Episode 213: “Networking with Social Media”

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Synopsis

Social media expert Gail Nott of Nott Limited joins Dr. Misner today to talk about networking with social media. The three main topics are Setting Boundaries, Connecting with Your Top 3 Referral Partners, and Asking for Introductions.

Setting Boundaries

Gail recommends a 90/10 split between business and personal information posted to social networks that you use for business. And remember that anything that you post online is part of a public record and can affect your business reputation.

Connect with Your Top 3 Referral Partners

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and spend too much time on social media. Concentrate on your top three referral sources. Comment on their pages and keep up with their profiles. You can move on to your top three clients and top three prospects.

Ask for Introductions

Don’t forget the VCP process when you’re networking online. Let relationships grow and then ask your closest referral partners to introduce you to new groups or prospects.

Chances are, you have a social media-savvy member in your BNI chapter, but if not, get in touch with Gail at GailNott.com.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

Complete Transcript of BNI Podcast Episode 213 -

Priscilla:
Hello everyone and welcome back to The Official BNI Podcast brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the net for networking downloadables. I am Priscilla Rice, and I am coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, CA. I am joined  on the phone today by the Founder and Chairman of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner. Hello Ivan, how are you and where are you?

Ivan:
I am in Mexico City where I just finished the conference with our directors and members in Mexico. Mexico is really growing for the organization and we are really excited about what is happening there. This week, I have, as a guest on our podcast, Gail Nott. Gail is a BNI member and specialist in social media and relationship marketing. Gail’s company is Nott Limited Solutions.  She manages internet marketing campaigns for large and small companies in California. She has 12 years experience in web development, SEO and BNI happens to be one of Gail’s clients. We are very happy to work with you, Gail. Welcome to the podcast today.

Gail:
Thank you so much for having me.

Ivan:
It’s our pleasure. We are going to talk about three things in today’s podcast. Setting boundaries. I’ll be really interested in hearing what you have to say about that. Setting boundaries between personal and professional online. Connecting with your top three referral partners and asking for introductions. Those are the three topics that we are going to cover and this morning. This content is perfect for BNI members in integrating technology into what they do, so .let’s get started right away.

Gail, what do you want to do in terms of setting boundaries? What are your recommendations there?

Gail:
Let’s get started with what are your boundaries for your professional social media updates on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and any other site that you are using? One of the things that people ask me is what they should post to their Facebook page and how to let people in and know more about them without making it too personal. I give the suggestion of a 90/10 split on that. Definitely focus on your business and educating your public on what you do and how you can help them as well as giving them tips. And then also allow them in and show the culture of your company and your own personal interests, kind of like the interests in your GAINS profile, what your interests are and helping people find common ground and build rapport between you and prospective clients.

Another thing to consider is privacy issues. A lot of people also use Facebook for personal use. So be very clear about what goes on your personal page and what goes on your professional page, knowing that even though you have that separation, online, just think of it as being permanent record. You never know who is going to say something or cut and paste something that you write. Always be aware. You  are an entrepreneur. Always remember to be professional online.

Ivan:
Gail, we have a US Congressman who has a little problem with that issue right now, don’t we? He was putting up some bonehead things. You have to be careful about what you put up on  professional page.

Gail:
Right, right. When people ask me things like that, it makes me wonder what exactly are you doing? What are you trying to hide? There could be things like your beliefs. They might be great on your personal profile but not on your professional page. It’s not what business is about.

Ivan:
If you don’t mind, I would love to say something about that. I have a private page, a personal page, and I have a public page. My wife has just written a book. BNI doesn’t deal in religion, but I want to support my wife’s book. I don’t know if you have seen it or not but I am putting up disclaimers. This is my private page. Ivan Misner, personal. I am going to make a couple of recommendations for this book here. It is my wife’s. If you have a problem with it, just go to my public page where I will not talk about this kind of stuff. What do you think about that? Should I not do it at all?

Gail:
I am a big believer that that’s part of who you are. You should not necessarily hide that but as you mentioned on the BNI page, it’s about BNI and business networking. I do the same thing on my social media page. It is just on social media and network marketing. If you are my Facebook friend, you will see my personal interest and even pictures of my family as well.

Ivan:
But even then, you shouldn’t be posting photos of the wild party that you went to last weekend.

Gail:
Be aware of the professional image.

Ivan:
I am just kidding about the wild party, but you have to be careful about the  pictures that you put up there because you have to keep it professional, even on your personal page to some extent.

Gail:
Exactly. That used to be a big fear that people would get tagged in pictures that would not put them in the best light. But I think that people are more aware of the etiquette of that. You can always untag yourself. If you are very protective of your personal image, you can even turn that off. It’s always good to be aware of what your settings and what  you are capable of on social media sites. It’s similar to jumping in the car in another country.  Be aware of their rules. So be aware of the settings in Facebook and take advantage of them.

Ivan:
Great. Anything else on that? We need to jump to the next one.

Gail:
Let’s jump to the next one.

Ivan:
Connect with your top three referral partners. Talk about that.

Gail:
It can be very easy to get overwhelmed with social media especially as you keep connecting with people and making friends. How do you really use it?I say keep in touch with your top three referral sources. Time can disappear in social media. It’s very easy to get distracted and hours go by and you didn’t get anything done. If you have a list of your top three referral sources, those are the  people that you are really going to stay in touch with, either on their business page or also their personal profile as well.  Stay in touch with them, comment on their post, feature them, and find opportunities where you can guest blog for each other. That is where you can move from the VCP process (visibility, credibility, profitability) throughout, you can move it to the profitability portion of VCP.

Ivan:
Three. That seems small. That is not a hard and fast number I hope.

Gail:
No. I actually tell people to start with your three top referral sources. Keep in touch with your top three clients and your top three prospects. But if someone is just starting out and they are overwhelmed looking at it, I suggest to them to start with the three referral sources and then build from there. Even 9- if you are thinking of 9 business pages and then 9 business profiles, that’s already 18 pages to take a look at and keep up with. Start small.

Ivan:
You are talking about really going deep, not just casual reviews of a few pages, but really spending time on your top three referral partners. That is what you are really talking about.

Gail:
Yes. Exactly.

Ivan:
Alright great. The next one is ask for introductions. Tell us what you mean by that with social media.

Gail:
I say that. Just because you connect with people online very easily does not mean that you connect with them and then sell to them right away. Or you connect with them and then ask or referrals right away. You have to remember the VCP process of developing a relationship. What I do- this is my secret. I connect with people that I would either like to be in a business relationship with, whether it is referring or a client relationship. I connect with them online and I just let that relationship grow. If there is something I can help them with, I am there to help them. As that relationship grows and they get to know me better, we will find opportunities that we can meet in person. Maybe we can meet at a chamber mixer together or I can  visit their BNI chapter or whatever it is that I can build that relationship further. From that point, we move the relationship to a deeper level again.

What helps me – this is my secret – is asking for other people to promote me to these people. So asking my closest referral partners, the people that I am in Profitability with, and telling them I just started talking to this person, she is interested in what I do but obviously I am not in Credibility with them. In our network, you have a good relationship. Would you mind giving a testimony on my behalf when the time is right? Then we will strategize how we can develop this relationship further. It is done in a very authentic and sincere way but also in a strategic way as well. That is kind of my secret in combining online networking with in-person networking- using social media as a tool to get to know each other and build that relationship. Then, when the relationship is right, we can move it to the next level.

Ivan:
I find that social media is a great way to maintain touch points, to stay connected with people that are following you or that you are following. That is important.

Gail:
Definitely. I think one of the reasons why BNI meetings are so effective is that you see each other on a weekly basis. That is the great opportunity with social media, too. You can stay in touch with your top 9 people on a daily basis if that is how often you check into social media.

Ivan:
Gail, we are just about out of time. The three things that you are recommending are setting your boundaries between personal and professional, connecting with your top three referral partners in terms of going deep, and them asking for introductions or referrals to expand your network. Any closing comments before we turn it back over to Priscilla?

Gail:
I think just remembering that it is still networking and it’s just a tool to enhance our in-person networking. That is the most important thing to remember with social media.

Ivan:
It is a great tool. The VCP process still applies. You pretty much said that. You have to move from Visibility to Credibility and and to understand where you are at with those people when it comes to Profitability. It still applies online. Gail, thank you so much. Thank  you for what you do for BNI. We appreciate the work that you have done for us as an organization. Thanks for being on this podcast.I hope listeners have learned a lot  this week. You have more and more members who are in social media. Connect with your member if you want advice. If you don’t have a member in your chapter, contact Gail. Her website or contact information will be here. As a matter of fact, Gail, give us your website so we can make sure it gets out there.

Gail:
It is www.gailnott.com. 

Ivan:
There you go. www.gailnott.com  Thank you very much, Gail. Priscilla, back to you.

Priscilla:
Okay. Thanks so much to both of you. I think that’s it for this week. I would just like to remind the listeners that this podcast has been brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the net for networking downloadables. Thank you so much for listening. This is Priscilla Rice and we hope you will join us next week for another exciting episode of The Official BNI Podcast.