WAS MY SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSE APPROPRIATE?

Posted by David Sher in Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, TwitterAug 30th, 2010 | 5 responses

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I give a lot of speeches about social media and how it helps people build relationships.  I gave a social media talk a couple of weeks ago emphasizing how many people are in my LinkedIn network, my number of Facebook friends, how many followers I have on Twitter and so forth….emphasizing that social media has given me the opportunity meet a lot of new people.

A couple of days after that presentation I received an e-mail from one of the participants.  She said she’s on the board of a nonprofit organization and “since I have everyone in Birmingham on my social media list, would I send out a solicitation letter to them?”

Wow, that’s a tough one.  One of my primary reasons for being immersed in social media and one of the main cornerstones of social media is to try to help as many people as possible.  This created an awkward response for me.  It was with mixed emotions, I wrote the following:

 “The old way of selling was to send unsolicited requests to people or force your advertising on them.

Social media demands that your target audience ask for that information.

My partner, Phyllis, and I currently choose not to send unsolicited requests to our “own” clients or prospects.  We do have an e-mail distribution list, but everyone who we send it to request it and they can “opt out” at any time.

Soliciting your social media friends is counter to social media.

I hope you understand…and I apologize for this social media lesson.  A lot of people make it worse for themselves, their organizations, or their businesses by using social media inappropriately.

Thanks for your efforts for a very worthwhile cause.”

Do you think my response was appropriate?  Your feedback would be appreciated.  This is David Sher your WeMentor Guy saying it’s not what you know, but whoo you know.



5 Responses to “WAS MY SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSE APPROPRIATE?”

  1. Kelly Campbell, Liqui-Site Designs Inc. says:
    August 30, 2010 at 6:31 pm

    David, As a colleague in the social media industry, your response was not only professional and appropriate — but also necessary. All potential clients should be educated on the do’s and don’ts of social media and outbound marketing. It makes your services more valuable… and your clients’ initiatives more successful.

  2. David Sher says:
    August 30, 2010 at 8:39 pm

    Kelly,
    I very much appreciate when you comment. You are such a bright & creative business person, that I look forward to and respect your thoughts.

  3. Ike says:
    August 31, 2010 at 5:38 pm

    David, it is perfectly acceptable to solicit your friends through social media. They are your friends. They have opted in to you.

    It is not acceptable for me to expect you to allow ME to solicit your friends. They did not opt in to me.

    Your answer was correct, but not complete. You need to explain to that non-profit that there won’t be any significant success or traction in such a campaign until the organization develops its own “friends.” After all, do you get better results with the donor list you cultivate, or the one you buy off the shelf?

    They’ll get it — you just need to re-cast the analogy of relationships to match their experience as a non-profit. Social Media is all about relationships, and ways to effectively manage and strengthen them in an ambient manner.

  4. Douglas McDowell says:
    September 3, 2010 at 11:09 am

    David,
    I feel your response was courteous and appropriate. I can’t blame her for trying, especially if it is a worthwhile cause, but unsolicited emails or advertising to people in your network is never a good idea. It would not only diminish your influence and standing, but would open you up to a host of other, equally “worthwhile causes” (You did it for them and we are just as worthy!)…in short, it would be a mess. The best thing they could do is follow your advice/instructions on building their own social network. It isn’t hard to get a list of followers for a worthy cause on facebook.

  5. David Sher says:
    September 4, 2010 at 8:00 am

    Ike & Douglas, thanks for your thoughts. Social media creates great opportunities to help others, but it also creates opportunities to upset others. The line sometimes gets blurred. Your comments help me better focus on what is appropriate.

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