In this episode of Thought Leader Life, Michael and I hang out with #ThoughtLeader Janet Fouts. Author of four books and a recognized expert in social media engagement, Janet talks about the right tools and attitude for successful engagement on social media platforms, and shares interesting insights about mindful social business, thoughtful conversations, and more. She is excited to be on Thought Leader Life because she considers it a channel for real conversations. The show is not an interview with a script, but something that has real one-on-one conversations, which Janet says is important if you want to achieve your goals while using social media.

Janet defines a #ThoughtLeader as someone who people actually listen to and someone who cares about the people who follow them and engages with them. The #ThoughtLeadershipFunnel (http://www.thoughtleaderlife.com/thoughtleadershipfunnel) is a useful concept that should be followed by people who want to understand #ThoughtLeadership and become a #ThoughtLeader. Janet says companies should understand that social media engagement is not something you can buy in a box and unpack, and then automate your way out of it. People who engage on social media must do so in a thoughtful way, and always engage back, rather than just spew out sales talk. Automation can be acceptable if it is thoughtful automation. For busy CEOs, I suggest the Aha Amplifier as a great tool for easy, two-minute engagement. Creating relationships and nurturing them is possible on social media, and businesses should be able to understand this. Janet considers social selling a really important skill that every salesperson should have, including knowing how to find out about people. It’s true that social really makes life so much easier, and that starting mindful conversations on social can be beneficial for everybody.

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Here are some “‘aha’ moments” from the episode. See more in the Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life books available in the Aha Amplifier and watch the interview below!

Social media engagement is not something you can buy in a box and unpack, & then automate your way out of it. @jfouts

Social media is all about building affinity. @jfouts

Being generous is one of the qualities of a #ThoughtLeader. @happyabout

People want to hit the easy button, so make it easy for them & give the best info upfront. @jfouts

Follow Janet on Twitter at @jfouts. Tune into Thought Leader Life every Saturday for more thought-leader goodness!