Social Networking or social media marketing is great for those people who are naturally outgoing and/or confident in themselves. However, when you grow up as a shy introvert, the whole social networking thing can be quite overwhelming. At times, even frightening.

As kids we are drawn to be social. We don’t have to think about it too hard. It just comes naturally. Even the shyest of kids have friends and participate with them in social type activities. Sadly this doesn’t always stick with us. We tend to shy away from being social and have a hard time interacting with others.

Social media marketing is all about interacting. The more you interact, the more effective it is for you. It’s very easy to say that. The reality of the whole social networking thing, however, is that there are still a lot of people who are scared to try it.

Something The Experts Need To Really Think About

I don’t think that the “experts” of social media take into consideration that not everyone in the world is a bubbling extrovert just ready to jump into conversations and have pithy little sayings on Twitter that everyone is going to reTweet.

I was talking to a new client this morning about a social media presence and he said he tried, but it didn’t work. One of the reasons is because he didn’t really know how to engage with people. But, the biggest problem was his fear of the engagement. A lot of people will tell you to just jump into the conversation and start talking. The sad reality to that is, it is a lot harder than it sounds.

8 Social Networking Lessons From Kids

Kids know how to be social. They can easily be drawn into a circle of new friends no matter where they are. This past week, my own kids walked right into an out of town playground and began playing with kids they didn’t even know. By the end of the hour or so they were laying together they were best friends! Here are a few of the ways that you can get a grip on all of this social media marketing and jump into the playground.

1. Observe The Fun From A Safe Place

When playing around a new bunch of kids, I can see my own kids just watching for a few minutes. They see how they play, is it going to be fun, and how to do the activity. An example is a few weeks ago at a hotel pool. My kids were watching another family of kids play some sort of game in the water. After watching them, from the safety of the steps entering the pool, they saw how they were playing and then moved onto the next step.

You can view from afar by watching some of the conversations through using a social media search engine. Something like search.twitter.com will help you notice the trendy topics and who is talking about them. Type is a search term that deals with your niche, or topic, and see what’s going on.

2. Move Closer To The Action

Once you have seen some of the action, then move a little closer to it. If you haven’t already, use a desktop client like Seesmic to keep track of your Twitter and Facebook friends, and topics. (Another option is Tweetdeck)

3. Ask A Question Or Say Something About The Topic

Before following someone, and jumping into the pool or playground of social media, reply or make a comment on the topic. If you notice that someone has stated something about your niche, then send a quick @ reply to them. It can contain some more useful information, or a funny little anecdote. The key though is not to be too self promoting. Do not include a link to your site. Include a helpful link or even encouragement.

4. Ask To Play

When kids begin playing with a new group of kids they generally go the polite way about it. They simply ask. After watching some kids play in the pool we were at, I watched my daughter swim – cautiously – to the other side and ask the little girl if she could play with her.

In social marketing this is called “friending” or “following”. After you reply, or enter into a conversation then send a friend request (if in Facebook) and ask if you could be friends.

5. Offer Input

As my daughter began playing with the other little girl, she started to make some suggestions on what they could play, or how they could play a game. In the social media marketing world, this is best done when you participate in conversations and offer your input into problems, or enhancements.

6. Be A Real Friend

Whenever my daughter meets someone new she automatically claims them as her best friend. It’s funny how quickly things change when we get older. One of the things that has always bugged me about social media marketing is that people do not really want to be friends. They want to build large followers so they can advertise their own blogs, websites, and products. While there isn’t a problem with building a large group of friends, followers, or connections, there is a problem when you do not interact with them. Comment on their own postings, reply to them and offer encouragement, choose a few each week and make it a point to interact on some level.

7. Introduce To Other Friends

After the two were playing for a few minutes, my daughter then introduced her new friend to her brother. Then, he introduced them to a new friend that he met while in the pool. After this, they made their game a little larger and had a great time.

If you have some friends that you think would also benefit, or be able to add to the conversation, with your new connection… then introduce them. On Twitter you can say something like, “Hey @whoever, I think you would really like @soandso! They also have some expertise in your area.” – Or something like that.

8. End Each Conversation With Encouragement

I love this about my daughter. Every time she sees someone she knows, she gives them a hug. When we are leaving, or they are leaving, she gives them a hug. I never fail to see a smile come across their face. When you are talking with someone in your circle of friends, end each conversation with a ‘hug’.

Tell them you appreciate their input. Tell them how much their solution helped. Tell them how great it is that you connected. Just offer some sort of encouragement.

Have Fun With Social Media Marketing!

Many people will make it sound like social media marketing is a burden, a hardship, and another form of “work”. However, if you follow these simple guidelines you can have fun with this new form of marketing. Just act naturally, be yourself, and contact your inner child.

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