SoGoPro Street Team Article Series: SoGo Crazy!

Getting off the Ground

The Street Team Blog is one year old now, as is the Team Twitter. As you may have read in the birthday blog, over the past 12 months we have had some fantastic growth. It's exciting to see over 250 posts, countless authors, multiple award winners and of course, to see our team consistently growing across the globe.

This month I'd like to discuss the hard truth when it comes to recruiting team members into a community like ours. Before I started this blog, I knew very little about social networking. Sure, I had my facebook- but that was it. It's safe to say I was essentially clueless as to how I would go about building our team. I wasn't discouraged, just very aware of the challenges that lie ahead. (I'm still no pro! Always learning)

It is no secret that I am not Hilarie Burton, so the first few questions I had to ask myself when I decided to step up the street team sounded something like:

• How can I make people care?
• Can I make people care?
• Do people want to care? If so, what will it take to get them on SGP, on the blog, promoting via Twitter- etc"

I realized very quickly that I was not going to be able to make anyone care. All I could do was try and show them why they should.

Over all, I'm a pretty shy person. I am outgoing when I feel comfortable, and nervous beyond comprehension when I'm not entirely sure what's what. For me to break out of the group and start promoting a team blog was a bit nerve-wracking. I didn't want to feel rejected, and I certainly didn't want the idea to be taken the wrong way. (The intent of the blog is not to sway attention from SoGoPro.com, but to compliment it) I wasn't sure if people would understand that.

Despite my concerns, I knew the only way to get the word out there was to do it myself and do it without shame. I had to stop worrying about everyone's reaction and focus on the "product", the purpose and the position I was in. ( Perhaps Hilarie Burton felt something similar when she wanted to branch away from OTH->SGP)

It is hard (if not impossible) for a new company to let just anybody in, take control of something and run free with their own motives and ideas. Everybody needs to be on the same page or else personal agendas come into play and control is lost.

I had to make sure that SGP knew I was looking to work with them, in their favor, side by side- and that they knew at the end of the day- what they wanted is what they got. If I phrased something incorrectly, if a change needed to be made, anything- it gets done no questions asked. It is their name and their reputation that we all use to help drive interest- If I'm going to pop up on Twitter and FB sporting their name, I better be ready to act accordingly. You never know who will read what you write, and the impression it could make.

Now- with the blog/twitter approved- my next problem was figuring out how I'd get people to actually participate. What would make people want to post on the blog?
I knew that everyone had more to say and share than they could in the C-box. With so many different people from all over the world- I think it's safe to assume that not everybody will feel comfortable chatting, or blogging, or tweeting- I wanted everyone to have at least one way they felt they could connect with us. The blog specifically- was/is geared to remind everyone that their individual voice matters, that their presence with SGP is seen.

As far as the Twitter goes- I had absolutely no idea how to get followers! None! Zero! Zilch!
To start, I did the only thing I could think of- I went to @SoGoPro's followers and started following them. It was a slow climb in the beginning. I had to figure out what people wanted from the ST Twitter- and while I'm still perfecting that- I knew giveaways, individual shout-outs, and tons of SoGo Info were crucial.
I still battle DMs like "Are you Hilarie Burton?", "Can I meet you?" .. I still need to go over to SGP's twitter and follow people for exposure. About once a month I go through the teams followers, figure out who I'm following that is not following back- and remove them. We're only allowed to follow 2,000 people- so in order to constantly market the team twitter- I can't follow people who aren't looking to follow back. It may not be the best strategy, but it makes sense to me!

Before I knew it, the blog became a central location for teammates to find out what was happening in our community, and the twitter hit over 1,500 followers.
Now a year later, I'm sure glad I never gave in to the pit in my stomach. I'll always be thankful to those who helped the "Street Team Movement" (as someone said a while back) get off the ground, who keep it going and who have taken part in the various segments we now feature here (Article Series, Interviews, Voting for the Awards)... There is so much more to come!

Never forget how valuable you are to SoGoPro. As you involve yourself in this community, you are helping potential fans, and investors see what SGP is really about. That's SO important!