Social Media Summed Up

Internet Marketing is changing. With the buzz right now about social media and how it is changing our focus I wanted to give all of my readers an umbrella concept that will hopefully clarify what all of this means and how each of us should be acting to take advantage of these changes.

PRINCIPLE 1: Marketing is and always has been a relationship business. You have been told before that buyers never purchase a product or service. They always purchase a salesman or sales promotion. The best sales-reps and the best marketers understand that relationships have to be formed before belief can be transferred.

PRINCIPLE 2: People will always be attracted to people who can create value for them. As one of my business partner’s Andrew James likes to say “As long as they feel that you need them more than they need you, they will never follow you.” Only by creating mass amounts of value for others will you be able attract others to you.

PRINCIPLE 3: There are three steps, or arenas in which we form relationships and then transfer belief (make sales).

1. We meet new people.
2. We identify common interests or ways in which we can create value for each other.
3. We transfer belief.

Let us look at the way this happens both offline and online in today’s marketplace.

Offline. In offline business marketing we find every chance possible to meet new people and form new friendships. We go to social gatherings, talk to people on the airplane or bus-stop, and we become part of organizations, clubs, and groups where we can network with like-minded people. When we meet people that we like we meet with them on our own time. Perhaps you invite someone over to your home for dinner or to the golf course so you can get to know them better. In these face to face meetings you learn more about each other and what your likes/dislikes are. What each of you do for work and what your dreams and desires are. At this point you will begin to create value for each other according to your own abilities. If you have a product or service that is right for them it will be an easy sale. If you don’t, that’s ok because they will refer friends and family to you who might be better for your product or service.

Online: In online marketing it doesn’t work any different. You enter into social gatherings such as Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Twitter, etc. In these gatherings you search out and get to know new people. When you make a new friend they will inevitable want to have that one on one relationship. Instead of this happening on the golf course it will happen on your blog or website. On each other’s blogs/websites you learn more about each other. If either of you have value to create for the other in your product or service it will be a natural sale at this point.

HUGE MISTAKES YOU MIGHT BE MAKING:

1. Spamming. Nobody likes the guy who comes to the party wearing a shirt that says “Ask me how to make 20K this month.” Don’t be that guy. Social Media websites are meant for social gathering. Keep it that way.
2. Direct Selling. If you are asking people who just barely met you at the party (social website) to come to your office and check out your service/product you are making a mistake. There isn’t enough relationship there to sustain that kind of move. You need a blog or personal site people can visit to learn more about you and what you care about. What your dreams are and what your expertise is. It’s ok to have ads, links, etc from your blog to your office (product site) but the general content should be non-bias and personal in nature.
3. One Sided Relationships. Don’t try to make in-sincere friendships online. People are not as stupid as you think and the few that are, aren’t worth selling to anyway. Don’t ask someone else to check out your site if you won’t check out theirs. Subscribe to and read content from the blogs of your favorite people. Maintain sincere and genuine relationships.