Weekender

It's time for another installment of Socially Speaking.

Socially Speaking for 9.17.11:
Be trustworthy.

Do what you say and say what you mean. If you promise something, follow through and

deliver upon that promise. People are more apt to do business with those that they trust. An authentic way to build trust? Build relationships; take time to get to know and genuinely care about what your customers and clients want from your products and services.

Are you someone with whom people will want to conduct their business?

Weekender

Note: I am starting a new tips series called "Socially Speaking" and it will appear on -you guessed it- weekends.

Socially Speaking for 8.20.11:

Transparency lends itself to credibility.

If you mess up, admit it. If you don't know the answer to a question, admit it. If you're inexperienced, admit it. If you're willing to admit that you're not perfect, a work-in-progress, or open to suggestion, your audience is more likely to take you more seriously. You build your credibility and trustworthiness. The quickest way to lose credibility? Lie or attempt a cover up.

Be honest, be real, be transparent.

What to be and what not to be? That is the Social Media Question.

Practically speaking, social media platforms are designed to be communication forums. Communication is an interactive, two-way, organic process. If it's forced, it's obvious; if it's natural, it can produce modicums of trust and insight that can eventually manifest phenomenal relationships with time. Here's the real kicker, investing time and building relationship can be fun. Yes, fun and rewarding.

To reap the rewards of natural communication, I'd recommend the following:

• Listening
• Learning
• Conversing
• Sharing
• Researching
• Following
• Investing
• Trusting
• Relating
• Acknowledging
  
• Doing
• Engaging
  

In reading this list, you should notice a common theme...did you catch it? These are all verbs, that require action on your part as the person behind the tweets, podcasts, updates, whatever form of content generating you are doing. This list involves organic engagement on your part.

If however, you're not a fan of engagement and wish to alienate those persons that could have potentially followed, become a fan or friend, subscriber or any other term that indicates them as consumer of your content, than try this assembly on for size:

• Dismissing
• Ignoring
• Automating
• Refusing
• Assailing
• Boring
• Tiring
  
• Repulsing
• Preaching
• Annoying

Yes, these are all active verbs as well, but the difference... your content is contentious, dry, and impersonal. Sure you'll find some folks that follow, friend, subscribe, etc; but they're usually a carbon copy of what you're doing. They're other businesses and individuals also pumping out link after link after link, brand blasting, all tools of the marketing and self-promotion machines.

So have you decided that social media is an arena in which you want to engage? Then when you step into that arena, you should do just that, engage. Yes, social media can be a waste of time, but on the other hand, it requires time of those followers, fans, friends, and subscribers. So don't waste their time. Make it worth their while, and yours too.

So, what to be? Be all that you can be, and more.