Episode 155: BEST OF BELLA: Navigating Social Media with Mari Smith

We're taking it back to episode 93 on this edition of the Best of Bella series, when Bella had the sincere pleasure of interviewing Mari Smith. She knows everything that is going on and she is the nicest, most approachable woman Bella has met in the social media space. They had fun talking about the ins and outs of social media and Bella wanted to bring her to you all again. Original Show Notes: Navigating social media can be pretty difficult, especially when it comes to your online business. Often referred to as “the Queen of Facebook,” Mari Smith is hailed as the premier Facebook marketing expert and one of the most influential and knowledgeable new media thought leaders in the world. In fact, Facebook headhunted and hired Mari to go on tour with the company to teach business owners across the United States how to grow their businesses using Facebook!  Forbes recently described Mari as, “… the preeminent Facebook expert. Even Facebook asks for her help.”   Mari is an in-demand speaker and travels the world to keynote and train at major events. She also serves as Brand Ambassador for many leading companies.  She has over 1.7 million followers on her various social channels and is the author of The New Relationship Marketing and coauthor of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day. Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want To Miss: How did you become such an expert on Facebook? In order to become an expert, you have to put in 10,000 hours into your skill. Be unwavering in your focus. FOCUS= Follow One Course Until Successful. It helps you keep on track. Overall it is a universal mindset with fear-mongering. You can get really upset or you can be a calming voice of how to overcome or make a change regarding a problem you see, like pet food recalls or puppy mills. Mari encourages us to be the calming voice. You have to be mindful of what you post for relationship marketing. Treat people with respect and use proper social etiquette even online. Ask yourself “would I be comfortable with this…appearing on the front page or on a google search. Even more, would you be okay with your Mom seeing it? Quiet your ego and try to diffuse tangents. Don’t be drawn into petty conversations. There are always screenshots that will be your digital ink. How can you add value to your business with Facebook? You become a leader in social media by using groups and stories. Have a good strategy for your stories and you easily convert your personal Instagram to a business Instagram and have those post directly to your Facebook, which drives traffic to your website.   Show Highlights: Mari’s expertise in Facebook and how she got started on her path to becoming the “Queen of Facebook.” [3:30] How to FOCUS for success [7:45] Creating meaningful relationships on Facebook [10:50] New business skills that everyone needs [14:10] Benefits of setting up Facebook Groups [16:30] Advice on how to build your online community [24:00] Links: Find more about Mari Smith and her new book at www.marismith.com Check out The 12 Biggest Social Media Marketing Mistakes Businesses Make at http://www.marismith.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/12_Social_Media_Mistakes-MariSmith.pdf Downloadable Offer: Free PDF download. Mari Smith’s recommended Video Gear List for Facebook Live broadcasts:www.marismith.com/fblive Share The Show: Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review! Click this link – Bella In Your Business Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section Click on ‘Write a Review Transcript: This is episode 155 of The Best of Bella. We're going to take you back to episode 93 when I had the sincere pleasure to interview the queen of Facebook, Mari Smith. Mari has been sought after by Facebook to be an evangelist for the platform. She knows everything that's going on, but even more than that, she is one of the nicest, most approachable, and delightful women I’ve met in the social media space. Mari is definitely the Janet Jackson, Madonna, or David Bowie of the industry — that caliber of celebrity in social media. I’m ecstatic that I’m able to bring her to you. We had fun in our interview talking about the ins and outs of social media, what people are doing right, what people are doing wrong, and I wanted to bring her back again. She’s fantastic, and if you’re not already following her, you absolutely should. She always has the latest breaking news and insights. She’s one of my personal go-to resources, and I’m proud to call her a friend. Without further ado, here is The Best of Bella with Mari Smith, a replay of episode 93. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready — Bella’s got your chute. Let’s jump! Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and today I’ve got the queen of Facebook to bring to you. I am so excited! For those of you who do not know Mari Smith, you are going to become a follower of hers just like I am. This woman is absolutely incredible. She is often referred to as the queen of Facebook. She is Facebook’s premier marketing expert and one of the most influential and knowledgeable people in the world when it comes to the platform. Facebook actually headhunted her — that’s how amazing she is. Mari has gone on tour with the company to teach business owners across the United States how to grow their businesses using Facebook. Forbes recently described Mari as the premier Facebook expert — even Facebook asks her for help. Mari is an in-demand speaker who travels the world to keynote major events. In fact, I just saw her at Social Media Marketing World. She also serves as a brand ambassador for many companies. She’s such a wealth of information, and her Facebook Lives are always full of value. She has over 1.7 million followers on Facebook and is the author of The New Relationship Marketing and co-author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day. Mari, welcome to the show and thank you for being here today. Mari shares that she emigrated from Scotland to San Diego in 1999 with only 50 British pounds in her pocket, two suitcases, and knowing just one person — the one who invited her to come. She had always dreamed of being an entrepreneur and saw the move as a defining moment in her life. By 2007, she was running her own information marketing and e-commerce consulting business, doing coaching, webinars, and public speaking. That’s when Facebook “fell into her lap” on May 4th, 2007 — Star Wars Day. She had been invited to beta-test an app, so she joined Facebook and instantly felt something magical about it — its blue color, its uniform layout, and its ability to create genuine connections. Mari recalls that she was suddenly able to reach out and build friendships with people she had long admired in marketing and business. It opened new dimensions of connection. She was hooked. Over time, she became deeply immersed in understanding the platform, and as she puts it, her passion and enthusiasm for Facebook have never wavered since 2007. She spent years mastering it — putting in her “10,000 hours” of study and practice — until her expertise earned her global recognition. Mari explains that focus was her secret: “Follow One Course Until Successful.” That was her theme word in 2007, and she’s chosen a new focus word each year since then — from “team” to “commitment” to “leverage.” That unwavering focus helped her become the leading voice in her field. She acknowledges Facebook’s flaws — privacy, support issues, and PR challenges — but encourages business owners to look for opportunity instead of complaint. Her role has often been to calm fear and confusion when changes happen, helping people see how to still use Facebook to grow their business. She strives to be a voice of reason, balancing advocacy for both Facebook and business owners. When asked about meaningful relationships on Facebook, Mari explains the essence of her book The New Relationship Marketing. Relationship marketing isn’t new, but the digital aspect is — learning how to create that “know, like, and trust” factor online. She emphasizes mindfulness, etiquette, and respect — especially when disagreements happen. Before posting, she advises asking three questions: Would I be comfortable seeing this on the front page of The New York Times? Would I be okay with this appearing in a Google search years from now? Would I be proud for my mom to see this? She calls that last one “The Mom Test.” Mari also suggests asking, “What is my deepest intent?” If your intent is to show off or prove you’re right, pause. Instead, lead with service and positivity. She points out that some people damage their reputation by criticizing others online, and she chooses not to engage in negativity. Everything you post leaves a “digital ink” trail, she says, even in private groups — so be intentional. She believes in “soft skills” — empathy, active listening, compassion, and understanding. Learn to read between the lines in people’s posts and recognize that social media often shows curated versions of real life. A kind word can make someone’s day, and relationships online should be nurtured, not burned. Mari and Bella then discuss how small businesses, like pet sitters and dog walkers, can use Facebook Groups to build community. Mari notes that Facebook has invested heavily in groups — holding Community Summits, adding features like units and leaderboards, and hiring more staff for group development. Groups boost well-being and engagement by connecting people who care about similar things. For a business owner, creating something like “Dog Moms of Scottsdale” is a great way to establish leadership, visibility, and top-of-mind awareness. They also dive into Facebook Stories and Instagram Stories.