Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Dvorak ... nice.

The thing about social media for marketing is that it doesn`t work to just sit there and broadcast like advertising. People try that because that is what they are used to ... and it doesn`t work. What it is ... is making connections. You make friends and it`s not a measurable, immediate payoff. It takes time and cultivation - much more than people are willing to do - but it does work.

Righto.

you have to do more than just approach people like you`re just trying to sell them something.

You need to approach people from a familiar, mutual, and/or beneficial place.

If you`re trying to "see what you can get" so to speak (which is what a lot of people do) you will fail. And the reason for this is simple: people have been programmed to ignore advertisements, spam, etc.

If you look like an advertisement, perhaps they will ignore you too ;)



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RosscoGiordano.com (Web-Developer)

I agree a little bit with everyone.  I think that it can still be very useful if you do it in the right ways.  For example, in Twitter, you need to have some sort of balance between promotions and witty, interesting remarks.  Things that will make you more personable and make people want to follow you.  You also need to reply and retweet.  If you don`t do these things, people catch on pretty quickly and will think you`re a bot.  I tend to unfollow people who only post ads.
If you do it right though, it`s great to make those personal connections with people.  Not just in terms of relationships with actual consumers, but also with other people in your field or similar ones.  They can be extremely useful for advice, feedback, and promoting you every once in a while.

-Danielle