To be honest, one of the many reasons people create a Social Network Profile is to be heard. The way we live in the cities, always turning around to check out if anyone is following us, scared of being too vulnerable pretty much forced us to colonize the Internet (once the geeks' holy ground) and create new ways to interact and hope to find someone we can finally trust. I strongly believe that, if we had the means, we would spend more time meeting people in the real world than in this Photoshop-perfect universe we crafted.
I wouldn't say it's evil, but the way some companies approach customers and promote their products is almost cruel. The premise of a solid ground where we can connect with others is just too strong, a quest we humans have been on for centuries now.
In other words: if you want to sell, shut up and listen.
People want to be heard
The Era of the Consumer.
The boundaries between the corporate world and the world we guys live in is growing thinner. New media created new channels of expression and people embrace these as their only tool to get what they need from the companies they trust.
So, if you think of your company as this monolithic fortress where your CEO appeases the peasants from its pedestal, believe me: you will lose customers.
Starting with me.
How Social Profiles can help you.
A social profile is not only you, disguising your company as "one of the crowd" and whispering "I've heard that this company is awesome" in order to create some kind of a buzz. We know how to spot squares. What you want is to create an environment where you can safely loose the tie a little and speak not as a guy with a million of credentials and badges. We are not that different, so creating barriers and hierarchies where everyone has the same chances of success is macabre.
A social profile can help you create a strong communication channel with your customers. While it's not easy for more traditional (and old) companies to keep up with this kind of interaction, newcomers and young entrepreneurs can benefit from this by (finally) making the customer an important part of a wholesome marketing strategy.
Who knows? Maybe this new generation of business people can finally cross the gap between companies and customers in an effective way that benefits us all.
How can YOU create an effective social profile strategy?
- Cut down the cr*p. No more biz jargon, no more obscure fatherly figures nor corporate jargon. You're not talking to answering machines: you're talking to human beings, so act like one.
- Take some time to know your customers. While I'm sure you're not looking for an intimate bond, it wouldn't hurt you to read what they say and browse through the profiles more often
- Get a decent social profile page design. Despite of how casual you want to be with your customers, you cannot forget that there is a corporate image you have to take care of.
- Create useful contents that talk not only about your products and services or how AWESOME your company is. Create contents about your business field, about the people you're working with, about your personal view of the company you work for and on.
Be human.
It all comes to this: We are sick and tired of not getting a human voice at the other end of the line. We are sick and tired of not being able to bond or to trust the people that sells us stuff. If you're gonna get yourself a social profile, take its definition to the bare bones: your social profile is, no more no less, the way you want to be seen by others.
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