Have you ever walked into a room and felt the mood?

Have you ever cried at the movies?

Have you ever yelled at the television during a football game?

These are example of empathy.  Our ability to become involved with and connected to the people around us.

Leaders must be empathetic.  We must be aware of the mood of those around them, the interactions between them and be able to connect with and react affectively.

Marketers must be empathetic.  We must be in tune with their client’s or prospective client’s position, mood, how they are feeling about the purchase and product / service in general.

We human beings are social people and as such enjoy connecting with each other.   A significant portion of our brain is devoted to our interactions with others.  This is where the effective use of social media comes into play.

Overwhelm your community with messages, and they will fall on a deaf ear.  They will sense that you are not there to benefit them, add value to their lives or care.  You are out to get noticed, make noise and crank up the numbers.  It is when you focus on your message, on sharing items of value to the benefit of your community that those warm fuzzy feelings of connection come to fruition.

It’s the difference between the one night stand and a relationship.  In the first case you are there to get the goods and leave, in the second you get into the heart and head first then you get the goods – plus a whole lot more.

While just about anyone can “score’ a meaningless one night stand; it takes effort, patience and understanding to build a relationship.  In which do we find more value?

How casual are you about your business?  This will determine how casual you are with the people you connect to.  When you are involved in Social Media Marketing, your intent should be to be there for the long haul, out of passion for your work and to benefit those you come across.

You are there to be empathetic.

People react to being empathized with by giving loyalty in return.  To win that loyalty, you need to connect in the Social Media Marketing landscape and worry less about “scoring”.