So many internet marketers look at social media with some disdain or even as a complete waste of time. I’m here to disagree… although that wasn’t always the case.

Here’s the deal…

Times are CHANGING… social media is no longer about wasting time, and just making friends, it’s now one of the best ways to drive traffic, AND, a great way to get your blog coming up in the search engines.

You don’t think Google created its own social media site for nothing right? Google searches are changing, they’re incorporating more “personalized” searches, and starting to show results based on who you know and what they like.

If you’ve not jumped into social media… you’re going to have to.

**take note** Big font**

THERE IS A RIGHT WAY TO DO THIS!!

Social media is just that, about being social, and connecting with others. You can not go into a social media setting and just start blasting your stuff. It takes a little mindset adjustment to make socializing payoff.

You have to stop thinking about yourself and what’s in it for you. 

Instead you have to start thinking about what’s in it for your readers. You have to provide quality content, (whether written by you or someone else) you have to start creating an environment where when people hit your page (whether on FB or twitter) they can get to know you, and what you’re all about. You have to start building yourself up as a resource ~ and doing that means you have to do a lot of giving. But don’t worry ~ from the giving will come traffic, and sharing, and linking ~ and all the things we internet marketers love… but it all comes from the giving first.

So what does that look like?

It depends what network you’re on. Different networks seem to respond to different things. You will have to test things out a little bit to find what exactly works for you, but here’s some things to start with.

Twitter… 

People on twitter love links ~ they love to check out what other people are checking out.

So make sure you share links with your network. Your own links, but also great content you’re reading elsewhere that you find interesting.

You can use a service like tweetdeck or buffer to schedule your tweets through out the day. This works especially well if you spend a block of time reading blogs and commenting. Instead of blasting out 5 or 10 links in 30 minutes you can spread that great content out over the day.

Retweets ~ if you see something you like, or floats your boat on twitter, retweet it! It’s a great way to connect with other people as well as provide value to your network.

Facebook… 

Facebook is a whole other ballgame. I’ve found people do NOT respond as well to links on Facebook, unless it’s super relevant to a conversation and sometimes on a fanpage.

However, pictures, quotes, comments ~ those work GREAT on facebook. I get lots of likes on that type of content.

You might be wondering how that helps you get traffic if people are just liking a picture or a quote…

Well, it gives you the opportunity to really connect with that person. Turning random “friends and followers” into true connections is what it’s all about. It’s super simple… when someone likes something you’ve posted, just send them a quick message. Hey thanks for the like, what are you working on these days? A simple message can start a conversation and from conversation comes friendship, and from friendship can come raving fans who spread the word far and wide about you. That personal touch will set you apart from 99% of all the other bloggers/people on Facebook.

Does it take some extra time?

Yes, but the return on that time can be huge, and well worth it.

Soo… there are some tips to help you make socializing on twitter and facebook pay off for you. While I’ve not delved into all of the social networks and other possibilities in this post realize the rules are the same no matter where you go.

80% personal

20% business

Keep it real. Share yourself. Get to know people. 

With that in mind you may have noticed I’ve made a switch in commenting platforms. I’ve been adamantly apposed to a third party commenting system FOR.EVER. but realized my goals have changed and it’s not the number of comments I really care about… it’s the quality of comments.

I want this site to be a real community, where we can connect and help each other. The time spent weeding out crap comments, and those where people simply reiterate what I’ve written in a post are just too time consuming. I’m going to go with the assumption if people want to be part of the community and take part in what we do here, taking 30 seconds of your life to sign up at livefyre will be worth it.

I went with Livefyre over any other system because I like the “live” element. You can literally have a live chat with people within the comments ~ and so many of you have said you wished their was a way to “like” a comment… and now there is.

It is my hope that we will create a community where everyone helps each other, and we lift each other up together.  This change is one way I think I can start making that happen.

So… let’s talk about it. 

What are you doing to make socializing pay off for you? What’s your favorite social media platform? AND if we’re not personally connected on Facebook, please shoot me a friend request.