5 Mistakes Most Entrepreneurs Make in their Social Networking–and How to Avoid them

By: MaryPat Kavanagh

Have you jumped into social networking yet? Facebook, Twitter, even LinkedIn. You are making some friends, checking things out, but it feels like there’s something missing.

Whether you are spending a lot of time with your social networking or just dabbling, make sure to check out these mistakes so that you don’t do the same thing most people are making.

Social networking is a powerful place to build quality relationships with great people. These relationships are the foundation for building a tribe of raving fans who can’t wait to buy your latest goods and promote everything you do and what you stand for. Isn’t that what we all want? It IS completely possible through social networking, when done right. And relationships are based on WHO YOU ARE, NOT WHAT YOU DO. Although what you do IS important, it is the little things, like what you do on the weekends, where you vacation, what books your read, what movies you like, are you a family person or not–THESE are the reasons people connect. Preferring you over your professional peers for expert advice comes later.

But don’t feel bad if you read this list and find you have made some of these mistakes. We all have. Most people learn by their mistakes.

1. Building a network with no clear reason? Ever sent a “friend request” without a message that clearly connects you to the person? In my research, over 90% of all friend requests are anonymous, even with people who know you. Even though we have too much stuff on our plate, we have to slow down if we want to build quality connections over the internet. First make sure you have reviewed the profile of the person you are wanting to connect with. You must have a reason to connect with someone and let them know what it is. Social networking is not about quantity. It’s about quality. Second, send a private message to the new friend explaining why you think that you should connect.

2. Spamming your friends. When you post comments on someone’s wall or send them a message, do you include a “signature” with a link back to your web site? Survey after survey shows that social networkers consider this spam. Only include links when it is relevant to the conversation at hand.

3. Premature selling. When someone asks “what do you do”, do you refer them to a sales page for more information? Or copy the sales content into a message? Social networking is not about selling. It is about building quality relationships. As I mentioned earlier, build the relationship first and your friends will want to purchase and share when the time comes.

4. Do you talk about yourself too much? We look to our peers for information and there is an expectation that you will share good information. This information should be a combination of expert advice from yourself and from others.  Because there is so much information in the Web 2.0 world, we rely on each other to help sort the relevant information from the trivial and unimportant information.

5. Is it all about you? This point is a continuation of that last one but bears discussing. Do all of your comments and messages direct people back to YOU for more information? In my research, the main reason people delete a friend, is because that person comes across as selfish and self-absorbed. The social networking world is a cooperative and collaborative environment based on sharing. If you can’t get past yourself, or you feel like everyone is competition, then it is probably not the place for you.

There are three reasons that people go onto the internet: 1. To be entertained, 2. To get information. And 3. To connect with people. And the first place we look for information is our friends. In this world of information sharing, people are looking to the peers for advice and direction. So building a network of peers is necessary to be considered an expert in your industry. To build quality connections, make sure to “fix” these problems quickly.

The best news about social networking is the community is very forgiving. If you make a mistake and it’s brought to your attention, apologize and fix it. And then go on. None of us are perfect. Even when we know the rules.

MaryPat Kavanagh, chief marketing strategist & relationship liaison, has extensive experience in marketing and small business since 1989. She has owned retail businesses, restaurants and consulting practices and has been extremely involved in her community through local Chambers of Commerce, networking organizations and professional development organizations. In 1999, she began Strategic Results Marketing LLC. Strategic Results Marketing is an expert marketing firm specializing in entrepreneurial strategizing and planning. For more information about MaryPat and to access her free audio, How to Turn REALationships Into Revenue, go to www.QueenofConnections.com.