No matter what business you’re in, one of the hardest things to do is build relationships with your customers. It’s symbiotic, one does not exist without the other. Your business will thrive or die based on the relationships you build with your customers.
The absolute best method for advertising your business is “word of mouth” advertising. You talked with your customer, got to know them, they got to know more about you and you begin to build trust that will lead to a fruitful lasting business relationship. The ultimate fruit of your labor is when your customers tell their friends and family about you and your business and sales continue. It doesn’t get any better than this. Or does it?
I believe the internet and social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook are changing this tried and true method and taking it to another level. For example, you have a very satisfied customer who just loves you. They might tell a friend about you. That friend then may or may not become a new customer. If they do, then without any extra effort on your part you’ve gained a new customer that in turn might tell their friends and family about you and your business. This is the domino effect that all businesses want. The quality of these relationships far out weigh the billboard you rented for the month.
But what if that positive conversation the first customer had with their friend could be heard by potentially millions of others? That one positive conversation can be amplified when it happens online. This is the potential of social networking and your business working together.
Also, keep in mind that the exact opposite is true with word of mouth advertising. If someone has a bad experience it can be multiplied without you even knowing about it until it’s too late. This is where participating in social networks can be a relationship repairing tool. Here is a true story of how a business turned a bad review on Twitter into a die hard fan and customer for life:
A friend of mine in Oklahoma City went to try a new restaurant in town with his wife. Unfortunately, the new place didn’t impress them and they felt like they received very poor service. When he got home he sent out a tweet stating his poor experience and suggested his friends and followers not bother with the new restaurant.
Now this is something any new business owner dreads. Especially when the customer doesn’t come straight to you with the disappointment and instead tells everyone but you. Now the business owner also happened to be on Twitter. He used Twitter’s search tool to find tweets and updates with the name of his business as a keyword. Upon his surprise he found my friend’s tweet about their poor experience. He then proceeded to send a reply tweet to my friend stating he was the owner of the restaurant and would love to have a second chance. Offering dinner on the house helped entice them to give the place a second try and guess what? They loved it. Not only did they tweet about the much better experience but they also become friends online with the owner. The owner took their negative tweet as an opportunity to repair his relationship (one he didn’t even have before) with them and knock it out of the park, thus creating customers for life.
But it didn’t stop there. Not only did he save his relationship with one customer but I guarantee he gained possibly more than fifty new customers who where Twitter followers of my friend. People love businesses that give them a great experience but they love businesses even more than can own up to their mistakes and go above and beyond to fix them. This business owner didn’t just create new customers he created new fans of him and his business ethics.
So how do you get started?
Surprisingly, when it comes to Twitter you don’t even have to sign up to search all the public tweets. (Yes, some people protect their updates and make them private. To me this defeats the whole purpose of Twitter. Facebook is more suited to those who want to a more private walled garden experience.)
Try it yourself. Go to http://search.twitter.com. Try searching for your businesses name, keywords about your business, your location, heck search for your competition! See what people are saying. If you find someone said something positive or negative then you might want to contact them. But to send them a reply (a public message) you will need to sign up for a free account.
Here are some tips when you do sign up. Make sure you fill out the complete profile. You’ll want to fill out your location (city and state), a brief bio about you and your business, and be sure to put in your web address. Finally, upload a picture, you can use a logo or a picture of yourself. I know it’s scary putting yourself out there but using a well cropped personal picture of yourself helps people trust you more. It’s like talking face to face, it increases a person’s comfort level when communicating with you.
Another strategy is to answer questions that people are asking online. If you are knowledgeable in that area they will appreciate any answers they get. Then they may possibly decide to follow you because you made yourself valuable to them. When you send out a tweet asking if anyone needs help with such and such, tell them you’re here to help, they may “re-tweet” your message to their followers and say, “I recommend this person, they helped me out with my problem”.
Companies that treat Twitter as an advertising tool will not be successful in building those valuable relationships. Sending out a link to your weekly sales page won’t cut it. You must add value and engage people even if it’s not about your business. If someone says they like a certain music group and you like them too, then share that with them. Start a conversation. Who knows what will happen? The good news is seasoned users will be more than willing to help you learn the ropes.
Just like any aspect of your business it takes time, effort, and attention. These conversations are happening online every second. “Word of mouth” is great and if it’s in the form of a tweet it can be priceless.
The above article I wrote for the new business section of the September 2009 issue of Stillwater Living magazine. Thank you to Sarah Little for letting me republish the article here. Learn more about the magazine and publisher, Peacock Pro here. Be sure to pick up your copy, it’s only $2 at magazine stands around Stillwater.
