Today I sat down with a business owner that needed consultation on several of his assets.
His Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and the rest, weren’t giving him the results that he wanted.
After a half hour of scouring over his brand pages I came to the conclusion that, even though this man was very successful in the offline world, he didn’t understand how the online world worked.
I want to discuss some of his mistakes and share with you how you can be better at building your reputation with your customers on social media.
It Is Never About You.
Shrewd.
That’s what this guy is.
He understands business. He is a corporate pirate that knows how to overtake small to medium sized businesses and turn them into cash cows.
He is a talker, an engager, someone who prefers face to face meetings instead of emails.
He understands the power of the handshake.
But him, and businessmen like him, misunderstand the power that lies behind your brand on social media.
They meet with clients in the “real” world and strike massive deals. They do all of the right things when it comes to making the customer top priority. But when it comes to social, they think everything needs to move on the same time scale as the offline world does.
After 3 months of nothing, new brands will pack it in and give up because they aren’t receiving the return from social media that they think they should be getting.
For some reason, while they understand that a face to face meeting is the most powerful form of marketing to date, they can’t understand the personalization that is needed to make them stand out on social media.
The first point I want to discuss is that social is never about you. Sure, you’ve got a brand that has something to sell, but if you’re not making it personal for the reader then they’re not listening.
Everything you do has to be pointed toward your target market. And that leads me to the next point.
What To Do on Social Media
You may feel the urge to start posting your wares right away, but that will be a mistake.
A potential customer isn’t interested in your product right away. For one thing, they may not know anything about the product. This is where you can help them.
One great example is a client I had about two years ago that was popular in the bow tie industry (yeah bow ties of all things).
He was successful and sold a lot of product, not because he posted what was for sale every day of the week, but because he made the product personal for the user.
He posted video tutorials on how to tie a bow tie, where he got the material, how he cut the material to make the bow ties, etc.
Everything he did was an indirect approach to the product but a direct path that would help the customer realize something different about his company.
If your brand wants to be more personal on social media you should start introducing your employees to your followers, show them how you make the product, give them a tour of your facility, a place no one ever sees. Something that shows the inner workings of your brand and business will help your brand become more intimate with the potential client.
Why Personal?
Why not?
It works in the offline world of business, so why wouldn’t you do the exact same thing as you would with someone you were meeting in person?
You would buy them lunch, get to know them a little better, get to know their business better, you would make it about them so you could understand how you could meet their needs on an intimate scale.
The face to face meeting still reigns supreme.
You can still make that happen on social media. As Brian Fanzo states, Look the person in their digital eyeballs, that’s the best way to relate to them, and better yet, them to you.
Want More?
There’s plenty more where that came from! If you liked this article, give it a thumbs up and let me see your comments!
If you’re one of those people that need help with your business on social media, I can help you get there. Take some time to check out our services page.
Until then, make sure you are relating to your customer and target market in a personal, intimate way.
Cheers!
