Hope
everyone had a fun & spooky Halloween ...
If
you went out last night or when you were a kid, I bet
that many of you "visited" the people, i.e.
communities you knew best for trick or treating
activities. Right? You know that it's safer and
that the quality of candy or treat is more reliable
and often better because they pretty much
know "friends" will be coming. Right
again?
Well guess what? It works that way in
business also!
This
week's mailing identifies some specific
"communities" within the conversational flow
of most businesses.
Each community invites specific types of interaction
as in "specifically going trick or
treating.". I take it a bit further and
introduce online resources that will help you maximize
the return (the candy) you receive from each of these
"communities."
So many of you hear me say over and over, "Use
online resources, do not let online resource use
you!" You'll get some specific guidance
on which online resources to use and where to best use
them.
So here we go with your business communities ....
Remember, it is all about engaging, interacting, and
building connections that build loyal and trusting
communities.
 |
| Explore
and discover what your prospects are
thinking. What are their opinions and
desires? |
| A
blog
is
perfect for this type of interactive
exploration. Create your blog content
around what you are trying to find and
encourage and invite comments to be
contributed by readers. |
|
| Build
confidence in your service &
support services. |
| Use
a "public" support service
such as Twitter
where
your users and those who are thinking
of using you can "see" what
is being asked and what answers are
given. It should also be open to
outside questions that are simply
exploring situations. Seeing helps us
all believe. |
|
|
| Case
studies and testimonials are great
ways to share your customer marketing
stories. |
| YouTube
is perfect for this! It's
convenient and low in cost. Everyone
loves a story. |
|
| Panel
discussions with customers and
prospects are great for educating your
customers and for creating some
peer-to-peer interaction. |
| Go-To-Meeting
is
a popular resource for creating
web-based discussions. Very low
cost and the invitation list can by
huge. |
|
| Have
your customers help you develop your
business and marketing strategies. |
| Maybe
you want feedback on a visual or just
some creative input? The new Facebook
Groups
work really well for this. They
function in a more chat like fashion..
very user-friendly. |
|
| Get
feedback from your customers. Doesn't
get more "right-on" than
that! |
| SurveyMonkey
is probably the best choice here. Has
been around for many years and remains
popular for online surveys. |
|
|
| Interview your strategic partners and record each session to create content for your web site. |
| Podcasts
are a great way
to distribute valuable information
from your partners. You might
also transcribe the recordings and
make into printed info products. |
|
| Create
a community or industry specific
resource with all of your strategic
partners. |
| Blogs
are
great for this ... each partner can
share inputting their specific
information. The visibility
should grow and grow! |
|
|
| Brainstorming
has been a way to tap in on multiple
opinions and ideas. Gathering
everyone's thoughts and knowledge with
some brainstorming makes for good
bonding. |
| Mindmeister
is
an online resource that they say is
excellent for this exercise. I have no
direct experience with it but do check
it out. |
|
| Business
can't help but improve when your staff
has excellent communication
capabilities and the ability to keep
each other in the loop at all
times. |
| Jott
that turns voice memos into
emails. |
| The
Yammer Group Twitter Tool,
a private "twitter" just for
you and your staff! Free and
ideal for small active groups that
need continual connectivity. Try it! |
|
|
|
|
AND
ENJOY MY WEEKLY SPECIAL!
|
|
First
2 people to call will receive
ONE
COMPLIMENTARY HOUR
Help
Setting Up An
Online Communication Strategy!
Call 310-306-1453 |
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|
