I’ve had this discussion with several people lately, so I thought I’d put it out into blogland so others can read it…and, yes, I’m talking about social networking again.  What can I say?  I’m in love!

My clients are always asking me how to build their following on social networks.  It’s simple, really.  Friend more people.  The more people you friend, the more you’ll get people friending you.  Their next question is; How do I find people to friend?  I have two methods for this; Pro-active and re-active friending.

Let me define those terms for you.

Pro-Active Friending - Consciously making an effort to follow or friend people.  For example; searching on Facebook for specific keywords in order to find friends.

Re-Active Friending - Finding people to follow or friend unintentionally.  For example, getting a friend request and accepting it.

You see how they work now?  Anyone who is using social networking typically uses both methods when they get started.  It builds your network faster, to do both.  I’m at the point that it’s more than enough to keep up with the re-active friending.  My networks are building faster than I can keep up as it is.  So, pro-active friending isn’t a part of my process anymore.

If you are looking for some ways to do pro-active friending/following, I suggest you check out some of these resources.

FACEBOOK:

Search for people you already know - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/findfriends.php?ref=pf

Search by profile, keywords etc… - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/advanced.php

TWITTER:

Search for people you already know - http://twitter.com/invitations/find_on_twitter

Search by profile, keywords etc… - http://www.twellow.com

Soon Twitter will have a trending topics search (you may already have it on your profile, mine hasn’t switched over yet).  You can read more at:
http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/03/twitters-new-se.html

FYI - for those coaches who are at their wits end keeping up with social networking, I will be releasing a solution later this week.  Here’s a sneak peak - http://www.coachesmarketingsource.com/snfreedom.html

If you have questions, other resources or just want to say something about this post, please leave a comment.  We’d love to hear from you.

My colleague (and project management resource queen), Kim Beasley, has inspired me to write about building a team using social networks. Kim (http://twitter.com/kimbeasley) asked her Twitter Network about their experience using social networks to build their virtual teams.  Of course, I jumped right in, as I’ve built my team MOSTLY through social networks.

As a virtual business owner it’s important to bring in team members that I can relate to, work with, and who ALSO have the required skills.  Social networks allow me to find out a lot of information before I even interview the candidate.  Here’s the deal!  Social networks are “social.”  So, I get to know who a potential team member is, as a person, before I approach them.  I listen carefully to what they say on social networks.  If I agree with their advice to others, I know that we have a lot in common.  I also learn about their skill sets.  You see how this is a valuable place?

There comes a point in every coaching business where you need some help with the backend work of your business.  As your business grows and changes, there’s a second level where you need more advanced help in your business.  It’s no longer just about the skill level of your team.  It’s also about how much responsibility your team is willing to own.  It’s about whether they can take initiative and do things without asking. Many will turn to fellow coaches for referrals, which is a great place to start.  Even if you have a referral, it’s good to do your own legwork, because what works for one coach may not work for another (I’ve seen that mistake all too often in the coaching industry…it’s killer on the pocket book).  So, I suggest you get on your social networks and start doing your research.

Relying on social networks to learn about your potential team member can answer your questions.  If this candidate is answering advanced questions about simple topics then you have a pretty good clue that they know the skills.  Then listen for the moments when they start talking about overall business concepts…do you agree?  Are you connecting with this person?  Ask some very pointed questions of this candidate through the networks.  USE your social networks to screen your team BEFORE you get them on the phone.  It’ll make that interview process a lot simpler and you’ll know by the end of the call whether you want to hire that person or not.

Kim asked her Twitter network 8 questions and has created a whole blog series around those answers, so I suggest you also read her blog posts to gather more information about building and managing your virtual team.  Start with the first one at http://www.projectmanagement411.com/using-social-media-to-build-your-virtual-project-management-team-part-1/.

What are your thoughts on social networks and team building?  Do you have any questions?  I’d love to hear form you.

Are you an experienced coach who is hearing that you MUST be on Twitter?  Have you jumped in?  Do you find yourself wondering what you are doing there?  You are NOT the only one!  The word has gotten out.  Twitter is a great tool for marketing your coaching business, but it doesn’t do you any good unless you know how you want to BE on Twitter.

You may want to grab something to take notes with because I’m going to help you create a few lists that will help give you some direction.  As you create your lists do a brain dump.  Add whatever comes to mind and you can filter it out later (if you even need to).  This is all about creating possibility.

1) First thing to think about is who do you want to connect with via Twitter? Do you want to connect with potential clients, joint venture candidates, high profile connections in your niche?  Someone else?  All of those?  Be as adventurous as you want to be.  If you are adventurous as a coach, I suggest you implement that mentality here and be adventurous.  Reach for those you really want to reach for.  The possibilities truly are endless when it comes to Twitter.  Brain dump and add them all to your list.

2) Next, what do those people want? As an experienced coach, you’ve made connections like these in other arenas.  You know what they are looking for.  You know what gets their attention and what makes them take the next step.  Again, make a list.  Put it all down.

3) Now, who are you being as a coach? You’ve probably been asked that question by one coach or another.  Have you written it down?  If so, pull it out and have it handy.  If not, do it now.  Write down how you are with your clients in different situations.  Are you tough, but gentle?  Write down as many phrases, words or sentences as you can think of.

4) Lastly, take a look at who you are being as a person? Again right this down.  As a whole person who are you being in this world?  How does that overlap with who you are as a coach?

Now you have lots of information that can help inform the way you will BE on Twitter. Think of Twitter as a way to create a community of people YOU want to be surrounded by.  Take the answers to #1, above, and start building your community.  “Follow” those people who fit your criteria.  Look them up on http://www.twellow.com or http://www.twittersearch.com .   Get yourself a desktop application that can help keep you organized while you do.  I suggest http://www.tweetdeck.com, so you can group your community by the type of connection you want to make.

As you respond to other tweets, think about the connection you want to make and what that person wants.  Listen to what they are asking in the tweet and use your list of what they want, from #2.  Here’s the tricky part.  At the same time you are giving them what they want, be yourself!  I suspect that who you are as a person has a lot of overlap with who you are as a coach.  So, be yourself.  Listen to your intuition.  Follow your gut and BE the person you feel you want to be in that moment.  The list is just a guideline for when you get stuck.  Your gut knows better than anything.  As in all coaching.  Trust it, try it, see if it sticks and let it go.

When creating your own tweets, look at what your community wants. Answer that call in general terms.  You don’t have to give away all your secrets or even coach people via Twitter.  Start your day with a tweet about some topic with which you already know they struggle.  Give them 140 characters of wisdom that will make them think about new possibilities.  Give your followers hope.  Give your followers something that will move them slightly forward.  Any of that will get your followers wanting more.  In my own personal experience on Twitter, I’ve found that people respond to wisdom that gives them a new perspective.  Send one of those every day and you will build your following in no time.

The great thing about Twitter is you can BE yourself! Many people choose to share their personal lives as well as their business life with the Twitter community.  Set your boundaries however you want to set them.   Just remember that it is a SOCIAL network.  People want to get to know who you are.  They also want to know a bit about what you do.  Whatever the topic, if you are BEING the coach and person you are, then they will be most attracted to that!

Of course there are a lot more technical things I could go into as well as marketing strategy.  You can find a lot of that at http://www.twitterhandbook.com.  I recommend you DO get this guide which is a great Twitter reference and starter kit!

If I’ve missed something here, or you have a story to share about trying these strategies, I’d love to hear about it.  So, please share.

Here we go!  It’s a big holiday week all around the world.  There are things to do, people to see and lots of running around…for most people.  What am I doing?  Taking two weeks to casually work on some business development projects and play on my social networks.

I know, some of you are going, what do you mean “Play on my social networks?”  You’re wondering if I’m foolishly spending my time on a frivolous activity.  NO!!  Absolutely not.  Recently, I took some time to reflect on what marketing processes have been working for me over the year.  I discovered that most of the JV’s I’ve created and the majority of the traffic I’ve had on my website have come from social networks.  So, it’s certainly not frivolous.  In fact, it’s been paying off!!  In the way of clients!

So, I’m taking advantage of the open space I’ve created for the last two weeks of the year and I’m “enjoying” some time on Twitter, Facebook, and a couple listservs that I like to read.  Just yesterday, I was on Twitter a lot (sorry, followers I might have been a bit of a chatty Kathy).  Due to my extra activity, I woke up this morning to find 4 responses to conversations that started yesterday.  One from a colleague, two from potential JV’s and one from a potential client. Do you see what I mean? In being extra present yesterday, I created continued conversation for today.  How often can you say that about the marketing you do?!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not JUST talking about work.  I’m sharing experiences like wrapping Hubby’s Christmas gifts.  I’m just being in the moment and putting stuff out there as I want to.  I’m not treating it as “marketing.”  I’m treating it as I do anytime I’m on a social network.  I look for anything that interests me (on topic or off) and I jump in…just for fun.  There are lots of topics that I enjoy talking about and some very interesting people in my networks, so my conversation could be about anything…not just my biz.

Are you enjoying some extra time on social networks at the end of the year?  What’s your favorite social network to play on?  Mine is Twitter…where I’m headed now!  Leave your comments below!  I’d love to hear from you.

I’ve been on Twitter for about 5 months now and I absolutely LOVE it!  Let me tell you why.  First of all, the JV possibilities are awesome!  I’ve connected with people that may never have known me otherwise and we’re forming some really cool partnerships.  I’ve also been in front of potential clients that I didn’t even know existed yet.  So, that network has expanded.  The best part about Twitter is that I now have a network of people that I can throw questions out to (and get answers).   Since I’ve connected with a lot of techie/marketing type people, I can ask those kinds of questions and get some really great resources, links and advice.  Many people are also sharing tips and tricks that are quite useful.  Oh, and not to mention, I’ve already gotten a client directly from Twitter (a few others from Facebook, but Twitter made them actually contact me).

As a Coach, Twitter is your opportunity to lead and set the example.  You can essentially microcoach.  Challenge people on Twitter.   Share a philosophy that will split their brains.  Respond to someone’s post and let them know that they are not alone.  Point out when someone is doing something you coach.  When you catch yourself practicing what you preach, let your Twitter followers know what your choice was and how it affected you.  Get in there and let them know what life can be like if they work with you.  Don’t pitch them.  Share your links and your newsletter etc…, but don’t pitch your services.  Show them.

As for strategy, follow your target market and they’ll start following you back.   Offer some useful information, but also let them get to know who you are as a person.  People really appreciate conversation on Twitter, so respond to posts when you see something interesting (even if it’s off-topic).  Have fun!  Twitter is a great social network filled with generous people.  Enjoy that and play.

As for tools, I have been using http://www.twhirl.org, but lately I’ve been trying out http://www.tweetdeck.com (it’s not ready for regular consumption yet…no multiple accounts and it doesn’t have Friend Feed yet…we’re hoping, soon).  http://www.ping.fm is the most handy resource I’ve found yet.   It will post to almost every social network out there that has a status update.  I use that when I want all my networks to get the post.  Mostly I stick to the desktop app though.  Yes, I have Twitter posting to Facebook too.  It’s just so easy.

I have days where I post 30-40 posts in a day.  Other days, I only post once.  Most days, I think I’m around 10 or 15, but I’m not sure.  If you join the ranks of Twittering marketers, post once a week day (minimum).  As your network grows into several hundred people you are following, it can be hard to keep up.  Don’t try! Check in on a few people that are important.  Then think of it as a stream of consciousness.  Jump in when you can, look at what’s around you that you want to add to… then jump out after 10 or 15 minutes.  It can become addictive. It may be helpful set a daily time limit.

Most of all, have fun on Twitter!  That’s what it’s about.