We all know what a blessing social media can be for your business and your brand. We've read article after article full of tips, tricks and hints to help us create a successful social media platform. And yet after all this research - one key element is still often missing. Which element is that, you ask? The P Factor, of course!

The P Factor stands for Personal Factor and it has to do with letting your clients have a glimpse of the "real" you. They've seen your business face and how competently you handle your clients, your brand and your business. They see you as an expert in your field and value your opinion, your advice and your products - but they likely know very little about "the man (or woman) behind the mask". 

Getting to know your clients on a personal level makes them feel appreciated and welcome. It's one of the easiest ways that businesses can gain repeat, loyal customers. Letting them get to know YOU on a personal level strengthens that bond and lets your clients connect with you on a whole other level.

Alright, maybe you don't want to tell them everything about yourself, like how you got drunk at the company party last week and had to crawl home, but there are some tidbits you could share. Maybe your kids have a ballgame this weekend or you just finished reading a certain book. Perhaps you have a vacation or some other special event coming up. Maybe you ate your neighbor's cooking and realized again how much you truly hate broccoli. It doesn't matter. Any small, trivial, but personal and relevant tidbit is worth sharing. You could tweet it or put it on your Facebook status. No, it's not something you want to do all the time, but definiately something you want to include in your social media plan in measured portions.

Nobody wants to be "sold" to all the time. Keeping a lively mix of information flowing is imperative to keeping the interest of your social media followers.