Sharing and Giving IS Caring!

I attended an interesting talk on “The Socially Savvy Organization” organized by the Direct Marketing Association of Singapore (DMAS) on 30 Jun 2016. Former CEO of Vocanic, Ian McKee, shared about the power of relationships and permissions-based postures in marketing. The point that social media is for sharing, not selling, was emphasized and at least alluded to time and again. I was very impressed with his stand on putting in effort to developing relationships with customers. Too, I shared his bewilderment at how marketers in Singapore seem somehow not to have gotten this into their heads. I really do think they have a dire need to engage me!

Market Share?

Is the primary aim of our marketing efforts to gain more market share? Granted, the way we market our goods and services had better attract customers or we had better get our lunch somewhere else. Trouble  is, we tend to use that as an excuse for either spray-and-pray methods or using data analytics to manipulate out “target audience.” Just observe the language we tend to use. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be developing any relationships with people who treat me as a target or as part of some nebulous “market segment.” Perhaps we need to stop saying “market share” and start thinking in terms of “share to market”, “word-of-mouth” and “social sharing.” Yes, we do want our marketing efforts to reach as many people as possible in an exponential manner, but organic will always beat automatic. Organic takes a lot more effort than automatic. Why do you think “organic” food costs more?

“Sharing Economy”?

Terms like the “sharing economy” are actually cries for an end to exploitation of Man by Man. That does not mean that one cannot become wealthy in a sharing economy. Wealth is producing and growing resources for ourselves and others in an ecological, sustainable fashion. This is why I have no qualms about sharing resources with other consultants and people developers. No one is ever going to be able to replace the value I give, and that goes for you, too, in case you’re still wondering! The more I increase your value, the more valuable I become. The more valuable I become, the more I need to raise the bar for myself. If I don’t grow myself, how on earth am I going to grow others? You need to do the same. Take this mindset on!

Sharing a few simple “To-Dos” on Social

First, get on social media! This might be hard to believe, but at this writing, I still know of many professionals who have yet to get active on social media! Of course, we all need to watch ourselves on social media, as it can very well become a fantastic time waster. Other than that, get on, make sure your profile is updated, and post interesting stories about yourself that you know others will benefit from.

Second, stop talking about yourself and your business so much! Read other people’s posts and comment with a view to share, encourage and open minds. Yes, there might be the odd occasion where you might need to administer a stern rebuke or other admonishment, but those ought to be rare. Share other people’s stuff about 80% of the time. Yes, I know, it’s hard to do. Yes, I need to do more of that myself, but I’m committed to it, and I actually achieve it a lot of the time!

Third, join groups you have an interest in. These groups might not appear to have any relation to your business at all, but if you happen to have some interest, what’s preventing you from joining? And when you do join groups, do participate in discussions or start some of your own. You’ll soon learn how to focus on fruitful discussions and steer clear of dysfunctional ones. Oh, and don’t worry if you need to pull off a “Mexit” from any particular group. It’s for your good, and probably theirs, too! At least some people might notice that the group is becoming dysfunctional.

Finally, purpose to share good stuff you happen to come across on the web, or perhaps some things you’ve read in a book, magazine, journal or other. You never know who might be needing it!

Simple? I think so! When are you going to start sharing?