4 Ways to Get More Out of Social Media By Really ‘Connecting’

Flickr photo by Jeroen Steeman

Melinda Guravich, director of Marketing & Communications at The Dallas Foundation, recently sent an e-introduction to me and Scott H. Cytron, ABC, president of Cytron and Company. Guravich and I were introduced via the same process by Ken Smalling, APR, vice president of Global Communications at Kimberly-Clark.

I introduced myself to Smalling after learning that he was a fellow recipient of Abilene Christian University’s Gutenberg Award.

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These stories have the following in common:

-- We used social media and email for initial introductions.
 
-- We really ‘connected’ by talking on the telephone and/or meeting in person.

-- In other words, we are establishing professional relationships that are mutually beneficial by being genuinely interested in the other person. 

While you may be groaning “this is really obvious” surprisingly, it’s easy to forget these insights because of technology. Really listening and being interested in new connections or friends and family, for that matter, radiates warmth and caring. And that’s memorable.

4 Lessons to Enhance Social Media Connections 

Here are some lessons that might help you when making new business connections via social media and email:

1.      Find commonalities such as mutual friends and professional interests.

2.      Talk to each other either in person or via telephone or Skype.

3.      Listen to each other.

4.      Keep in touch.

Other Blogs About Social Media Also of Interest:
 
-- Check out this post, “5 LITTLE-KNOWN, POWERFUL LINKEDIN TOOLS,” from the Absolute Cytron blog,  by  Scott H. Cytron, ABC, president of Cytron and Company.

-- Read BlogAdda's Purba Ray's  Confessions of a Social Media Addict.