Businesses recognize that social media is great way to reach their customers. Social media has opened up a new world of communication between company and consumer. What businesses have not realized is how to use this new communication to their advantage. Businesses cannot shout out advertisements at their customers and potential clients. You have to give information to receive.
Brian Kennedy, one of my favorite business coaches, makes a great point about networking that can easily apply to social media marketing. When you give with open hands, your hands are open to receive. If you hold on to what you have, your hand is a closed fist. With a closed fist, you cannot give or receive. This applies to social media: you have to give information, not advertisements, to receive attention from your customers.
Too many times, companies shout their branding messages on social media networks and expect their customers to buy their product or service. Companies need to share information and engage with their customers to build a relationship. Building a relationship with your clients helps establish trust, and this is key. Customers buy from brands they can trust. This leads to brand loyalty and repeat customers. Repeat customers are the best customers. Not only are they happy customers but they tend to refer others to the product or service that they love using.
Social media is a great tool to reach your customers but use it wisely. Informing your customers of your products and services can go a long way to build a long and lasting relationship filled with referrals. Shouting at your clients on social media with advertisements just turns them away.
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Hi Kristen, thanks for stopping by the blog and leaving a comment (http://goo.gl/WQJ5f). I agree that a lot of people do nothing but shout their marketing message at the community when they join places like Twitter and Facebook and then they wonder why no one is paying attention to them. LOL. Hopefully, they wise up and start paying attention to what people are telling them about interacting with the community.
Thanks again and have a great one 🙂
Hi Kristen, what a beautiful quote you have just shared. “When you give with open hands, your hands are open to receive.” That’s a keeper 🙂 I totally agree that social media is not about hard selling. It’s about sharing and building a relationship with your potential clients. Any relationship takes time and must be handled with care.
I love it too! I got it from my BNI mentor, Brian Kennedy. I like what you said about relationships: They have to be handled with care. So true!
It is a delicate balance and many times we are forced to sift through what we see just to gain what we need or want from a message. We also ignore what we are used to seeing too much of, that is almost automatic. There is a time and a place for everything. We can always look around for examples, of a good or engaging post or message. We can learn from them especially since we know what can and does push our own buttons.
You’re right, there has to be a balance. At the same time, you have to listen and I feel that not too many people do that.
And yes, there is a time and place for everything.