image via enrollmark.com
I recently wrote a post for my newsletter subscribers about communicating with fans & followers through technology… social media mainly. The idea was to get my subscribers thinking about how they talk & engage with their fans & followers.
People are so sick of businesses. Businesses aren’t living, breathing beings. You can’t connect with a business in a personal way. On the other hand, people are drawn to other people. That’s why being your brand is so important. People want to see you, talk to you, & hear from you. They want to agree or disagree with you. They want to support you. They want to promote & share you with their friends.
Technology has given you the ability to be your brand & to engage with those who want a relationship with you… if you use it correctly.
So I decided that I wanted to include some advice from several successful entrepreneurs about how they used technology to communicate & connect with their audiences, but, in the end, I ended up not including it in the newsletter because all the responses would have made the email way too long.
So today I’m going to share a bit of it with you instead.
Many of you have heard of Simon Sinek. He’s the author of the book, Start With Why, a fabulous book all about finding the “why” behind your business… the thing that inspires & motivates you most.
I contacted Simon to get his feedback on this topic & his response was the best I received out of all those I contacted. So instead of me hogging his wisdom all for myself, I’m going to share it with you.
Simon’s approach to using social media in his business is different from most, but what he has to say could really be just what you’re looking for.
Simon Says…
Technology is amazing for driving the speed of transactions, spreading information or connecting with people. It is not, however, so great for forming real, human, trusting relationships. For the same reason that we are happy to meet someone on a dating site, but we wouldn’t marry them until we meet them, technology can connect us, but the relationship part remains human. This is how I use technology. I don’t pretend I’m forming lasting, trusting relationships with the technology I use, but I do use it to spread ideas and connect to people who may share my beliefs.
How I use Twitter is a perfect example. I signed up for Twitter when it came out years ago to see what it was all about. I didn’t quite get it – I didn’t care if someone, especially someone I didn’t know, was eating ice-cream…and I certainly didn’t care to tell the world when I was. So the account went unused. But then I had a little problem. I would have these little ideas throughout the day – they weren’t big enough to write an article about, but they were nice thoughts. I would jot them down on scraps of paper, napkins and sugar packets. The scraps were piling up and I couldn’t keep track of them all. I started sending my little thoughts to my Twitter account to keep them safe – a virtual filing cabinet, if you will. Then, all of a sudden, people started following me.
I don’t obey the “social media rules” of following everyone that follows you. I rarely engage in any conversations over Twitter with people. I don’t use it to get anything from anyone, I use it to share with people my ideas (and have a place to remember my ideas, also).
Technology and social media is a tricky thing. Everyone thinks they have to do it. My answer is, if you like it, use it. If you don’t like it, don’t use it. If you personally enjoy Twitter or Facebook then use it for your business. If you are only doing it because you have to or because you are trying to use it as a marketing tool – everyone will know it and the value of any authentic communication will be lost. In other words, it wouldn’t be worth it in the first place.
Technology is supposed to help make our lives easier, not create more stress. If we’re not using it to speed up a process or eliminate steps, if we’re feeling left out, then either we’re not using the technology properly or it has no real value in our lives. (I should tweet that).
- Simon Sinek – StartWithWhy.com
So tell me, how do you use technology to connect with your audience?
I like Simon very much and his thoughts and I’m so happy too see someone influential like him to say things such as “I don’t obey the “social media rules”…”
I’m building an online strategy for a small NGO and I start to have enough of all “smart marketing asses” out there with all their advice …and I start believing in just being natural on social media – what else we can really be than who we already are, right?
p.s. thanx for sharing this post!
I totally agree with you Lucia! Being you can keep you from getting burnt out & it really draws people to you. I’m sure that there are a lot of social media strategists out there that know what they’re talking about. Laura Roeder & Amy Porterfield are two of my favorites, but I think it’s more important to do what works for you & your business… not just doing what they say you should be doing. Thanks for your comment & I’m so glad that you liked the post!
I know Amy and I like her too, I will also check-out Laura Roeder – thanx for the tip!
Lucia recently posted..SEO for dummies
p.s. May I ask what plug-in do you use for comments to show the latest post of a person who leaves a comment? Haven’t seen this before, it’s interesting.
I think it’s called CommentLuv & I Luv it!
Anytime!
I like to use Facebook, I find it easier to share information and show off my work. I have yet to figure out the Twitter thing. It looks like I use it as it is directly connected to my Facebook page feed, but I haven’t quite figured it out. I have been using Facebook since it first started, way back in like 2005 so I have come accustomed to all of the changes they have worked in over the years. I am not a big personal status updater, so Twitter just isn’t much for me. And I like Simon’s advice to use what you like. If you enjoy using something it will show in how you use it and get other’s excited and interested in your business.
Good for you Mariah! I’m sure you could share some great tips with us on using Facebook to promote your business! If you’re ever interested in guest posting, just let me know.
I think that it’s important for people to have a marketing plan & to not hop on every social media site that comes along. Pick & chose what works for you & your business. Learn them one at a time, practice it & get comfortable before you move on to the next. Thanks for your comment!