Connecting to the Right People on Social Media

It’s so important to follow the right people while you are using different social media platforms. Doing so will generate more warm leads for your business, and it will grow your business. These are some of the strategies I use to find and follow these people.

1. Start with people you know. 
 This could be long-time friends or someone you just met at a networking event. The idea is to connect with people you could help with your services. Brainstorm ways to find people to connect with. I usually go after former clients I enjoyed working with. This makes for a perfect following.

2. Find strategic influencers in your field. 
 They will help you connect with others. Share their content. Study what they do. Find out who they are following. Learn everything about them.

3. Always build relationships first. 
 You should begin creating a relationship of “know-like-trust” with all your connections. Do this before you start asking them to buy something. Show them that you want to get to know them and you didn’t connect with them solely because you wanted something from them.

4. Be relatable. 
 The more you can relate to your audience, the bigger potential you will have of making good connections and great clients. You can relate by sharing great content that will help them with their solutions. Remember, it’s always about them and never about you.

Finding the right people on social media does not happen overnight. It takes consistency and research. Once you start doing this every day, you will be well on your way to collecting a great number of followers who can help you while you add value to their lives.

CREEPY CONNECTORS

Many of us are open networkers on social media. I include myself in this group. Lately, I’m noticing some really creepy things going on. I thought I would address these and offer tips for dealing with it and/or preventing it.

1. This is not the place for the dating game. 
 I am a professional, looking to connect with other professionals to collaborate with or work for. I’m not looking for a soul mate. I’ve already found mine. It would be better if these daters could use other avenues, not social media. If you ask someone to connect because you want to establish a dating relationship, most people will not connect. In fact, I often report them, especially on LinkedIn.

2. No, I don’t want to read your eight-paragraph sales pitch right after we connect. Seriously, if I met you at a networking event, would you go on for thirty minutes about yourself and how wonderful your product or service is? Do you think people want to read all that? Instead, one paragraph on how excited you are to connect with them would be fine. And then as a bonus, give them an article or something in a link that will help them in their field of expertise.

3. Customize every connection request you make, especially on LinkedIn. 
 If you want to connect with other people who might someday be a good strategic partner or a client, don’t use the generic statement, “I’d like to connect with you on LinkedIn.” This sends the message that you don’t care and there is no reason for them to accept your request. Give someone a reason to connect. I personalize most connection requests. Especially if I meet someone and we specifically talk about a certain subject.

Here is an example of a great reach-out that I did. 


“Hey, John. It was great meeting you at the Chamber meeting this morning. Thank you for discussing your business with me. Here is a great article (ARTICLE LINK) I think might help you. I would love to connect with you because I believe we would make good referral partners. Thanks, Lorraine.” 


It’s that simple. Just make the request personal, and you will have so much success on LinkedIn.

4. I really have no clue who you are. 
 There are so many people out there who try to connect with me who I don’t know and can’t know. You might be saying, “But Lorraine, you said you are an open networker.” That’s true, I am. But I also have a set of best-practices to follow. Here are my rules for connecting:

a. You must have a profile picture and summary because if I don’t know you personally, the only way I can get to know you is through the picture and the summary.

 b. Have a robust profile (complete or nearly complete), so viewers know whether they want to connect with you.

c. You have to have at least two hundred connections so I know you are not a spammer. (Of course, this isn’t a solid rule. Someone may be just starting out and not have many connections. On the other hand, someone may pass all the barriers to entry and still spam you to death.)

5. Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum I smell the spam! 
   

This is not the ham or the blood of an Englishman. This is a spammer! Yikes! Run, Run, Run! These are people who usually have no profile picture or no connections. My encounter with one happened the other day. This person connected with me and then spammed all my connections. Wow, not very nice.

My purpose for writing these points is to help you be a better networker on social media. If you stay away from these creepy things, I believe you will have success.