Social media rules that make sense
Much has been written about the effectiveness of social media in marketing, but there’s no one I trust more than Bryan Eisenberg, the co-founder of FutureNow, which helps large companies increase conversion rates. He also personally helped me improve the sales page for PR LEADS seven years ago, it still converts like magic! If Bryan says something works, it works. And if he says it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
Here’s an exerpt from his post, "Understanding and Aligning the Value of Social Media."
Here are a few ways to view and use social media:
- Be transparent. Share the good and the bad.
- Be yourself. People want to connect with real people, not with plastic packaged images.
- Don’t breach the social contract by doing nothing but selling your wares.
- Take interest in others and share valuable information, even if it doesn’t benefit you directly.
- Listen. You can learn a lot.
- Be patient. Let things grow organically.
- Viral campaigns can and do work, but they are the exception to the rule. (In other words, only the masses have the power to deem something viral).
I particularly like "Be transparent. Share the good with the bad." That makes you sound like a real person. Ironically, people will relate more to your troubles and personal issues than your successes.
Also, be aware of "Don’t breach the social contract by doing nothing but selling wares." I see this a lot on my Linked In connections. Instead of being blatant in promoting, people are off-handed, like "I’m about to release my new book. You can buy it at …" Come on, that’s a sales pitch, not an information blurb. Especially when you do it several times a week. You know who you are!
The story ran in Women’s World, a national magazine serving my target market of women. Beyond the initial burst of book sales when the 2-page spread came out, for the next 6-8 months customers continued to tell me how they saw the article in waiting rooms, at beach houses, and in other places where such magazines have a long life. It featured food photos and recipes from my cookbook, a dramatic storyline about how my cooking method aided my return to health, and a large photo of yours truly in the kitchen. You can’t buy this kind of publicity!
A few days later, the freelancer (writing a piece for a "major 
(And if you ever get a chance, please direct folks to my web site so
