Social media is the toolbox you use to build the vehicle that’ll spread your marketing message to more potential customers.

There are three specific tools in that toolbox, and misconceptions surrounding each one:

• LinkedIn. LinkedIn is not for networking. It takes people power to build a network — making personal connections in the professional world. LinkedIn is the venue where you showcase the network you’ve constructed, highlight your ability to connect with other people, highlight your connections and boost your credibility.
• Twitter. With a 140-character limit, Twitter is not the place for holding conversations. It takes more words to establish a true connection. Twitter can help you sort through various sources and subjects, but it’s the springboard for arranging a conversation — not the home for such conversations.
• Generosity. It’s said that the people who are most successful in using social media to leverage their business goals are also the most generous people — as in they demand or expect nothing in return for what they offer to potential customers or business connections. Find out how people want you to help them — then deliver. When you provide solutions, no strings attached, you’ve forged the beginnings of what could be a valuable working relationship.

Tags: connections, LinkedIn, misconceptions, myths, social media, toolbox, Twitter