SOCIAL NETWORKING- WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT continued...

In that environment you’ve got to meet people, connect, and make an impression. Over the course of an evening you might get to know a dozen of those 200 folks if you are trying to go as far as get business cards out. Another objective might be just to make an impression. What if you spent just a few minutes with lots of those people? When you are introduced, you think of something special to say- maybe it’s a question that you ask- maybe it’s your strong handshake coupled with a beaming smile- maybe it’s a bunch of those things rolled up together that makes an impression. Faces are easy for most people to remember, so say something special, look eye to eye, and they will likely remember you. Then one day they drive by a billboard and there’s your face. You are offering something they need. They remember and you get the business. Your approach at the social gathering was a little piece of personal branding- and it resulted in business. Ever see real estate agents do that? How about Attorneys- do you see their faces on TV and in telephone directories? They are trying to become a recognized brand, as familiar as the logos of the best known businesses.

Then comes the internet. Facebook started out as a way for college kids to connect. What it’s become is a social networking Mecca. People join Facebook to sell things. But Facebook is not a commercial networking site- it’s social. It’s more like the Fundraiser than a business card swap. You may have opened your own account with a marketing agenda. I know I did. But the rules are the same on Facebook- or any other social networking application- as they are at that Fundraiser. The difference? Instead of 200 people, there are hundreds of millions!

You have the potential to reach hundreds of millions of people! There’s a huge opportunity for personal branding. But spamming those folks would be just like the obnoxious salesman trying to hand out a business card to each of the 200 people at the Fundraiser. Sometimes Twitter feels like walking through a flea market with people on both sides pulling at me to look at what they sell. The way to make an impression is to stand out. Be different. Provide value. That’s how you’ll build your own personal brand.

People come to the internet for solutions. They want something. They need something. If, by meeting you they find solutions, they’ll remember you. They might even tell others about you. I remember searching for references on a guy who was selling training on the internet. I bumped into a blog by Jennifer Fisher. She had some great, insightful things to say that impressed me. I went to my Facebook account and put her name in the search box, clicked “search”, and a bunch of Jennifer Fishers popped up. I recognized the face from the blog (key point- use a recognizable picture on everything) and sent her a friend request. She accepts me as a friend and I looked through the information she had posted on her wall and made a simple comment- no sales pitch, no link to a capture page, no agenda- just a friendly comment. She replied. I asked her opinion. She offered great advice. I asked how I could thank her and she said, “Your friendship is all the thanks I could ever need.” It reminded me of when I was little and how everybody in the neighborhood would help each other just for the sheer joy of being able to serve their fellow man. I was blown away.  

Then, wanting to do something, I posted a short testimonial on my wall on Facebook telling my “friends” about the value of Jennifer’s blog, and got a number of people thanking me for sending them to it. Not only did I send people to her site and helped Jennifer build more of a following, I had given value to my friends on Facebook, helping to develop a stronger bond with them. The experience made me really understand how social networking works. Jennifer and I are becoming internet friends- real ones. If ever I need something she offers- I’ll go to her. I’d bet she would do the same with me. If I get my way, you’ll see an interview with her right here in our Spotlight.

Take a lesson from Jennifer Fisher. There is no shortcut to this social networking. There are things you can do to speed up the process. There are applications available. You can mechanize some of the process. There are secrets rarely shared that can make what you do even more effective. This is social networking. Understand that what you are doing is building your reputation- and relationships. Neither is done with just a few taps on your “enter” button.