Getting to grips with social media for business - John Fox
Published on Nov 18, 2015
Come with me on a magical demystifying tour of how to use social media for business!
I'm your exclusive tour leader, so all aboard my magical mystery tour bus ....
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Social media demystified
Tour leader: John Fox (@x333xxx)
Come with us on a magical demystifying tour of social media for business.
Your exclusive tour guide today is John Fox (@x333xxx).
Your exclusive tour guide today is John Fox (@x333xxx).
Photo by Pimlico Badger
VALUE and TRUST
To build a solid relationship on social media, everything ultimately comes down to TRUST.
So as much as I do believe social media can help to grow your business and encourage the sales of your products and services, it is not the place where you close a deal. It is where your relationship with a new customer begins and can flourish.
Myth #1
- This is a common misconception about social media.
- People who don't understand 'socmed' perceive it as a platform for cold-calling.
- If you try enough times, someone will take the bait and buy.
- To build a new relationship you need to be serving, not selling.
The truth is, social media is like a networking event.
People attend networking events to get contacts, learn, listen, be seen and introduce themselves to other people at the event.
People don't 'sell' at events. They educate and share their knowledge with interested parties.
Social media can certainly help to generate new leads and warm up those cold leads you already have, but social media is ultimately where you need to be serving, not selling.
People attend networking events to get contacts, learn, listen, be seen and introduce themselves to other people at the event.
People don't 'sell' at events. They educate and share their knowledge with interested parties.
Social media can certainly help to generate new leads and warm up those cold leads you already have, but social media is ultimately where you need to be serving, not selling.
Photo by Leo Reynolds
To build new relationships
we need to be SERVING rather than SELLING
As much as social media can help to grow your business and encourage the sales of your products and services, it is not the place where you close a deal. It is where your relationship begins.
Check out your 'favourite' train operating company. They have social business honed to a T.
@SW_Trains (South West Trains), my local operator is pretty near bullet-proof on social media.
They have to be ... but the net result is that the passengers' perception of them as approachable and helpful is what matters.
Next time you have a problem with a train you're travelling on why not tweet the train operator and ask them for an update. Construct your query tweet carefully, after all if you don't provide enough detail how can you expect them to answer well? Are they supposed to be mind readers?
When you examine a Twitter profile for examples of interactions with customers be sure to click on 'Tweets and replies' above the first tweet seen on the timeline (see this image). If you don't select this you'll only see the operator's original tweets rather than any interactions they're having with customers, ie responding to queries raised.
Check out your 'favourite' train operating company. They have social business honed to a T.
@SW_Trains (South West Trains), my local operator is pretty near bullet-proof on social media.
They have to be ... but the net result is that the passengers' perception of them as approachable and helpful is what matters.
Next time you have a problem with a train you're travelling on why not tweet the train operator and ask them for an update. Construct your query tweet carefully, after all if you don't provide enough detail how can you expect them to answer well? Are they supposed to be mind readers?
When you examine a Twitter profile for examples of interactions with customers be sure to click on 'Tweets and replies' above the first tweet seen on the timeline (see this image). If you don't select this you'll only see the operator's original tweets rather than any interactions they're having with customers, ie responding to queries raised.
Myth #2
- You don't have to have a lot of followers to network and build relationships on social media.
- You can still be successful even if you only have a handful of followers.
- You need followers that are well and truly engaged with you and your content.
The truth is, social media is like a networking event.
People attend networking events to get contacts, learn, listen, be seen and introduce themselves to other people at the event.
People don't 'sell' at events. They educate and share their knowledge with interested parties.
Social media can certainly help to generate new leads and warm up those cold leads you already have, but social media is ultimately where you need to be serving, not selling.
People attend networking events to get contacts, learn, listen, be seen and introduce themselves to other people at the event.
People don't 'sell' at events. They educate and share their knowledge with interested parties.
Social media can certainly help to generate new leads and warm up those cold leads you already have, but social media is ultimately where you need to be serving, not selling.
Myth #2
- Work hard on building meaningful relationships. Engage in conversations and share valuable content.
- The key here is TRUST. People don't look at numbers to make a genuine connection. They look at VALUE.
- If you bring a lot of VALUE to the table, TRUST can be earned and this is where social media can be our greatest ally.
The truth is, social media is like a networking event.
People attend networking events to get contacts, learn, listen, be seen and introduce themselves to other people at the event.
People don't 'sell' at events. They educate and share their knowledge with interested parties.
Social media can certainly help to generate new leads and warm up those cold leads you already have, but social media is ultimately where you need to be serving, not selling.
People attend networking events to get contacts, learn, listen, be seen and introduce themselves to other people at the event.
People don't 'sell' at events. They educate and share their knowledge with interested parties.
Social media can certainly help to generate new leads and warm up those cold leads you already have, but social media is ultimately where you need to be serving, not selling.
Four steps to success
Go on a treasure hunt for your ideal connections.
The 'Search' function on any social media platform should be your new best friend.
Photo by KimmerKC
Treasure Hunt
- Your goal is to make a CONNECTION, not to make a sale.
- Focus on the QUALITY of the connection rather than the quantity.
- It's not all about YOU, it's about THEM!
Breaking the ice.
Get the smalltalk right on any social media platform.
Photo by Ed Yourdon
Breaking the ice
- Find out something about what they've done on their website or blog.
- If they ask a question, try your best to answer or find the answer for them.
- Ask a question about something they've said.
Get their number.
Understand what makes them tick
and be present.
Get their number
- Find common ground, areas of interest not necessarily 'talking shop'.
- You've got to be present, contributing to conversations. Being seen and showing up allows you to be counted, to be accepted.
Real relationships take longer to build on social media but they last a lifetime.
Photo by Elsie esq.
Going to the next level
- Try private messaging, eg DM on Twitter or InMail on Linked In.
- You may have lots of followers but when did you last speak?
- It's easy to stand out in a noisy crowd once you stand up and be counted.
John Fox
Follow me on Twitter: @x333xxx
