While you hear a lot of complaints that social media is a time drain, there’s no better way to build your network and develop powerful relationships.
You don’t need to wait until this year’s big networking event. With social media, you’re connected all the time. So all you have to do is engage, and you have one of the best networking tools on the planet at your fingertips.
A social media exchange I had last week illustrates this perfectly. First, I’ll tell you that story, then I’ll give you 5 rules for social media that can all but guarantee your success.
It starts with social content
If you’re challenged with social media, you may be thinking about it wrong.
Social media isn’t a marketing channel that runs parallel to your other marketing. It should integrate with and complement everything else you do.
That’s why I talk about social content marketing. It isn’t just content marketing or just social media marketing. It’s both. At the same time.
Let me give you an example…
A few months ago, I was asked to share one of the most creative things I’ve seen done in social media for a WebpageFX article. That article went live last week, and an interesting thing happened—I made a connection that could easily grow over time and even benefit us both.
Here’s what I wrote for that article:
One of the most creative things I’ve seen in social media (it was hard to pick one, but this one really does take the cake) was a marriage proposal during a Twitter discussion attended by thousands.
Marsha Collier was hosting the online discussion when her boyfriend sent her a Vine video through Twitter, asking her to marry him.
Clearly, this is a woman who uses and understands social media. Even her daughter tweeted in response, “My mother would get engaged over Twitter!”
Kudos to Curt Buthman for dreaming up the perfect proposal and to Marsha for being exactly who she says she is, a social media expert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhqPXkOe8D4
Later that day, I got a tweet from Marsha:
I responded with the usual online chit-chat:
She answered with a little more information. You know, as if it were a real conversation:
That evening, I noticed Marsha had liked my Facebook page, so the next day, the conversation continued:
And
Now that’s worth retweeting!
As you can see, Marsha gets it. Social media isn’t a marketing channel. It’s a relationship channel, a place to connect and talk with people. And if it grows your business in the process, all the better.
But then, that’s how live networking works too. You don’t go to a networking event just to sell your wares, but to build relationships that could, hopefully, be beneficial to you both.
There’s give and take on Twitter, just as there is in live interactions. And if someone promotes you, it’s worth your while to engage and maybe promote them too.
The right way to approach social media
I’m not one who shares every thought or event on social media. It’s not that I think it’s a bad strategy. I just don’t want to bore my followers. lol
But you don’t have to be a chatty Cathy to be successful in social media.
Let’s say you’re a content marketer like me. You write articles and share them with your followers. You also curate interesting articles you think people will be interested in.
When you write content, don’t be afraid to showcase other people’s success. Several people in the WebpageFX article referenced Oreo’s ad about dunking in the dark.
That’s creative, sure. But it isn’t very social, is it? I mean, there’s no interaction involved.
I decided to promote someone I respect, which turned out to be a much smarter use of my content creation time. My content, itself, was social, which opened the door to a networking opportunity.
Always remember, social media is more about building relationships than sharing your stuff. Use it that way, and you’ll build a strong network (with higher value fans and followers) in a short amount of time.
Network up and down
This warrants a mention. Some of the people you connect with in social media aren’t well known in the industry. They may just be starting out. They may be learning the ropes. But that can change in a really short time.
Marsha may not remember this, but we talked on the phone once several years ago. I was fresh on the scene, just beginning to build my network. But Marsha talked with me about my social media strategy and verified that I was on the right track.
All too often, we want to use social media to connect with big names in the industry. We like to network up—but not down.
So we do celebration dances when we get followed by someone we respect. But we ignore the people who are below us.
I appreciate that Marsha treated me with respect when I was starting out. Over the years, I’ve kept an eye on her tweets, and when I was asked to tell about something that stood out to me in social media, her story immediately came to mind.
If she had been rude or demeaning to me, I might not have done that.
As it turns out, the rules for social media aren’t that different than the rules for live relationships…
5 social media rules you should brand on your forehead
- Treat others the way you want to be treated.
- Be respectful of everyone, even if they’re different from you.
- Play nice.
- Give as much as you take.
- Don’t burn bridges.
Follow them, and you’ll find that instead of being a time drain, social media is a fantastic tool for building your network and developing valuable relationships.
Forget them, and yes, you’re probably wasting your time.
Do you have a social media success story you’d like to share? I’d love to hear it. Let me know in the comments below.
