Would you walk into a party, yell “Hey everyone – I’m here” and then strip naked?
You wouldn’t? Why not?
This is exactly what a lot of people do every day on social spaces online. They request your friendship and then start slamming their offer all over the place. They don’t take the time to get to know you first or let you get to know them. When you look at their updates, there’s not many attempts to get to know anyone or to interact on a social level, but there are mostly posts saying how wonderful they and/or their “deal” is.
They call this “internet marketing” however, it’s just plain rude.
Treat social spaces like a party. You are there to get to know people. If people are interested in what you do, they will ask. Talk to them. Get to know them. Ask about them. They may want to find out more and ask about you. Then again, they may not. Either way, that’s OK. Not everyone is going to be interested in doing business with you. Just like not everyone at a party will be interested in dating you.
So…what can you do? Well…think of it this way…if you were going to a party and you wanted people to find you approachable, you would probably shower and dress nicely. You may be sure to brush your teeth so your breath doesn’t chase people away. You would probably even put deodorant on so you smell good. Maybe you would even put on some jewelry. If you’re a lady, you might wear makeup. All of these things make you look good and make you more appealing to others.
Your social spaces profile is a representation of who you are. It is your profile. Put your business links on there. Start the relationship building process by commenting on other people’s updates and giving out good information. Be nice, talk to people and act just as you would act in a social setting in person.
Don’t post updates about your business constantly. This is like screaming at everyone at the party. You can occasionally say something to pique curiosity and get others to come look at your profile or website. Notice I said occasionally. The majority of your interactions with others should be non-business related. Post about your day. Let others get to know you. Reply to comments that others leave. Be nice and kind. If others are interested in finding out more about you, they can come to your profile where you will have links to more information.
Be cautious when posting updates. Contrary to the popular belief of most business people trying to use social media, your updates are NOT to be considered part of your profile. They are to be considered part the the community. These are like statements you would make at a party to someone you are just meeting. You wouldn’t walk up to someone and say “Hi, my name is Suzie and I have the greatest deal since sliced bread over here. You MUST come with me so I can tell you about it”. You might get a few desperate people who are willing to follow you and listen, but these types of relationships don’t generally last. You want a relationship built on mutual interests. Whether it be a friendship, a business partnership or a love relationship. It doesn’t matter. They each need to be built on solid ground in order for them to work.
Now…some may say “Come on Roxanne…we all know that strip clubs are very popular. A lot of people like that scene. What do you say about that?” Think about the stripper, patron relationship. How many good, solid relationships have you ever heard of that began between a stripper and the people patronizing the strip club? Not counting soap operas, I haven’t heard of many. There’s nothing wrong with strippers. I know quite a few. There’s nothing wrong with people who patronize strip clubs. I know quite a few of those as well. However, for the majority of people, they do not go to places like that looking for a serious relationship.
Bottom line, if you are serious about building a business online, simply be yourself, be nice and be helpful. If others WANT to find out more about you they will ask. Make yourself appealing and approachable and you’ll have plenty of people wanting to get to know you. Walk into the room and strip naked and you’re going to offend a much larger percentage than not.
Bottom line – remember – don’t strip naked at the party. Save that for later in the relationship.
