Today’s my birthday. Yippee!
Here’s the reason for the disclosure: in an increasingly social online world, business can no longer afford to be faceless. Facebook and Twitter facilitate connections between people that are often unexpectedly personal and intimate. For example, I’ve learned from Facebook of the death of an acquaintance’s mother; of the birth of a son to one of my closest friends (I knew the birth was imminent, but the actual news broke to me via Facebook); and I’ve reconnected with old acquaintances such as my high school choir teacher.
But I also represent a business (two of them, actually). And one of the things that I hear a lot is that people hire me for Web site consulting because they feel they know me. Sure they can look at my online portfolio, read my resume, browse the Web site and read about the services I offer… but mostly, when they talk to me, I end up hired. Social media allows that same kind of casual, person-to-person networking, but on a potentially global scale.
So for businesses getting into social media, here’s today’s tip (before I go stuff my face with chocolate cake): Be a real person. In social media, people follow you, not your business. They want to know about you — what you’re reading or watching on TV, what’s important in your life. Share real details about yourself, not just sales pitches.
On the other hand, maybe you should keep your cross-dressing fetish to yourself.
