I read a good analogy of social media the other day, and I like to use it when I compare social media to traditional advertising. Think of it as if you were walking into a party. Traditional advertising would have you wearing a big sign saying, “I’m really great, you’ll like me, we should hang out,” etc.

Social media, on the other hand, is the more natural way to go about entering the party. You would meet people and engage in conversation, learning about them and telling them about yourself. Hopefully you find common ground and become friends. Then, maybe that person will tell their friends about you, and they’ll come up to you and start talking with you. Or maybe they’ll talk amongst themselves about you.

It all starts by building a relationship with a conversation.

So, don’t be the guy holding the big goofy sign. Act naturally and start the conversations with people.

- Jim Ellis