SOCIAL NETWORKING IS NETWORKING – NOT MARKETING

It seems as if in every marketing journal you open these days, a so-called social networking guru blabs on endlessly about the ways businesses should use social networking as  part of their marketing mix. Whether it’s urging marketers to Tweet or companies to set up Facebook Fan Pages, social networking is here to stay. These learned sages make social networking sound exotic, complicated, and foreign.

You know all you need to know about social networking. It’s neither exotic nor foreign, and as for complicated – like most things in life, it’s as complicated or as simple as you make it out to be.

Nancy Marmolejo of Viva Visibility (http://vivavisibilityblog.com/) once told me that social networking is like all the rubber chicken dinners you’ve ever had to attend in your career.  That comparison really stuck with me and I like to share it with others (giving generous credit to Nancy, of course.) Remember the last networking event you went to? What steps did you take, from start to finish, to network?

Well, first you showed up for the event.  You signed up and attended. Did you sign up as “hotchick69″? No, you signed up as Mary McPherson or whatever your name is. You put down your name, your company name, your phone number, keeping it simple so anyone looking for you after the event could find you easily.

Next, you put your best foot forwarded. You didn’t show up in your sweats or jeans. You put on a nice suit. You combed your hair. You arrived on time and with your best manners waiting.

When you attend a rubber chicken dinner, do you grab a glass of wine and sit in the corner all evening without speaking to anyone? Of course not! You greet people you know. You make small talk. Whether it’s commenting on the weather, complimenting someone on their outfit, or saying hello to someone sitting by herself, you connected with people.

As the evening wears on, you may find yourself more drawn to some folks than others. There’s a natural business click. You sell widgets, she markets widgets, and the guy over there with the polka dot tie buys widgets.  At some point you all realize you’re all in the widget business. Business cards are exchanged.

The next day, you drop the widget buyer an email, give the widget marketer a call, and you agree to meet for lunch next week. Over the course of a few meetings, phone calls and emails, you help each other out. The widget buyer also needs gadgets, so you give him the phone number for Gary at the gadget company.  And the widget marketer does a small project for you; you like her work, so you recommend her to someone who needs help selling widgets.

I’ve just traced for you the usual course of events through a typical networking event. It doesn’t matter if you go to Rotary Club meetings or the American Marketing Association conference, and it doesn’t matter if you ate the chicken, the fish or the steak. What matters are the people involved, the way we make connections, broker contacts, and most importantly share of our time with others to build business relationships.

That, in essence, is networking.

Social networking is the very same thing – facilitated by the computer. Instead of blocking out an evening and meeting a set group of people in one location, you can meet many people all over the world.

Sign up for a few of the social networking sites. Choose ones you feel comfortable with. There is no one “right” site to be on. The “right” site is the one you think you will use.

Choose a user name that reflects you or your company or brand image. Choose a professional photo or logo. Complete your profile. Instead of linking over to your website home page, create a unique page to introduce who you are, what you do, and a few warm bits and pieces about yourself.  On my website, I reveal the – gasp – startling fact that I love vanilla and don’t like chocolate too much.  You’d be surprised at how that little warm touch point gets people talking. Choose interesting factoids to share that are simple and neutral.

Make friends, connect and follow. Post a few times. Share links or information if relevant.

The worst thing you can do is immediately jump in with your sales pitch.  Just as you wouldn’t run around the networking event willy-nilly pushing business cards into people’s hands, so too pushing out your marketing messages as soon as you connect with people only turns off followers. Take it slowly. Like real relationships (which virtual ones are).
People tend to treat social networking like ‘marketing’ – an activity to pound out their messages over and over again. It’s exactly the opposite. Like any networking activity, it is about building up a relationship.

What do relationships require to form? All relationships need a common ground upon which to communicate. That common ground may be widgets, gadgets, or a whole host of interests, but there must be a common interest.

Next, one must spend time with the other parties in the relationship – not talking, but listening. Commenting, encouraging, uplifting, sharing.  Who is the better friend – the one always talking about herself, or the one who asks you how you are doing today, and really cares about the answer?

Social networking isn’t just about being online. It’s not about having a Facebook Fan Page, a Twitter account, a You Tube channel. It’s about building relationships among your customers and followers, about listening more than speaking.

Social network marketing can be a powerful channel, but it’s also easily abused. Before jumping into a social media strategy, think about networking in general.  Social media makes it easy to connect with customers. Without the heartburn of a badly cooked dinner.

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SOCIAL NETWORKING IS NETWORKING – NOT MARKETING