57 – Social Authority with Amy Schmittauer

Today, I have something very, very different. As you know, I usually don’t do interviews, but when I find something that’s this true gem that I feel that people can really truly benefit from, I think this is something really special that people need to hear. Particularly in this case, because most people looking to either augment, increase, or change their career want to know how they can enter.

Amy Schmittauer discusses how to develop your authority in the world of social media.

A person I have today, Amy Schmittauer, is the curator and developer of Savvy Sexy Social, which is video blogging, also Social Authority. Social Authority gets beyond the blogging, beyond the video, into the rest of the social media world, and how that fits in.

Amy, welcome.

Amy: Hello, Thomas. How are you?

Thomas: I’m doing great. Thanks a lot.

Amy: Of course.

Thomas: Thank you for sharing your info with us today.

Amy: I am so thrilled to be an exception for your show; it just means so much to me.

Thomas: I’m glad you’re able to contribute, because I’m sure they can benefit. Give us a little bit of a background. Let’s say somebody all of a sudden hits 48 years of age, they’re taking a look, and they’re saying: “Gee, I don’t know whether I’m going to be around in this job or this career. What might I do to start getting out into another business or career?” How might they use social media?

Amy: First and foremost, it’s like the step before social, digital, and the internet. When you’re already going through this mindset shift and you’re not quite sure how to approach it, there’s a lot of barriers in your mind already. The first thing I would recommend is just really think about what you know very, very well, and what your time so far has offered you to become really, really, really smart on.

What I find is a lot of people that even want help from me, they could have a very, very clear path or a goal set, but then a lot of other times, there are people that just come and say: “Oh, I hear this social media thing is hot. Can I start a business there? How am I going to monetize my blog?” These sort of questions are frustrating for me, because I would rather hear: What do you have to offer the world that you do better than anyone else? Because that is going to be very important. The product has to be awesome. Then let’s talk about how we’re going to show off your amazing personality so that people will even care about that awesome product.

I think first and foremost, you have to understand what value you bring to the world. You need to think about that first, because before you go and get distracted by all of this ADD society of social media, like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter – you really need to be very clear about that value proposition, and: Who’s even going to care about it? Who is that perfect follower, end user, customer, potential advocate for you? These are the really important questions before you can start tweeting.

Thomas: That’s interesting. One of the things I find there, and for a lot of people, I’m always hearing: “Passion. Follow your passion. Go in this…” That, well as you may remember, I have an episode, “Passion Sucks …. the Life Out of You.” You have to pick something that really is, as you just said, marketable, something that people really want. It can be there. In many cases, it can be a hobby or something you do.

Amy: Sure.

Thomas: At the same time, what you’re saying, you have to really have value. While you have it as a hobby, you then also have to make sure that you master it or become an expert at it.

Amy: Absolutely, because I think a hobby that is just to please you is one thing, and I know that that could be totally satisfactory, but I think when you go to a place like social media, which is essentially these built-in cocktail parties where you’re going and you’re meeting people who are already talking, already having conversations,