At the core of any social media consultancy is the awareness of the central challenge of using the unwilling media for marketing. In other words social media consultants take head-on, the challenge that is posed by the very nature of the media as succinctly expressed by social media users on www.cluetrain.com.

How do social media consultants deal with it? How do they set up a social media consulting business?

They simply follow the percept “while in Rome do as Romans do!” They socialize or at least show their clients how to socialize and use the platform for selling their product or service in a manner that does not force the socialites to protest the intrusion. They build relationships. They strategize around providing value to their peers on the network. They filter out unnecessary actions, unwanted pitches and off topic tangents and will lead with quality content that attracts, seeds conversations and informs.

As the consultant gains credibility and trust observers will turn into followers;  followers into fans; fans into leads and leads into clients.  In other words, the sales part of the relationship is a fall out of the relationship building process.  The transition from mere socializing to sales is made on the premise that people buy from you if they like you and trust you.

Here is a video by Chris Brogan which you may find interesting in context!

Chris Brogan Shares Social Media Tips