By Nancy Marshall, The PR Maven®

Take Advantage Of Social Engagement To Boost Your Professional Success

Social engagement is the name of the game for business leaders. As we move into the new year, take some time to consider your own social capital and goodwill. The key to branding yourself is the impact you have on others—whether or not they know, like and trust you. Elevating your social capital and fostering goodwill among others (including clients and customers) takes your entire brand to another level.

Ask yourself: Am I (still) relevant? Am I (still) recognizable in the eyes of others? Because online branding is so important these days, relevance and recognizability come down to “searchability”—your presence in Google Search. When people search for your name or your business, they want to see your expertise. They want to see thought leadership. They want to see content that demonstrates unique know-how—from LinkedIn posts and tweets to news stories and op-ed columns.

Create content accordingly, and get others to create content about you. The more searchable content you have to your name, the more people will look at you with an added level of respect. You will come across as more credible, legitimate and ultimately trustworthy.

As I often say, trust is the key to success in business. People want to know that you’re competent and qualified, but also caring and compassionate. They want to know that you have their best interests at heart.

With social capital in mind, you can create goodwill in person and online. Research suggests that face-to-face connections can be more powerful. Meeting people in person causes the release of oxytocin, stimulating our desire to be social and to keep coming back for more.

Online interactions can still be powerful though. For example, social media is so addictive because of the dopamine released when we receive a comment, like or message. That’s a double-edged sword for many people, but business leaders can leverage social media to network with others. When you meet someone in person for the first time, connect with them virtually to deepen your connection. That way, if you forget their name and want to reach out, you can use a social media platform like Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn to touch base.

Whether it’s online or in person, the most important component of social engagement is showing people that you care about them. Don’t just talk about yourself; listening matters a lot. I often think of the famous quote that’s often attributed to Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Essentially, it means that every adult has an inner child who really just wants to be recognized and validated.

Listen to others. Get to know people, and they may like you. If they like you, they may even trust you, and that’s the goal in business. But they can’t like you if they don’t know you. And they can’t trust you if they don’t like you first.

You stay relevant by staying top of mind, and that means being “out there” as a social butterfly. That means being a “connector,” even if it doesn’t come naturally to you. Growing and strengthening your network will help you boost your professional success.

But first, you have to keep asking yourself that one important question: Am I (still) relevant?

If so, then become more relevant. You can always do better. On a daily basis, I try to push myself to connect with new people and pursue networking opportunities, even when they’re inconvenient.

And if you’re not relevant, then get out there. And get online. It’s time for you to become the best version of your social self.


This article originally appeared on the Forbes Agency Council CommunityVoice in December 2022.