#Business #Tip #Tuesday
Network! You will have to build a social media presence. It’s not that social media is honest or true within itself. It’s that most everyone who will ever happen upon a morsel of information about you will enter your name into a search engine to find out more. Having a social media profile will make it more likely that you can control the narrative that the Internet provides on your behalf.
Some people have trouble with social media because they are not comfortable putting themselves in the public eye. If you are going to run and grow a business, this is exactly what you need to do. What many fail to realize is that the YOU that you promote can be (and should most sustainably be) a function of the business representative. You may post pictures of your private trip to the Rockies, but you present the photo in the context of some business motive. For example, caption with “Vacationing in the Rockies realizing some awesome retreat locations.” The post has a business tie-in. People find you photo. They are intrigued by the location, the fun, and the candid nature. They linger long enough to get interested in your business.
Engage! With others who are doing. Comment, interview, collaborate. The rule of networking is also the best thing about networking. Engage with what you know and enjoy. No need to read a bunch of content that you are not interested in. Focus on the areas, topics, and perspectives that grab and maintain your attention. Once you find them, though, don’t be a fly on the wall—a lurker in social network speak. Comment. Make your presence known with supportive comments or alternative insights for the authors. Comment on and like the comments of other users. Become an active part of the virtual community. Through this interaction, you will surely find people that can be called upon for text-based interviews. You may even find persons that would make great project colloaborators.
Produce! Use the interactions as an opportunity to create discussions you can own on your social media space and in your products. You will undoubtedly find stimulation for your creativity while engaging in networks. If you did not know already, you find your product and market in what people ask you questions about, what people expect from your business, and the things they complain or otherwise broadcast that they need. That last one may not come with the expectation that you would provide it. It may not be a good fit for your business competency or your business model. But, don’t miss that it is a fountain of ideas that continues to flow as a function of your network interactions.
Repeat! It is important to monitor the development of your network overtime. Realize that new followers and customers may not know the history of your great content. Make the information available to them in an archive, but also find creative ways to re-introduce the content through your normal channels. This also keeps long-standing customers engaged through a sense of nostalgia. Message longer-standing customers that they are valued as original supporters.
