Social Media Networking Bascics

How do you feel when you think about using social media for your business communications and marketing? Nervous? Apprehensive? Excited or overwhelmed? Feeling any one these feelings or a mixture of all them is perfectly normal. Anything new, fast changing and seemingly complicated can cause fear and anxiety in business women from all background and technical aptitudes. I’ll tell you a little secret: as a social media specialist, I also suffer from a little overwhelm every now and then. I have to stay up-to-date with the latest developments and information as it changes and evolves. I also have to know how we as human, customers and communicators are evolving and choosing to connect with one another online. I have to understand this information across demographics and countries. So I can truly understand why women — busy both operating and running their businesses – put social media networking and marketing in the, “This is too hard right now, I’ll deal with that later” basket. There’s nothing wrong with that except that social media networking is essential for every business owner. So let’s demystify some of the overwhelm right here and now.

You may have heard of the terms social media marketing and social media networking. You know social media marketing is absolutely imperative for good communication with your customers but did you know that social media networking is a key element to building your authorship and authority as a brand?
David Meerman Scott is a well respected public relations, communications and social media marketing authority. In 2009, Scott used a cocktail party as a metaphor for how to network on social media the right way. Indulge me for a moment: put on your best cocktail dress and shoes. Grab your cocktail and come on a little journey of imagination with me for a moment (cue ethereal harp music).

Congratulations! You’ve been invited to the hottest cocktail party event of the year and you have on the perfect outfit. You’re looking forward to the opportunity to chat with some key players about your business. The only downside is that the invite doesn’t include a plus-one which means you won’t know anyone there.
You arrive on time at the venue. You admire the taupe-coloured walls in the sparkling lobby. A glittering crystal chandelier dangles from the ceiling and the perfume of fresh, dust-pink roses fills your nostrils. A fresh-faced host ticks your name off a long list and leads you towards another room. She opens two tall doors, places her hands on your shoulders and gently shoves you forward into the buzzing, crowded room where all of a sudden the chatter stops and a hundred people turn to silently stare at you. You turn back to your host with a pleading look. She gives you a polite smile and closes the doors in your face.

You have a lot of options here: you can run straight back out of those doors screaming over your shoulder, “Sorry. Too scary. Not ready.” You could straighten your back, stick out your chest and get amongst the crowd. Or you could smile and nod at the crowd as they get back to their conversation and you take a moment to center yourself and observe the party.

Let’s say you choose to stay. Good on you! That’s brave. Now, this is where I want you to stop for a moment. Take a sip of your cocktail and exhale. This is the crucial point of the party. What you do next will determine how you as a brand will be received by all those influential and important people. The party goers have returned to normal. They’re sipping their drinks and have resumed their conversations. What are you going to do? You’ve come here to talk and connect with people right? But how do you go about it? You don’t know anybody? Ask yourself these following questions:

1. Will I go up to each and every group and shout about how fantastic I am and why they should buy my product?
2. Will I introduce myself, ask for business cards but not enter into any actual meaningful dialogue?
3. Will I listen more than I speak?
4. Will I only add my expertise when it can truly add value?
5. Will I note that I’m nervous and chose to observe the party, enjoy the conversations and weigh in next time when I’m more comfortable and confident?
6. Will I flit about the party trying to find only the most important people so I don’t waste time on people I can’t plug my product to?
7. Will I walk around the room but not talk to anyone and vow to never put myself through this again?
8. Will I quickly dart about the party, hand out my business cards to everyone and make my escape?
9. Will I seek out my competition and try to start a rumour or add negative comments about them within their circle?
10. Will I align myself with the “cool” group with the hope to have some “coolness” rub off on my brand even through the demographic of their niche is entirely wrong for my target market?

As you know, good business is about good connection. It’s about being human and sharing that experience with others. Your business solves someone else’s problems or serves their needs and that’s awesome but there’s always a time, a place and the right etiquette in which to share this.

Social media networking takes all this into consideration. From the 10 questions above, pay particular attention to questions 3, 4 and 5. Answering yes to these questions, even question 5 is good etiquette. It shows that you are serious about your business. You want to provide good customer service by really listening to people’s wants, desires and needs before you jump in and ramble on about how amazing you and your brand are.

So let’s take this cocktail metaphor and translate it the social media marketing realm and explore how this pans out there.
1. Always listen first. Observe what people are saying about your brand, niche, and competitors online before you type a single word. Do this for about two weeks. Get a feel for how people in your niche connect with one another. Get familiar with the tone of their conversations. Social media networking is a cocktail party. Walk in with grace, listen, be kind and above all, be human and connect. Don’t talk out about your brand or service until it actually adds value. Let your social media efforts do their “thang” in the background. Social media networking is a cocktail party. Walk in with grace, listen, be kind and above all, be human and connect. Don’t talk out about your brand or service until it actually adds value. Let your social media efforts do their “thang” in the background.
2. Only add your two-cents worth when your expertise or opinion is truly, absolutely helping someone… not the moment you think you can convert the conversation into a sales lead. When you plan and strategise your social media and content marketing right, this will happen organically and you’ll have tactics set up to convert leads through email marketing, blogging, video testimonials and other methods (look for more detail on this in a future post).
3. This is an obvious one but unfortunately I still see this happen. Don’t EVER write negatively about your competitors, staff or customers. If you’re tempted: walk away, put your phone down, do something else. Take a moment to calm down. I know this is easier said-than-done. I’ve had circumstances where I know my clients’ customers have outright lied on the Facebook accounts I’ve managed on their behalf but it was up to me to take the high road and not concern myself too much with entering into a battle about facts online. Take the conversation offline if needed. Don’t tarnish your reputation in the process of protecting your reputation or appearing right. The truth generally has a way of coming out. The perfect scenario (and I’ve seen this happen numerous times) is that the community gets involved and other people comment to highlight the truth and comment on your good reputation on your behalf.
4. Don’t Facebook poke or send LinkedIn invitations to people you think you can sell to or use to sell for you. Observe what these people do online first. Get involved in their communities, build relationship and rapport. You’ll then be in greater stead to directly connect. Be motivated by goodness and helpfulness.

By the way, if you answered yes to question 7 above, don’t beat yourself up. It’s okay. Like I said, social media networking and marketing can be daunting. Please know though, that for business the rewards far outweigh the challenges. Keep these points in mind:
1. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start small.
2. If you can afford it, outsource it.
3. You don’t have to be on ALL social media channels. Just the ones your customers like and use.
4. Get organised. Have a plan. Strategise your communication efforts.
5. Use tools like Google Alerts, Twitonomy, hashtags, Google+ circles, LinkedIn groups to start connecting with communities (more detail on this in a future post).
6. Always remember: your customers are mothers, daughters, sisters, employers, hobbyists, students, sportspeople, carers, enthusiasts, employees, fathers, husbands, sons, and, above all… people.

So go to the cocktail party, have a look around, talk with – not at – people. Listen to what they’re saying. Pay attention to what they’re interested in. Listen to what makes them tick. Not because you can use this information to sell to them but because you value that person as a human being and you’re specifically at this cocktail party for human connection. If, at the party, someone asks you about yourself, that’s great! Tell them what you’re interested in. Tell them what makes you tick and when you do finally slot in that you’re running a business that does X, Y, Z you’re telling them this because you’re having an authentic two-way conversation, not because you have an agenda.

In a nutshell, meaningful online conversation and communication is essential for good business, customer service and reputation, which ultimately helps with brand growth and healthy revenue.