Social Media and Building Community (GF201)
Is your focus about you or your customers?
Does your business revolve around your product, personal goals or yourself? If you answered yes to any of these, you need to reconsider your focus! Your business is not all about you – it’s about your community of customers and their needs. Give your customers what they want! If your product doesn’t address their needs, why should you expect them to buy it? Your customers want to know what you can do for them, not what they can do to bolster your profits. Rather than focus on how to sell people on your products, focus on how your products help people succeed.
Do you know what your customers need?
Consumers respect businesses that listen to what they have to say. Listen to what your customers are telling you. Their words are like instruction manuals for creating products that sell. Listen and acknowledge them. Acknowledgment demonstrates that you are personable and serious about catering to their needs. Community-building is the best way to hear the voice of your consumer base. Encourage them to express their opinions about your products. Allow them to ask questions and make suggestions. Never presume to know what they want. Ask them instead. Their input will only help your business grow!
Take action!
Ever heard the saying, “actions speak louder than words?” Well, guess what? It’s true! Take action with the input your customers give you. Don’t allow their feedback to go in one ear and out the other. Acknowledge it and do something constructive with it! When you set their ideas into motion, they’ll realize just how much you value them. If you want your customers coming back for more, give them more of what they’re looking for.
Go beyond social networking sites
When it comes to social networking, Facebook and LinkedIn are hard to beat. Just don’t limit yourself to them alone! Be active in building a Web community where your customers can interact. Foster a fan base through writing blogs or host a forum on your website where you can interact with people on an intimate level. Praise your customers for their innovative ideas and valuable feedback. People are far more likely to feel good about your company if you treat them like you would your closest friends.
Professor: Chris Brogan, New Marketing Labs
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