Let’s face it, we do flatter daily in real life either sincerely or on purpose. There is no secret that flattering is also a widely used social media marketing tool. With it you can get more social friends, their support and help, and establish yourself as a social network power user.
Didn’t you once [or twice or multiple times] make a “great-post” comment? Didn’t you once approach a power niche marketer with “I-enjoyed-your-article” message? Didn’t you once cite an expert and link back to him? Isn’t that flattering? Let’s call a spade a spade: don’t be a goody – accept it, you do flatter now and then no matter for what reasons. [Ok, to please die-hard skeptics out there I can call that ‘praising’ or ‘complimenting’]. Anyway no matter how you prefer to call it, the main thing is to do it right. There are five principles [let’s say 5 social media unwritten rules] that can ensure a positive feedback from the person you are [cough] complimenting: (1) Do it timely; (2) Do it sincerely; (3) Do it expertly; (4) Do it moderately; (5) Do it creatively.
- Why time is important? If you are too new to the community, your flattering is too evident. Yes, the right to flatter should also be earned [like anything else btw]. If you are an established user, praising is no more viewed as flattering – it is now a positive evaluation. So don’t hurry to send “you-are-so-great” message once you join a social media network. First get noticed with your hard work and value you add to the community.
- Flatter sincerely – yes, this is evident. Say something only if you feel you should. Being unnatural is always evident no matter how hard you try to hide it.
- Expert evaluation wins respect. Don’t say you like someone’s work – add why you like it and what you like most. Be specific, if you are well acquainted with the person’s work [and this is a must], that will be no problem.
- Again, no hurry! Plenty of flattering a day or per post seems unnatural. That’s what I call “brown nosing” [well, there is a more precise word for that but I am a too well-mannered girl to use it];
- Being creative is important in everything. There are plenty of ways to show your respect and praise: private message via your common SM, a well-reasoned comment at the person’s blog, email, link to his post, etc. Linking is one of the best choices. Your friends are clever people, they are most likely to try to promote a post linking to them. Promoting your promoters is a well-known and most effective [for both sides] technique.
Well, if you follow the rules, you are most likely to succeed. Remember a good flattery is always good. Few people can resist it. A well-done flattery adds value; it’s never irritating or annoying. Instead that’s a good way to grab attention and build friendship. So good luck to you, if you do it right, you have nothing to be ashamed of.
