You might be repelling Facebook buddies. Or you offend an FB user before the individual connects with you. Social networks afford you with the ability to connect with folks from all over the world if you use the sites effectively.
Open up FB. Review the average user profile. You see little value, lack of presence and a certain repelling quality associated with most accounts. No impression made means bad news for your online business. Tough to make money online if you scare off ideal prospects.
Growing your Facebook friend base adds a sense of trust to your campaign. Think about high profile Facebook users. You take a second look. You are impressed by the number of friends - or fans - associated with any single profile or fan page.
Seeing big numbers associated with engaging fans or friends grabs your attention immediately. You know this is a most powerful form of social proof. Now if you repel fans on a persistent basis or turn off friends, it becomes difficult to build a large, supportive and responsive network of individuals around you.
ABT = Always Be Transparent. Think about opening up your profile and sharing of your story. Simply telling about your successes and failures, posting images of yourself and engaging frequently can make you stand out from the Facebook crowd.
On the flip side, hiding away is repelling to most Facebook friends. Refusing to post an image of yourself due to security concerns proves you are not ready for the online game. Do not even bother setting up a FB account. You are not ready yet.
1 - No Picture
No picture? Bad news. People love people and hate online profiles. Without a picture it feels like meeting somone offline who wears a paper bag over their head. This is bad. Post a picture of yourself smiling, preferably a head shot. Make an impression. Build trust.
Take 5 minutes today to shoot a smiling headshot of yourself. Use this image as your profile picture. Post images of yourself frequently to prove that a real, living breathing person runs this account. Gain trust. Be real. Prove it.
2 - No Content
Bring something to the table. If you bring no value to the table you cannot attract prospects. Even worse, if you pitch or post ads all day long you find yourself being blocked by many former friends.
Desperate, needy online entrepreneurs make no money online. Nobody likes a needy person. Help folks. Create practical, usable blog posts. Share these posts on Facebook. Attract new friends and build strong relationships with current friends.
3 - Not Engaging
People who refuse to be social on social media sites are in trouble. Nobody cares about you until you care about them. Not good. Take a deep breath, shy folks. Reach out. Comment. Share content. Engage. Make friends. Grow your online business.
Social media works for social folks. Social media never works for wallflowers. Get out there and chat. Enjoy using SM. It is a big party. Or at least it should be.
4 - No Class
I was added to a group recently where the most popular post was related to adult content. I reported the group immediately. If you run the group your reputation quickly goes in the toilet. Bad approach, bad news and a quick way to repel serious, high energy entrepreneurs.
Posting a funny status update once in a while attracts friends. Posting off color or offense content scares off individuals. Keep it clean folks. If you would not talk about the topic with your parents do not bother posting on Facebook.
5 - No Presence
Post 1 to 5 times daily on Facebook to program individuals to respond to your persistent message. People who never show up are like newspapers who refuse to publish daily. You will be obsolete, fast. Post daily. Engage. Be active.
Work social networks like you would work an offline business. Spend time each day on Facebook, sharing value and engaging with individuals. Act like a professional to be an FB pro.
Summary
Be transparent. Gain the trust of your target market. Stop repelling Facebook friends and start attracting a network of high energy, engaging individuals.
Your Turn: What reasons can you add to this list?