One of the main goals of social networking is to develop a community of people around your company who care about who you are or what your company represents.
Some people call them tribes. I flinch every time I hear that word because it’s a contrived use of the word developed by Seth Godin. I love Seth Godin; I think he is a genius. I’ve just refused, from day one, to hop on that train. The word community works fine for me.
Meanwhile, back to my regularly scheduled rant.
The goal is not to sell to your community. Your goal is to educate. In most cases community members are already fans, customers or supporters of you, your product or service. They are already sold. Don’t drive them away with a hard sell.
Just like networking offline, you are better served to educate the people you meet. Share your story. Listen to their stories. Become a community connector. Offer the information that will help them find quality referrals for you.
Givers gain: It means the more you give, the more people will want to give back to you. Your job is to train your community and spend the rest of the time supporting them.
