How to reach business contacts on social media
We've grown accustomed to the notion that social networks and social media answer today's marketing problems. Over the course of the past year, I've certainly pointed to the many ways in which marketers can use networks and other social media to help build their brands, connect with customers and monitor and manage their brands' reputations. With social network profiles gaining increasing relevance in and priority from search engines, social networks have now extended those same principles of marketing and brand management to a very personal level, particularly when taken in a business context. And while the unprecedented levels of personal detail and communication information that people maintain on their profiles would seem to open the door to limitless marketing opportunities -- from the PR manager trying to sell a company-related story idea to a relevant industry journalist to the corporate recruiter trying to pitch a new opportunity to a potential job candidate -- taking advantage of this information does not come without formidable challenges.
The principal difficulty lies in the ever-shifting nature of personal and professional boundaries. Many people in the business world maintain profiles on multiple networks, from the ostensibly personal, like Facebook, to the more business-oriented, like LinkedIn and Plaxo. An informal survey of contacts suggests that some individuals are more judicious than others in accepting "friend" requests, but it seems safe to say that a friend on Facebook, for example, is not necessarily synonymous with the friend you've known since childhood. Put another way, if you have 500 friends on Facebook, you either have an extremely busy social life or, more likely, an extensive circle of business contacts.
Still, as more and more businesspeople use a site like Facebook as a communications platform, the line between friend and business contact becomes increasingly indistinct. Social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Plaxo allow users to control the level of information they share with their contacts, as well as with the general searching public, but it is also a safe bet that many users do not bother to spend the time to adjust settings for each new contact they add (even if the option is available, as it is on Facebook, for example). As a result, the traditional ways of reaching people are changing. Rather than a traditional cold call or email blast, contact might now be made through a Facebook message or a Facebook wall post, or even via some of the information contained in a profile, such as an IM screen name, Twitter profile, blog address or mobile phone number.
The problem is that all of the available information creates the illusion of universal accessibility. Although social network etiquette in the business world is a state of constant evolution, marketers would still do well to err on the side of caution. A businessperson might list his or her AIM screen name in a profile, but that might not be the best avenue for delivering a pitch or a proposal. Rather than following the oft-repeated mantra of asking forgiveness, not permission, marketers ought to do the reverse. Becoming someone's friend or contact may seem like a tacit granting of permission, but it doesn't hurt to ask. In fact, extending that level of courtesy may actually strengthen a connection and help to cultivate a relationship.
With etiquette and consideration in mind, here are five simple rules to follow when using social networks for business purposes:
- Ask permission, not forgiveness -- even though they may be public, social networks are highly personal
- Remember to inquire about each person's preferred mode of communication
- Treat each contact as an individual
- Respect the boundaries each contact sets (but adjust as the relationship develops)
- Don't bombard anyone with messages, regardless of the delivery method
It's also worth bearing in mind that social network friends are not necessarily the same as the friends with whom you spend your free time (although there will inevitably be some overlap).
Marketers -- whether the PR manager, recruiter or potential business partner -- will get more out of a relationship they cultivate over time; they could blow that chance to connect if they communicate in an undesired fashion. Of course, each of us with a social network profile can do our part by setting boundaries and establishing communication preferences, but the burden should be on those who want to make the contact. If marketers respect those rules, business contacts may even transcend the boundaries of online social networks and become true friends.
Noah Elkin is vice president of corporate strategy for international search-led digital agency Steak
