Relationship Marketing – Just Be Yourself!

You must be yourself when you are marketing to your list. Let them get to know who you really are, what you do when you are not online, and how you went from where you were to where you are now. We are all social beings, and the Internet puts up a wall between us and our prospects. Break through that wall and connect with those who are turning to you for answers to their question and solutions to their problems.

This may not be that easy when you are just starting out with your online business, so my recommendation is to jump right in. Share a story about how you came to be online in your own business. Give examples of how your previous career set you up for your Internet venture. My example tells of how I loved teaching in the classroom, but had difficulty as I got older. I still wanted to teach, but needed to do it from home. This has led to many discussions with my list of how and why so many prefer to work from home, or from wherever they have an Internet connection.

Social media sites also give us an opportunity to share another slice of our personal lives. Remember that anything you say or write online will be out there forever, so decide now what you are willing to share with the world. I do not use the names of my family members, but I do use the names of my dogs. This gives people an insight into who I am, without me revealing anything I am not comfortable with saying openly.

I have found that my prospects and clients are much like the students I used to teach in school; they listen top every word I say, and then watch to see what I do. Actions speak louder than words, so follow up with what you say you will do and your credibility will skyrocket.

Just today I was reading a blog post from someone who was looking for a social media expert to interview. He found someone who taught that you must include a short message when asking someone to friend you on Facebook. (I agree with this completely). When this person wanted to add him as a friend, no message was included. This may seem like a petty issue, but it stood out in his mind that this was someone who did not do what they were teaching others to do. He found someone else to interview, but will probably never forget this experience. Let people know who you are from the very beginning, and your business is bound to grow.