Thank You, Chris Brogan
Last week, I had the honor of being interviewed by Crain’s New York Business, a weekly business newspaper here in the Big Apple, for an article about generating income through social media. Stating I had “figured out something that has eluded many an entrepreneur” by converting my blog and Twitter efforts into actual profit, the piece went on to highlight some of the tactics I’ve used to help my business grow:
- Authenticity, honesty & transparency
- Writing my blog in “my voice”
- Entertainment, especially through Twitter trivia/contests
- A focus on building trust with my clients & online community
These tactics have been part of my overall strategy to use social media as a platform for not only sharing my passion for live trivia events and making workplaces happier, but to serve as a helpful resource to others as well. The result (knock on wood) has been the rapid growth of NYC’s only employee team building and corporate entertainment company specializing exclusively in live trivia events, with a roster of wonderful clients, great press, and an incredible celebrity partnership.
I have been very, very fortunate that my social media efforts have taken me in the right direction. However, I didn’t write the book on this.
Chris Brogan did.
For those who may not be familiar, Chris Brogan is one of the most influential thought leaders on using social media, for business or otherwise. Ever since I launched TrivWorks 3 years ago and embraced social media as my medium, his NYT bestselling book Trust Agents (co-written with Julien Smith) has been my bible. I’ve read just about every other book on social media out there worth reading, and yet I keep coming back to this one. Why? Because what Chris says makes sense to me.
Chris encourages us to be social with our media, and share more than we receive. He wants us to be ourselves – our true, authentic selves – and reminds us that we are all human, after all, and not impersonal businesses, robots or machines (his company is aptly named Human Business Works). Humans can smell BS a mile away. No matter what business you are in, Chris reminds us that work is done by people, media is consumed by people, and our customers are people – people who want to feel rewarded, appreciated and respected. The odds are weighted strongly in favor of those who can manage to pull this off honestly and consistently, as they are the ones whom people will choose to work for, as well as do business with. In summary? Be authentic, honest, transparent, entertaining & trustworthy.
Sound familiar?
And so I dedicate my recent Crain’s interview, and the successes which led to it, to Chris – a guy whom I’ve never met in person, but had the honor of interviewing last year for my blog (another trick I learned from him – let other people shine on your platforms). Check out Chris’s Website, follow him on Twitter, and by all means read his book. Rumor has it he’s got another one coming out shortly as well…