“Others First” Friday: 8 Social Media Lessons I Learned From the Rotary

Yesterday morning I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of folks from the Lancaster Sunrise Rotary. It was my first experience with the Rotary, and I took the time to learn a little bit about their vision and what they do. I went to speak to them about Social Media and inbound marketing, but I ended up being the student. I learned 8 lessons that can be applied to how we approach Social Media from a business perspective:

1. “Service above self” - This is the motto or Rotary International. These men and women all own or work at local businesses. Some of what they do at Rotary meetings is networking. But for the most part, they are there to serve. This concept is exactly what I mean by “Others First,” and I wish I would see more of it in business, and how we utilize Social Media. You’ll understand more of this in further points.

2. “They profit most who serve best” – This is the secondary motto of Rotary, and it really strikes a chord with me. Service comes first; and if you choose to serve, there is a good chance you’ll actually benefit, both personally and in business. This isn’t why we choose to serve, but it may be a result of serving. Social Media affords us with all sorts of opportunities to use our business presence as a form of service.

3. Community- Rotary is a true community with more than 1.2 million menbers in 35,oo0 clubs worldwide. And they aren’t closed. At the meeting I attended, there were members of 4 or 5 other clubs in attendance. They may be different clubs, but they function as one community. If our Social Media communities function like this, we’ll be in good shape.

4. A Culture of Welcoming – I felt incredibly welcome. They were helpful, and going into the meeting, I only knew one of the people via Twitter, and hadn’t ever met any of them in person. I did not feel like an outsider or an intruder. As we create and join online communities, are we truly making others feel welcome?

5. Think and serve both locally and globally – The Lancaster Sunrise Rotary club serves on a variety of levels. First off, they participate in the parent organization’s efforts to battle polio, as well as promote literacy. Not only that, they have their own programs that they support. This club has partnered with Rotarians in Ethiopia as part of an Ethiopian Eye Mission. This project supports doctors who provide surgery to Ethiopians suffering from cataracts. Locally, the Sunrise Rotary has adopted a 4th grade class at Carter & McRae elementary school in Lancaster city. Members volunteer weekly to help teach reading, and they also donate books to the school. In fact, they donate one book each week in the name of the person who spoke at their meeting. At the end of my presentation I was given a book that I could sign and inscribe with a message for the students, and that book will soon be given to the school in my name. What a great concept!

And throughout the year the club has a variety of fundraisers designed to raise money for these causes. Additionally, I learned that many of the members also are involved in their own favorite causes on the side.

6. Commitment – These Rotarians meet every week, early in the morning. Most civic organizations or networking groups that I’m familiar with meet on a monthly basis, or even less frequently. But these folks meet weekly. Social Media takes commitment as well. You can’t just create a presence and put it on autopilot. It’s a regular commitment involving engagement, dialogue, and monitoring, to name a few things.

7 & 8. Transparency and Ethical Behavior – I lump these two together mainly because these seem to be the core themes in the Rotary Club’s “Four-Way Test.” This test is applied to any planned action to make sure it is compatible with the Rotary spirit. The test is this:

• Is it the truth?
• Is it fair to all concerned?
• Will it build good will and better friendships?
• Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

This same test should be applied to how we utilize Social Media in a variety of ways. From the things we say in our online world, to the way we treat others in our online communities. And if businesses use this as a guiding principal of their Social Media plan, I believe they will reap the benefits.

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I thoroughly enjoyed the short time I spent with this local group of Rotarians, but I certainly came away with a new level of respect for them. And they have certainly inspired me.

As you seek to look for ways of putting “others first,” why not consider joining your local Rotary Club? Or at least put into practice in your business some of the ideas and ideals of this group.

Tagged as: business, Community, Marketing, Rotary International, Service Clubs, Social Media