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There’s an old-saying among marketers: “Good marketing won’t save a bad business.” Entrepreneurs and small business owners are starting to realize that the same is true for the tools and tactics of social media: Social media will not make you a social business.
So marketers are starting to adjust. They have decided to first teach you how to be a social business. Companies have been formed to teach you how to be a social business. Great thought has been put into a roadmap to becoming a social business. This is all fine and good for businesses that are truly social. But what if that’s not your natural inclination? If you’re not ordinarily gregarious, should you spend time trying to teach yourself to be social?
You’re either a social business or you aren’t. If you aren’t, using social media will not magically turn you in to a social business. So what are the alternatives?
Innovate – Give your customers new ways to experience and look at things. Make doing business with you easier, exciting, different. One way to do that is to create a “bug list.” What are things that bug you or you customers? Now what can you do to innovate and turn those bugs upside down?
Deliver a knock-out customer experience – Map out a customer experience that compels the customer to say “Wow!.” Add magic spots and deliver an adventure, not a transaction. Customers will spread the word for you.
Deliver awesome customer service – Give them free, accessible service after the sale. Properly train your employees with enough product knowledge to answer all questions. Empower your employees to make on-the-spot decisions with customers. You’ll stand out in a world where customer service sucks.
Let your customers socialize – So maybe you’re not the social type, it doesn’t mean your customers aren’t. Give them the platform to talk amongst themselves. Chambers of Commerce have business-after-hours events so members can socialize. Harley Davidson supports and encourages Harley Owners Groups.
Offer a service or product that no-one else offers – AT&T is the only company to offer the iPhone, so I do business with AT&T. El Siete Mares is the only nice restaurant in town (that I know of) that let’s you bring your own alcohol. They do lots of business because of this. They’re also the only Mexican Seafood restaurant in town, doubling-up on their uniqueness.
What can you do instead of social media? What comes natural to you?
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