The Social Enterprise Exchange begins tomorrow in Glasgow, UK. The world’s largest event of it’s kind aims to bring together organisations operating in or with an interest in the social enterprise sector.

The Code has been initiated by a group of founder members representing some of the key organisations in the Scottish social enterprise community. The code was developed in response to a feeling in the sector that the definition of an SE has never been adequately focussed or asserted with the result that many essentially private businesses have been using the term to describe themselves while not operating in a fashion that the wider community would agree constitutes a true social enterprise.

A set of values and behaviours rather than a mandatory set of rules, the code is designed to be voluntary and provide the basis for self-regulation by the SE community.
Download The Code (PDF)

One of the things I love about social media is that it actively encourages and rewards those that help others without trying to ram sales pitches down their throats and ‘being nice’ is a genuinely great strategy for growing your business. At the end of the day if you help people out they are far more likely to recommend you or use your company than if you try to hoodwink them into buying something from you that they neither want nor need. It’s not a scaleable business model!

Linkedin answers

With that in mind I’ve recently been checking out ‘LinkedIn answers’. I have to be honest it took me a while to really get LinkedIn. At first It seemed like just a load of profiles and online CV’s that no one was really looking at but as I’ve discovered there’s so much more to LinkedIn than that. For me the real power of LinkedIn for businesses lies in the groups and answers sections.

Put simply, answers is an area on LinkedIn where you can go and look up questions that people have posted (Go to the ‘more’ link in the top navigation and select answers). You can then check out the answers that other users have posted in response. A great way to find tips about areas you are interested in.

Engaging your audience

The best bit though is that you can browse by different industry types to focus the questions and answers you are really interested in. Once you’ve had a browse through the industries you can then focus on the ones that are specific to your area of work and start answering people’s questions. This is a hugely powerful way of engaging with people directly that are interested in your industry and over time establishing yourself a a trusted source of information for this industry. Askers can then rate the best answers and as you build up your number of answers and best answers you may be featured in the ‘Top experts’ section for that industry which everyone sees as soon as they click on that industry name. Imagine the level of exposure this can give you and your company, the answers section is visible to all users of LinkedIn (recently estimated at approx 100 million), then imagine being recognised as an expert in your industry by people who genuinely have an interest in what you do… and all that without even one awkward phone call to someone you have no connection with whatsoever who most likely isn’t even vaguely interested in what you have to say.

Some people will tell you it is all about incorporating themes like sex or violence, it is about stirring dissatisfaction then providing solutions. I’m going to propose something different, something that comes way before you try and sell a product or idea. It is about emotional connection and in order to do that you have to seek first to understand, and then be understood.

Where most people go wrong

Emotional connection is difficult, the longing for it is a theme that runs deeply through our art and cultural. The reason it is so difficult is because, quite unwittingly we are so surrounded by our own hopes, plans, concerns and problems that it become harder and harder to be aware of the needs of others. Even if we are working for the benefit of others in a charity or social enterprise, it is very easy to become caught up in our objectives and the day to day ups and downs of working life.

We become incased in our own little shell bumping into other people’s shells unsure about how to get through.

We know what we want, we know what our boss wants, we know our organisation’s mission but, to write effective web copy we have to be concerned only with what our reader wants.

Why is it important to make an emotional connection?

Have you ever had a friend or colleague who you get a real ‘lift’ from talking to? Someone who always remembers what is going on in your life, who takes a real interest in what is happening with you instead of simply talking about themselves?

The reason that kind of experience has such an impact is because positive attention makes us feel cared for, it makes us feel ‘seen’ and understood. It makes us feel connected.

I think that the need for emotional connection is a driving force in human nature, understanding how it works can help you build the kind of community that will invest the time, love and energy needed to help you achieve your aims.

Watch Brené Brown’s amazing ted talk on the power of vulnerability, trust and human connection

Why is connection so difficult?

Every day our attention is bombarded with information. We have become very efficient at switching off the white noise. We have learned to distrust the broadcasts and the sales messages, we’ve become wise to their manipulation, even the very powerful emotive pleas of good intentioned causes leave us exhausted rather than engaged.

How to build trust and connect with people online

The answer to this is simple but it might not be welcome.

Forget what you need, what you are trying to sell or promote, that should make up no more than a 1/4 of your messaging. Instead think ‘how can I learn more about my audience, how can I find out about what they need, what they care about and what they hope for.’

You have to channel that friend, or colleague, the one that always remembers the details of your life, that always focuses their attention on you rather than themselves. If you can do that for your readers you will build a relationship with them, you’ll make a positive impact on their life, and over time you will be paid back in loyalty and support.