How to Win Friends and Influence People (on social media)

Dale Carnegie is the Original Social Media Influencer

I made a huge point not to Google it before sharing this thought, just to see if I am the first to notice that Dale Carnegie has got to be the OG Influencer of our lifetime! First, I have completed Dale Carnegie training in 2012 and loved it. The more I speak to clients about social media strategy, the more I realize that nearly every point I make can be applied to some real-life proverb (a leopard can’t change its spots, early bird catches the worm, etc.) that humans have lived by for generations. It made me think, “Content marketing’s nucleus is human behavior.” You know, just simple ‘ol human behavior!

I was talking a lot about adding friends and followers, and connecting with micro-influencers, when it hit me, “Dale Carnegie wrote the book on this 84 years ago!” That’s right, approaching social media from the pages of How to Win Friends and Influence People will help you increase engagement, attract and retain your target audience, and help you put your darn phone down when the work day is through! Dale knew what was up:

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

  1. Don't criticize, condemn, or complain. (Not in person, and certainly NOT online!)

  2. Give honest and sincere appreciation. (90% of consumers say Authenticity is important when choosing the brands they like and support.)

  3. Arouse in the other person an eager want. (It’s not bragging if your product or service helps them solve a real problem.)

  4. Never show others that you are not interested in what they have to say. (Comment on posts from important people in your industry and community, don’t just read and move on.)

Six Ways to Make People Like You

  1. Become genuinely interested in other people. (Your target audience is telling you so much about themselves online, pay attention as opposed to just looking for likes and follows. Schedule time to observe on social media.)

  2. Smile. (Smile emojis. If you’re not that into social media or strapped for time, share an emoji or two on important posts for that day to show you’re listening.)

  3. Remember that a person's name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language. (And approximately 3.1 billion of those people use social media.We’ve been self-obsessed long before Snapchat’s Pretty Filter was invented!)

  4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves. (A social media strategy rarely includes listening first, but it should.)

  5. Talk in terms of the other person's interest. (If a client or prospect sends you a message on social media or via email, it is best to respond in the manner in which they reached out to you. Same platform, same length, same tone.)

  6. Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely. (Insincere content can work for individuals on social media, but when it comes to brands and businesses— users just need one reason not trust you and they are gone for good.)

How to Win Friends and Influence People was published in 1936. Over 15 million copies have been sold worldwide, making it one of the best-selling books of all time. If Dale Carnegie was on social media today, 15 million would be 2x as many Instagram followers as Tom Brady and The New York Times, and 1 million more Twitter followers than Michelle Obama. The book is #19 on TIME’s 100 Most Influential Nonfiction Books, translating that again to modern-day influence, in 2019 TIME’s 19th most influential leader was Greta Thunberg. Like I said, DC is the OG Influencer!

3 MIN READKate Kareha