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My #1 social media rule: be human first. Then be a brand.

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I’ve noticed a huge increase in friend requests on Facebook and invitations to connect on LinkedIn that come from logos, not faces. I don’t accept any of them, and here’s why: the word “social” precedes the word “media” for a reason. Social media is social. My Oxford American dictionary defines social thus:

1. of or relating to society or its organization; 2. concerned with the mutual concerns of human beings or of classes of human beings; 3. living in organized communities.

Nowhere in that definition do the words corporation, brand, or enterprise appear. It’s all about human beings: their activities, their concerns.

So why should I be “friends” with a logo? I’ve ignored friend requests from restaurants, insurance companies, car dealers, and a host of other branded personal profiles. I’m looking for a human connection, and only then will I consider adding a connection to a brand represented by that human connection.

On LinkedIn, this seems even more egregious. I understand that many small business owners are solopreneurs, and their company brand and their personal identity can seem to be inextricably intertwined. However, I want to see and connect with the person. And then, based on my assessment of their talents/value/contributions, I might choose to follow their company.

But they have to convince me that they’re human first.

Major brands make the same mistake on a larger scale, and have since the enterprise emerged after the Industrial Revolution. That’s been the subject of both humor – “what’s good for General Bullmoose is good for the USA!” from Al Capp’s L’il Abner was inspired by Eisenhower SecDef and former GM CEO Charles Wilson’s Congressional testimony that included “what’s good for GM is good for the country” – and rage. The rage includes everything from the Motrin Moms mess, to the #epicfail that was the BP Deepwater Horizon spill aftermath, to the continued cluelessness of Wall Street and Washington about the ultimate betrayal that is “too big to fail”.

Corporations are made out of … people. Building are full of … people. People do business with … people. Brand loyalty is really driven by the actions of humans on behalf of their human customers. It doesn’t matter if you’re B2C, slinging sandwiches from a food cart, or B2B, slinging enterprise-level cloud services to Fortune 5s. You’re a human being, doing business with other human beings.

Lose sight of your humanity, and that of your customers, and you no matter how big you are, you’re destined to fail.

And please stop wasting my time with “friend” requests from logos. Be human, then be a brand.

That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it …

 

#1 thing NOT to do on LinkedIn

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linkedin-logoThe #1-with-a-bullet rule of social media, no matter what platform, is: be authentic. This does not mean that you should be an authentic idiot, however.

I had a troubling conversation on LinkedIn a few days ago, with someone who sent me a connection request. I’m a pretty open networker – my only rules are

  • Have a profile picture of your face, not a logo
  • Be a human, with a name, not a brand or a handle
  • Be able to answer the “how did I wind up on your LinkedIn radar?” question effectively

    • All three of those guarantee acceptance. Any one of them missing, “ignore”.

    So when a woman in my geographic zone sent me an invitation to connect, and had cleared the first 2 of the above rules, I pinged her with a “how” – and that’s where things got interesting. She told me that she was looking for a job, and a recruiter told her that she wouldn’t even get a look if she didn’t have at least 150 LinkedIn connections.

    In other words, the recruiter was basically telling her that she needed to gather up connections quickly. Which is, in my estimation, really rotten advice. I’m not against the idea of a dedicated campaign to make meaningful professional connection on LinkedIn, or any other social media network. I do, however, question a recruiter instructing a potential client to essentially spam her address book. That’s likely to get you the LinkedIn bitch-slap, which can be as painful as being kicked off LinkedIn, and at a minimum highly circumscribed on the invitation-to-connect front.

    Authentic connection takes time. I’ve been on LinkedIn since 2004, and my connection count of 1,000+ is a testament to my approach of authenticity. I don’t meet all my connections face-to-face – wish I could, since some of them are in Asia and Africa, meaning that meetings would satisfy my travel jones as well as my deepen-the-connection mantra. But I manage to keep tabs on the people I’m linked to, and have picked up both great business intel and actual booked business using my “authenticity” rules.

    If you’re a recruiter, or work in HR in any way, be aware of the rules you require those you work with to live by. Focus less on number of connections, and more on how meaningful a candidate’s connections are.

    Ragan.com, a must-read site for anyone interested in business storytelling, had a terrific post last week by Jure Klepic, 12 LinkedIn gaffes to avoid at all costs. It’s both funny and informative. Give it a read.

    That’s my story, and I’m stickin’  to it …

    Why Your LinkedIn Profile Sucks & What To Do About It

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    You can spend a lot of worthwhile time on LinkedIn – it’s a great place to study industry trends, listen to meaningful conversations, and keep an eye on your competitors.

    What does your LinkedIn profile say about YOU?

    Sure, it’s got a chronological list of all the great companies you’ve worked for, and the degree(s) you’ve earned. It’s got some information on your interests, and a listing of the groups you’re part of.

    But what does it say about you…really?

    Does your Summary list a blizzard of buzz-words, or an assortment of acronyms? What does it say, in real words, about the value you deliver to your customers? Is your Experience list just a straight list of companies, job titles, and years there?

    Even if you’re on a corporate payroll, you’ve got customers. Customer #1 is your boss, and Customer #2 thru infinity are your boss’s and your company’s customers. Every single one of them.

    When a potential customer Googles your company, LinkedIn results appear. Which means your profile could be on view. What does it say about you, your company, and your value?

    If your LinkedIn profile reads like an old-school job application – and that’s so 20th century – here’s how to turn it into a 21st century value statement:

    1. Clearly state who you are – what you bring to the table, what your talents are, and what kind of terrific value you’ve delivered over your career.
    2. Clearly state why you matter – why do you do what you do? What fires your enthusiasm? How do you inspire others?
    3. Make it clear who should care – obviously, your boss is someone who should care that you show up. Who else might be on that list? What do THEY do – what job titles make that list? How would you make a difference to those folks?

    Interview colleagues, co-workers, former bosses, your professors. Find out what kind of impact you’ve had on them. Work on putting that into a compelling narrative statement about who you are, why you matter, and how you make a difference. Tell that story in your Summary, and in every section of your Experience.

    Everybody’s got a list of jobs on their resumes, and their LinkedIn profiles. What they really need is a great story.

    If you need help putting together that great story, let me know.

    That’s my story, and I’m stickin’  to it.

     

     

    Greater Richmond Companies to Watch + LinkedIn – Great Story!

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    Mike Gamson, VP, Corporate Solutions for
    online business networking leader LinkedIn,
    will give a presentation, “How
    Professional Online Networking Will Change the Business World” at The Venture Forum’s Greater Richmond Companies to Watch (GRCTW) on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at Toad’s Place in Richmond. Joining the
    Venture Forum to present GRCTW
    2008 is lead sponsor Troutman
    Sanders, and supporting sponsors LeClairRyan,
    Williams Mullen, Career Quest, Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, First
    Capital Bank, Gregory Kaplan PLC, Harris, Hardy & Johnstone, P.C., The
    Help Desk Company, VACO, and Virginia
    Commercial Finance. GRCTW
    celebrates Greater Richmond companies with high growth potential

    The rise of Web 2.0 – the “second
    generation” of the Internet that provides tools for collaboration and information-sharing
    online – has enabled business connections for companies large and small across
    the globe. The
    Venture Forum’s Greater
    Richmond Companies To Watch (GRCTW) event will feature a presentation,
    “How Professional Online Networking Will Change the Business World”, by Mike Gamson, VP, Corporate Solutions for
    the online business networking site LinkedIn.

    Built on trusted connections and
    relationships, LinkedIn is the world’s
    largest and most powerful professional network. The company recently raised
    $53M, at a valuation of $1B, and formed a content partnership with the New York
    Times. Currently, more than 20 million professionals are on LinkedIn, including executives from every
    Fortune 500 company, as well as a wide range of household names from the
    technology, financial services, media, entertainment, and consumer goods
    industries. Mike Gamson is a passionate advocate for the role
    technology can play in improving professional productivity – his presentation
    will center on the business opportunities that can be created with digital
    networks and user generated content.

    The Venture Forum has launched a LinkedIn Group to promote the
    success of entrepreneurial ventures and the growth of entrepreneurship in
    central Virginia. Since the group’s launch, over 330
    entrepreneurs have joined.

    Anyone wishing to attend GRCTW can register for the
    event on the event’s website – GRCTW will be held on Wednesday,
    October 29, 2008, from 5:30pm to 7:00pm, at Toad’s
    Place, 140 Virginia St. in Richmond.

    ABOUT THE VENTURE FORUM

    The Venture Forum – the intersection of
    innovation and capitalization in central Virginia – is
    dedicated to promoting the success of entrepreneurial ventures, and the growth
    of entrepreneurship in central Virginia, through
    programs like Greater Richmond
    Companies to Watch and networking events. Founded in 1986 as the Richmond
    Venture Capital Club, becoming The Venture Forum in 1998, the Forum is the Richmond area’s
    premier business organization dedicated to the success of Greater Richmond’s
    entrepreneurs and its entrepreneurial environment. The Venture Forum – growth
    starts here.