In a recent post at Smart Blog on Social Media, Jesse Stanchak asks, “What are you doing to touch your followers?” Touching someone, even briefly, creates a bond. The holy grail of social media marketing is an act that replicates the psychological effects of a great handshake: familiarity, engagement and trust.
Stanchak does not think we’re there yet and is not sure if we ever will be. But he firmly believes it’s a worthy goal, because as more business is done online, we need to get better at circumventing the emotional distance that the Web creates.
He suggests some ways that we can bridge the divide:
- Prove it.Broadcasting links to and posing questions to your followers is fine. But those things are just discussion fodder, and a discussion isn’t the same thing as a connection. A charismatic person can make you feel like you are the only other person in the world, not by asking you a question or telling you an interesting fact, but by showing a singular interest in you. The follow-up is everything. And that’s where a lot of community engagement falls apart. It’s not enough to listen or say you care. You have to find a way to prove it. Do something with what’s been said to you. When you show people you can really listen to them, they’re more likely to talk with you again in the future.
- Be specific.The conventional wisdom is that you need to be authentic to promote engagement. When people ignore branded communications, it’s not because of their formal tone. The reason press releases, blog posts and other branded media fall flat is because they’re full of vague, general statements aimed at a vaguely defined general audience. You have to get specific in your language for people to feel like you’re actually speaking to them, not the crowd they’re standing in.
- Give of yourself.When you touch a person in real life, you’re saying you don’t think there should be barriers between you. Talk shop with anyone who’s curious about what you do. If you want them to let you in, you should make the first move.
- Change the venue. One way you can demonstrate your interest is by taking the conversation to another platform. If someone you’re not following mentions you on Twitter, follow them after you respond. If you’re already following each other, try moving the conversation to direct messages. Depending on how things go, you might want to follow them on other social platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.).
- Put it in writing.If you’ve got a blog, linking to a post or a comment someone made lets them know you’re paying attention and, more importantly, taking what they say into account. Making responses a central part of your social media presence is one of the most powerful ways you can prove your engagement.
- Get the conversation offline. Don’t let the lure of social media keep you from making a human connection when you need to. Making the effort to let a person hear your voice can mean more than any of the words that will come out of your mouth.
