Marketing efforts must stay strong during difficult times, otherwise how will customers find you when their pockets begin to fill again.
My uncle taught me a valuable marketing lesson a few years back that I try to incorporate into most of my marketing efforts today. When you teach someone, they tend to trust you. Think about that. A few people you probably trust, right off the top of my head are, your parents, school teachers, pastor, and coaches. What do they all have in common? They each taught you something! When you teach someone, you are automatically an expert in their eyes, because you know more than they do about that particular thing.
Another lesson I learned from my boss at KCFit. Always, be the connector. Even if you do not know anything about a subject, if you connect someone to a person that does, they will forever remember that you introduced them. Think about a few of the people you interact with on a professional level. Do you remember how you met them? I know I sure do. And beyond that, when I associate with those people, I usually bring the person who connected us in on the conversation.
Take those lessons and apply it to social bookmarking, I personally use Delicious. I read articles to show that I am in touch with what I talk about. I can produce material to back up what I say. Everything I bookmark can become a tool to teach. Weather it be an informative article or a great website with a collection of resources. Even if the website does not teach them, they will always remember that I showed it to them. I connected them to something they find useful. I am now a part of something that the person does often. Social bookmarking does not have to be used in this way, but it can be. It is a powerful tool that I feel is often overlooked in the world of social media. I consistently send out emails to other professionals in my field with a link to my delicious page which leads to being a connector and/or a teacher.
Do you think those lessons are true? Do you think they apply to the uses of social bookmarking? What other social media outlets can benefit from these lessons? I have a few in mind and will blog about them at a later date. I would love to hear from you all to see if these are good lessons to market by and if we are on the same page for how social media can be applied with these lessons in mind…
A blog (a contraction of the term “Web log”) is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.
As you can see, a Blog is not a well scripted from start to finish, nor a fictional book. One of the most famous ‘flogs’ (fake blogs) was Wal-Marts, ‘WalmartingAcrossAmerica,’ disguised as a blog, it was actually a well scripted and plotted campaign rolled out by Wal-Mart and their PR firm. Based on an article from Intuitive Wal-Mart set up a ‘flog’ in which they attempted to make people believe that ‘Walmarting Across America’ was being written by a couple that traveled across America in an RV and parked it in Wal-Mart parking lots along the way. Only it turns out, they had scripted the entire thing and people found out.
Another piece of media that stands out in my mind is the book ‘A Million Little Pieces,’ by James Frey. He sold the book as ‘memoirs’ meaning that they are true in his mind, not necessarily factual, but true in his mind and in his perspective. After appearing on Oprah, it was found to be ‘A Million Little Lies.’
I wanted to share these examples up front in hopes that my points for the importance of being genuine while blogging will be a little stickier. All of us are gullible, some more than others. Think of a time where someone ‘got you’ good. Maybe it was small or big, important or not, joking or serious. How did you feel? Betrayed? Angry? And how easy is it to trust what that person says now? This is exactly how the people that read your blog would feel if they found out it was not truly who you are and the way you feel. As stated in the opening, a blog is regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material. People read blogs because that is what they expect. Don’t label your site a blog if that is not your intention. Don’t label your book a memoir if, in fact, it is fictional. Remember that feeling you have when you are on the other side. People are smarter than you might think. They WILL figure you out. And the up rise from people that feel betrayed, angry, and can’t trust you is one that I never want to experience.
RECAP:
Do any examples stand out in your mind of ‘flogs’? What are some other reasons to be genuine while blogging?
While in high school I became close friends with our school’s athletic director. Like most schools, sports were a pretty big deal and running that kind of operation was no easy task. So much of the director’s job was being able to react and deal with the concerns of students, parents, coaches, and administrators while representing the school and his department in a respectable manner.
One day I popped into his office to see what was going on.
“Oh, the same ol, Zach,” he said. “Just kissing babies and putting out fires.”
This popped into my head as I was thinking about some strategies we are trying to implement at Ideas and Angles.
One of the first things we advocate is listening to your customers and market before you start adding your own voice to the fray. There are a number of tools that monitor what people are saying about your company and its products\services over the internet.
The key is not to simply think about these situations as feedback but as opportunities for a good customer service situation. If someone writes about a tough experience they have with the company you represent on Twitter, it’s a perfect chance for you come in with a bucket of water and save the day. Offering to help in any way you can and then following up on that creates a great picture of your customer service for a few reasons.
It’s also important to be really nice to people. You have to project an open and friendly attitude. Hopefully this isn’t some huge stretch or anything, a lot of these skills should just apply to your life and not just your social media strategy.
Leave the sales and marketing speak behind, just be a real person. I remember sitting in a store when I was young and the receptionist answered the phone.
“It is a beautiful day at [insert business name], how may I help you?”
Even at a young age, that was off putting to me. I am all for putting a nice face on your business, but who talks like that?
This is where it helps to enjoy your job and services or products you offer. It is easier to encourage and share a passion for what you are representing when you feel the same way. Here are some other things to consider.
Ok, maybe you won’t be going up ladders to fight blazing infernos or smooching any babies that aren’t yours. But I think my old friend was really on to something.
Listen. React. Relate.