I’ve known for years that being social is about the people you’re engaging. This is especially true for social tools like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace (although MySpace is… well, we won’t go there, but it probably doesn’t amount to much anymore), etc. Even the definition of “social” includes the word “interaction”.
-And, how can you be truly successful in business without building some kind of relationship with someone? Why aren’t more businesses using technology to create a stronger community, a better social network? Sadly enough, there’s so much competition out there today; businesses forget that, ultimately, they can die if their clients become numbers only. Yet most still see their clients as “just a sale”, or they have no real understanding of what the client/consumer wants or needs.
Use Technology for Good…
Learn how to use technology to listen to your customers. Do you know what it means if people quickly leave your site after only visiting one page? Have you ever looked at the page itself to try and figure out what was missing?
Have you looked at what type of content on your website brings the most visitors? Have you paid attention to the keywords or search terms driving the most traffic? Which words/pages convert better? Which pages turn the most customers away? Technology gives you these answers if you just listen.
Take One Step at a Time…
So how do you get there? How long does it take? How can you get from where you are to where you’re going? Well, you get there one step at a time.
- Listen to your visitors. Find out what they came for. Look at the search terms and most visited pages.
- Filter out the subjects that bring no traffic or very low traffic.
- Create content based on the topics left after you’ve filtered at the dross. Create videos, podcasts, blogs, etc.
- Bookmark, tag and add to groups
- Like, rate, endorse and comment on other blogs
- Encourage guest blogging and participation
- Create a fan community by networking and adding friends
Put Away Your Warrior Weapons…
Now, while it’s okay to be competitive, you gain much more by sharing than conquering. Most of us get caught up in the “dog eat dog” spirit of things, but once you catch yourself, back up and take a deep breath. Grin, bear it, and put away your weapons.
Anytime I share ideas, good, bad or indifferent, people react. – But what about when people don’t react? Some live in fear that their ideas will be used or stolen. It’s happened to us on a number of occasions, believe it or not. However, no one has the Goose that lays the Golden egg. Everyone eventually has to stand on their own merit, good or bad – while we continue creating great connections.
Become a People Person…
So, how do you get there? Again, you get there one step at a time, by taking the people into consideration. I understand it isn’t, for the most part, a natural frame of mind. However, with the changes in the world today, what’s good for the consumer just happens to be good for the business as well.
Create great conversations and connections. Build relationships and out-reach your competitors. Understand what your clients and customers need. Put everything you know about your consumers into a comprehensive package of targeted goodies: brand recognition, trust, a partnership, brand confidence, consumer loyalty, consumer needs, etc. That’s not too much to ask for, is it?
Look, information is everywhere; what you choose to share, where and how, is completely up to you. Wouldn’t work better if you understood who you were sharing this information with, though? It’s important for communication to go both ways. By interacting with people beyond, “like my product? Wanna buy it?” you beginning finding your ROI.
It amazing what technology and social media really can do for your business. It’s extremely gratifying when information you’ve shared makes its way around the Web. What’s most amazing is you can often create real relationships and have great conversations – somehow, often, in 140 characters or less.
Post image by by VanessaLovee
