Tim Bursch

There are a hundred networks you could join these days. Should you? You know your customers are there, interacting and talking about your product or service. But you only have so many hours in a day and this social media stuff takes time.

No one can be everywhere at once or have a real presence on every network. So, here are 4 reasons to start ignoring customers networks:

1. If you try to be everywhere, you end up really being nowhere. You spend a little time on a lot of networks and end up diluting your brand.
2. Relationships. If you don’t really invest time in one community you will probably only have transactions, instead of long-term relationships.
3. It’s about them. Your fans want to interact and it is about them. So, focus on them well.
4. You can’t please everyone. Some people will be missed. If you have something remarkable, people will find you.

I think a better strategy is to focus on a few networks really well and build those communities.
What do you think?

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Part of my work is managing online communities. I would hesitate to call it management. It’s more like development. Mostly relationship development.

When you sell something people are going to have complaints. There will be mistakes. Right? And people are being more public with their beef.

So, how do you handle complaints?
Here are a few ideas:

• Acknowledge. Respond to the person’s issue and take it serious. This usually relieves the tension.
• Be quick to act. Be the first one to comment. Think real-time customer service.
• Use this as an opportunity to show your great customer service. Other customers are listening too.
• Follow up. Make sure the person’s issue is resolved.

How do you handle public complaints?

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When you want to find something, you Google it right? You don’t pick up the Yellow Pages.

So, if the first impression for your business is your website, how does it look?
Here are some questions to get you thinking:

• Is your store hard to find? How does your site rank in search?
• What is the first impression? Simple or cluttered?
• What draws people in? Do you have good content that calls people to action or helps them look around?
• If someone stops, what are they looking at? Is it easy to navigate? Can they contact you easily?
• What about after they leave? Will they remember your site? Why?

If you want your store (site) to stand out, it might take some work. It does not have to cost a fortune, but it should be intentional.
Need help thinking through your online presence? Contact me.

Photo by: Vintage Collective

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In business today, it’s really noisy.
Do you email while on the phone, tweet while emailing or text while talking? 
Here is one simple gift you can give every single customer and get yourself above the noise:

Drop everything else and give that person your presence.

I wonder what would happen if more companies and people gave their undivided attention. What do you think?

Image credit: MarcinMoga / Lolek

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I was meeting someone for coffee recently. Decent coffee. Good space for conversation.

You know what I remember the most? The comment I got. There was something the barista said that stuck with me. “Let me know if I can get you anything else.”

It wasn’t an add-on sale statement. It was an “I want to make you feel important” statement. It was really ordinary.

The barista noticed me, the customer, and took time to connect. I’m not sure you can script that. It takes a real person to care about it. Connecting and noticing. Do you notice people?

Tags: coffee, marketing.

This is a guest post by my friend Tara Joyce. Tara is a web coach and the author of RiseoftheInnerpreneur.com. I invite you to tune in.

Old-school marketing, impersonal marketing, it’s taking it’s last laborious breathes of life. It’s been dying a painfully and noisily for while now and it’s death cry is intensifying each day as more people come online.

The web has made it possible to cut through their marketing noise, their canned messages and easily find businesses authentically expressing their value to the world.

Liars hate the web

For what matters now, what gets you noticed, is your voice. The public expression of your authentic identity. Your web presence. It’s your signal.

Think of Google as your client’s tuner. The words they search for are their dial.

The more authentic your signal content, the easier it is for the right people to tune in.

5 Tips for Finding Your Signal and Creating an Web Presence to Support it

1. Accept that there is no demand for your message.

You don’t get to package yourself up into a pretty box and show only the good and glowing. The whole you, not your message, is what people want to here and will, whether you like it or not. Marketing is not something you do to clients. Marketing is something you do with them. It’s about creating good conversations.

2. Express your point-of-view.

Who are you? Why are you here?

This is the basic foundation of your business. Take the time to discover your identity. Listen to the marketplace for answers.

The better you understand your value, the easier you can communicate it. Find your authentic voice.

Express what is inside you and your company. That’s the essence of your signal.

3. The more value found in the signal, the stronger it will be.

Your signal is your business strategy. Your words and your content have power. Openly share your passions, your values, your talents with your community. Be generous about adding value to their lives. Take the time to share wisely. It’s all part of your signal.

4. It’s a table for two.

It’s just you and me. My words have connected with you. You’re enjoying that I’m talking to you like I’d… really talk to you. You like how authentically I am communicating with you. You’re tuned in, and turned on.

It doesn’t matter what the size of the company. Humans connect one-on-one. Clients want to talk to employees, employees want to talk with clients.

These excited and passionate people will help broadcast your signal. Let them connect one-on-one. Let their individual voices be heard.

5. Share.

The web isn’t primarily a medium for information, marketing or sales.

It’s a place where people meet, talk, create, disagree, rant, love. Always remember that.

Marketing is about conversation and connection. Cultivate it by sharing what you care about and what you know. It is your authentic signal and there are many people searching for exactly it.

What would you add?

Related post: Will Listening Really Help Sell More?

Image credit: diongillard

Tags: signal.