Tweet

Building Trust and Friendships with Social Media

Written by: Pete Brand

Article Overview: I’ve been in quite a few meetings lately where I listen to people complain about their declining sales numbers and they all seem to be focused intensely on the next tactic to use to increase their sales. Whether it is the new brochure, or the new addition to their website. The problem is … Simply adding a tactic will never be a long term solution! I want to make sure I don’t come across the wrong way. I am not saying I have all the solutions or that people who are experiencing declining sales are doing so because they don’t know what they are doing. I know we are in the midst of the worst economic conditions of all time and we are unfortunately all a victim of these circumstances. I personally look at difficult financial times as an excellent opportunity for the cream to rise to the top.

Building Trust and Friendships with Social Media

Building Trust and Friendships with Social Media

I’ve been in quite a few meetings lately where I listen to people complain about their declining sales numbers and they all seem to be focused intensely on the next tactic to use to increase their sales. Whether it is the new brochure, or the new addition to their website. The problem is …
Simply adding a tactic will never be a long term solution!

I want to make sure I don’t come across the wrong way. I am not saying I have all the solutions or that people who are experiencing declining sales are doing so because they don’t know what they are doing. I know we are in the midst of the worst economic conditions of all time and we are unfortunately all a victim of these circumstances. I personally look at difficult financial times as an excellent opportunity for the cream to rise to the top.

The best companies, and not necessarily the biggest, will thrive in a challenging market.
It certainly doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that when companies and individuals are watching every dollar they spend, they’ll only choose to spend money with a company they trust can deliver on the promises they are making. The days of a company hiding behind it’s size and people believing they are too big to go under are over. Companies are no longer given instant credibility due to their size. Heck, it appears as though the large companies are the ones that are run horribly and inefficiently and are teetering on the verge of ending.

Smaller companies who specialize in small niche areas and focus on delivering results are the companies that will not only survive, but will thrive in ANY economic condition.

You may be saying, “That all sounds great, but my company IS delivering results, and our sales numbers are steadily declining. Why isn’t this specialization working for me?”

My response to that is, “Are you telling as many people as you can, and providing proof?”

The Internet is causing consumers to be more critical since they are exposed to so much information online. They can get the entire scoop on a company and its products within a few minutes of “Googling” online. When the Internet initially emerged I believe companies struggled with how to do business online, while still maintaining that “personal touch.” Well that’s all changed now with the introduction of web 2.0 technologies. Everywhere you look you see blogs, videos, online seminars and Social media like Facebook, Twitter, and myspace.

If a consumer is thinking about doing business with your company chances are they’ll begin their intelligence gathering mission online. Can they find anything about your company? If not, you have probably disqualified yourself from the running. If they are finding information about you, is that information painting the picture of your organization that you’d like? If not, you need to TAKE CONTROL NOW!

You need to earn a company’s trust and prove to them you are worthy of that trust. It isn’t about selling anymore; it is about proving you are worth doing business with.

What are you doing to prove your worth? Do you have a Facebook Fan Page for your company where you share successes you’ve helped your clients achieve? Do you “Twitter” and share new articles you’ve published that showcase your depth of knowledge and prove you are worthy of your prospective client’s trust?

Social media is no longer simply a tool your kids use to monopolize your family computer.

Companies are using social media sites and social media tools like blogs and video sharing to build “social proof” that shows they can deliver on the promises they are making in the marketplace. These companies are utilizing these mechanisms to provide “value added service” through education to these prospective clients. These strategies help develop friendships with these prospects before a transaction has been made.

Think about it. If you were making the decision between the following two finalists …

The first company is only five years old, very small and specialized, but is highly visible on Facebook and Twitter. Plus you’ve read blog entries and seen videos online with companies JUST LIKE YOU who were looking to achieve the EXACT SAME RESULTS you are looking to achieve. The CEO’s of these companies were in the videos giving their endorsement and applauding the level of work.

The second company is the largest company in the industry, has the most tenure, and has complete top of mind awareness when you think of the problem you are looking to solve. The difference is when you went online to search, their website told you all about their history, their products, and what an excellent management team they had. Sure, they had a few testimonials sprinkled throughout their site, but they only used first names and a letter representing their last name. They also didn’t have any pictures representing this person, nor the industry or company they were affiliated with.

Which company would you choose? You may be one of the “old schoolers” who still believe the largest company that’s been around for decades is still the top contender for your business. I am thinking your stance on this issue is rapidly changing as you watch HUGE COMPANY after HUGE COMPANY close their doors. Today being big isn’t always better.

Companies that use the Internet as a tool to better understand their buyers and to deliver more value than they are paying for, will WIN. Companies that use social media to build trust and develop deep relationships with their customers will be the giants of tomorrow.

Related Articles
  How to Market with Twitter
  Legal Marketing: Social Media and Law Firms
  Adopting the Social Media Mindset for True Online Success
  Gaining and Maintaining Healthy and Rewarding Relationships
  Is Social Media Killing Your Business?

Article Tags: building trust, circumstances, economic conditions, financial times, friendships, sales numbers



Related Forum Posts
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - [quote="WebBizIdeas.com":gvtxsu7g]Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff[/quote:gvtxsu7g] Hi Jeff, Thanks for the suggestion. Why don't you start a new post (with a poll) to see if there's enough interest in your idea for a social media section?
Re: UPDATES: New Campaign! New Layout! New Ideas! - GT - thanks for the FYI - I'm not sure if we'll put a link back. Something to consider though! Trent - the new category is "Social Network and Media" which was put in to compliment the Online Businesses category that currently exists. Overall the new categories are: - Looking For, Networking and Events - Review My... - Social Network and Media - Brags and Rants These came as a result of Ringo doing research on other forums and thinking about what could be improved on ours to give a better experience for everyone. I hope you enjoy them! David, I'm looking forward to reading your Brag / Rant!
Re: Marketing 2.0 - What Are Your Thoughts - Hi Shri, Thanks for posting this. I also read it and I believe Social Media is here to stay, until the next best thing comes up. Social media proved to be useful for me many times and I think everyone should use it for their business.
Re: Social Media Marketing Ignorance - [quote="vbn411":7qciluxl]Social Media is space that you have to be in to succeed in our current climate. People are going to be discussing your brand / product whether you like it or not, so you might as well join the conversation and add value. [/quote:7qciluxl] I think that's probably one of the most realistic way to think about it. There's no real textbook way of understanding Social Media, it's the networks of people and their interactions that will exist with or without your input. As for Jennifer, You can always have 2 Facebook pages. Many people do. There is also LinkedIn, which is like a professional networking version of Facebook. The only way to know is to try it.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Civility in the Workplace---Is it Decreasing?

Starting A Set of Books

Improve E-mail: Avoid the Quicksand

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.