The Number One Reason People Do Business With You | 3 Tips To Jumpstart Social Media Efforts

What is the number one reason people choose to do business with you over someone else?  Inevitably  most will answer either "convenience",  "quality" or "price".  It may surprise you to know that it is none of these. But the critical answer to what it is is also tied in directly to your social media:  it is confidence.  Confidence in who you are, your integrity and that you are, without a doubt, going to help the customer achieve the desired results of what they hired you to do because of knowing who you are and trusting you.

Here are 3 tips to jump start your social media efforts:

1.  Don't tell,  ask:  One of the first steps to building confidence in you is establishing trust with your viewers.  Start some juicy conversations.  Those who struggle with social media "tell" and the social media superstar businesses ask.  Ask your followers a juicy question about what they think about a new product, design, color, service - or even a national industry headline. Then listen.  Then engage (respond).  Keep the conversation going.

 2.  Link to other pros: Trust is also letting your followers know to whom you are connected professionally. Make sure you are linking to other industry experts, icons and respected professionals whenever possible.

3.  Offer a glimpse into who you are. Potential customers want to know the person behind the service or product.  In many cases, the service or product is the person. You become more appealing when people know you and those with similar lifestyles start following you.  While 100% of all your posts and tweets should not always be entirely personal, offering an occasional glimpse into you (what books you are reading, where you have traveled to, what your lifestyle is and much more) attracts the kind of customer you want to book you.  By allowing followers into your personal life or personal preferences from time to time, you also help ensure that you will not just become a commodity.

Take the example of one corporate executive who was associated with a certain field.  He received a phone message from a meeting planner who said they would like to book him as a keynote speaker for their annual convention.  The executive called the meeting planner back the same business day and was shocked to find out that the meeting planner had already booked another speaker from the same industry as the executive.  The meeting planner informed him that they were no longer interested in the executive's keynote services. What happened here?  The meeting planner just wanted someone - anyone- from "x" industry and it didn't matter who. The executive was just a "commodity".  Learning from this experience, this executive now builds trust in his social media so all his followers- potential clients- are able to get to know him and knowing him helps set him apart in a way that cannot be duplicated. 

When you realize you are your brand, and you convey this branding (who you are) meticulously and build trust, it will become the number one reason people will choose to do business with you.