Why must you “BE” on social media & not just “ON” it? When it comes to building community around your business, you need to know what the difference is. Learn what the difference is and how it can affect your business.
[Social media tip: One of the most powerful things you can DO on social media is BE on social media.]
- Being present on social media is not the same as using it
- Being present involves engaging others and building a community
- Conversations build community. Posting and running away does not.
- It is the small day to day conversations that matter to those in our community
- There are things that we can do on a daily basis that will help our business and our community
Why “BE”ing on social media matters more than just using it:
Many people have different ideas when it comes to being on social media. For some, being on social media means posting real estate listings, links to websites, and random posts. They see it as a way to get their information in front of the masses.
What these people fail to understand is that we no longer live in a “Push” marketing world. We live in a “Pull” marketing world where customers search and pull the results they want to their web browsers. Furthermore, people are doing business with people they like to do business with. The interaction of a business owner with a potential customer is becoming more important for business success.
And if you’re thinking that this is a new idea, is not. We are returning, via social media, to a time where business owners interacting with their customers and build strong connections in the community. Social media is allowing business owners the ability to once again interact with their community. So it is not good enough to have a billboard with advertising on it. The smart business owner knows that he must interact with every customer whenever possible.
This concept of interaction is the same on social media. It is not good enough for a business just to be on social media. They need to be interacting with their customers and the members of their community to create customer loyalty.
So what does this look like? A business still must ask for the business. But being a business owner on social media means more than just posting all business. Smart business owner knows how to interact with community members and build respect with others in the community. Smart business owner knows people by name and key facts about what they do. This allows them to enter conversations with these community members, and their customers, and create like and trust.
Smart business owner knows that wishing someone a “Happy Birthday” goes a long way. They also know that as they entwine themselves in the lives of others, they can build a lot of trust with others. People will feel good about doing business with them, because they will enjoy being in their presence.
And that’s why you just cannot do social media! You must BE on social media. That means that conversations are every bit as important as the sale. That means recommending things to customers, that you might not even sell, is a good thing that will enhance their lives. When you help them, by being genuinely helpful, they will feel good about interacting with you.
So, as a business, if you’re going to go on social media, you need to be on social media in a meaningful way. And that meaningful way means more than just posting to social media and running away. Smart business owner looks for ways to interact with local customers on social media that could drive traffic into the store and create goodwill for business in the community.
What should we do today on our social media?
We should check your social media to see what we have been posting in the past. If we find that we are broadcasting, just posting and not listening, we need to change. We need to look for ways to be on social media in a meaningful way.
When we don’t have customers in front of us in the store or in our business, we should be looking to try to interact with someone on our social media. That conversation alone could create a business opportunity. Social media allows us to reach out into the community and interact with anyone we want at a time. As a business owner, we need to recognize that potential customers are on it. As we interact with them, they might consider doing business with us.
We also need to remember it’s the everyday conversations, and the small talk, that allows us to create goodwill and the community. It’s not a good idea to go from a post to sale all at once. This will annoy your online customers and community. Don’t just reach out and ask someone to buy something. Ease into the conversation and see where it takes you.
We can still post our sales and our deals on our social networks. But hitting people up directly in a cold call situation does not work on social media. We don’t walk up to someone asked him “Do you want to buy house?” We start with small talk and see if the conversation can head in a business direction.
Do not see casual conversations as a waste of time. Instead see it as a door opener that could lead to business opportunity. Be present on social media when you can through the day and interact with people. Focus on creating some “like” in your community. After all, when someone walks in your business you start talking to them. Think of social media as a way to begin talking to your potential customers before they get into your place of business.
Things we can do on our social media:
- Wish them a Happy Birthday
- Tell them to have a great weekend
- Ask a question about their last post
- Share a photo with them
- Share a great thought with them
- Congratulate them on an achievement they made
- Tell others why that person is awesome
These are but a few of the things we can do. I bet you can think of more great ideas.
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