It still surprises me. No matter how many articles on social media etiquette that are posted, I still log in to Facebook each day, to a bevy of direct marketing spam. I still get requests to connect on Linkedin without the slightest explanation for why. I could go on and on with examples from each social network that I belong to, but really, there's no need.
I'm gonna be bold today, and say it:
You will not be successful with Social Media if you don't learn how to build meaningful, mutually-beneficial relationships. You won't.
There, I said it. *Sigh of relief*.
This is especially true for public relations professionals today. It's common knowledge: one of the easiest ways to get someone's attention is to take a genuine interest in them. In contrast, screaming "Hey look at me!" isn't going to get you very far.
Although most people will deny it, at the end of the day, most people are in this world for one thing: WIIFM, or "What's in it for me?"
It's the job of the PR professional to show them exactly that. You do it for your clients (or you should, at least), why not do it for others. Show people why they should care about you. What do you bring to the table? Why might they follow you on Twitter, or connect on Linkedin?
If you can do it in your PR pitches, press releases and campaigns... you can do it on the Internet.
Building Relationships has Two Components: "Give and Get"
Let's say it again: "Give and get."
This is our motto for today. The most important thing here to remember is that the "and" is not optional. So many people see what they can get, but forget (or simply ignore) the giving part.
Simply "adding friends" and finding "followers" isn't enough if you're not providing value to and engaging these connections. You need to be more than a screen name to your online connections, even if you're just a PR intern handling the corporate Twitter account. An occasional "@ mention" goes a long way, or a "wall post" if you're on Facebook. If you're on Digg, submit somebody else's stuff to the news section, for a change.
There are a million ways to do it, but just do it.
Once you understand that social media is useless unless you're genuinely being social and forming real relationships, you will start to see results with a viable business model. Or just to make some friends.
Building strong relationships are crucial to success with social media, especially for public relations professionals.
Follow these steps, and remain flexible to change, (things change every day on social networks) and you'll be well on your way to becoming a more proficient social media user. I promise you, do this and you'll be rewarded.
Now go build some relationships!
- Robert A. Burns, II
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Join the discussion and share your thoughts below.