If you’re going to do it – do it right…..

Have you noticed how many people have made a new year’s resolution to ‘do’ social media this year?

The friend requests started to show up soon after my return to work.

And jolly well done too. A bit blinking late but not too late to join the party and get clued up (just in time to have a right royal row about Google plus - if you are interested read this .)

I really hope they stick at it because it is useful, fun and rewarding as well as being a potential time-suck!

I could offer reams of advice on how to do it, but my blogging back catalogue does that quite well, from how tos on Twitter and Facebook to blogging. But I will say one thing about LinkedIn, because so many people are doing this – please, please, please add a personal message when you ask to connect.

My husband, who takes an average amount of interest in social media says he never links up with someone if he doesn’t know who they are, and that includes lots of people he actually does know if he stops to think about it. If you are really busy you are not going to stop to realize that the person who has just asked to link with you is the woman from swimming who you know by her married name but don’t recognize from the photo because she is in her work clothes.

It doesn’t take much extra time to add a short personalized note with your request, reminding the person how they know you and why hooking up with you on social media is a good idea. I might not want to share my work life with a sporting acquaintance, but then I might be enticed by the idea that lots of their friends work in my field or that it will make sharing the results of sporting fixtures easier.

Cold approaches are always a bit awkward – why not apply some of the diplomacy to online connections that you would to real life?

 

Have We Been Introduced?

“Sir, I am most grateful for your invitation to the Pump Rooms tonight as I have an urgent need to speak with Lady Findlesham about my poor brother.”

“Miss Clarke I fear you will not be able to approach Her Ladyship until the proper introductions have  been effected. It is simply not done in these circles to approach a member of the gentry, unless you can own to some stronger connection or former acquaintance.”

The poor girl, all she wants to do is talk to her, but of course in the days of Jane Austen and George Eliot it simply wasn’t the done thing.

One of the joys of modern life is that we can talk to whom we please. We don’t have to wait to be introduced. On Twitter, at a party, you can just steam in there.

But wait. Introductions really can help. They do have a place in the modern world.

Imagine someone calls you up out of the blue and says they would like to work with you on your widget-making project. How do you know who they are? Have you heard of them, do you trust them? 

However, if that call had been preceded by an e-mail from someone you trust or a Twitter message asking you if it was ok for an acquaintance to call, how much better would that be? They might even forewarn you that the person about to contact you was a trusted contact at the forefront of widget development. The imposition then turns into a benefit and everybody is happy.

I think it is a really good idea to seek introductions and I know from experience that they are received far more cordially than the cold call.  If there really is no-one who can introduce you then Twitter is an alternative, at least if you are following the person you want to talk to you are flattering them with your interest and attention.

Some people ignore all attempts to talk to them. The Mr Darcy figures. We can write them off as just plain rude.

Or can we?

Networking: The Only Thing You Can’t Outsource

If you need extra help to boost your business, you can hire experts to do almost anything.

Blog advisors and social media experts will happily run a check over your marketing efforts, suggest blog posts, check your site traffic and target your Search Engine Optimisation. Writers like me will even create a series of articles you can use or help you talk to the right people on Twitter.

What we can’t do is meet and network with these valuable real-life contacts on your behalf.

I have a friend, a talented PA, who had a successful career in the United States. She would dearly love to find her ideal boss. Her dream scenario is to work from home as a “virtual PA”.

I am definitely going to point her towards  LinkedIn as a great place to get her message out, but it occurred to me that what she really needs to do is meet and talk to as many people as possible who can help her find her man or woman.

Women who want to return to work are often held back by the idea that they only ever meet other mums.

Actually a lot of those mums are already carving out new careers for themselves and have valuable contacts. Most have working partners who  spend their day in the business environment.

So my friend needs to take the opportunity at parties, dinners and social occasion to let people know that she’s looking and with a little judicious use of social media, she could find the boss she’s looking for.