Old Fashion Savoire Faire = Social Media Success

A lot of the basic principles in community building have very little to do with brilliant innovation, and much more to do with good, old fashioned people skills. In the words of John Houseman in those famous Smith Barney ads, â€œWe make money the old-fashioned way. We EARN it (see low-grade YouTube video).â€?

Relationship building is about trust, listening, giving and in general, acting in other centric ways. Perhaps this explains why corporate marketing types and CxOs have such a hard time adjusting to social media conversations.

This may seem obvious, but social media marketers can garner a lot out of a classic relationship building ethos. Just imagine what a powerful social media marketer Dale Carnegie would be. Consider his timeless classic, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Anyone who has read this timeless classic can validate that the principles are essential for social media marketing… and life.

Looking for something more modern? Jeffrey Gitomer’s “Little Black Book of Connections” provides, “fresh take on networking and connecting your way to success.” The key is to give the power of give value first. Sounds to me like that might make a good content strategy, too!

Old fashioned relationship principles go a long, long way in this social media world.

3 Responses to "Old Fashion Savoire Faire = Social Media Success

Herb Says:

Geoff – its putting the ’social’ in social media. The other thing I think would be refreshing for some would be to take their wares to a local farmers market and sell them there for a weekend. Kind of reminds you what it means to sell something to someone with a handshake.

Herb
Gavin Heaton Says:

This is partly why I don’t understand why marketers don’t “get” social media. It also seems obvious that those marketers with strong relationship building skills and active networks have the MOST to gain from working with social media. It is a shame that the technology has been able to drive a wedge between the desire to engage a community and the fear of using another piece of technology.
Geoff Livingston Says:

Gavin: You are so right. Change is fearful for some… But I think those same people who are fearful are the ones who want to control. The two behavior’s are similar.

5 Trackbacks

links for 2007-10-04 Says:

[...] Old Fashion Savoire Faire = Social Media Success Â» The Buzz Bin A lot of the basic principles in community building have very little to do with brilliant innovation, and much more to do with good, old fashioned people skills. (tags: socialmedia community skills) [...]
Why Social Media Marketing is Hard for Corporations >> Ignite Social Media Says:

[...] feed. Thanks for visiting!Geoff Livingston over at The Buzz Bin has an interesting post about how savoir-faire is needed in social media marketing, and how hard it is for companies to be genuine. He says, correctly, that relationship [...]
Imparo: Social Media, Social Networking & Conversational Online Communities Says:

[...] Old Fashion Savoire Faire=Social Media Success [...]
Let’s Put Relations Back into PR » The Buzz Bin Says:

[...] or marketing person will tell you that sales is about building relationships, not getting leads. That is as old as Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill (or if you prefer, modern day leaders like Seth Godin and Jeffrey Gitomer). BTW, [...]
Social Media: PR, Advertising or None of the Above » The Buzz Bin Says:

[...] When I see excellent social media programs there’s more there. Intelligent brand strategy, compelling calls-to-action, and good salesmanship — which is the art of building relationships to last (a la Dale Carnegie). [...]

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