Bill The Builder

Getting people to communicate is powerful, getting them to talk about you, in nearly any context, is profitable, or can be. Social media is an excellent environment in which to engage people in conversation. If you can become part of or the subject rather than just a conversationalist you have created a powerful marketing engine.

Obviously, good press is better than bad press; but any press is better than no press. Whether in news, blog posts, tweets or YouTube views press creates recognition and recognition equals brand power. An excellent example of this occurred recently on LinkedIn.

I want to start by commending Mr. Brown on excellent engagement. I have often stated in my seminars and keynotes that controversy can be a powerful tool for brand saturation. Rich Brown has become quite a household name on linkedcolumbus, a LinkedIn group of over 7,000 members. He started a conversation on a complex and controversial topic. His discussion harvested 146 comments in only 19 days. Whether he knows it or not he has a captive audience that would unquestionably buy a few copies of a relevant ebook or audio which could be created with little effort.

Rich Brown did a great job facilitating the discussion and keeping participants engaged. The longer they are engaged the more influence Rich builds. Here are five rules we should all apply when engaging controversial discussions.

1. Don’t ostracize those who disagree with you. Graciously disagree and agree to disagree. Blocking, unfriending, disconnecting those who disagree is not only rude but shows fear and insecurity. If someone, becomes belligerent or hateful try responding as follows: “Obviously, you feel very strongly about your position and I truly respect that. However, I don’t appreciate your unkind words or insults. I think both of us will gain more respect if we keep the conversation professional, respectful and kind; can you agree to that?” If their rude comments were private, keep your reply private. If they went public do the same with your reply. If the individual continues to be belligerent make a final reply to their next rude comment like this: “You unethical and immature remarks neither substantiate your position nor negate the validity of my arguments. It is unlikely that anyone with integrity or credibility will regard you posts.” This would be the last time I engage this person.

3. Never call names or insult people because of their position. I’ll admit I wrestle with this, and have probably been unkind in the past. It doesn’t likely help your argument and certainly reduces the possibility someone might do business with you.

4. Avoid statements or arguments that can’t be substantiated unless you preface them as opinion.

5. Acknowledge strong or sound arguments even if they oppose your position.

If you are a part of active discussions your inbox may become overwhelmed. Here are a couple of tips that may help you get the best out of you social media experience.

1. You can simply stop following the discussion. This option is at the top of the discussion home page on LinkedIn.

2. Set a rule in your email management software, even Yahoo has this option, to move emails with a specific phrase to a special folder. This allows you to sort through them when you’re ready and keeps your in-box uncluttered. I.e. you might have a rule that relocates any email with the phrase, “are you aware” to the politics folder.

Learning to manage Web 2.0 communication effectively will help you get more out of the social experience and build more leads. I talked to a guy a few weeks ago who has learned to “reverse spam” those spammers sending unsolicited email to him. He has actually closed some sales with those leads.

So, even spam can be a good thing if you get your head out of the sands of negativity.

Bill Carpenter AKA Bill The Builder is a widely respected expert on branding and creative marketing solutions. Hel helps his clients position themselves and celebrity like experts in their niche fields of interest to increase credibility and customer reach. From effective web presence to social media engagement he has help numerous clients increase sales and customer satisfaction. He is available for keynotes, seminars and webinars as well as personal coaching. charles@charlesspeaks.com or 937-935-6789