The answers to this question are many and varied.  However, I’d like to address one important one.  First, I’ll start with a real world analogy.  Fred Ruckelhaus (a fictional character) wakes up one day and realizes he has no friends.  He’s been so self-absorbed and so driven to succeed professionally that he hasn’t bothered to form the types of bonds that lead to lasting friendships.  He’s a material success but a social disaster.  He decides to change all that and vows to make friends using the same methods that have brought him professional success.  He’s aggressive and tenacious and pursues conversations with people with the same vigor he’s used in the workplace.  Fred is puzzled and disappointed when his efforts don’t produce the desired results.  In fact, quite the opposite happens-he drives people away from him.  Fred seeks out a wise old man who tells him that he’s going about it all wrong.  He’s too eager, too aggressive.  The wise man tells him to go back out there and start fresh.  He takes the wise man’s advice and starts engaging his co-workers by listening to them and letting them talk.  He finds this to be frustrating but after a few months, it begins to work.  Co-workers start inviting him places.  Fred begins the journey of friendship.

Social media can be similar to Fred and his situation.  It only works when you are actively engaged and interested in others.  I find it interesting when political candidates who’ve had no prior experience with Facebook all of a sudden join FB and start asking people to donate to their campaigns or volunteer.  Very often, they are frustrated that they don’t get much of a response.  They fail because they’ve skipped over the most important aspects of the social media phenomenon.  It’s clear they don’t really want to engage and dialogue with their friends, they just want something.  That doesn’t work in real life and it doesn’t work in social media.  Social media is intended to initiate dialogue and a give-and-take.  If you’re not interested in that, social media won’t work.

I mentioned political candidates but the same holds true for businesses using social media.  Businesses that are using Facebook and Twitter just to increase sales, won’t get anywhere.  First, they have to get involved in the community and listen to their potential customers.  Social media sites are not sales platforms.  They are also not a “quick fix” to your marketing problems.  A good social media campaign takes time, just as real life human friendships take time and effort.

Why Isn’t Social Media Working for Me? is a post from Pinellas Management Consultants.

1)Know Thy Medium-social media such as Facebook and Twitter are public forms of communication.  They are not proper forums for all communication.

2)“Friends” and “Likes”- this should be obvious but it worth repeating in the light of Weinergate.  Just because some accept your “friend” request on Facebook or retweets your message on Twitter doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve formed a meaningful, human bond with that person.  Recognize the limitations to that “friend” or “like” and act accordingly and appropriately.

3)Discretion is the Better Part of Valor-it sounds old fashioned but it remains a true and valid axiom for good human communication.  Just because you have an opinion doesn’t mean it has to be expressed.

4)Social Media: Character’s Electronic Log Book-funny thing about social media, it’s permanent.  Once you tweet, post a photo or a remark, it’s out there permanently for all to see.  That says something about who you are and your character.  Be careful!

5)Creating more Heat than Light-while there are many positive benefits to social media, there’s also a sinister side that can bring out the worst in people.  Just browse your Facebook or Twitter account and it’s readily manifest.  Some will post just to post-screaming to the world “Look at Me!  Pay attention to Me!  I’m important!”  Perhaps that was part of what was going on with former Rep. Weiner.  In any case, it’s sad and pathetic and debases him and everyone with whom he communicates.

Technology is a good and beneficial thing.  However, it will never replace good old-fashioned values such as honesty, integrity, and character.  Those human values are forged in the building of long-lasting human relationships, both personally and professionally.  A true friend isn’t someone who “friends” you on Facebook or “likes” your Facebook business page.  A real friend is someone who suffers with you in bad times and rejoices with you in good times.  Most importantly, a friend is someone who tells you when you’ve made a mistake and need to change your ways.  For all his Facebook friends and Twitter followers, no one stood with Anthony Weiner when he had to face the music.  That says more about his character than his online persona.

5 Things Anthony Weiner Teaches Us About Social Media is a post from Pinellas Management Consultants.

I often tell my clients that what they say and do on social media sites will last forever and can be used against them.  I know for a fact some employers check a prospective employee’s Facebook account before making a decision to hire.  I know lawyers who’ll check Facebook and Twitter accounts before taking a deposition of a witness.

A public person such as Rep. Weiner should have known better.  His error was compounded when he wasn’t truthful initially about what happened.  His staff can’t be blamed for offering bad counsel since it appears he mislead them as well.  Weiner not only broke the new mores of social media but the oldest rules in public relations crisis management-tell the truth, get the facts out there and take your medicine.  Deceit and lies will only make the crisis larger and perhaps beyond fixing.

Anthony Weiner and the Powerful Reach of Social Media is a post from Pinellas Management Consultants.

In the end, what you want is to keep your clients happy.  If you’re not willing to compromise and meet your clients’ needs, you won’t have them in the long run.

How to Get What You Want and Keep Clients Happy is a post from Pinellas Management Consultants.

The email is another matter.  I won’t go into the details.  Suffice it to say a consultant was whining to his client (never a good idea) about how much he’s invested in the client’s company and how he becomes emotional and threatened by competitors.  Presumably, the writer is trying to gain the trust and loyalty of the client.  Most likely, the consultant looks weak and paranoid.  Rather than focus on the task at hand, the consultant moves to the personal appeal (perhaps because his results are lacking?).  It’s a mistake and any good business owner recognizes it.

Both examples demonstrate why it’s crucial to leave emotion out of the equation when dealing with a business situation.  Gather the data, analyze it, and formulate a strategy to move forward.  That’s what is required and what is expected.  Emotion shouldn’t factor into the equation.  If you’re that consultant, employee or Major League starting pitcher, give your best effort, use all your skills, and leave the emotion at home.  If you don’t you’re not being fair to the business who hired you.  More importantly, you can’t give your best effort when emotions cloud the situation.  Most importantly, you can’t learn from your mistakes and improve.

It’s Not Personal, It’s Business is a post from Pinellas Management Consultants.

The episode was very effective in demonstrating the real psychology of sales.  Don tried the hard sell and found that he had relationships to mend first.  No one bought until Don expressed a genuine desire to forge solid relationships with his colleagues.

This Season 3 finale of Mad Men illustrates the same dynamic that goes on with online marketing.  Many businesses build websites that focus on the hard sell before audiences are targeted and relationships with those audiences are formed.  This is often reflected in the type of content found on a website but the problem is not limited to content.  The design and format of a website is important in online relationship building as well.  The design must be appealing and attractive before any transaction is contemplated.  Content has to be arranged and written in such a way that draws the attention of the reader.  The use of keywords in content may help with search engine results but can leave the end user unmoved and quickly moving on from the website.  Most if not all readers skim over content looking for that one kernel that catches their attention.  Good web design and provocative content will attract and maintain a loyal following.  Just look at how some of the successful newspapers arrange their content as well as write attention-grabbing headlines.  Even the photo arrangements are designed to elicit a response.  Now, of course, newspapers are a different communication medium, but the same principles apply to the web.

It took a crisis in Don Draper’s professional life to realize business is more than the number of transactions performed.  Business is more relational than transactional.  Perhaps before worrying about selling a service or a product, it might be smart to say “Shut the door, have a seat.”  Of course, that should always be preceded with the simple word, “Please”.

Shut the Door, Have a Seat is a post from Pinellas Management Consultants.

The Benedictine monks of Portsmouth Abbey have taken the plunge.  Facing a steep decline in vocations, the monks have decided to promote their life and work through a new website replete with a social media campaign.

In an interview with the NY Times, the head of the abbey describes his decision, “We’re down in numbers, we’re aging, we feel the pressure to do whatever we can,” said Abbot Caedmon Holmes, who has been in charge of the abbey since 2007. “If this is the way the younger generation are looking things up and are communicating, then this is the place to be.”

The monks of Portsmouth Abbey are not the only religious community to take notice of the tremendous opportunity found in social media and blogs.  Even Pope Benedict XVI has extolled blogs and social media as a unique way to spread the message.  Check out their website www.portsmouthabbeymonastery.org

Ora et Labora Online is a post from Pinellas Management Consultants.

Let me use a football analogy.  Good SEO is like time of possession in football.  It’s important but doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll win.  It’s the number of touchdowns and points you score in a football game that really matters.  CRO is a measurement of the points scored which, in the final analysis, is the only stat that really matters.

SEO Yes, CRO Better is a post from Pinellas Management Consultants.

Facebook for Business is a post from Pinellas Management Consultants.

Any real social media strategy, including a Twitter strategy, has to take into account the long term.  If what you’re offering isn’t consistently substantive and informative, people will stop paying attention.  This isn’t new.  Rages and rants are quick hits but don’t last.  A consistent, steady diet of informative, well written content keeps the attention of readers.

If you need proof, think of OJ Simpson, he was all the rage in the late 90′s.  Now, who gives him a second thought?

If you or your company is engaged in a social media campaign make sure it’s substantive and engages your target audience for the long haul.

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Are Charlie Sheen’s Twitter Rants All the Rage? is a post from Pinellas Management Consultants.