Five tips for building relationships through social media

If you are using social media as a marketing strategy to reach current and new clients, set yourself apart as an expert or research market needs, then you need to also be focused on building relationships online.

For many, social media is anything but social. Sitting alone in a room in front of a computer does not scream community, but there are ways to build relationships online that could benefit your business.

1. Interact through direct message tweets, retweets, blog comments and Facebook posts.Communication is a two-way street, so take time to get to know your online friends. This is such an important part of social media, but very few people actually take the time to interact with their friends and followers. Set aside a few minutes each day to network with people in your industry, especially those considered experts in the field. Never have these highly regarded leaders been so accessible. Respond to their blogs and tweets and watch your credibility increase and your net of followers expand.

2. Ask questions and solicit advice. Create opportunities for people to communicate with you and each other. What better way of creating a community than to find ways to bring people together in the name of a friendly debate or unifying to find a solution to a problem. Everyone wants to feel needed and valued, so soliciting comments is a fun way to get people active on your site and invested in your business.

3. Reward your followers and fans by offering discounts on products, a preview of a new publication or an exclusive report just for your followers. Who doesn't want to feel special? Find unique ways of offering benefits to those who are loyal to your business and be ready for a great return on your investment.

4. Be authentic. Post the way you talk and make sure to stay true to who you are. Your ideal client will be attracted to you, so if you are not genuine online, they will not be happy when they work with you offline.

5. Have fun. Let your personality shine through by sharing some personal items with your online community. Find a healthy balance of personal and professional and enjoy building new relationships with your (hopefully) new clients.

While it does take some time and a little bit of effort to build relationships through social media, it is vital to the success of your online marketing plan and overall marketing strategy.

Foursquare still rules (for now)

Facebook Places is just a few weeks old, so the big debate over whether it will cause the slow death of Foursquare is yet to be seen. While both are location-based check-in services, they currently serve very different purposes.

Foursquare is much more business-friendly than Facebook Places (for now). As a business owner, you can offer discounts to anyone who checks into your store or office, reward the mayor of your business and encourage groups to meet at your place in hopes of creating a swarm. Foursquare is more like a game than anything else. The more times you check into a location, the more points you get and the higher rank you receive. You can even see who else has checked into the same location, which leads to the awkward look around the room to see if you can spot the other cool kids playing the same game. Privacy is more secure on Foursquare- only your Foursquare friends know where you are, unless you allow your check-ins to be posted to Twitter and Facebook.

For now, Facebook Places is a novelty being used by a brave few souls. And just like folks tweeting what they ate for lunch when Twitter first rolled out, Facebook Places is just as annoying. Eventually, Facebook Places will be tied into Facebook Business Pages, which opens a whole new level of opportunity for business owners. Until Facebook deals with their trust/privacy issues, Facebook Places will not be embraced by the masses. Who knows if that will ever be settled.

Until then, consider adding Foursquare to your marketing arsenal. It is a fun way to reward customers and is still new enough to be hip and cool. 

Would your business benefit from GroupOn?

I was taking part of a TwitChat on Tuesday with brilliant public relations professionals around the world. It is a fast-past discussion about the hottest topics in the industry. The first question had to do with the benefits, or potential image damage, of using coupon sites like GroupOn.com to promote your business.

The site just had a successful run promoting coupons for a $50 gift certificate to the Gap at a cost of $25 to the GroupOn member. Comments from the PR pros ranged from how to capture names, gain repeat business, provide quality customer service, managing ROI and maintaining brand reputation.

One of the most interesting questions asked was about brand reputation. Does offering such a deep discount hurt the Gap's image? Does the coupon speak to their ideal customers? Can it create customer loyalty? Can this promotional buzz hurt their image and business in the long run? 

Some thought the promotion made them look desperate. Others thought it was a great tool to attract attention and be seen as leaders in the emerging social media field.

I can see both sides. You have to know your ideal clients, what messages work best to motivate them to use your service/product, what gains their trust and loyalty and what turns them off. 

You have to be clear enough with your brand identity or you could really do damage to your reputation, and your bottom line.

For example, the Tennessee Smokies minor league baseball team offered a great discount on GroupOn. For just $20, you received 4 playoff game tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 small drinks and 4 game programs- a $64 value. 

The brilliant part of the offer is it is only valid for two playoff games, both in the middle of the week; game days that historically would have low attendance. By offering this discount to a limited number of fans on GroupOn, even at a steep discount, they increase the number of people in the crowd. People who have to pay for parking. People who will probably visit the concession stand for more to eat or drink. People who may become new Smokies fans. And people who tell other people about the game and their experience.

So, is it fun to jump on the newest, hottest social media tool. Yes. Is it always the best idea. No. Knowing who you are trying to reach and what you need to say is still the best way of marketing your business. It's just not as sexy.

Trusting your map

I have a funny story for you.

Last Thursday, I headed to Maryville to meet with Linda Pucci. She is a master at getting people unstuck and getting rid of limiting beliefs.

Who knew my learning would start on the drive to the meeting.

You see, I had been to Linda's before, about four years ago. She lives in the country, at the base of the Smoky Mountains. It is beautiful. I had programmed my phone to give me directions, but instead of trusting MapQuest, I questioned it. I thought I knew better than the map. In the end, the map was right. I was wrong. And I was late.

Hmmm. Where else is that showing up in my life?

Turns out, I am doing the same thing with my marketing plan. Instead of following my plan, I tend to question it, change it, and flat out ignore it.

With the same results. Lost. Confused. Overwhelmed. Late.

Trust your roadmap and keep moving forward. Lesson learned.

Oh, and enjoy the ride.

You can't do it alone

A few weeks ago, I jumped in the car and took a road trip to Atlanta with three of my favorite, and most inspirational, female entrepreneurs to attend a seminar on mindset.

While the seminar was amazing, it was the three-hour car ride that still resonates with me. We each took turns talking about “stuff” we are facing. It helps so much to have a strong support system, especially if you work from home in isolation.

The concept of a mastermind group is still pretty new to me. I managed to read about a fifth of “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill last fall. I never really put much stock into it, but the more I keep running into the same challenges, the more I realize I can’t do it alone.

Having a strong support system is an invaluable tool for any business. Just as every new venture needs a plan, every entrepreneur needs a group of honest, caring, bold colleagues to hold your hand while simultaneously kicking your butt.

We are not meant to be solitary creatures. And that goes for your business, as well. To be successful in any industry, you can’t do it alone.