News Flash: consumers don’t want to be your friend
Jan 15
social media, technology 1 Comment
Recently I did a little review of what I learned from social media in 2009. As part of that review, I spent a bit of time looking over notable tweets from others that I had saved from various points in the year. I found lots of useful information (even some I’d forgotten already), but one tweet really stuck out in my mind.
It was posted by fellow email marketing guy and former co-worker DJ Waldow from the Mail Post Email Insiders Summit in early December. The comment came from a panelist discussing some email no-nos:
I couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment – I almost immediately discount a marketing email that includes my name in the subject or greeting. But the comment holds a deeper lesson for all marketers that may not be so obvious.
Build relationships
As a marketer, you probably know that gaining your audience’s trust is paramount. But you’ll have a hard time gaining trust through gimmicks like faux personalization. Including information relevant to the recipient is a good idea, but it takes more than a name to really build a relationship with your client base. With the rise in popularity of Facebook and other sites that allow people to connect on a more personal level, consumers are already barraged by people masquerading as friends. Sometimes it’s a random acquaintance who wants to connect on Facebook; others it’s a blog commenter who’s trying to drive traffic to their affiliate site. Social media users, in particular, are hyper-sensitive to anyone in the digital world who claims to be their “friend.”
Very few brands have managed to gain the almost unbridled trust of the consumer – Apple is a great example of one that has. However, it takes much more than a few personalized emails to attain that level of brand loyalty. Apple and companies like it have been able to create and maintain a culture that mirrors their consumers’ interests and values, thus driving market share and creating brand evangelists.
Become a thought leader
So what can you do to gain your audience’s trust? Instead of working to establish yourself as the consumer’s friend, position your brand as an authority in your space. Generate useful, relevant content through social media and marketing channels. Don’t use social media just to sing your own praises; give consumers information they can use even if they don’t need your product or service right now. That way, you can assure you’ll be on their mind whenever they are in the market for a provider.
In addition, this will open the door for communication with consumers. Information sharing should never be a one-way street, so be sure to monitor and respond to comments and feedback. Letting consumers know that you value their opinions and genuinely want to help will instill confidence in your brand and reap great rewards in the long run.
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