Social Media Success Is Not Just About Knowledge

There are many ingredients that are needed for success. It is a combination of things that will help you to succeed. You need a lot of knowledge, instinct, and even a little bit of luck. Everyday, we are flooded with information. But knowledge alone isn't enough when it comes to the online world.

Online, everyone has a chance of being noticed – and being successful. The small business guy may have the knowledge of his product or service and he also has the engaging personality, empathy,  and other social skills necessary to put him on the map.  

That's what's so great about social media. Everyone has the same chance of succeeding. 

Having said that, there is an important balance that must play out to achieve that desired level of credibility and respect online. 

You could be a reason that your social media is failing. You can blog and create amazing web pages – be on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn – but if you are not projecting and exhibiting effective social skills, chances are you will have no audience to whom to present all of your valuable information. 

Think about your regular day – and how many people you come into contact with. Maybe it was the person making your coffee at Starbucks, or the cashier at a store, or a high-level business executive. You can determine in an instant if this person is relating well with and engaging well with others. Maybe you ordered something online and had to contact a customer service person. Were they informed about the product and behaving politely? You will make an immediate determination of the impression and act on it in the manner you see fit by choosing to make a future purchase from this company or not. That switch can turn from on to off in a second. That's how fast you could gain or lose business online.   

The same applies online with how you interact through social media. If you do not engage people and show your "socialness" and "realness" during that first arrival to your home page, most likely, your visitors will not return. 

There are the "intellects" who are the innovators – sometimes so consumed with their own thoughts and ideas that they lose touch with their "social side" and their ability to relate with others, as the movie the Social Network has shown. On the other side, you may have people who are very social – able to engage with many people – have many followers. But once people come to realize that they do not have the "intelligence" or experience to back them up, their social greatness will not matter.

What I am trying to say here is that we all have people around us who may be knowledgeable or may be great social personalities, but quite frankly, it can be difficult to find both of these traits in the same person. I am not faulting anyone for this – however, in the process of analyzing your skills and your strengths before embarking on your social media campaign, you need to come to terms with what what your strengths are – and take the necessary steps to ensure that you are not wasting your time.

The good thing is that there are avenues available to help ensure that you are properly applying both of these traits to your online presence. It's not always easy, and you shouldn't hesitate about asking for help. You get one chance to make a lasting impression – so make sure that you do what it takes to keep your visitors around.

Today's audience is smarter and more informed than ever, and to really succeed and stand out in the vast sea of social media users, you need to know what your skills are and get help with those that you do not have or are not as strong.   

Ignorance in social media is not an option!

It's time to step up and take it all in. The power of social media is limitless. And, you may not master it overnight. Always remember that when dealing with "intelligence" and "social," one without the other will not work!

One of the greatest pitfalls of modern technology is not that machines will begin to think like people but that people will begin to think like machines. Your human side must be portrayed through your online presence.  Make every effort to be "tuned in" to the needs of your online visitors. You could be the best businessman in the world – knowing the "process" of how to sell anything to anybody, but if you fail to engage with other people, going through the process methodically, human nature will show that people are not going to want to do business with you. 

"ONCE A NEW TECHNOLOGY ROLLS OVER YOU, IF YOU AREN'T PART OF THE STEAMROLLER, YOU ARE PART OF THE ROAD."

• Learn what you need to know about social media.
• Understand what your strengths and weaknesses are.
• Get help if needed.

Have fun with this new online world……Fear only comes from what we don't know or understand. Take that step to move your business forward…and if you need help, just ask.