Renowned ‘social media guru’ Gary Vaynerchuk has released a book called Jab, Jab, Jab, Hook. The basic principle is that your attempts at selling in social media will not be successful if you have not spent time ‘softening your target up’ with jabs first. A boxer who keeps going for the knock-out punch all the time will not be very successful, as it is too easy to avoid his wild swings. Similarly, if all you do is jab, then you won’t ever get the knockout punch (the hook).
I agree with his principles, I just think the analogy is too aggressive, and doesn’t really expand on what the jabs and hooks should be.
So I worked on my own version, which I called:
“Giving your social content LEGS (Listen, Engage, Give, Sell)”
Listen
It’s essential that you start with listening, to understand the people with whom you want to build relationships. There are great tools available now to help with this, but really Twitter and Google search and some good old fashioned effort can get you there too.
Engage
Once you have been listening for some time and you feel ready, start by engaging with your prospects. Find common points of interest, ask questions, things that will encourage conversation and relationships and all that good stuff.
Give
Give something. Add some real value. By now you should have worked out what your potential customers are trying to achieve. So help them achieve it, using your own social platforms or other means at our disposal. They will love your for it, and want to repay you.
(then, and only then)
Sell
It’s clear that Social Media is becoming a great place to drive sales. But remember to keep Listening, Engaging and Giving, so that you don’t become Spam.
