It is possible in this world to be successful AND kind.Choosing to add kindness is one hallmark of a civilized person.
Marketing genius Dan Kennedy’s recent “No BS Information Marketing Letter Special Report” entitled “Don’t Waste Time,” had a great article called Things Info-Marketers Don’t Give Time To, That They Should.
I was particularly struck by item #2, Responding to fan mail. Dan notes that the people who write to thank you and share “their stories, share their opinions, relate to you on a personal level” deserve a response.
Quite bluntly he states that an “automated, standard email response is the equivalent of peeing on their shoes and spitting in their face. They took time to communicate personally and they deserve a personal response.” (For those unfamiliar with Dan Kennedy, subtle he ain’t!)
I’ve noticed this recently – and with social media in particular – that some marketers seem to think themselves beyond simple courtesies. Things like a very basic “Thank you for the retweet.”
Let alone a response to an email, direct message or Facebook message.
If a person has taken the time to read your article, blog post – whatever – and passed it on to others, that is a nice recommendation and worthy of a simple “thank you.”
In the words of Francis Bacon, Sr., “If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world.”
John Haydon is a prime example of a social media leader who actually engages. Despite his 16,000+ followers, John answers every tweet and unfailingly responds to blog comments. Time-consuming? Definitely. But part of what makes social media “social.”
Perhaps if you’re engaging in social media, part of your strategy should be to actually … uh … engage. And if your time constraints don’t allow it, social media may not be your bag.
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I can’t wait to meet with you personally.
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