My Friend The Wind

by Johnny Skogheim | on January 1, 2012

My Friend The Wind

The first words of one of Demis Roussos’ many hits in the 1970s.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xshxIdeEMKc
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For some reason this song came to mind as I was thinking of writing a
post about networking on social media sites.
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You see, I am using Facebook, Twitter and some other social media sites
in my marketing.
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Now, for a marketer there are several pitfalls on this arena, but I meet
quite a few marketers on some of these sites that obviously haven’t had
ANY training before they started out.
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Everyone knows that people prefer to do business with, or buy from, someone
they know, like and trust.
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And for a marketer to be able to establish any of this, they have
to connect with other people.
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Because, why are people on social media sites in the first place?
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Obviously; to socialize… with family, friends or colleagues, and to make
new friends.
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And the most important thing when meeting a new person is first impression
- does this person look like someone I want to connect with?
To make friends with?
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Some marketers don’t seem to realize this at all, but it is really
very obvious…
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… just think about it; who would appear most trustworthy to you;
someone wearing a smile and an open face, or someone wearing a ski
mask, a balaclava?
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You know the answer, of course…
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The thing is, if people are wearing sunglasses, turning their
face away or appearing evasive in some way, we subconsciously feel
that they’ve got something to hide.
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Psychologists have even found that in people’s subconscious mind,
women are perceived as more trustworthy than men, particularly a man
wearing a moustache or a beard…
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… It isn’t logic or reason that determines our perception…
it’s feelings…
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And… even if I love nature, I don’t want to friend a cat, a dog,
a butterfly or a flower… Or… as Demis Roussos sings… the Wind…
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… And I certainly don’t want to friend a logo, an egg (on Twitter) or
someone looking grumpy…
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I’m looking for friendly people, not someone that makes me think of an
ax-murderer…
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So if you are a marketer and haven’t gotten around to putting up a nice, smiling
picture of yourself yet, do yourself a favor and do it as soon as you can…
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Remember, you’ve only got one shot at making a good first impression… so don’t
waste it… be a real, friendly person… not something evasive like…