After spending over 8 years helping companies set up their Social Media Strategies, plan for thousands of tweets, posts, blogs, and sharing, there is always one question I come back to that must be answered if any of this “super communication” is going to be effective.
“What business are we really in?”
If you don’t know the answer to this question…succinctly and with passion…don’t share anything on social media. Why? Brand erosion.
From the first book I co-authored on Customer Experiences, one fact that stood out among many was that if you create confusion, your customers will defect (leave). And if they aren’t a customer, they won’t become one because they are confused about what you really do.
Customers want it easy…you want it easy when you are a customer. You don’t want to be confused, have to figure things out, and least of all, be treated without respect. These all erode your brand.
So if I sit down and read your hundreds of tweets, posts, and blogs and don’t get what business you are really in an why you are in business…I don’t engage…I defect. And the numbers show us so do a lot of other people you probably want to have as customers.
STOP, THINK, AND ACT: Start with the question and turn off your social channels. You will help eliminate a lot of customer defection and probably pick up a few more new customers along the way. If your Social Media Strategy isn’t starting here…go back to the drawing board and get one that does.
