Reciprocity: The Backbone Of Social Marketing

This post was most recently updated on February 23rd, 2014

Reciprocity is the act of responding to others in like fashion.  Social reciprocity is a manner of response to the behavior of others. So what does this have to do with Internet Marketing?  EVERYTHING!  When engaged in social media, reciprocity is the backbone of marketing. It’s an informal exchange of ideas and recognition that benefits both the giver and receiver of social media interactions.

Here’s how it works.  You have your social sites set up, i.e. Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Linked-in, etc.  When someone visits one of your social sites, it is wise to check out who they are before you accept their comments.  I say this because you it is important to have people in your niche who are sharing good content and employing social marketing etiquette.  You want to filter out those who are just linking away from your site to their own self-serving, spam sales page.

That being said, when you click on “add as a friend” or “follow” on any of your social media sites, it is a very wise idea to dig one step deeper and go to their blog.  Make an intelligent comment.  Never say “great post!”  That means nothing.  People might think you are on an automated system.   Personally, I am not a fan of automated replies.  I like to get to know the person. When you put in a reply and maybe even tweet it, your new friend  will usually respond with the same.  He or she will go to your blog and reciprocate.

Reciprocity Is Just Like A Dance

This is the beginning a business relationship, or even friendship.  You reply and maybe share it on your Facebook, or Twitter.  This will go to level two in your friendship.  Remember that Social Media is just that… Social.  You connect socially through this process of reciprocity. It’s almost like a dance. They take one step, you follow.  You take another, they follow.

So many people have come into my sales funnel this way.  Strangers at first, but I took the first step and dug a little deeper into who they were.  Then another step, inviting them to my list.  I try to keep it balanced also.  By this I mean I go to sites that are the Gurus of internet marketing, but I also spend a lot of time with Newbies.

Reciprocity is really a natural part of human nature.  It is a social norm of responding to the behavior of others.  It is a way of people’s informal exchange.  The majority of people will respond to you.  If not, perhaps they’re just not ready to dance along.

You may be thinking that this gal is nuts!  She is spending all that time digging, searching, etc.   But this is what social media is all about.  If you are doing PPC or PPV, that’s great too.  You can do that in conjunction with your social media.  But think about this:  How long does it take you to set up a campaign with a sales page, auto-responders, email lists that you have to respond to and eventually get on a webinar or phone call together.   That is a wonderful mechanism, and I’ve found that it is greatly facilitated by Social Networking because people are not such strangers once you’ve asked them to dance.  You’re now a trusted friend, not just a salesperson.

I believe in the goodness of human nature and if trained properly, the people I reach out to will respond back.  I have built my list on this alone. I feel like it’s a process that has helped me to acquire, not just opt-ins and prospects, but “friends”  –  isn’t that what we call them on our social networks?  Friends, not prospects.

So take this into consideration when you are out there trying to add numbers to your list.  Do you want quality or quantity?  I chose quality, because from a handshake one can make true friendships and reveal who we are and what we can do to join forces.  Again… it all comes down to Reciprocity.

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Your responses are important to me because I analyze feedback both positive and negative.  This is how I grow.  Many thanks

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Donna Merrill

Donna is a well known blogger and creator of "Blogging Magic" - an intensive guide to blogging. "Blogging Magic" is for beginners who are trying to figure out how to bring their blogs to life with tons of visits, comments and social media interaction. It's even for advanced bloggers looking to reach new levels of authority and engagement with their audience.