KISS: The simple 5 step approach to building up your brand socially

According to a study released in January 2011 from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, 71% of companies used Facebook in 2010, up from 61% in 2009. Twitter, at 59% in 2010, and blogging, at 50%, is also still high on the list. Now I am quite sure that these statistics are not new to anyone. Ladies and gentlemen, your customers are online talking, sharing, meeting new friends and you should be out there doing the same. You should be alongside them building friendships and influence. I understand the process might seem daunting or you might even think you just have to get out there and start selling, but it’s not like this at all. Well it shouldn’t be like this if you want your time to be well spent.

I decided to put together a real simple 5 step approach that if followed in this manner will lead you to better success connecting with potential customers more effectively.

Listen - You might think your first step is to get out there and start talking to your buyers and letting them know what you sell, but in actuality it’s all about listening to what they are saying first. They will let you know where they hang out, what they like and who their other friends are, so instead of meeting one person you are actually meeting three people.

Introduce yourself – So you found a blog about a related topic to what you sell – what’s next? Introduce yourself and let them know who you are and how glad you are to be there as a member of the community. Don’t tell them what you sell or anything yet. What you want to do now is just be friendly and contribute. Do you like those people who just talk about themselves especially right when you meet them? Exactly!

Chime in – So now you have found that blog or forum where your buyers hang out (sellers are buyers too) and they know you want to be a part of the community. Now it’s your chance to respond to posts, ask questions, and comments. This is your opportunity to show them your expertise, so you can begin to build trust. Make sure that your posts are meaningful. Adding posts like: “Awesome! Cool Stuff! Yeah!” will do nothing for your brand.

Listen and Chime in – Yes you still have to do more listening. It’s still not time for you to tell them what you sell or where you sell it yet. You still need to listen to the conversation and contribute meaningful posts. Let your posts build you friendships as trust develops. I know listening is sometimes hard, but you have to do it.

Promote – You’re building trust and friendships along the way now. You have made meaningful posts, comments and asked great questions. Now you have the opportunity to add what you do and where you do it. You don’t have to worry about anyone feeling like you are selling them anything, because you didn’t do this in the beginning. You took the time to add meaningful information that established you as a credible resource, so now they are going to listen to you and check you out.

Remember sellers are buyers too, so just because you are on a selling forum doesn’t mean you are not among potentials buyers. The same goes for Facebook, Twitter and even LinkedIn groups. Take the time to really get to know everyone. Show them you care about their content and they will return the favor in due time. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. The same goes for your business. Success takes time. Now get out there and show them what you are all about!