Today at a social networking group I was asked to say a little something about myself.
Usually when I’m in a networking group that is obviously work oriented I stand up and introduce myself as Jane van Velsen – The Right Writer and I say that I’m a social media consultant but, in so doing, I decry all that I am teaching.
So, today I made a conscious decision to tell the people sitting around me something about myself, something that they would hopefully remember and that would inspire them. This is what I told them.
“If anyone had asked me ten years ago if I would be sitting in such a networking group and offering my services in social media marketing, I would have answered a resounding ‘no’.
Ten years ago I was diagnosed as having cancer and facing the possibility that I would have my right leg removed at the hip. I had two tiny children aged 2 and 3 years and a marriage that was a disaster and beyond rescue.
I’d had a fabulous career in advertising and marketing at top agencies in the UK and I was separated. A nanny came in a looked after my children from 7am until I walked in – usually after bedtime and the sad thing was that I thought this was living. Then I was told I had cancer.
I sold my property, divorced my husband and scooping up my children I left for South Africa, rented a car and drove down the Cape coast. I found a house on an island which I ran as a guest house and I healed. Internally and externally.
After a while I freelanced as a marketing consultant in tourism and started blogging for myself and for clients but always careful to work for the right reasons. I cut stressful clients out of my life and I fitted work around my life.
I’ve been back in the UK for a year now and I still continue to work in that way, never taking on too many clients or promising too much. I keep the ‘happy’ in my relationships and I attend the groups that support me and I help others grow their businesses and hopefully it enriches their lives.
Social networking for me is about meeting new contacts who will enable me to be myself and be honest about my approach, my commitments and how I work. I’d like to know that in some way I have connected with and inspired someone in that meeting that they can move forward and create a business that works for them but also for those around them.
Thank you Lisa and Sue for providing the platform of www.networkingwomen.org.uk to enable me to do just that.”
My conversations with the attendees was different today. I connected.
Hi Jane,
WOW! That is a powerful story, I can see why your connection quality changed at the networking meeting. I think if I had been in the room I would have cried tears of empathy and tears of joy for coming through it all with the kind of life you want.
Thank you so much for sharing your story!
Alan
This is sooooo what I was talking about, Jane, with my response about needing to have a website at the end of your social media…yes I know we all need websites, but the character of person/brand is what will ultimately deliver a connection and establish an engagement…which will ultimately lead to business, friendships and valuable and valued connections/customers. Social media is much better at delivering that character over a given period of time as it can show lots more facets and get across the varied opinions and attitudes of that character. A website becomes part of that character’s attributes.
We should always be looking to show our personality and put some personal weight behind our social media. Brands especially so…its no different for them – we need a personality we can believe in and engage with, not some quick fix, automated, mud at a wall communications which can no way build long lasting relationships. They generate acquaintances, colleagues and ‘oh yeah I remember him…whathisname’ type relationships. As a brand these types of relationships won’t defend you against another brand, they might recommend but with no weight, they’ll deny you if it gets hard to support you, they’ll drop you like a stone if there are any issues. So what kind of a relationship is that…would we want those kind of people as friends…no.
Brands need to work harder and stop thinking there is a quick fix around the corner. We don’t automate building our own true friendships. Building relationships takes time and effort and they don’t happen overnight. But invest and you will reap the rewards tenfold!
Check out xcitations.com for some clever ways we can help brands build deeper more long lasting relationships
Thanks for the comment Tobin. Some very valid points made!