Strategies and Tactics for Women by Dr. Shannon Reece

As we venture into the first days of a New Year, what better way to begin than to take note of our focus and how we show gratitude to those who bring tremendous value to our lives and businesses. To teach us how to effectively broadcast our thanks in meaningful ways, I am happy to share the expertise of social media marketing expert, and Founder of Sierra Tierra Marketing, Lisa Kalner Williams. Enjoy!

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If you have ever taken a yoga class, your practice most likely has ended with the word Namaste. The Western world has translated this ancient Sanskrit word to mean, “The good in me sees the good in you.”

How might you translate this connection of inner goodness once you hop onto a social media community? Consider the following gestures for personalized, meaningful ways to highlight the goodness of others.

Love through LinkedIn.

LinkedIn ranks high in Google’s search algorithm, so if you want the world to know how wonderful a vendor, colleague, or service provider is, then click onto that person’s page and prepare a detail-rich testimonial for her. When a LinkedIn connection seems to be desperately looking for employment, introduce her to a relevant person in your LinkedIn network. If you want to send kindness but are pressed for time, write a short-but-thoughtful message to a connection, who updates her LinkedIn status with news of a promotion or book deal or one where she says she’s “looking for employment.”

Thank via Twitter.

Those of you who use Twitter are probably familiar with the hashtags #thankfulthursday and #followfriday (or #ff) as a way to give praise to others. But they’ve become so commonplace that they’re almost expected. I prefer to use Twitter Lists and direct messages to say, “I see your goodness and I want to let you know.”

Twitter Lists are a great way to tell the Twittersphere who your favorite Tweeps or professionals are. It would be incredibly flattering, for example, to put a social media marketer on a list like Social Media Stars or Marketing Minds . If you prefer to do something more intimate, send a direct message to someone to tell her how fabulous she is or how thankful you are to know her.

Kiss with Klout.

This “social media influence” measurement tool has been a target of controversy  lately, but you know what? No one will say no to having a high Klout score. So why not help a friend out by giving them a “K+” in an area that she excels?

With so many one-way and superficial conversations on social media channels, it’s a special treat to give (and receive) a deeper social acknowledgment online. What methods to you use to say Namaste?

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Lisa Kalner Williams is the founder of Sierra Tierra Marketing, a social media marketing company that provides social analysis, strategy, and instruction to individuals and corporations.

Connect with Lisa on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+