In this day and age, we are drowning in a sea of instant Social Media gratification.

If you are like most people, you LOVE/HATE the daily posts you see in your news or Twitter feed (like guilty little pleasures) but if you let it, it can become the all-mighty TIME SUCK.

Now, if you’re sitting in a cubicle just looking to waste time, than eat your heart out!

But if you are a professional in business, you should be looking to cultivate intentional relationships and carefully fostering the ones you have.  Something I learned very early on in business is that money comes from PEOPLE, and people do business with those they TRUST.  Sounds rediculously obvious but much of the marketplace spends time repelling, rather than attracting the very people that will help their business grow.

If that sounds like you, (if you aren’t sure, your bank statements are a good reference point) don’t worry it’s not your fault.  You just haven’t been taught the key fundamentals of Social Media Marketing.

I won’t pretend to share EVERYTHING I know about Social Media here in this Blog Post, but I’ll give you 3 Key things that should keep you out of trouble and potentially add $$ to your bottom line once mastered.

#1  Follow the 80/20 Rule.

In a ‘take-take’ society you have to set yourself apart.  You must become a person of VALUE in order to build trust. Notice the emphasis on BECOME.  You can’t fake this, it’s character that you build and it should naturally exude from your very nature.  Not only must you embody it, you must SHARE it.  80% of the time.  Ways of sharing value is an entirely different post but for now, let’s focus on the mindset shift.  The other 20% can be spent on promotion of your product/service, or asking for something in return.  Like most things in life, the more you give the more you receive!  It’s called the law of reciprocation.

#2  Be consistent.

Just like if you left a loved one or a friend for a month, you can’t expect to build relationships on Social Media when you aren’t present.  If you are full time in your business, I recommend 2-3 posts a day; part time, 1-2.  And the key is Value and Engagement in your posts: ask a question, start a conversation, get people talking!  If you leave town for a week, set up an auto-post through a service like HootSuite.  That way you can pre-load your value posts and they will go out when you’re relaxing on the beach!  A vital key to success in Social Media is CONSISTENCY.

#3  Play team.  

I have attracted many TOP business partners and clients from this alone.  At the time, I didn’t know it to be a key fundamental…more of a culture we created throughout our organization.   But as more and more people were drawn to what we were doing, it’s become a KEY part of how we spend our time in the SM space.  

Let me spend a little more time on this one as I believe it’s importance trumps the others.  It starts with creating a culture of edification and encouragement.  You see, 98% of the population is striving to get recognized in their day jobs and seeking for purpose, acceptance and love in what they do.  People want to know that they are making a difference on a higher level.

Once we recognized this, we cultivated it as a priority.  People deserve to be praised and encouraged in their gifts, talents and efforts.  They deserve a platform for growth and a place to be challenged.  Mind you, much of this interaction takes place in our private FB groups but it trickles out into the open Social Media community like giant beams of shining light.  When I first recognized this as an outsider, I was drawn in like a cat to a mouse.  At the time, I didn’t have that community support and I wanted it.  I needed it!  And I can’t imagine building any business without it.

So whatever you do, wherever you are:  Play team with a mindset of “plenty of fish in the sea, I’m giving my all to ALL who participate.”

More on these topics to come, if you learned something here please comment below!  I love learning from YOU and invite you to join the conversation!  And if you feel inclined, share this with others.