It’s surprising how many businesses are still missing the boat when it comes to the “new” internet and using social media as a marketing tool.
I’m going to break it down real easy here.
It’s all about the human connections you make. No longer does the one-way flow of information jive with any of your customers.
Sure, there are the odd folks that might simply want to see your menu, find out your hours of operation, check out what your rooms look like, or how much you charge for an oil change.
But the real secret is the human connection.
Remember the early days of the internet and all the uses for the word “link?”
Linking meant that I would put a link to your blog from my blog or website for whatever reason. You might pay me for the link, or I might like your content and want to spread the word. Then we started doing “reciprocal linking.” Which meant I’d give you a link, if you gave me a link.
Now, the name of the game is the human link.
The businesses who are getting it, are using the human link to create a person-to-person connection. It’s no longer about the brand saying, “this is what we’ve got, come buy our stuff.” Instead, it’s about the brand, corporation, or small business, that’s making an outreach on a personal level.
If your business is struggling, and you’re looking for marketing solutions to solve your problems, stop looking. The solution is simple. Start creating real human connections.
I read a great post once and, unfortunately I can’t remember where now, but the marketer was asked by a client what she should do with only $2 left in her business account. She couldn’t afford to place an ad in the newspaper, or send out mail, or create a radio advertisement.
The marketer’s answer was brilliant.
Take a new customer out for a piece of pie. Yup, that was it.
The real solution is to start with an honest, true, and single human connection and build from there. Everything else is just pie in the sky.
