A comment left on one of my blog posts recently came close to being deleted as it was obvious that the commenter hadn’t read the whole article. Instead, I replied politely and hope they may return to read the rest of the post! Such a ‘hit and run’ approach cannot be what’s meant by relationship marketing!
I was lucky enough to catch Seth Godin addressing internet marketing agencies from around the world which was broadcast as a Google Hangout on Air. Unfortunately, the replay isn’t publicly available, but there were so many great nuggets of wisdom, as you’d expect, and I wanted to share one point I was particularly delighted to hear, which is that ….
Know, Like & Trust are Still in Fashion!
This is great news for all of us authentic and ethical business owners. As Seth said, the get-rich-quick crowd don’t have the patience to build good relationships (they’re only interested in a one night stand after all!).
But it takes time to build solid relationships so that prospective clients have a chance to get to know, like & trust us before buying. Fortunately, social media presents us with many opportunities to do just that, especially blogs, as this post from Tom Treanor explains.
None of the following is rocket science, but ALL of them are important elements that go towards building solid business relationships.
Know – This means showing up regularly on the social networks where your target audience congregate, and in person (at least some of the time). Another way to let people get to know you is by publishing blog posts and sending out email newsletters. Let your personality shine through and remember that relationships rely on two-way conversations, on listening as well as speaking.
Like – Easily achieved by being helpful and friendly, especially if you keep a lookout for opportunities to answer questions and share resources. It’s also important to be a ‘real person’, and not rely totally on automated update services. I find I get the most reaction when I post something unrelated to business, perhaps a recipe or personal update
Trust – This can rightly take a while to earn. Being transparent, providing high value content, and offering guarantees are all good strategies. And of course, it’s vital to do what you say you will do, and when you say you’ll do it by. Show up consistently on the social networks and blog regularly to help establish a reputation for being reliable and trustworthy.
I recently started working with a client who has been on my newsletter list for a few years. We first met on Twitter and have had a couple of phone conversations. The other week, they decided to work with me, and I believe part of the reason is because they’ve had plenty of time & opportunities to get to know, like and trust me.
What part of Social Media Marketing do you like most for building business relationships?
Louise,
You’re right, of course, that authenticity is still very much in fashion, but you’re also right that building a real relationship takes time. Unfortunately, I think that’s the real problem here. With time at a premium, people are unwilling to spend much of it building the kinds of authentic relationships we all claim to cherish. But not taking the time is really a cop out, and leaving meaningless comments that make no connection and contribute nothing are a waste of what little time you have.
Heather Stone recently posted..3 Ways Your Business Can Get Closer to Its Customers