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!