I was in the middle of doing some research for my upcoming e-course on Social Media for Consultants, Speakers, and Sales Professionals, and I stumbled across this blog posting in my Delicious Bookmark Archive. The blog posting was made by Dave Nelson on the Business Networking Blog.
How to amplify and not dilute your message
Why does Word of Mouth Marketing work so well?
That was the recent headline of an article by my colleague in NRG Business Networks, Martin Davies. Stuart Harris Replied on Twitter,
"WoM marketing is great because it's personal but the person isn't paid ("hire a liar") - they recommend or not from the heart".
The subject came up yesterday at a seminar on Linkedin before the NRG lunch in Swindon. We know, and research confirms, that a recommendation or referral from a trusted 3rd party is much more powerful than any direct message of yours.
That's why networking is not about broadcasting your message to as many people as possible. Neither is it about meeting as many people as you possibly can yourself. That just dilutes your effort.
On the surface, Dave appears to suggest that a consultant or coach should not broadcast their messages – be it curated content or original content to their followers, friends, and connections. Rather he suggests focusing the message on your intimate group of relationships as a primary networking tool.
I believe there is a place for both types of messages/communication. Neither is mutually exclusive. Sometimes the groups overlap in their messaging from you.
For the vast majority of consultants and coaches, there are two distinctly separate approaches to communication. One level of communication is to your inner circle of contacts – those who already know you, who trust you, and who would refer you.
There is another group of causal/virtual contacts (your Twitter followers, Facebook fan page friends, and LinkedIn contacts whom you don’t know well. This group you would like to qualify, filter, and move a few special and appropriate people into your intimate networking circle. There is nothing wrong with broadcasting thought-leadership notes, blog postings, email tips, or articles. Within this larger virtual contacts group, you’re trying to brand yourself, establish yourself as the expert, and create a sense that you are a leading thought-leader within your niche.
The difference is that when you’re sending messages to your intimate inner circle, that’s part of NETWORKING. Messages going out to your virtual contacts might be considered MARKETING.
Barry Deutsch
If you would like to read the entire article on Amplifying Your Networking Message, please click the link below:
