Social Networking Opens Communication with Your Customers Don't ignore your customers just because they're looking at you through a computer screen.
By Gregory Jaszczuk
Social networking sites are becoming increasingly popular on the Web, and have turned into a huge sector of the online business market. Though most are centered on connecting old friends and common interest groups, they also allow people to publicly express themselves on a variety of issues. While most social networking sites connect people with each other, they also can help businesses connect with their customers.
When businesses invest the time and resources to give a forum to their customers, opportunities open up that never would have presented themselves before. Such forums give customers a direct communications channel to the business owner. Social networking sites will be most successful for business owners who are excellent listeners, making them gifted communicators. Customers will recognize when business owners are genuinely striving to understand and address their issues.
Communicate Through Your Web Site So how do business owners use social networking strategies in their Web presence?
Make sure customers/clients/constituents can get a message to the company through the site-By doing this you ensure that communication is clearly a two-way street throughout the business from shelf space to cyberspace.
Spend some time letting customers see the people behind the company-People like to know whom they're doing business with. It builds trust. Take the time to express yourself, and tell customers who you are and why you do what you do.
Develop a dynamic with the site users-If you give your site users content that empowers them and opportunities that engage them, you'll usually see a positive return on investment.
Direct Online Chatter Whenever you sell something, whether it is real estate or a training course on income taxes, a rapidly growing number of your clients will be talking about you online. You can give them a chance to talk to you and your team directly, or you can effectively ignore them.
Not all businesses have an easily attachable lifestyle model to market themselves, but all businesses have clients and all clients have something to say. You want them to talk to you, not about you. An added bonus to engaging customers online is that businesses that successfully integrate social networking elements in their Web strategy elevate their rankings in search engines.
Tools of the Trade Here are some tools of the trade:
Discussion Boards—Having a moderated forum for the public to express themselves on your business can build loyalty and empower your community, where previously there were only scattered emotional outbursts that benefited little. Everyone from authors to pet store owners are interested in customer loyalty. This is the way to get it.
Blogs—Steady blogging gives you an edge by honing your voice on the Web and addressing topics of interest 24/7 with no limit on how many can listen at once. Linking your blog to other blogs of interest creates what is known as a "blogring," and, in effect, invites all the other bloggers to check out your site. A good blog is one of the most, if not the most, effective social marketing tools on the Web.
Opinion Polls—An opinion poll generates hard numbers to crunch on subjects not normally covered in an over-the-counter conversation. Sharp, effective questions can dramatically shift the outcome of your quarterly report if you are careful to respond positively and not react defensively.
Online Dialogue Tops Keywords SEO, or search engine optimization, is all the rage nowadays for the Web marketing gurus. But a little secret is that the best way to market on the Web is not keywords and metatags. It's having an ongoing dialogue with clients-potential and current. It is the content that makes people want to link to your site.
Now make no mistake, using metatags and fine-tuning your site's keywords using analytics are useful tricks, but nothing replaces listening well. A thoughtful response to a concern or a change in procedure can make all the difference in a small business. Changing your Web presence by opening it up to discussion and linking with others online to move forward is social networking at its best.
Gregory Jaszczuk is a client development executive at Entire Computer Solutions in Overland Park. You can reach him at
