Why Connections are Better Than Promotions

These days, using social media properly is more important than ever when it comes to promoting our lenses, articles, or blog posts. 

Something I have to continuously remind myself is that sharing on social media isn't about spreading links around, it's really all about connecting with other human beings.

Speaking for myself but surely others can relate to this, I'm often always in a rush, trying to get as much done as quickly as possible. So it's easy for me to just drop a link on Twitter or do a quick pin on Pinterest.  What's important, though, is spending an extra few seconds (and really that's all the time it takes) to compose a quick comment to include on someone else's post or lens, or replying to a tweet that catches my eye with as little as two words: "Loved that!"  Do you have followers who do that on your posts?  I do, and I just love them for taking the time.

Repinning, re-tweeting, and leaving personal responses on social media sites are the things that set us apart from link-droppers and spammers.  "Thanks for the pin/tweet/comment" are words that we all love to read, and words many of us need to use more often.

Connections build reputations and good reputations build businesses. So don't just promote. Connect!

P.S.  I love the graphic, don't you?