Online rules of engagement are changing. Old school business approaches and methods are getting left behind for dynamic new mediums that offer more interaction and less broadcasting. Businesses and industries are realizing it’s no longer possible to simply say what you do – you need to say what you can do as well.
This is the dawn of social media as a true business outlet and there’s never been a better time to get in on the inside.
Look online at tools and applications like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Flickr and more and you’ll see both major and minor brands with a presence. With the amount of businesses taking a more active role in social media, it’s a fairly good guess that some of them will be your competitors.
So how do you keep up and make sure you’re not the one left in the social media wastepaper bin? How about getting to the HEART of social media?
Hear what’s being said
There’s a lot of conversations taking place that you won’t even be aware of until it’s potentially too late. Perhaps it’s the amount of conversations taking place that’s kept you away from social media in the first place – too much to take in with too little time. But is it really too much to take in if you filter out the conversations that affect you? And that small amount of time now could mean the extension of successful time for your business. Hear what’s being said and react accordingly – the benefits will be worth it.
Engage the conversation
Once you’ve filtered the conversation to look after your brand, it’s easier to then engage the conversationalists. Listen to what’s being said and involve yourself – whether it’s in support of a positive comment or in defense of a negative one. Show empathy over exclamation – get to understand what the problem is and work with the audience to resolve. A negative experience turned into a positive one is worth more than any PR or advertising blitz.
Acclimatize to your new surroundings
The single biggest “mistake” that most businesses make when taking their first steps into social media is rushing in headfirst and using old business methods to try and establish themselves. This might work in certain settings – old school still has a little sway left – but for the majority of social media use, it’ll just come across as too much too soon. Look at what’s happening around you and maneuver your strategy around what’s working. See who’s being successful, use their guidance and always be open to new practices.
Reach outside your core audience
Think about your business and the reasons why it’s successful – I’m guessing one of them is because you reached out to new markets outside your niche and targeted them with your products or services. After all, without growth comes stagnation. Social media makes it even easier to find other audiences to talk to.
Just because they don’t use your brand isn’t to say their friend doesn’t – wouldn’t it be great to get a new customer because their friend told them you were on Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites and networks? Keep thinking one step ahead to grow your userbase.
Transparency is key
You know the old saying, “Honesty is the best policy”? Take that with you into the social media arena and you’ll learn more and gain more than if you try being something you’re not. Your biggest fans are probably that because of how you’ve conducted yourself business-wise so far – why should you want to change that?
Be open, be clear, and be honest. False views have a way of coming back to haunt you when you least need or expect them to – truth and transparency are the perfect foils to any and every misquote. Keep it simple and keep it honest and you’ll find the respect of your audience, targeted and otherwise.
Most happy endings come from following your heart – why should it be any different for social media?
photo credit: HocusFocusClick
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Twitter: mschechter
Love the Acronym. It is right on target with your message of community and gives off a warm and fuzzy feeling (gotta love that!)… Looks like I wasnt the only one reading Hubspots post on Acronyms. http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/5338/How-to-Build-Acronyms-That-Spread-Your-Ideas-Like-Wildfire.aspx. I tried to create one for Honora, but the best one I could come up with spelled out SCAM, didnt think that was exactly the foot I wanted to put forward
Michael Schechter´s most recent blog post …Is the Tweet Generation the new Beat Generation?
Hmm, yeah, SCAM probably isn’t the most effective, mate (unless you’re writing about pirates).
Hadn’t seen Hubspot’s feature, will check it out.
Transparency is definitely key. There’s nothing more satisfying for the average consumer than to see brands outed and ‘shamed’ for failing to be honest in the space. Case in point, the Honda incident from earlier this year: http://mashable.com/2009/09/02/honda-accord-crosstour/
As long as the “shaming” is constructive and leads to better practices all round, of course
Although I’ve read many posts about social media, and the unwritten rules of social media you still manage to shed some new fresh light on this topic. Kudo’s!
Interesting that you don’t mention anything about ROI…
Personally I think the struggle that many companies have to define that makes them miss the benefits that you point out with your acronym.
And a hint of ‘Old School’ within the new methods will never be wrong
Roger´s most recent blog post …Social Media is …
I think we get too wrapped up with ROI, Roger – it’s easy enough to gauge as long as you think laterally and don’t just go for the dollars (even though they’re easy to gauge as well).
And you have my full permission to punch me if I ever say that social media is the be all and end all of everything – “traditional approaches” have more than their fair share of relevance as well.
Twitter: JulieWalraven
Thanks, Danny, for the reminder. As I see results daily from new friends I’ve made through social media, new clients, and new partnerships, I find it hard to think that there was a recent time when none of this was there. But at the same time, daily I have clients and business associates who look at me with confusion when I mention the tools or the experiences I have had. Companies will have to continually evolve and know what voices to listen to and when to act. Thanks for being one of the voices I keep coming back to hear.
Hey there Julie, thank you for being part of the community here and always willing to share your views, always appreciated.
You hit the nail on the head by using the word “evolve”. Unless it’s something brand new (which social media isn’t, just a different way of describing things), then that’s all we’re doing – evolving.
If companies can get their heads into this mindset, they may just be less afraid that little bit quicker.
Danny, you’ve articulated the incredible opportunity social media has provided. This medium is shrinking the world so that the communities can be built at an intense rate of speed. Change is difficult and social media is change on steroids.
The fact that authenticity is crucial to success as we move forward is heartwarming.
Thank you for sharing this post.
Completely agree – we deal with a lot of clients who don’t think about targeting outside of their current audience. Social media gives a real opportunity to widen the field and engage with people in the wider social spaces who may become customers in time. It’s not all about immediate sales – it’s about taking an interest which, in time, will be reciprocated.
Sadly too many companies go for the quick buck and fix. Then wonder why it didn’t return quite the way they hoped….
Twitter: jackieadkins
I just like that you used the word “Acclimatize”
Jackie Adkins´s most recent blog post …The Limits of Intellect
Danny,
Thank you, a very thought provoking article. Written in a way that makes it easier to remember with HEART, and in general enough terms to apply across industries, platforms and even time as the internet and other media will continue to evolve.
Often, we can learn from the positive example as you’ve given. Or, we can learn through the negative impacts of opportunities lost. Recently, on Facebook I had the opportunity to see a business owner’s interaction with several customers. One was praising the new addition and enhancements to the establishment. Another voiced things they thought should still be improved (they did rant a bit). At first the owner had helpful suggestions, but apparently grew defensive and at the end told the customer and others on the thread that the improvements “are awesome if you dont like them maybe go back to the hole in the wall that youre used to.”
It’s always true, but especially in this economy, being cavalier with the customers who pay ALL our bills is fool hardy. And in writing, to boot! What happens in Vegas, stays on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Look forward to more positive lessons here Danny, the negative ones can be painful.
It never fails to amaze me how some companies, agencies, CEO’s, etc, still think there won’t be too much of a kickback on poor customer relations. Even taking social media out of the equation, customers (along with employees) are the lifeblood of any business. Attacking them? Oh dear…
i can’t tell from here, but is that a pic of the famous red kidney bean stemmer?
Twitter: heatherrast
I like the list you’ve built here, and wonder if a social mindset would enable brands to reach customers where they live/play – on their terms. Say, a second “R” in HEARRT.
By that I mean adding outlets for data collection on forms, databases, questions to surveys, subscriptions, and inbound customer service scripts. Find out if someone has a Twitter handle etc. These points of data could be used to connect with customers where they spend time, with the brand doing the work – confirming orders received, answering questions on a topic, offering exclusive deals, suggesting tips, etc.
This could be a challenge to scale, but with the right operations procedures, opt-in method, clear messaging, etc. reaching out to customers could improve relations, sentiment, and even sales.
Thoughts?
@heatherrast
Heather Rast´s most recent blog post …Turn That Frown Upside Down: Social Media Can Transform Careers
Funnily enough, Heather, that’s something that the whiz kid boffins at Maritz Canada have up their sleeves, and are testing at the moment on some pilot projects. Hope to share some details soon – so, yes, great idea and something that would mean a huge groundshift.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, appreciated.
Ooooh, I love acronyms!!! Awesome post, Danny. I agree wholeheartedly.
I think the Transparency part often scares people – they don’t want to live in a glass house. I hear this a lot. But, my philosophy as you say is honesty is the best policy. If we’re honest peeps in all areas of life, then that just spills into business too.
Mari Smith´s most recent blog post …Thinking Of Running A Contest on Facebook? Think Again!
Hey there Mari, cheers – I think acronyms need to come out of the shadows more in 2010!
It’s definitely one of the big stumbling blocks for many, the whole open approach. It’s not to say they’re being dishonest – just unsure how much to open up. Here’s to more learning.
I’ve read plenty of literature on social media, but I really like your take on it. Thanks for the different angle.
Great post!! Marketing and PR have become so intertwined with the increasing use of online avenues and with so many businesses both large and small making use of social networks as tools to reach their target audiences, everyone needs to keep their ear to the ground so to speak to see what is being said about them and to develop and maintain a conversation with their customers. I think it’s a good reminder that big companies need to prove to everyone that they have a HEART and small companies need to start out with and maintain HEART in order to be effective.