What does it take to create a successful, efficient, and productive social start-up? Social networking has caused quite a stir in the online community, but unfortunately many people think social networking is only about telling others what you have or can do. This inaccurate thinking has caused many social start-ups and new groups to flounder before they even got started.
Employing certain principles of social involvement will help any entrepreneur or business see success measurable in solid results. There are three key components that are vital to the health and liveliness of a successful social start-up.
1. Networking/Building Relationships
Often an overused word and idea, networking is the key component to a successful social start-up. Building solid relationships ensures the health of the start-up and provides it with the core essential item that makes it function. To build relationships quickly but solidly, use the following tips to reach your goal:
- Always be sincere. People can sense disingenuous behavior.
- Give without expecting anything in return. This includes time, products, and information.
- Practice polite and formal behavior when dealing with people.
- Be first always: first to say hello, please, and thank you.
- Be respectful of other people’s time.
2. Create Influential Circles
Your sphere of influence shapes your thoughts, actions, and ideas. People don’t fully realize the power of their surroundings on the decisions they make and the paths they take. Creating positive influential circles of friends and mentors is what helps to make a person successful. Choose carefully those that you select to be in your influential space, making sure the benefits cross over.
Influences and people become a part of your emotional and spiritual makeup, therefore it stands to reason that you must guard this area of sensitivity. Your circle of influence should also significantly increase your time and production value in your life.
You should find that you are imparting into others, as well. This means that you should be adding value to your sphere of mentors, which is just as important as having them add value to you and your goals. In the end, whatever you glean from your circle will spill over to your social start-up and will be evident in the decisions you make and the directions of your actions.
3. Employ Viral Marketing
Use strategies that will cause others to want to talk about your social start-up. Create such a compelling message and platform that it will cause people to want to share the message and involve others. Being viral is more than “selling or telling” but is more about sharing. Trust causes people to share and to want to learn more. Once you have instilled trust in those that you are targeting, you won’t have to “sell” them.
Being genuine and transparent in your social start-up will shine through and cause others to talk about it and “share” with those around them.
All over tech 