Steph Sides is Social Chicy, not because her date book is full, but because she is the go-to Chic for all things social media. Steph has over 25 years of experience in a variety of communications roles including TV, journalism, radio, corporate communications, and photography. She uses all that experience to help small and medium size businesses and non-profits take advantage of social media in their marketing efforts.
Contrary to what her family believes, Steph doesn’t just “play on Facebook” all day, she spends time educating herself with some of the top social media gurus in the country to stay ahead of trends, changes, strategies, and technology so she can teach them to you! Her niche is strategy and she can teach you how to plan and do your social media marketing so it is effective, efficient, easy, and – if she does her job right – enjoyable too!
Steph and I met at her very first networking event almost five years ago at a Bucks County Business Association meeting. We connected from the moment we met and schedules a coffee date immediately. I was so impressed with her and the business she was launching, that I connected her with several other networking groups and several people who could help her launch her business and use her services.
We’ve stayed connected for all of these years and Steph has played an integral part in the growth of my business. She has always been there for me; she has been a voice of reason and encouragement and we’ve grown together through our networking and numerous coffee conversations. It is an honor to share her and her work with you.
Steph credits 100% of her business to her network. Every client, all her business has come through the connections she has made. Spending time with her network and getting to know their businesses, offering referrals, and educating people about the work she does has filled her days with quality clients that she loves to work with. She has put the time and effort into building relationships which has led to her success.
When you are familiar with what the people in your network do, it leads to plenty of business and opportunities to refer one another. It also gives you the ability to listen and identify people in your network who need help, what they need help with, and who you can connect them with to help them overcome their challenges. At the end of the day, we want to help the people in our network. We become memorable when we help others.
Steph has an amazing background from working with the NFL in the Public Relations and Corporate Communications sector and in her work with a major non-profit in our community. She does stay connected with many of the people in the NFL especially during the season, but for the most part it’s social. She has more connections with people in the non-profit sector because of her work with Family Service Bucks County. She attributes her transition to her status as a social media expert to the work she did with them when Facebook was so new that their supporters didn’t understand the opportunity.
Steph considers herself a partner with each of her clients. Much of the work that she does is about helping clients gain more recognition so it is natural for her to share her network with others by promoting what they do, who they help, and how they serve their community. She is a natural giver and attributes much of her success to the giving aspect of the non-profit work she has done in the past.
On social media, Steph is hands down one of the best resources for all things social. Steph recently shared simple checklist called, “Rock Your LinkedIn Profile” https://lnkd.in/dPmTuvX. I absolutely loved it because it was easy to run through my profile and identify a few changes I needed to make in just a matter of minutes and just that fast it was updated.
When it comes to social media and her favorite platforms, Steph loves to “play” with the big four (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram). When it comes to coaching clients it’s a different story. She says you don’t have to be everywhere; you really need to be where your audience is. Facebook is her main platform because of the different tools they offer for connecting with your audience. She likes to use Instagram when connecting with creatives, Twitter for connecting with media for P.R. work for clients, and LinkedIn is for connecting with more professionals and businesses.
In a recent post Steph shared the following:
No social media is not hard, but it can be overwhelming, confusing and a time suck if you don’t have a strategy or system. 🔥 Here are my 3 Top Tips for you:
- Don’t be everywhere – be where your ideal client hangs out
- Use your data to make decisions in when and what to post
- Be consistent in your brand message and in sharing content
Steph shares that Google My Business is now gaining more traction as they move away from Google Plus. They’ve put a lot of TLC into Google My Business, if you are a local business, especially brick and mortar, she says that this is a platform you need to pay more attention to. It runs like social media, you can do posts, run promotions, get reviews, use reviews elsewhere, and it has data that gives you great insight.
One of the tools that Steph offers is a SPARK for business owners. She focuses on what you are doing well, areas that need improvement, and strategies to help you implement her suggestions. After offering this service to businesses her network, she connected with someone who helped her define the process and develop the acronym SPARK which stands for Strengths, Possibilities, Analytics, Results, and Keys to success. It’s a deep dive into someone’s business that becomes somewhat of a map to plan your marketing.
Understanding someone’s business by working through their SPARK, she is then able to recommend them to people in her network who can help them in other areas. She spends a good deal of time getting to know the people in her network and understanding what they do so she can help them through collaboration and referrals. She shares that she trusts her network to take care of her clients saying, “You nurture your network and you take care of it that way.”
The SPARK has sparked a lot of business for Steph. Having this key resource for her clients helps Steph understand what they do, what they want to accomplish, and how she can help them. It also helps her stay connected with people over time because she knows them so well after working through this process that it is natural for her to want to stay connected and continue to support them. The SPARK and the process that Steph takes you through, allows her to become a partner with you and know how to recommend you in various areas.
Managing her ability to stay connected is something Steph does well, but she doesn’t rely on a system. She says that she relies on her ability to think of people when opportunities pop up. She does spend time looking at what her networking is doing online with consistency is a great way for people to stay top of mind for Steph. This is why you need to stay consistent with your social media!
This is one of my favorite conversations. Steph shares a ton of great information and wisdom around social media, connecting, and networking. She is a powerhouse when it comes to sharing her network, engaging online, and providing great content and resources for business owners to improve their online marketing skills.
Connect with Steph Sides
Website: http://socialchicy.com
Social Media:
