Who Says Social Media Doesn’t Bring Instant Results?

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A friend of mine on Facebook (let’s call him Sandy) is somewhat green about social media. He never realized that all of his personal information was available for anyone on Facebook to see. That actually proved to be a boon for him.

Sandy recently “liked” an independent movie fan page. He is one of a small handful of people who have shown interest for that page. The creator happened to be seeking some specific services, and apparently started her search by investigating those “likers.” She found Sandy, who has a company in the industry that could provide the services, and sent Sandy a message on Facebook. In that message, she stated that she had researched him prior to contact. The contact could prove fruitful for Sandy; they are meeting next week to discuss a potential project.

Oh, and I assisted Sandy in making some improvements to his settings. After a brief discussion, we both agreed that his info page should remain public, with some data removed and some freshened. However, his wall is now visible only to his friends.

Okay, while this fantastic result took about three weeks, which is pretty fast, how ‘bout an example with mere hours?
A gentleman posted on a LinkedIn group that a friend (let’s call him Sam) is also a member of. The post was made late at night: “Looking for someone to do some XXXX XXXX work. Any recommendations?” Yes, the post was that short!
Sam has a presence on several social media sites and is still a bit of a newbie as far as establishing himself in this medium. He does have a completed profile on LinkedIn. Sam happens to be a very early riser and was up at 4AM. He logged in to LinkedIn and started catching up on some of the groups he belongs to. Sam saw the post and was the FIRST to reply, resulting in getting the work! Yes, the early bird DOES catch the worm. Indeed.

These two gents had never met but had a common bond via a group on LinkedIn. Through the mutual interests and membership of that group an instant business relationship was formed. What’s next? Services are performed. Money passes hands. Perhaps repeat businesses. Recommendations are given.

I’ve often told perspective clients that Social Media is a medium that one needs to nurture before results start happening. Perhaps I’ve been selling it short! I’ll still stand by my position stressing that by displaying expertise, engaging people, and demonstrating passionate involvement over time will produce the results you’re looking for. However, even if you are fairly new to social media, provided that your profile information is filled out so that people can learn about you, expect the unexpected. People are out there. And they are looking, all the time. Be ready for them!