What Have You Done For Your Online Community Lately?
Today, as part of my ongoing series on HubSpot‘s Inbound Marketing University webinars, I’ll be talking about Social Media and what I’ve learned from Social Media Marketing Guru, Chris Brogan. (Make sure to check out my previous post on SEO.)
First things first. Social media communities are not about you. They are about the people who make them up. Brogan expands on several specific points, but in the end they all come down to this concept. Below, I’m going to cover my top 5 takeaways. Read on!
1. “Community is a gift.”
If a community develops around your product or theme, be happy! Express your appreciation, and use it as an opportunity to connect to your customer base. This is a great way for you to build relationships within an interested community.
2. Be Humble.
Even if you are the one behind the curtain, you must think of yourself as a participant in the community, not as an owner. It is the only way to truly build trust and establish relationships.
3. Listen and Acknowledge.
Don’t listen and not take action; make sure you at least acknowledge your community members even if you don’t take action regarding their comments. (If you want more points on how to listen better, check out Brogan’s “Grow Bigger Ears”.) And think about the value of your social media plan when brainstorming about how you are going to listen to and acknowledge your community.
4. It’s not about the where.
It doesn’t matter where the community is–it could be Facebook or Twitter or Yahoo Answers–the point is that people go to where their friends are. Essentially, you need to spend time and effort growing and building relationship wherever they may be.
5. Give your clients what they need to succeed.
People don’t like hearing you constantly talk about yourself; don’t be that person. Brogan insists on sharing your knowledge as well as celebrating those around you.
So, taking these nuggets of social media wisdom into account, how can you make it work for your business? Well, again, first and foremost it should be about the community. If you blend your human relationships with your selling needs, you’ll have a better shot because people will associate your product with a real person, just like them!
So there you go! How to be successful in the realm of social media according to Chris Brogan. Don’t forget to check back next week for tips on “Successful Business Uses for Facebook and LinkedIn” taught by Elyse Tager.
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