Social Media In International Web Marketing
Readers saw me launch a Tweet Plan for strategic business development mid-November 2008. And some of you may have noticed an article on Copyblogger on New Year’s Eve a short month and a half later, about the results Twitter had on my business.
Well, since then I have had quite a few people sign up to look at how I Tweet. And I have had a few followers tell me that they like my Tweets because they are always positive and have a nice tone.
Of course, this makes me happy. Social media has been a journey for me. I started out lacking in confidence in my social communication skills. That is why I spent my first two months following community managers on Twitter, trying to pick up social media communication skills by osmosis.
The comments about my current social media communication skills got me thinking…
When I Tweet I now use a personal technique for communicating with different cultures in international business. This technique is something I have been doing for years as a way to open myself for closer communication with international clients. And it is another story…
But it is interesting how I use cross-cultural communication techniques in across the board in social media.
Let’s go back to why I started using this technique on Twitter. This is what I want to talk to you about today.
It Starts With Politeness
Two months ago, my communication skills were already good… or so I thought. You see, the communication skills I had were crafted in a business-to-business environment. I know how to:
- Communicate well in an international business environment
- Negotiate contracts with both small and very large companies from all over the world
- Communicate well in crisis management in a multicultural environment
- Write emails that are socially, culturally and professionally correct
- Write speeches, white papers, case studies and direct response copywriting to bring in international business
But two months ago I was not happy with my social media communication skills. To be frank, I was still wondering why I was spending time on social media.
When you have good communication skills, it is easy to notice new people on Twitter. Their Tweets are stiff. They do not realize when they are:
- Rude
- Clumsy
- Impolite
- Boring
- Egocentric
- Pompous
And when I started on Twitter I knew I did not what to be look like the newbie I was. I wanted to improve my social media communication skills as fast as I could.
Comparison With International Communication
Luckily Chris Garrett commented on how people perceived something as being impolite in his Authority Blogger course. And this sparked a light bulb moment for me.
- I was able to compare social media politeness to expert international communication skills.
Now in all my years in international business, I have only met a handful of these top level international communicators. You know the people with the highest international skill levels. It is very hard to describe what makes a great international communicator. But when you meet one, you are become painfully aware of the huge gaps possible in international skill levels.
Good international communicators are excellent communicators in all cultures and in all circumstances.
It is much easier to describe what these expert international communicators are not. They do not:
- Boast
- Brag
- Say that they know everything, or more than anyone else
They are always:
- Helpful
- Polite
- Interesting to talk to
- Listening
The Likability Factor
And something else is there. They also have one common trait:
- Everyone likes them.
You never forget the skilled international communicators because their level of communication usually equals their level of likability. It is not charisma. These people are just genuinely likable… to everyone.
Good communication and likability together make an extremely powerful combination.
Good Communication Skills
It is interesting… these great international communicators do seem to use a code similar to good social media communicators.
Again, I cannot put this code into words. The visual thinker in me is still processing this. But I do think there is a common code or common tactics between the two groups.
I’ll write more about this later.
There is one thing I am very sure of though…
In today’s customer-centric business environment, the two skills of good communication and likability are key to success.
This is the fastest way to connect with people.
Yes, even for business. This is obvious as more and more businesses are turning to social media.
And yes, even for international business. Genuine likability crosses cultures.
This brings me back to developing the right mindset on Twitter. We all have different levels of communication skills and these take time and effort to improve. But you can easily adopt the right mindset:
- Open yourself up to communication
- Seek to make a real connection
- Be positive
- Avoid anything even slightly negative
- Take the initiative to open the conversation
This is also how you begin to develop your international skills. You will never develop international nor social media skills if you stay in your own house and only look at the world through a screen with filters. An open mindset can connect you with all sort of different people. And the right mindset lets your likability factor soar.
- What is it that makes you like people on social media?
- What is it that makes you dislike people on social media?
- What similarities to do see between international communication skills and social media communication skills?
More on Social Media In International Web Marketing
- How Do You Use Social Media For Business?
- The Cultural Divide In The Social Media Evolution
- How Cultural Differences Impact International Social Media
- How To Sort Through The Social Media Hype
- It Is Business-To-People In Social Media Marketing
- How Do You Use Social Media For Small Business?
- 12 Social Media Tactics In My Marketing Plan
- 7 Cross-Cultural Skills For Businesses To Master Social Media
- Content Marketing To Reach International Markets
- Choice Of Social Media For International Markets
- Connecting With People On Twitter
- Cultural Differences In Social Media Marketing
- Guerrilla Marketing With Social Media To Enter New International Markets
- Likability For International And Social Media Communication
- New Marketing Taints Old Networking Tactics
- Social Media Marketing Across Cultures
- Understanding Social Media For Stronger International Web Marketing
More in the Get International Clients Business Guides
- Build Your International Marketing Strategy
- Connect With Your International Markets
- International Market Research
- International Web Marketing
She is who I turn to when I have questions and you should too"
-- Chris Garrett, co-author of the "Problogger" book
