Some people are literally YouTube famous.

• Pro: if you love teaching and video, this is an excellent choice, especially if you hire a specialist to help you with search engine optimization.
• Con: none, if you’re willing to do the above!
• Example: Social Media and Video Expert Sunny Lenarduzzi

Snapchat

Lol! Listen, Instagram Stories kinda killed Snapchat’s marketing potential. Some big companies and young influencers use it, but unless your audience skews young (for selling products or recruiting) just don’t even.

TikTok

The new kid on the block. I don’t recommend TikTok (known as musical.ly when I first heard of it) for most entrepreneurs in the women helping women economy because it’s not set up for publishing thought leadership. It’s more art-y.

It actually seems pretty fun. If you’d enjoy creating short music or comedy videos, check it out. For some brands, this will be a fantastic outlet, and I am sure there are myriad ways to impact young women on this platform, but it skews young and doesn’t have the… what word do I want? Gravitas, maybe?

Which Social Media Network(s) Should You Pick?

I recommend you choose your favorite social media network between Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. These three networks will bring you the best return on investment if your audience is women, thanks to their reach, design, and popularity. They’re where you have the best opportunity for impact (and if you’re wondering why YouTube and Pinterest aren’t on this list, read what I wrote in the Pros and Cons section).

Of course that doesn’t mean you CAN’T use any others. But set your sights and expectations on one network where you will be exceptional.

Remember: being exclusive on social media makes you stand out. It’s not just because you’re a rare commodity, and there is power and mystery in scarcity. Nor is it only because being available everywhere is a waste of resources and a distraction.

It’s because social media absence spotlights you because it’s DIFFERENT.

I bet you know, intellectually, that the clichés are true. “Less is more” and “the riches are in the niches.” And, I bet emotionally, FOMO (fear of missing out) and scarcity mindset crop up when you think about social media monogamy. Let those fears run their course—fear always does—and let yourself picture how much more simple, focused, and refined your social media marketing will be with only one network.

You—your message, marketing, business, and impact—will be stronger for it.

Special thanks to Amy Wright for edits. Featured image via CreateHER Stock. 

If you found value in this article, will you share it on social media? Use the swipe copy below:

LinkedIn:

It’s time to make a monogamous commitment on social media. Enough two-, or three-, or four-timing! Here are three imperative reasons why from @Eva Jannotta—plus, how to choose the best social network for your high-impact work: https://www.simplyputstrategies.com/blog/social-media/how-to-save-time-cut-distractions-and-stand-out-on-social-media-its-called-monogamy/ #SocialMedia #SocialMediaMarketing #OnlineMarketing #SocialMediaStrategy

Twitter:

Enough two- (or three-, or four-!) timing on #SocialMedia, everyone. Strengthen your message, marketing, and impact by going MONOGAMOUS on social: https://www.simplyputstrategies.com/blog/social-media/how-to-save-time-cut-distractions-and-stand-out-on-social-media-its-called-monogamy/ (plus, how to choose the best social network for your work) by @evajannotta

The post How Social Media Monogamy Saves Time, Cuts Distractions, and Makes Women Thought Leaders Stand Out appeared first on Medusa Media Group.

Your purpose is to build the power and influence you need to serve to more women and achieve gender equality. This means you need to be heard, seen, and sought-after so you can make the impact you’re here to make.

The latest update on the gender front is… bleak. The World Economic Forum (1) reports that it will take 151 years for North America to achieve gender parity (yikes). It’s not up to any single one of us but for the collective—all of us—to put more power in the hands of women. So let’s get into renegade action you can take in 2020 to have greater impact on the women helping women economy.

1. Get OFF Social Media

The less you’re on social media, the more you’ll stand out.

Wait, what?

That’s right. In 2020, the most sought-after women thought leaders will stand out by their social media absence.

More is not better. If you give me six different ways to get to know you, I’m overwhelmed. If you give me one—two at the most—I’m listening.

There’s power in being a rare commodity. You can’t buy highest-quality, most artisanal, customized products at Walmart. Nor do you need to be available to everyone, everywhere. Social media is saturated with mediocre feeds and advertisements. There’s no need to compete with all of them. Choose one social media network where you will be exceptional.

And when you have fewer distractions and demands, you can be exceptional. Participating on every social media channel for “fear-of-missing-out” is one big, hulking distraction.

If you stop filling five or six channels with content, imagine how you could spend that time, energy, and money instead. Perhaps you could develop your thought leadership or conduct research. Or, double-down on your podcast to reach more women. Maybe you could produce short videos that you share on one social network, build your own membership site, or write a book. By redirecting your resources away from social, you will expand your impact on the women you serve.

I do not recommend deleting the accounts you already have, though. There’s value in “parking” accounts so you own the username and can set expectations when people look for you there. There’s value in being findable across social, as long as you let people know where you are available. When you go to my Facebook and Twitter profiles, you’ll see how I set expectations right away. (And don’t look for me on Instagram unless you want to talk about fantasy novels!)

If you don’t know which network to commit to, check out my next article. It explains exactly how to choose the best social network for your brand, and contain examples of women entrepreneurs using social media effectively.

https://www.simplyputstrategies.com/blog/social-media/how-to-save-time-cut-distractions-and-stand-out-on-social-media-its-called-monogamy/

2. Focus on High-Touch Connection

People are people, not conversions.

And if your business is to serve and impact women, you know relationships are critical.

In 2020, high-touch marketing, events, services, and products will become more coveted, meaningful, and important—especially in the women helping women economy, where relational connections hold great currency. Remember consciousness raising in the 1960s? Purposeful connection in small groups is still integral to build power among women and end sexism.

One day, after avoiding it for as long as possible, I picked up the phone and dialed 1800Contacts.

“Thank you for calling 1800Contacts. How can I make your day better?” said a person.

Uh, you just made my day better by picking up the phone. I didn’t have to “tap your keypad or say the word ‘one'” while a robotic female voice made it as difficult as possible to reach customer service.

It was high-touch, fast, and pleasant, and I’m talking about ordering contact lenses. Imagine what you could do in your work that impacts and serves women!

We’ve become lazy. So many people want to throw money at Facebook to get people to download a free PDF so they can retarget them with a free webinar so they can sell a course… you know the formula.

While paid ads can be effective at the top of your marketing funnel, high-touch is how people will remember you and want to work with you. High-touch, meaning to connect with people person-to-person, voice-to-voice. It makes people feel heard, seen, and valued. How can you be more high-touch in your marketing and thought leadership?

Ask yourself:

• What if I only attend small, intimate events?
• At large events, how can I connect with my people intimately? (By hosting a cocktail hour? Or tea!?)
• Is commenting on social a priority (on prospects’ and partners’ content, as well as responding to comments on your own)?
• What if I sent short, personalized videos to my people?
• What if I responded to DMs with voice memos?
• How can I incorporate snail mail?
• How can I regularly thank influencers, collaborators, and leaders in my industry in a meaningful way?

Here’s what my colleague Dr. Alex Ridley says about her high-touch strategy: hosting private dinners.

“I’ve been doing them 2-4x per month for about a year and a half now. I actually host them in my office and have simplified them from having someone cater it to getting soup from our local co-op, making a big salad, having some cheese and crackers and getting desert from one of our eateries that are committed to being gluten free and healthier. They’ve become very intimate (I can’t fit more than 10 in my office comfortably) and are a lot of fun.”

From those dinners, eight out of ten usually schedule a paid consultation with Dr. Ridley. From there, 75% end up working with Dr. Ridley in her full, paid program. That is a damn good conversion rate.

Invest in Micro-Communities

We’re obsessed with bigger in North America. Even though you *know* that quality > quantity, you still feel a twinge of envy at those women entrepreneurs with 1.5M Instagram followers.

This is a more effective approach: curate small communities on purpose. Replace “grow my followers by 50%” with “meet 10 prospects who will adore working with me.” The wrong metrics will make you sick. The right ones will accelerate your impact, and I see women entrepreneurs making a huge impact through their micro-communities.

From long-term groups where people can learn together (my mentor calls hers a “community of practice”), and pop-up groups on Facebook, to large communities with multiple topic threads on platforms like Mighty Networks, there are many ways to create micro-communities online. I see entrepreneurs in the women helping women economy offer mini-courses, challenges, and programs (free and paid) through groups like these.

But if you’re in one kabillion Facebook Groups (like I am), maybe you’re over online groups. You want to do something different.

Ask yourself:

• How can I give my people a private glimpse into my life and business? (Maybe Instagram Stories Close Friends? Sending a special email from my actual email address instead of InfusionSoft?)
• What unique opportunities can I offer my people?
• How can I spark more conversation? (Perhaps a Slack channel or WhatsApp group?)
• Do I have a Share Squad — a group of colleagues and professional friends that refer and share each other’s content?
• What could I host that my people would LOVE to attend?

Remember: not all groups are for you. You don’t participate in all one kabillion of those Facebook groups, and many people won’t want to participate in yours. So SET IT UP that way! Ask yourself: who is my community NOT for?

3. A Surge of Women-Funded Ventures

In 2020, we will see more organizations like Operator Collective, The Pinkubator and SheEO as we rewrite the “rules” about how and how much to invest in startups, programs, and companies that impact and serve women.

Watch them. They will gain traction in 2020 and beyond. And by keeping an eye on their investees and investment opportunities, you will position your business right where it needs to be.

This article caught my eye: Why 90% of the Investors in This New Silicon Valley Venture Fund Are Women. The full article is worth reading, but first I’ll spoil it: because no one had asked these women to invest before—and because the fund has a sliding scale.

Because of the wealth gap (1) and wage gap (2), it’s no surprise that women have fewer millions of dollars to invest in their peers, mentees, and others. But many women do have thousands and tens of thousands to invest. This is why it’s asinine to do business investing as usual: it leaves women—and our money—out.

The women helping women economy changes that, by lowering the barriers to enter a venture fund, for example, or by crowdsourcing small donations, for another. That’s why I’m committed to providing marketing consulting to North America’s most recognized women entrepreneurs in this economy. Sexism is bad for everyone, and part of how we change it is by giving more power—via resources like greater networks, influence, and money—to women.

4. A Trend Entreaty: Rally Around Women

I have a plea for a 2020 trend I would love to see: more people rallying around women in power when they are targeted to strip them of power. An example:

2019 was a rough year for former U.S. Representative Katie Hill. She swung a Republican district while divorcing an abusive man, and while having an affair with a campaign staffer. Then, private intimate photos of her were published by Daily Mail (allegedly provided by the ex-husband).

2019 was a rough year for Jeff Bezos, too. He and his wife of 25 years split up. His affair with another woman was publicized, and the National Enquirer threatened to publish dirt on him—dick pics—unless he dropped an investigation into the Enquirer’s parent company.

Katie Hill resigned from Congress. Jeff Bezos is still the chairman of Amazon’s board, and was called a “genius” for how he handled his situation.

A question: What if Katie were called a genius for handling an abusive ex, right-wing media trolls, her own lapse in judgment, and serving her district with power? Did she really HAVE to resign?

To be clear: I am not victim-blaming, or saying Katie Hill should have done anything differently. We all do what we need to to take care of ourselves. I AM saying: what would have been different if we had rallied—TRULY rallied—around Katie Hill? If we had pledged our support to keep political power in the hands of this woman?

What if a slew of women had published nude photos on social and tagged Daily Mail, with “I Support Katie Hill” written across our breasts? What if male and gender-non-binary allies had, too?

It would be extreme, sure. But it would get the point across. So what if a woman takes photos of her naked self? Apparently, we accept this kind of behavior from men (I mean, I can think of at least one president who had an affair while in office…). Why should Katie being held to a different standard?!

I hope to see this trend in 2020 and beyond: when women with power are taken down for engaging in natural human behavior (or indiscretions), we—the community of women helping women and beyond—don’t stand for it.

Progress feels like one step forward and two steps back. The odyssey for gender equality is no exception. But progress is progress, and as more women start and grow businesses, soar beyond the seven-figure mark, invest in the women around us, and run for (and stay in) office, progress toward gender parity accelerates.

Are you a woman entrepreneur providing services that serve and impact women? I’d love to talk with you. Let’s connect: https://calendly.com/evajannotta/

Sources:

1. Mind the 100 Year Gap, World Economic Forum
2. Economic Inequality Across Gender Diversity, Inequality.org
3. The 2018 State of Women-Owned Business Report, American Express
4. A look at the pay gap between male and female executives, Pitchbook

Special thanks to Amy Wright for edits. Featured image via CreateHER Stock. 

If you found value in this article, will you share it on social media? Use the swipe copy below:

LinkedIn:

Check out these 2020 business trends for women entrepreneurs from @Eva Jannotta —they’re not what you’re expecting (especially re #SocialMedia)! Discover what is au courant in the women helping women economy: https://www.simplyputstrategies.com/blog/women-helping-women-economy/4-renegade-trends-to-fuel-the-women-helping-women-economy/ #WomenEntrepreneurs #WomenHelpingWomen #WomenInBusiness #GenderEquality #GenderParity #GenderEquity #WomenHelpingWomenEconomy

Twitter:

Are you dedicated to achieving #GenderEquality? These are the business trends to pay attention to—and they’re NOT what you expect (especially re #SocialMedia). Discover what is au courant in the #WomenHelpingWomen economy: https://www.simplyputstrategies.com/blog/women-helping-women-economy/4-renegade-trends-to-fuel-the-women-helping-women-economy/ by @evajannotta

The post 4 Renegade Trends to Fuel the Women Helping Women Economy appeared first on Medusa Media Group.

• The proactive approach
• The passive approach

If you want damn good results (traffic to your website, engagement, audience growth, leads), AND have time and money to invest, proactive is your girl. If you commit to a new social media platform and employ the best tactics, you WILL see results.

If you’re curious and don’t have the time, money or inclination to learn/outsource a new social media network, passive is your girl. You can explore the new network at your leisure, experiment with content, and observe the people you follow. This approach is unlikely to make a big impact on your business, but it’s much less work.

Most marketers do not recommend the passive approach for your business. Because why bother being on social media if you’re not going to use it? (Unless you’re very clear that your goal is reputation management and username-owning only.)

But sometimes the passive approach does deliver results. One of my clients has been gently using Pinterest for the past few years. She pins when she finds content she likes, and we make sure her blog posts are pinnable. She was earning a trickle of Pinterest traffic to her website.

Until one day, four months after we published How to Start Organizing a Messy House: 7 Steps, Pinterest traffic started pouring in and landing on that blog post. Six months later, traffic from Pinterest to her website has increased over 400% compared to the entire year prior.

Why? Who knows! There are so many variables when it comes to social media “success” (whatever that even means), especially when you’re not trying and measuring your results. There’s your title, hashtags, search optimization, imagery, and luck of the right-place-at-the-right-time.

Today I spoke with a client who wants to try out Instagram and Pinterest. She wants to connect with younger parents (who tend to be on Instagram) and she’s curious how the search capabilities of Pinterest could work for her business. She is also “barely getting any sleep.”

So we’re taking the passive approach. We’ll test the waters and importantly, find out if she likes using either network. Maybe we’ll get a “lucky break” and, and a piece of content will get a huge reaction.

Regardless, I hereby declare the passive approach equally valid to the sexier and much-lauded proactive one.

This post is part of my 100 Blog Posts in 100 Days series. View the rest here.

The post 96: The Proactive vs. Passive Approach to Social Media appeared first on Medusa Media Group.