The more time you spend on the internet, the more free information you’ll come across. A lot of it is very good quality too. This can cause confusion amongst our workshop delegates and others who are new to the online world, especially when we tell them they should be giving away high quality content as an ‘ethical bribe’ to entice new subscribers to their newsletter list.
“Why should I give away my best stuff?” is the often asked question.
“What first impression do you want to give to a new prospective client?” is our reply. Clunk … whirr ….. and then the penny drops! Giving away your best stuff can only be good for your business.
You can also give generously using Social Media, although I would caution against swamping your friends and followers with every great quotation or cute video you come across.
I’d recommend that you keep your real-life friends and family separate from your business acquaintances, which you can easily do using the groups or list facilities within each network.
While you will want to share your own great blog posts and products, if that’s all you do, you won’t get the best results from networking online.
Share information by others at least as often as you share your own. Social Media is all about giving and sharing. When you come across a great blog post, free give-away, or product being offered by someone else and which you believe would be of interest to your network – let them know about it.
Your reputation as the source of high quality, high value information extends to the quality of other people’s information too, so make sure you take the time to check out the material before you share it!
There are many ways to share information online, including all the different book-marking sites and, of course, the great Retweet button! (hint, hint…)
Do you have any examples of great sharing or generous giving? We’d love to hear about them.
