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The headline was just to grab your attention. A cheap trick, I know. The point is that nothing about social media is simple, except to set-up accounts on each of the networks. To actually grow a network to the point of profitability, it’ll either kill you or make you stronger – in the words of the staff saddled with the weight of inhuman (but profitable) demands Steve Jobs used to make.

You aren’t important, they are

For once, your ego has to be kept leashed. When you first start out on Social Media, you’ll realize that you are virtually unknown. While LinkedIn at least allows you to connect to people you’d have worked with or your customers, etc., Facebook and Twitter can look like empty deep-freeze compartments. That’s when you know you have work to do, don’t you? On social media, it’s not about you anymore; it’s always about others. You give your best to share, contribute, learn, teach, educate, humor, and opine. Pay your respects with love and you’ll get both back in spades.

Flattery is profitable

Re-tweet, follow, praise, flatter, and like the content that others in your network share everyday. They are doing it (if they are doing it right, that is) so that you learn something new. You respond by doing any one or all of them above. After you do that, you can let them know that you did it. This part is something like closing the sale in Social Media. While you don’t really sell anything, you do grab their attention.

Imitate the biggies

Make a huge list of all the people in your niche who have followers like they are going to form a government. Make sure that these social media leaders are in your respective niche. Of course, you’ll follow them. Then keep a close eye on their activities. The more you observe, you will begin to notice trends, tricks, and all the tricks in their bag that got them where they are today. Learn and implement. Evil, isn’t it? It’s nothing new though since this is a primary mode of learning since ancient times.

Tools – use them mercilessly

Social is big. Yet, you’ll have plenty of difficulty trying to narrow down on tools to make your efforts more effective, productive, and profitable on social media. Your head will spin, careen, and crash before you decide which tool works best for you.  The key is to pick up something simple, a tool that taps into the main networks you are active on, something that allows you to start for free and play with it. I found Nimble CRM and HootSuite to be good to start with. If you are an advanced user, Think Up also seems to be promising.

Maintain meaningful, encouraging small talk

It’s surprising that we call it “social media” and yet we barely make the effort to connect. Think of a dating scenario, guys meets girl and starts small talk. He establishes a frame. He guides the woman to think about him in myriad ways. Alternatively, think about natural socializers offline: they are approachable, warm, friendly, charming, naturally inclined to connect, aren’t they? Well, the big secret on social media is to do just what a socializer does offline.

Social media is all about digital seduction. You woo, entertain, inform, educate, and earn trust.

That’s all there is to it.

What do you think?

Author Bio

Ashwin Satyanarayana (Ash) is a nutty Content Marketing strategist, Internet consultant, Freelance Writer, Corporate Trainer and Business Coach. When he isn’t writing he is traveling. Sometimes he is found doing both together. Find out more about him at Fetchprofits – his company blog.  Follow him on twitter (@fetchprofits)