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There was a time when providing a quality product was the most important ingredient for business success. Consumer demand, a robust economy and increased competition have all led to dramatic increases in product quality over the last 10 years. As a result, quality is no longer a differentiating factor; it is expected. If you plan to be a relevant force in your market today, you need to roll up your sleeves and work. I’m suggesting one of the places to do that is the social media platform, where you can learn about the evolving needs of your customers and prospects, which I believe today are especially influenced by their core values. Last week, I assumed the service plan for my wife’s iPhone. While this device is now a year old, the quality is such that it is still an excellent choice for me. I chose the iPhone for a variety of reasons. It has great flexibility with social media, it easily connects with my Web-based e-mail and database services, and it’s already paid for. In this uncertain economy, many of us are making decisions that are an about-face of what we may have done a few years ago. I love to have the latest technology, but this is not a time to be wasteful. One of the great benefits of social media is keeping in step with what is current, and therefore relevant, for your customers. Twitter is an excellent tool for this purpose. You have unlimited access to research and feedback from thought leaders in the green industry and around the world. What you learn may cause you to adjust your business by adding new services. One thing I’ve discovered with this return to basic needs is a resurgence in kitchen gardens. Is this an area where you have relevant expertise? If so, you can use social media to get the word out. Now is the time to ask yourself two questions: “What do my customers need now?” and “What will they want tomorrow?” The business environment is changing so dramatically that nobody really knows what is coming next, but you still have to be prepared for it. The opportunity for all of us in business is to be on top of our game. What was right a few years ago may not work today. You may wish to reconsider conventional methods of marketing, including e-mail. We have all watched the progression from direct mail to e-mail marketing. Now we are seeing a transition from e-mail marketing to social media marketing. Direct mail is obviously expensive and potentially frowned upon in an environmentally conscious society. E-mail marketing is also losing favor as efficient spam filters toss aside those graphic-rich e-mails that gained popularity in just the last few years. They are attractive, but they are becoming irrelevant because what falls into the junk email folder will not be read. What gets through the clutter? You guessed correctly? RSS feeds of blogs and social media communications arrive without exception because readers intentionally subscribe to them, which is because they contain interesting and relevant news about real people and their challenges and opportunities. Have you started your company blog? Blogging is absolutely the most important marketing tool to come along in this decade. Start by learning from experienced bloggers by studying some of the top blogs at blog aggregator http://alltop.com. Your blog will help you hone your marketing message and remain relevant in a changing marketplace. It accomplishes this by giving you instantaneous feedback from your readers. If you aren’t getting many readers, then you know you have to adjust the message. However, you don’t want to overlook the one reader you will always have for your blog and that is Google. If you are blogging about your business and how you can best serve your customers, then Google will take notice. Learn about using keywords in your blog posts and you will eventually get noticed by those prospects that are searching for the information you are sharing. If you are new to social media, you may be asking what you can offer the Web community that is news. Can you speak well on making a lawn greener? Can you diagnose a treatment to save a valuable oak tree that is the pillar of the neighborhood? Maybe you have access to the latest trends in outdoor kitchens. The most common mistake with social media is thinking your expertise is common knowledge. You don’t have to be a celebrity to be relevant on the Web, just someone that has valuable information, is a trusted source and knows how to communicate in a friendly, effective, and possibly entertaining manner. For that matter, sometimes the most important thing you can do is just show up with the right attitude. That’s a force that will never go out of style. Jeff Korhan helps companies maximize marketing results with social media marketing and green leadership. He is the author of Strategic Social Media Marketing for Entrepreneurs. Jeff can be reached at 630-774-8350 or speaker@truenature.com. He blogs at http://jeffkorhan.com. |
COLUMN: Using social media to be a relevant force in the new economy
One of the great benefits of social media is keeping in step with what is current, and therefore relevant, for your customers.