StumbleUpon and the other social networking sites can certainly be part of your branding and lead-generation strategy. But a lot of businesses get frustrated with the social media as a sales tool. And the reason is … of course, they aren’t sales tools. Instead, they are a gazillion little campfires, where people go to tell stories and to listen to stories and to have fun and learn and be part of a community.
While social media can be tortured into helping you make money, build your brand and generate leads, it’s a place where storytelling is what is expected and wanted. So why not just go with the flow?
Remember sitting around the campfire at night … somewhere … with friends, swapping stories? The memory is magical for a lot of people. Those campfires – and the stories – have been warming our hearts and minds for thousands of years. They have built lifetime emotional bonds. Even today, you can probably remember who the really good storytellers were.
The power of a good storyteller is obvious at the campfire or at StumbleUpon or anyplace else. The most effective salespeople always have great stories with impact. For instance, I tell you that $50 for a month of your vitamins is too much.
And you say, “It’s not cheap. But you know, I went to the drugstore the other day and sat near the cash register way in the back. I listened to several customers paying for their prescriptions. The least anyone paid was $85, and it went on up to over $300. Have you ever spent that kind of money on drugs after you lost your health?”
In just a few words, your vitamins now look like a bargain. You could never have “sold” me into changing my mind. But a pointed story can put my objection in a whole different light.
StumbleUpon and the other social bookmarking and social networking media give you the chance to tell your stories 24 hours a day. Campfires are everywhere. What will really pay off for you with the social networking media is to keep a diary of every great story you come up with (related to your business or product).
Be subtle. Don’t beat anyone over the head. Get good at telling those stories in print. Share them in StumbleUpon and your other chosen social networking communities. It’s way more effective than selling.
