Sue Koch: Soaring Solutions LLC http://suekoch.posterous.com Soaring Solutions, LLC posterous.com Wed, 06 Jul 2011 09:00:00 -0700 Social Networking: Are You Collecting or Connecting? http://suekoch.posterous.com/social-networking-are-you-collecting-or-conne http://suekoch.posterous.com/social-networking-are-you-collecting-or-conne

When you network with people, are you collecting or connecting?  It sounds kind of strange, thinking about people in this way doesn't it?  Almost creepy...  This is something using social media without employing the rules of engagement has relegated us to.  A bunch of clicks on a Facebook Like , Twitter Follow or LinkedIn Accept button.  What is the value of that click to you?  And are you fully aware that there is a human being on the other side of that action?

Tsufit, an entertainer, entrepreneurial coach and author of "Step into the Spotlight: A Guide to Getting Noticed", writes in her book; "Fan collecting is an art.  Fans don't want to feel like they're being collected.  They have to feel that they've had a genuine connection with you."*

At the most basic level, I always advise clients to interact on social media just as they would in real life.  Tsufit's comment is about networking in person, on how to genuinely work a room to make connections with people that ultimately turn into business relationships.  This rule can, and should, be applied as a lesson in social media just the same. 

 Consider the direct message in Twitter (for those not familiar, this is the 140 character private inbox of Twitter), which has become automated to a fault (in my opinion).  Would you say the same thing to everyone you met at a networking event?  "Hi Firstname! Great to connect here, go to my Facebook page and be my next fan!  I'll send you my free e-book!"  then turn around and say this to the next person?  As a visual thinker, I'm kind of cracking myself up, picturing this robotic networker who says this to everyone at the networking event, the cab driver, the check out person at the grocery store, and the neighbor's dog as he/she returns home.   Would you hire this person?  If this is how they interact with every person of varied professional focus and disposition, might this automation be applied to their products and services as well?  Everyone wants a personal touch, to know they've truly been seen and heard, and that as a service provider you understand their unique business challenges, short and long term goals and offer them a solution catered to their industry, business mission, branding and budget.

Really think about how you can make authentic connections with people, because that is what generates valued business relationships as well.  "Know, like, and trust": build relationships, build business.

So next time you interact on social media, ask yourself; would I do this at a networking event?  Would I say this at a trade show, conference or seminar?  If not, think again before you make that next keystroke.  Get connecting and start soaring! 

*Note, this is not an affiliate link, simply an amazing read that any entrepreneur should add to their collection (bad pun intended).

 

 

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Fri, 04 Feb 2011 08:30:00 -0800 Facebook Removes Suggest to Friends- How Will We Grow! http://suekoch.posterous.com/facebook-removes-suggest-to-friends-how-will http://suekoch.posterous.com/facebook-removes-suggest-to-friends-how-will

As you know, Facebook pretty much runs the world now, and they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, without notifying users, nor caring how user friendly or intuitive their user interface may be when changed abruptly. That said, it still is a fantastic platform for business, and well, they will continue to have many of us on that leash, because frankly if done right, it works. A great option in building a business page following, historically, was the 'Suggest to Friends' option, as seen to the left.


This is something I always tell clients new to Facebook or growing a business page to use on a weekly basis as they add friends to their personal page, in order to use their personal connections as a portal to growth for their business page, as relevant of course.

Those of you using this function may have noticed it acting a bit odd lately.  Something like the grey bar below, where you normally would see the thumbnails of each of your friends.  They first announced this as a holding pattern while a bug was fixed.  Per this article:  http://www.insidefacebook.com/2011/01/21/suggest-to-friend-bug/

Suggestfail

However, the end result is that this functionality for the non-admin user has actually been removed, as discussed here: http://www.insidefacebook.com/2011/01/28/removal-suggest-friends-pages/

Page admins, do not fret- as a page creator you still have access to this function, and should continue to use it as a fan building mechanism to boost your business page.

What you can no longer do is say to your friend with 1300 Facebook friends "Hey buddy, will you help support my business growth and suggest my business page to your expansive group of friends?"  Well, you can still say this, but your friend can no longer help you in this way.    Or can they...?

If you trust this friend, absolutely and unconditionally, both before and after cocktails, there is an option.  First ask yourself- would I give this person my debit card pin code?  If this answer is yes, consider this possibility...  Perhaps if just for a day, you make them an Admin of your business page.  (You trust them, right?)  If someone is an admin of your page, they can still help you and suggest their Facebook friends become a fan of your page.

So this is the workaround solution, one not to be considered lightly.  One I don't like to recommend for privacy sake, but some of you have very influential friends with strong networks, yet a simple 'share' is not going to have the impact of a 'suggest'.   People can still "share" your comments to their following, and this is still a good engagement factor to shoot for in your interactions and it can facilitate viral growth as well as boost search engine optimization (SEO).  However, it is a much slower step toward growth and is not going to have the potential exposure of a "suggest". The "share" can sneak past one's view in a full newsfeed, while a "suggest" will remain in someone's queue for an action to be taken. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So perhaps you make your highly connected friends or family members an admin, temporarily, so that they can suggest your business page to their friends.  Just don't forget to remove them once the action is taken!

Go forth and grow!

 

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