Getting The Cart Before the Ox – Or How To Do Social Media Wrong!

[Boris d Local SEO]

I have recently launched a social networking site in Tucson for profit and non profit businesses. I have also joined a slew of social media sites this year as part of The 109 Day Link Building Explosion program. The program is based on what I call “scratch my back marketing. The whole idea is to make networking and branding the cornerstones of any social media effort.

If you are looking for backlinks then your responsibility is to add value through great content or comments. We encourage you to take a long term view of your marketing efforts. When you add value (back scratching) to a site you are rewarded with useful links and recognition (networking – branding.)

When you are using social media sites like Ning or Facebook the same principals apply. You visit someone profile and their website. You then make an inquiry about the individual or business on their wall. Your job is to show friendship. That person is likely to respond to someone who makes an effort. The responder is likely to visit your profile and is likely to answer your inquiry and maybe ask about you.

If there is a common bond you may then ask to become friends because you are establishing a relationship. Social media isn’t much different than attending a business mixer. Successful networkers know their job is to ask about the other person and to be genuinely sincere.

When you go to someone’s profile and ask to be friends without ever establishing a relationship it is a often a foolish waste of time. Imagine for a moment that you are at a business mixer. Then out of nowhere someone sticks a business card or a flier in your face and starts selling you. Would you want to do business with this person? After all, they are selling you without ever having established whether you actually need what they have to offer.

The person on a social site that starts a contact by selling without building a relationship is practicing cold calling. And as we all know, cold calling is never a very effective marketing approach. You are getting your cart ahead of your ox. This is sad because it is so easy to visit a profile and to establish the potential need, want, or desire. Those who believe every network member is a potential client are only fooling themselves.

Yes, what I am recommending here is a time consuming process. I like to compare it to nurturing a garden. You don’t go out one day and throw some seed about and realistically expect results the next day. Social media marketing can easily be compared to gardening it takes time. People like to do business with people that they know and trust!

I want to thank the COO over at SUp.biz for a similar article that he posted on STA.rtup.biz for motivating me to finish this article. He said basically what I am saying just a little differently.

Is your cart ahead of your ox?
Thanks,
Boris
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