spam can tile by maxman
I know this subject has come up a time or two around the blogosphere but I still continue to see small businesses spamming their products all over the place. My biggest pet peeve in social networking is seeing a timeline of nothing but “new items listed” and “my item is perfect for”. Most of the time, I just don’t follow and that keeps my timeline filled with genuine people who want to reach out and connect. After all, isn’t that the whole point of SOCIAL media…to be social? Since we are talking about ethics for the month of March, I thought I would add a little post about the ethics of spamming…or how to get your products seen without spamming. You get the point! 😉
You should want to connect with your potential customers on a more personal level before you try and sell them something. Just think of Twitter like real life for a second. You have someone walk up to you on the street with a friendly smile and they say hello…you wouldn’t immediately scream at them to look at your latest Etsy listing would you? Pretty silly right?
You have to take the opportunity to get to know people. Some experts will tell you not to post silly things like the place you went to lunch or that your kid just cut off her bangs while you were in the bathroom trying to have 3 minutes of quiet. I have a different view of this. I think social networks are made for this type of thing. When you enjoy your lunch and tweet about the great restaurant, that helps them! When you tweet about your daughter, someone else may have gone through the same thing and can relate with a tip on how to hide the new doo. If you post these type of every day life things, posting about new projects and products no longer seems spammy.
Don’t be scared! I know it can be a little intimidating to put yourself out there but by doing so and connecting with others, it will make you a stronger person. Besides, you may be the person who knows how to hide the scary, kid “I cut it myself” hair!
Another way to build relationships is to join tweet ups or groups that let you connect with other small business owners that share the same issues as you. Oh my! has a tweet up every Thursday at 1:00 pm EST (#OMHG) which is fantastic! Once you start to establish a relationship with people then you may feel more comfortable telling them about your latest product in daily conversation. In fact, it will probably come up without you even realizing it!
The whole point is to use social networks to build relationships and connect. Then when it’s time to promote your business, more people will be listening!
