Don’t Burn Brigdes, Build Bridges!

WHY YOU NEED TO START USING SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY

Let’s face it – Nothing is equal in business.  People tend to do more business with people they like.  Wanna “break in to” a business?  Let your potential customers get to know you & like you a long time before you’re asking for their business.  The longer a potential customer has known you and the more positive interactions they’ve had over time will result in them being some of the highest-value customers to your business.

When you log on and start using Facebook, the first day it can seem a little silly.  But after 6 months, once your profile includes network membership in the high school you attended and university courses you’re in now and you are not only enjoying your friends & family more but also being sent job listings and contract opportunities from headhunters who’ve found you on facebook, you’ll start to see the value in using Facebook to stay connected with your community.

This is building bridges – developing a social relationship with the people who you’d like to eventually develop a professional relationship.

I’m not saying to ignore people you’ve just met; on the contrary, don’t wait another day to explore the value and opportunity on the connections you’ve already built over the years.

We all agree (I hope) that there is nothing we can actually control but ourselves.  The outcomes are not within our control, but our actions and reactions to getting to that outcome IS in our control and IS up to us individually to choose to seize the reigns – take control over your ability to access and activate your network and community.

How many people have you met in your life?  The answer is probably “a lot more than you can still contact”.  What if you could access your own ‘list’ of everyone you’ve ever met in real life?

The specific details of who’s in your network doesn’t have to be shared with anyone, if you choose, but be aware that you’re choosing not to employ the tools the social networking platforms use to make it easier for you to broadcast your passion and create a community around your business.  And for the handful to evil creeps you don’t want finding you – go into your security settings and block them from being able to find you (by name) on Facebook and everywhere else.

1. Open the lines of communication / connection, with everyone you’ve ever met: Develop a full & complete profile (for your personal legal name) on every appropriate social media website including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.  Fill in every field and especially take advantage of any networks or groups you can join that will connect you to classmates, local friends & businesses, etc.  The more authentic you are with your profile (sharing only the info on yourself & business that you would want to go viral), the more your community will be compromised of people and businesses that will support you.  Every few months or so, revisit your security default settings to be sure you are keeping up with your control over facebook’s evolving technology and privacy policies.
2. Connect in social media with everyone you meet, everyday.  Every connection you make now can be much stronger if you can make it a habit of connecting on social media across the web, with people you’ve met both in real life and online.  Connecting on all social media profiles of the people you’ve recently met immediately tells them you’re interested and opens up the lines of communication and opportunities.
3. Share with your growing community: interesting articles from the web, job postings from friends, items/services and special deals, blog posts, achievements & kudos, etc. using TBUZZ and Share on Facebook – these apps make it easy for you to share to Facebook & Twitter throughout the day without ever having to login to either!  (cuts down on the annoying 2 hour distractions of “why did I login to Facebook again?”)

I like to consider looking at Social Media time & activities like the ONE networking party of my life.  If I choose to never attend, I will never take advantage of building a customized network of individuals who share my DNA, interests and passions, enhancing the networking contacts I’ve made in real life.