Online or offline, people are the same. Human nature doesn’t change. Many people and organizations are trying to gain traction in Social Media and they’re missing the boat. They often think that if they talk more, they’ll get people’s attention. This is a rookie mistake. It’s like dating. If you just talk about yourself all the time, the other person will smile politely while looking for an exit. Think of the word “engaging.” As in “to engage.” We engage when we come up for air and let the other person talk. Develop the habit of asking better questions. Don’t do like new salespeople do with the whole say it and spray it mentality. Be more engaging. Ask more questions. And then sincerely listen.
Manners Never Go Out Of Style
We’re all very busy running hard. Since it’s so easy to take things out of context online without the facial expressions, tone, and all the other body language signals we normally see offline, it serves us well to err on the side of politeness. I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating. Say please and thank you when you’re online. If you haven’t spoken to someone in a long time, or perhaps ever, how hard is it to start a message with “Hi, long time no talk….” or “I know you’re busy so I’ll be brief….” or how about just a “Hello….”? At the risk of sounding overly sensitive, when someone starts asking you questions or tries to get your attention without even a polite hello, don’t they realize that they’re starting the communication completely on the wrong foot? I guess not, because so many folks have no netiquette …
You’d Better Be Working On Your Social Sales Skills
I’m blessed to speak to and train sales forces all over the USA and internationally on a weekly basis on how best to leverage Social Media for lead generation, client acquisition, top of mind awareness and a number of other sales-related functions. Even after doing this for many years, I am reminded on a daily basis that regardless of an individual’s or an organization’s understanding of Social Media, they better have some very good sales skills. I can’t tell you how many entrepreneurs and small business owners (and large organizations, too) have an incredible product or service but they aren’t getting the traction they should in the marketplace. Without blaming the economy or any other number of things, which are all really excuses, the bottom line is that they and/or their people better be sharpening their sales skills just as much as they’re sharpening their Social Media skills. Here’s a …
Corporations Can’t Outrun Their Character
I love this post by Seth Godin: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/08/corporations-are-not-people.html I tell my audiences all the time that we can’t outrun our character. Neither can corporations. Chris Brogan talks about humanizing business. I completely agree. We are in an age now where what goes around, comes around. Literally at the speed of light. On fiber optic cables made of light called the internet. Do the right thing. Because it’s the right thing to do. And all the wonderful things that will happen and come back to you in return will be the icing on the cake.
Let Them Know You Care
One of the nicest things we can do for someone is to provide encouragement. It’s wonderful to post inspiring messages on various Social Media platforms. But selecting one or a handful of people and encouraging them on a frequent basis is a whole other matter. This needn’t take a tremendous amount of time. Just a check-in from time to time to see what they’re working on in their personal and professional lives and letting them know that you’re thinking of them and wishing them the best in everything they’re doing. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Pick a person or five and let them know you care.
“Please” Works Wonders In Social Media
No matter how sophisticated technology gets, human nature stays the same. Maybe it’s my Jersey roots, but I don’t like being told what to do. But I don’t mind a polite request. When I receive messages from people by email, Social Media platforms or old school papyrus telling me to “like” their page or “follow” them or “connect” with them, it sounds like an order to me. And I don’t like orders. At the risk of sounding quaint, what would happen if these folks started their command with “please”? It would turn an order into a polite request or offer. And I’m betting that their responses would be more favorable. Always err on the side of being too courteous. Both online and offline. “But Kev, what does this have to do with Social Media and business? I’m trying to grow a business here!” Exactly. And people can feel that. They …
Female Olympians Finally And Social Media Not So Common Sense
The London Olympics are the first Olympics in history in which every country which is attending has at least one female athlete participating. Yes, reread that. Jeez Louise, it’s 2012, not 12. You can file this fact in the “it’s about friggin’ time” file. It only took a couple thousand years for some people to figure out that women are athletes too. Amazing. Another amazing thing is that a lot of people think they have to become Social Media experts. That’s like thinking that because you own a car, you need to become a transmission specialist. Leave the transmission to the transmission specialists and just learn to be a better driver. Leave the nuances of Social Media platforms (which are all gonna change tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow) to the Social Media specialists and focus on delivering better content. It’s not about the technology, it’s about the value. It’s not …
Bad Tweets Will Bite Cha’
Recently, an athlete from Greece was not allowed to compete in the London Olympics because of a racist tweet she posted on Twitter. This is an example of what I mean when I say that we can’t out-run our character. In a more and more interconnected world, it serves us well to strive to become better people. If only for selfish reasons such as being able to pursue your life’s goal of competing in the Olympics. As Dale Carnegie taught many years ago, “Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.” Those types of actions have always caught up with us. They just now catch up with us at the speed of light on fiber optic cables called the internet.
Old School Face Time Before Apple FaceTime
After a speaking engagement in Parsippany, NJ yesterday, I went out to lunch with a group of the attendees and we had some great discussions. One of the conversations was about how most people are so focused on electronics that they forget offline ways to build and enhance relationships. As you’re connecting with folks on Social Media platforms, don’t forget that no amount of Facebook posts, LinkedIn status updates or tweets are equal to a face to face coffee or lunch meeting. Make sure you’re scheduling face time into your week. Invest in old school relationships. You’ll completely differentiate yourself from the folks with the Blueteeth in their ears who think that being too busy to meet with someone is some kinda badge of honor. Yeah, it’s a badge all right….
Personalize Everything
It takes so little to be above average. In a more and more interconnected, over-caffeinated, hyper-competitive, Mach 5 with your receding hairline on fire world, it’s easy to forget to make personal connections. And most people just hit the Like button on Facebook, Accept Connection button on LinkedIn and Follow button on Twitter. If someone walked up to you in real life, stuck out their hand and introduced themselves to you would you look at them, ignore their extended hand and just turn around and walk away? If you did, your mother would smack you. Don’t be a Social Media drive-by Liker, Friender or Follower. That’s what the masses do. By the way….watch what 95% of society does and do just the opposite. Always, and I mean always, personalize everything. Send a personal note saying thanks, asking them how they heard of you and how you may be able to …
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Small Biz Can Be Big Biz
Society programs us to think that we have to always be bigger, faster, stronger, etc. This is especially the case in business. But this isn’t true. It may have been in the past, but it’s not now. It would serve people well to revisit from to time why they are doing the things they’re doing as business owners. Did they get into business to build the biggest, most profitable, etc, whatever? Most of the time they didn’t. They got into business to earn a good living providing a product or service they have a passion for at a fair value to people who are desiring it. When you get seduced into thinking that your company has to be the biggest, most profitable, etc, many mistakes will follow because your decisions will be built on the wrong foundation. As the world becomes more and more interconnected and niched, you can do …
Waldo Canyon Fire And Social Media
It’s been a pretty crazy three days here in beautiful Colorado Springs. We are in the midst of a major wildfire which is threatening tens of thousands of homes and businesses on the edge of the city. 3600 acres have already burned, there’s 0% containment, over 6000 people evacuated, and close to 500 firefighters battling the fire. Combine that with record high temperatures of over 100 degrees including new high temperature records set in six of the last eight days, and it’s a wild time here. As I often say in my presentations, “You can’t outrun your character.” The character of the peeps in Colorado Springs is amazing. It’s been wonderful to see how people have come together through Social Media. Businesses have offered free use of their offices, restaurants have offered free meals, storage facilities have offered free space, over 25 tons of food and water were donated in …
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Stand Up Straight
My older daughter recently told me that I have good posture when I sit and when I walk. I never think about my posture, so it was an interesting comment. On a side note, I haven’t thought of this in years, but my daughter’s comment made me remember that I had a girlfriend twenty-five years ago who told me “I love watching you walk.” When I asked her why she said “Because you know where you’re going and it shows.” I forget a lot of things but I remember her comment. Stand up straight when you’re on your Social Media platforms. Stand up straight means do the right thing. Take the high road. Pay it forward. Under promise and over deliver. Don’t complain. Be polite. Say please and thank you more. Don’t slouch. Having good posture shows that you’ve got a good spine. That’s code for backbone. And in a …
Social Media Cross-Pollination
Remember the old days in the last century when you had your work life and your personal life and never the two shall meet? How’s that working out for you in a more and more interconnected world? When you connect with someone on one Social Media platform do you also connect with them on other SoMe platforms? I do. I’m not suggesting that you should too, but allow me to tell you why I do. I do because for me SoMe is all about relationships. The more I can get to know someone the easier it is for me to figure out how I can add value to them in some way. Don’t read into my “add value” comment as code for “sell them something.” When I accept someone’s LinkedIn connection request, I see if I can find them on Facebook. If I find them, I send them a friend …
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Earning Versus Getting
As people are trying to gain more visibility through Social Media, a question I often hear is “How do I get more connections on LinkedIn, likes on Facebook and followers on Twitter?” I think the problem lies in their question. The question they should be asking is “How do I earn more connections, likes, and followers?” I can show you how to get a lot of followers very quickly. And you’ll lose them just as quickly. Almost as quickly as you’ll lose your credibility. Success isn’t something you get. It’s something you earn. First: add massive value. Second: add massive value. Third: add massive value. Guess what fourth is. While everyone else is trying to get, invest your time in earning your connections, likes and followers. When you earn them they won’t leave. When you earn them, they want to do business with you. When you earn them, you have …
You’re A Mosquito In A Nudist Colony Of Opportunity
We have almost unlimited ways to connect with each other. When you meet someone either personally or professionally do you look to connect with them on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter? I do. It’s a good habit to start. Then after you connect online, offer to help them in some way. Without an agenda. And not so they can owe you. There are a lot of people who are out of work for long periods of time, tolerating jobs that they hate, dealing with clients they’d love to fire, and a hundred others types of soul-sucking torture. The reason they’re living in this situation has nothing to do with the economy, the Democrats, the Republicans, global warming, the Mayan calendar, or any other excuse. It has to do with the fact that most people don’t understand that all things being equal people do business with and refer business to people they …
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Don’t Treat Social Media Like a Gym on January 1st
I meet a lot of people who dip their toe or their organization’s toe into Social Media and hope that SoMe is a silver bullet. It’s not. Posting something and then disappearing into the Witness Relocation Program for a long time doesn’t lead to Top-Of-Mind Awareness with your prospects, clients, customer, or networking or referral partners. Pick a pace you can live with and then live with it. Just like a workout schedule. Don’t treat your SoMe efforts the way most people treat a gym on January 1st. “It took me thirty years to get this out of shape so I’ll hammer the weights and treadmill and get back in shape in the next three days.” No you won’t. You’ll pull a muscle. Small efforts repeated over time produce massive results. Inch by inch anything’s a cinch, yard by yard it’s hard. Steady wins the race. It doesn’t have to …
Hanging Out On The Corner
I’m writing this in the beautiful Loews Hotel at 12th and Market in Philadelphia after delivering a speaking engagement. I’m in the lounge by the piano with floor to ceiling windows that look out 180 degrees on this busy intersection. It’s amazing to watch the people go by. You see folks of every size, shape and color. You see people who are in a hurry, walking slowly, looking happy and sad. It’s a lot like watching your news and status feeds on your Social Media sites. But life changes when you stop just observing and start interacting….
Most Social Media Questions Aren’t Social Media Questions
After speaking, training, and writing books about Social Media for over nine years, I can completely assure you that most questions people ask regarding Social Media aren’t Social Media questions. They’re relationship questions. They’re also networking questions, but I’m gonna include networking questions in the relationship category. When you were learning to drive you probably didn’t ask many questions about transmissions and brake calipers. You probably asked questions about traffic signals, signs and speed. You don’t need to be an auto mechanic to drive a car. Connecting with people on Social Media platforms is just the first step. Not the last, as a lot of people think. Now the relationship begins. And this is when your character shows up. If you’re someone who’s just collecting “Likes”, “Follows”, and “Friends”, you’re in deep doo-doo, because after they connect with you, you have no idea what to do next. And no, the …
Follow Friday Everyday
Those of us who use Twitter a lot are familiar with the hashtag #FF, which stands for Follow Friday. On Fridays, many people tweet #FF followed by the Twitter handles of people they’re recommending that their followers should also follow. Got that? It’s a nice way to pay it forward and drive visibility to people you see value in who your followers may have never heard of. Don’t think you have to wait for Fridays to promote other people. And don’t think this only has to do with Twitter. Be a “Do It Now” person. If there’s someone you think deserves some recognition, do it now. Sure, wait until Friday to do the whole #FF thing, but don’t be afraid to post something on your Social Media platforms letting people know that you consider this person to be awesome. The only recognition that many people get in life is when …