Social Networking Will Kill Your Business

by jtcote on December 14, 2008

in Social Media

Are you real, honest, trustworthy?  Who are you?  Or are you just a sales pitch for your business?

These are a few questions I ask when I acknowledge an invitation to browse a social network profile.  Social networks were created to connect with friends, make new friends and share relevant information.   Every social network has a culture, a specific understanding of its purpose.

Facebook is about friends, LinkedIN is about your profession, bookmarking sites Digg, StumbleUpon, are meant for information popularity.

post-kill-your-profile

Yes by all means talk about your business, but please allow the viewer to know something about you.  It really turns me off to see the social networking platforms utilized ONLY for a sales pitch.

Successful Internet Marketers understand the importance of building relationships, telling their story, allowing you to connect with their personality, their character.

Take the time to build your brand equity and share your knowledge, your experiences and insights.  Allow your visitors to know you and then when you launch a new product or service, they will listen.

Here are a few tips for creating your social profiles:

1. Use Your Real Name – I have no idea who “thegreatestproductonearth” really is.  Build your personal brand, build your name recognition.

2. Write a Good Bio – people love to hear what you have accomplished, give them a taste of your personal life.

3. Tell a Great Story – people will relate to your character, tell them how you failed and how you overcame huge obstacles, inspire them.

4. Turn Down the Sales Pitch – build relationships first, give away some really good content and get people engaged, then let them know about your new service or product, you will retain happy customers.

5. Be Consistent – deliver on your promises, make regular blog posts, tweets, return emails and messages, let people know you care.

6. Ask Others - find out what your market wants to know, give them a real solution to their problem, don’t just shoot in the dark, do some consultative sales.

7. Post a Picture - allow your customers, your viewers, your followers, some visual connection with you,  make a quick bio video.

Love to hear your comments,  I do my best to reply.

Tagged as: You inc

  • http://pencil-portrait-drawing-artist.com Darla Dixon

    You are absolutely right about using a real photo and name. I’m an artist, and until recently, I used a self portrait drawing of myself as my avatar picture. When I changed that to a real photo, my number of followers on Twitter increased. When I changed my Twitter username from dixonart to DarlaDixon, my number of followers again increased…I would say almost tripled within 3 weeks.

  • http://www.nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

    Fantastic Article! Can’t stress enough how much of a turn off it is when people use fake names and blast a sales pitch. Bio is a great idea.

  • http://www.kellywilliamsva.com Kelly Williams

    It drives me crazy when I can’t find out somebody’s name on Twitter. I take the time to visit each profile and website link to check someone out before I’ll follow. I usually give the benefit of the doubt even after I hit a sales page. But it does amaze me to be “un-followed” after being sent to the pitch … totally missing the power of the social connection. Great post!

    Kelly
    @kellywilliamsva

  • http://www.maczter.com maczter

    Good points.

    Regarding number 1, I do not use my real name online other than Facebook and LinkedIn as I have a very common name and there are multiple others with my real name who are infinitely more well known than I. It’s a hassle to have to deal with all the people asking if I’m one of the more famous guys with the same name, so I just stick with a made up name that I started using online years ago before any of this mattered much.

    Regarding number 7, the same goes with my avatar. I use the same avatar everywhere and it’s not a photo of me, but I generally link to a brief “about me” site on most site profiles, so if anyone cares enough about what I really look like, they are only a click or two away. I would use an actual photo of myself, but it feels odd to see my own face next to a made up name. :)

  • jtcote

    Thanks Darla, interesting how people have more inherent trust when they can see us.

  • jtcote

    I get it maczter. I have used pen names and affiliate names, but at least we are’nt hiding anything, thanks for the reminder about avatars, another great way to promote your brand.

  • http://mysuccessgateway.com jim

    Simple stuff for a complex world. Authenticity is key. Let’s see if Uncle Sam will open up! ;-)

  • http://Notyet garosmith

    Thanks for the info above. I was led to Twitter as a vehicle for traffic for list building. Nice to know there are people out there not interested in that. Garo

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