How to Win Friends and Influence people with Social Media

Social media or Web 2.0 as is it is known in tech-speak, is changing the world, as we know it, at a rapid rate. Early adopters have defined its impact.

5 years after the launch of Youtube and a mere 3 years since the emergence of Facebook these originally quirky mediums have become ubiquitous. This poses a potential problem.

If so many people are communicating and sharing their content how can you stand out from the crowd and have your message embraced?

Step 1: Clearly define your objective. Are you communicating largely irrelevant incidental occurrences in your life? If so there is probably a very small audience that will care to tune in.

Are you pitching your latest business venture to all and sundry and hoping the pure volume of your message will be heard? If so it is likely you will attract like-minded people who will send you an endless stream of solicitations.
Are you communicating to a specific niche target audience and interacting for mutual benefit?

Many people are embracing social medium forums in order to win friends and influence people to join their ‘tribe’. Invariably they go about this task in a counter productive manner.

Some suggestions that might help you achieve your goal.

Attract friends and followers, not for the purpose of building a large list, but rather for the purpose of creating meaningful dialogue.

Your approach needs to be one of selectivity. There are a multitude of people with similar interests to yours. Frequent the same forums.

Comment on their blogs, and be genuine when you communicate with them. Mass automated responses are usually recognized for what they are. Many will consider them lacking authenticity.

Ask for help. Most people are flattered when asked for advice and will willingly share.
Be consistent with your message. If you have numerous Web Sites and Blogs and Social Media pages, avoid having them all linked.

Offer something as a valuable give away before you request a favor or solicit for business. This can be an e-book, or content rich download. You can guide them to your site for the download link, but let them choose to investigate your site rather than tricking them into a click.

Be different. The easiest way is to simply be yourself, natural, open and genuine. Let your own voice be heard.

As you build your connections you can ask that they recommend and share your links with their networks, and after the trust has been established, the true power of online networking will reveal itself.

It is highly unlikely that interactive networking is a fad, and the sooner you embrace it the more chance you will have to share your message.