Wouldn’t it be nice if you could wake up everyday and face your social networking with a sense of clarity, integrity, and authenticity? You know what I mean: never feeling like you’re shouting to be heard or acting out for attention.

It’s interesting how regressive some otherwise nice people can get when pushed into the big sea of being visible on Facebook and Twitter. It’s like all confidence in the power of their message gets lost as they rely on pushy tactics to try to turn a fast buck.

Let me share a not-so-big secret with you: nobody’s interested in the pitches. As soon as someone senses a pitch coming at them, the walls go up and the bridge is closed.

We buy from people we know, like, and trust. That’s age-old wisdom and it’s just as true today as it was in the 50’s when my Dad opened up his first mom and pop business.

Then what is everyone out there looking for?

They’re looking to connect. They’re looking for value. They’re looking for honesty.

As an entrepreneur using social networking to market your business, you need to keep that in mind. So that leads up to the Magic Question for social media success.

Each day when you get ready to hop onto Twitter or scour Facebook for prospects, ask yourself this question:

How can I add value to my network?

What can I give that will inform, engage, connect, and build trust?

That’s it.

When you take that mindset on, the need to push or coerce vanishes. The value you provide- whether it’s retweeting someone’s post or offering your professional opinion- will set you apart as a credible person to be connected to.

There are other components of social media success, but having a value mindset is the foundation.

This focus on providing value  is what takes a person from random observer to raving fan to hot hot lead to ready-to-buy prospect.

So take a moment right now and ask yourself that magic question:

What can I do to add value to my network?

Then go over to Facebook or Twitter or Linked In and see how that question guides your actions.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 24th, 2009 at 11:49 am and is filed under Internet Marketing, Marketing Essentials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.