Nate Riggs: Social Business Strategies; communication, social web strategies, & passion in Columbus, Ohio.

I have clients that have become my friends.  I also have friends that have become my clients.

In his book Foundational Networking, Frank Agin makes the point that people do business with people they know, like and trust.  I don’t think anyone would argue against that idea.

Lots of people ask me about defining the line between business life and personal life in social networking.  “How do I keep my business contacts separate from my real friends and family?”  It’s a good question.

My answer is that in today’s social web driven world, that line no longer exists.  Our personal brands are made up of more than what we do for a living or the company we work for.  Personal brands encompass who we are as people.  Today, our clients and prospects and business partners are more likely to be somewhere on Facebook, than to have profiles on LinkedIn or Plaxo for FastPitch.  Facebook is seen by most users as where they stay in touch with their inner circles.

Can you separate business relationships from personal friends on Twitter?  Unless you know something I don’t, I believe that it is nearly impossible.

My friend (and business contact) Perry Maughmer always pulls great quotes out of thin air when we have a jam session.  Here’s one he taught me from U.S. novelist and short-story writer James A. Michener.  His words have become one of my mantras:

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.”

When was the last time you spent time with one of your clients outside of work?  How much have you disclosed about who you are after the work day is done? Do you embrace your clients as friends by letting them have a glimpse of the rest of your life?

Go ahead. Be brave. Disclose and try it on for size…

nateriggs

I advise mid-sized & large organizations on how to adopt and use social media to market through organizational culture and better serve their clients. I'm also a blended family dad who enjoys music, photography and distance racing. When I'm not writing here, you can find me writing over at the Content Marketing Institute. Like what you've read so far? Then why not subscribe HERE?

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