You may think that social media is a great tool for promoting your business. You can get your message out to a lot of people for relatively little money and time. However, if all you’re doing is promoting yourself, people see that. And they stop listening. Using social media selfishly can actually hurt your business. To use social media effectively, you need to change how you do business.
David Armano, over at Logic+Emotion, put together The Social Business Manifesto, which encapsulates the changes you need to make to your business. For example:
• We will no longer view you as “consumers”. Instead, you are co-creators, participants, and advocates.
• We will actively listen, and participate authentically because we know you demand nothing less.
• We will meet you on your terms, not ours.
• We will provide value, not noise.
Using social media effectively means thinking about your customers first. What they need. What they want to hear. What they’re saying. It requires listening. It requires understanding and communicating. It requires conversation. It requires quite a bit of change for a lot of businesses. Yes, you’re in business to make money. No one disputes that. But you can’t just shout out what you’re selling anymore.
Maybe this is just back to business as it started. The way shop owners used to converse with customers and know their preferences when they walked in the door. Social media is certainly leveling the playing field.
Are you ready for change?
(photo by Mike Cattell)
Digital Marketing & Strategy