3 Insanely Crazy Mistakes Most People Make on Social Media
Read More: I spend quite a bit of my time connecting with people on various social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Better Networker, etc, and I have noticed a few trends that I felt needed to be addressed.
Thank You For Being My Friend on Social Media… No Vomiting Please.
You see it all day long. It usually goes something like this…
“Hi, I’m Fred. Thanks for being my friend on (insert social media here), by the way… (vomit) take a look at my business.”
Is that how you would greet a new friend in person? Social media is an extension of real life. You are dealing with real people with real thoughts, dreams, goals, desires, and feelings.
No one likes being treated like that, and I’d wager that you don’t either. So simply don’t do it. A good rule of thumb is to treat everyone online the same way you’d treat them if you met them in person. (Unless it is your habit to vomit your business on anyone with a pulse in person as well.)
If You Lead With Your Business, You Will Be Forever Seen as a Follower.
Now we are ALL guilty of this at one time or another, and it is pretty high up there in the expected ‘newbie’ mistakes list. If someone is new to the industry, it is much more forgivable than say, someone who has been in Network Marketing for a time and yet is STILL leading with their company, logo and all, in their social media accounts. Which leads us into our next point…
People Join and Follow People, Not Companies
People do business with PEOPLE. People really do not care the slightest bit about your company, your products, or the ORAC value of your magical kumalumaquala berry extract that the ancient and remote Kwakaluga tribe on the island of Koodaagu has been using for thousands of years. Seriously. Despite what your upline may tell you, no one is going to join your company because of your product. They will join someone they perceive as a leader. Someone who can help them reach their goals, dreams, and aspirations.
So what does this mean for ME?
If you want quality people to join your ‘opportunity’, you must first be a leader and give them someone worth joining. This is not done by leading with your company, or vomiting your opportunity on everyone within reach.
What this means is invest in YOURSELF. Read things like Mike Dillard’s Magnetic Sponsoring, for starters. http://magicsponsoringmanual.info
Attend webinars given by true leaders in the Network Marketing Community. Leaders never stop learning, and they are not afraid to take the time to engage in personal growth each day. Whether it is reading, or watching a recorded webinar, or listening to audio, ALL true leaders make the time for personal growth each day.
Talk to any 6 or 7 figure earner and ask them what personal growth book they are reading, and they’ll be able to answer you without hesitation, as they are ALWAYS reading something to stay on top.
The best of health, and wealth, to each of you.
John Voyda
(Permission given to freely distribute as long as the entire document, author credit, and website links are included in their entirety.)
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Comments: 29 
About the Author: John Voyda
Member Since: 10/24/2009
Company: MLM Glory
Industry: Internet
Primary Web Site: http://www.mlmmarketingguru.info
3 Insane Mistakes
I'm back into MLM after a long hiatus, so I'm just learning social media. Your advice was very good and I will be sure to practice people skills rather that shilling skills!
I agree!
Unfortunately everyone has heard that social media is great for marketing but they aren't being told anything else. So people get online and mimic what everyone else does... which is usually the opposite of what you should be doing.
Social media works if you use it to build relationships. We must all extend the offline rules for relationship building to the online forums with which we market. These three rules serve as a good guideline for beginning.
Leaders win
It sounds so nasty to vomit on everyone within 3 feet, but that's exactly what some people do. I like what they say in Alaska, "If you're not the lead dog, the view is always the same". The shame of it all is to start being perceived as a leader, all you need to do is teach someone ONE thing that will help them.
Mistakes
Don't shove it down their throats. Make it a "real" encounter instead of just words. I agree highly with Warren Contreras.
following like sheep
great post, John
I would like to add that some people have learned not to just dump their "opportunity" on others without asking.
What makes me laugh tho, is that Mike Klinger in one of his courses must have told people to "get in touch" first, because now I'm receiving lots of friends requests saying that Mike suggested they made contact first and be interested in the other person. Really?
A sample of these:-
"Hello Ms.Martin, I am (name removed) and I noticed that you are one of Mike Klinger's friends. I am also a friend and student of Mike. I would be honored if you would accept me as a friend so I could network and share ideas from you. I am not trying to sale you anything. Really interested in connecting and learning with you. Have a blessed day.".
"Hey, I noticed youre a friend of Mike Klingers; I love his "renegade pro" program :) Let's keep in touch. I'd love to follow you and keep up with whats going on with you!"
Are these people really interested in me?
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!
I wish more marketers would know this. I'm swamped with DM like this. All I do is delete them. For a long time I felt like a fool for not doing the same, but I kept thinking, if I don't like it, why should I do it to someone one else.
Great post.
I totally agree
Thanks for the great post John. Hope that it gets in the hands and eyeballs of the people who need to see it. I feel so much pain for the people on Social Media and Networks that are "vomiting" all over the place. I see it as an opportunity to help them to see the light on the other side of the dark place they are in. They certainly are enthusiastic about what they are promoting and involved in (for the most part) and that is a good trait to have in business (passion for what you do). I would suggest that each of us reach out to one of the spammers that are vomiting on our sites and see how we can help them to grow. Thanks again for the great insights.
Make it a great day!
God Bless!
Teach People To Flirt!
I teach IFM - Internet FLIRT Marketing, and it's close cousin: Tweet Flirting. Hammering a new follower over the head with an auto-DM pitch is what has made the vast majority of Twitterers "DM-Blind" (akin to banner ad blindness - same disease, different venue)
For some curious reason, once adults are comfortably into a relationship, they COMPLETELY FORGET how to flirt with other humans. They all know how. They all know they SHOULD. They just don't do it. It's the old classic mistake - jump straight to the T in the K-L-T continuum (know - like - trust) and hope for the best. Surprise! It never works. Dial it back to that K part and learn to flirt. It's fun! (hint: BOTS really SUCK at flirting) :)
What Happens To Those Messages!
I was just showing my wife this morning what happens to all those inbox messages on FB this morning. [Del]
What's worse is they're pictures are up there with the message so I remember who to delete without even reading now!
Part Of Business Is Making Those Mistakes
Good article, John. You are right... that is a big mistake in Network Marketing... Online or Offline... no one likes a pitch! You are not building relationships that way... you are just pushing people away. For all those newbies... they will make this mistake and eventually learn as they personally grow. We all have been there, and everyone new that comes along will do the same. That is what personal growth is all about. We learn from our mistakes. That's what builds our business. We make those mistakes and then learn from them. As long as we all work together, networking, sharing, educating one another... GIVE VALUE! If we just hang in there and don't give up... because we fail if we give up... we do not fail if we make mistakes. We succeed because of those mistakes. Positive results and massive success will be the reward down the road. Thanks for your wonderful insight, John.
All the best!
3 Insanely Crazy Mistakes Most People Make on Social Media
Thanks John for a great Post.
Hollis
Social Media Marketing
If you don't get this right then you will hurt yourself more than help. It is NOT about your company...it is about you. There is nothing worse than shoving your opportunity in someone's face...they don't even know who you are! You will get lost in the sea of competition.
Thanks a lot
Yes, I made all this mistakes and it´s true: I was not able to build a business in this way.
So thanks for this advice, I will adjust my strategy!
Have a nice day
Volky
It never ceases to amaze me
It never ceases to amaze me what people will do when they are not face to face with someone. If you wouldn't do it offline, why would you do it online?
You don't walk into a cocktail party (I hope) and start spewing off about your business. Don't do it at the online cocktail party either.
I work with each person individually (who will!) to teach them the proper skills and how to TRULY be interested and build relationships, not just "pretend!"
It helps us all clean up the negative thoughts behind our profession when we come together and be professional online as well as offline.
EXPECT Success!
Jackie Ulmer
It's really a turn-off!
Great advice, John.
I have to confess that early on I was guilty of the same thing and it got me nowhere. Now that I've been on the receiving end of this kind of thing, I see how annoying and utterly unprofessional it is.
Perhaps for some people this understanding comes naturally. Others, like myself, have to learn by doing, and then UNdoing.
Dave Marsh
Good Post!
Very good advice John!
Yes
A good post, and I agree that I don't enjoy being pitched either. A mistake everyone makes at some stage. Learning online etiquette is important and your article here is teaching those new to social networking online. Very informative and some really good points. Thank you
However reading the comments I would like to comment on Alix comment re Mike Klinger. - Yes Mike does suggest that when you make a friend request to introduce yourself, let them know a bit about you, and how you found their name. May be some people go over board with this.
However I look more favourably at a friend request when someone has taken the time to introduce themselves. Telling me a bit about themselves, and may be where they found my name.
When meeting someone for the first time offline you usually ask some questions, or if its been through a friend at some stage you may mention this.
I am really not interested when I get a friend request and there is no introduction, (so and so wants to be your friend) Now do these people really want to be my friend? Or are they just wanting a list of people and look like they have lot of friends and probably pitch whatever to you.
I have found the people who have introduced themselves to me, and I have responded, with some of them we have built a good online friendship.
However there are others that have made a friend request, introduce themselves, I have replied back and then never hear from them again. Like Alix said do these people really want to be my friend?
It has already been said in the comments, whatever you do offline do the same online.
Thankyou for sharing your thoughts John, and seeing the wisdom in pointing out the mistakes that are being made, and educating the public to online and social networking.
Thank you everyone!
I would like to thank everyone who has read this article, and those who have voted and commented. I am very honored to be featured in today's 'Best of' Better Networker. I just typed down what seemed to be common sense to me based upon what I saw many people doing, and I hoped that it would help a few people that read it. This article is in the process of going massively viral, and I am deeply humbled and honored to be able to help so many people in some small way.
My deepest thanks, once again, to everyone, and have an incredible day. I know I will! :D
~John
If it was all about the product....
John,
Nice job here.
The problem I continue to see is this - it's not just the newbies making these mistakes.
For the life of me, I can't figure out how some of the folks are able to stick around as long as they have by vomiting and whoring their business.
I dunno...I guess they're experiencing some short term success suckering people in and leaving them high and dry, but I refuse to believe that any of the folks who continue to practice those methods are experincing any long term success.
And I don't know about you, but I preach the latter option to anyone who will listen.
Here's the deal - for those of you still trying to find your way in this industry, ask yourself this question -
If it was all about the product...If it was all about the system, why aren't you a millionaire by now?
Cheers!
Rick
Great Post John
Yeah, right on the money. Twitter is notorious for that. I call it a river of SPAM. But, you are right, the attraction marketing blueprint cannot be accomplished if we lead with the business. I read something from J.Paul Getty once. "Young entrepreneurs lack the concept of long term business." - No Patience. It takes time to build in all aspects. - Great Article buddy!
How do we get rid of them
Oh how I hate them 50 tweets a day computer generated nothing but advertising.
Half my followers never do anything else and they aren't newbies either.
I hate them and I never read their tweets.
I am far more likely to read a business tweet if I have got to know them.
I never put out that kind of tweet but I may mention a business about once a month. That way people may be interested because they know me.
Network in One Place - not many Places
John bonjour...
I think that peolpe who use Social Media sites, like Twitter, to build profiles and make friends with the hope of improving their business / sales get off on the wrong foot right right from the start.
The business man/woman who builds profiles in Twitter, Technorati, SocialMedian etc., has not set out on a Social Media Marketing initiative they have started a Social Media Networking initiative.
Social Media Marketing and Social Media Networking are two TOTALY different campaigns. There is a clear and distinct order in which you engage social media for business benefit. If you try the networking bit before the marketing bit then you are not operating at maximum efficiency.
People join these social sites to be sociable... not to have a whole bunch of "one-way-shouters" crying out "Look at me... Look at me".
Most people have it wrong. They network with people in an attempt to build their business (prospecting). This is the most inefficient way to use social media and a great waste of time and energy - besides which, any results are almost impossible to measure.
Use a marketing campaign to bring people to your central hub... network with them there... then, when you have gained their respect, you have the opportunity to turn them into clients/customers.
You can measure that.
Regards,
Kevin
You ROCK John
I so appreciate your article!!! I am a newbie to Social Networking and I started by taking a class to learn how to build profiles and such. I quickly started getting those dreaded DM from people pushing their business before they even took the time to say "Hello".
It was such a turn-off to me, that I was never tempted to start a connection with "you need to do businees with me". My thought was that I wanted to build relationships and if businees comes out of it, it will be because people see value in me and trust me. I truly believe "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care".
Thanks again John, Sheryl
Good one!
The internet really is a wild territory when you think about it. But that's good news for those who care to learn the ropes and do what it takes.
Keep up the good job, John!
-iVan
I'm not sure...in real life
I'm not sure...in real life we can shake hands,share a cup of coffee and look into each other's eyes. Here, people learn to say the "right" things (learned from a course or ebook, probably) but when they decide you really are not going to be buying their "goods or services", they quickly receed and so much for "another friend". Am I wrong?
Let's not forget we're on a date.
Let's not forget we're on a date. In most cases, the first date. Common courtesy's rule. Thanks John, I will share this info in Saturdays Newbie Training call.
Rockyj
Great article.
Great information in your article. I like it.
Teaching Social media
John good post! But I hear this all the time, and it's all social media sites facebook, myspace, linkedin, and on and on, What someone needs to do is have weekly webinar that will train on social networking & social marketing, I seen training on everything but how to socialize online, I think it will help people see more as a leader or help become better leaders "You Lead With Your Business, You Will Be Forever Seen as a Follower".
Quote to leave for this
"Do or do not. There is no try." -Yoda
Good article John.