What techniques do you use to avoid a pushy salesperson?

Do you hustle into a store with eyes glued to the ground, quickly glean the information you want and then scoot right back out? Do you favor the “I'm just looking” lie? Some employ a direct approach – “Please leave me alone to browse” – and if all else fails, open hostility is an option.

No matter how you do it, it's true that few people relish an aggressive salesperson's undivided attention on a car lot or in a clothing store.

Remember your consumer side when building a strategy for selling your service or product via social media. If it were built for relentless push marketing, it wouldn't be called “social” media. Facebook has “friends” and allows you to “like” things. Twitterati “follow” people offering pithy observations on life. People get “Linked” in, not fused or bonded. Social media is a kinder, gentler means of communication – usually – and should not be wielded as a blunt instrument.

Yes, of course you can sell via social media. As businesses have found value in social media, developers have responded with useful applications, such as the ability to sell tickets directly on Facebook. But let your sales pitches and special offers flow naturally as part of a breezier, friendlier conversation. Some tips:

Personalize: You'll likely label your Facebook page or Twitter account with your company name. But if you have a mascot or a local icon, consider using that instead (or in addition to your regular account). Now the postings and responses will feel as though they're coming from just another person, as opposed to a Really Big Company That Is Going To Sell You Things.

Another option is to create a strategy by which a handful of your employees have company Twitter accounts with the company name included – @davek_widgetco, for example. They should be monitored for abuse and/or disgruntledness, but encourage these Tweeters to let their personality shine through.

Relax: As we said, not every post or Tweet should be a direct sales gambit. They don't even have to be about your company. It's one of the great advantages of social media over the fleeting on-site interaction – you have time to build a relationship, so do it. If you sell insurance, post links to stories on the response to natural disasters, or the latest regulations in Washington. Interior designers can link to the best (and worst) examples of makeovers they find on YouTube.

Furthermore, if you can pinpoint your customers' demographic, engage them with tidbits that would interest them but have nothing to do with your business. If your clientele is mostly affluent, middle-aged men, for example, offer your comments on the PGA Tour. Do you cater to stay-at-home moms? Share stories about your own children (though not pictures or what school they attend, for goodness' sake).

Use social media to let your customers get to know YOU, so when you do try to make a sale, they're less likely to look for the nearest exit.

Matt Schroeder has a 20-year background in a wide range of media, from writing and design to new media and broadcast. Reach him at mattschroeder255@gmail.com.