What do you do with interactive tools like blogs, video, all that web 2.0 stuff, to build relationships, to reach customers?
First, it’s not about you. Let’s start with the message I previously shared from Hugh MacLeod, small town global microbrand, who writes and draws at Gaping Void:
Marketing is moving away from our message (i.e. Come Fly the Friendly Skies) to being about you. (i.e. You’re cool. Here’s some wine.)
“They are not your community…. I didn’t really think of the people drinking the wine as ‘the Stormhoek Community.’ They were just cool people having fun with the wine.”
Long-time Friend Mark Harbeke, of Winning Workplaces, built on that with a very smart comment:
Great insight. I think the theme of transitioning from “us” to “you” is valid across industries and locations. We’ve seen that among (I hesitate to say “our”) constituents, leaders of really innovative small firms: they want communications from us that do more to share their news and growth stories with each other. In essence, we become a mirror for them. And as long as the technology is in place and works the same way for everyone, that’s not too tall of an order. It’s something we’re working on on both the e-mail and web front.
They want communications from us that do more to share their … stories with each other. In essence, we become a mirror for them.
Use social media tools and interaction to become a mirror. Enable people, a community, to share stories with each other.
When I write for small business, I want to share more stories from small business people!
When I write for my store, I want to start mirroring customers’ stories.
I can imagine my university alumni association, being a mirror to alums.
If you offer editing services, share ideas and stories from and to writers.
If you run a cattle sale barn, share successful ideas between ranchers.
How do (or can) you use social media tools to be a mirror to a community?
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[…] 3. Share the spotlight.Chris is currently featuring some posts written by members of the blog topics community on his own blog, that ranks in the Advertising Age top 5 with over 200,000 unique views a month.You should be the social media mirror to your community. […]