Esther C Kane

We all know there are two ways to look at any situation and take action…

1) One way involves looking at the short term

2) One way involves looking at the the long term

You know what I mean, there are basically two options on how to fix a problem.  But I think we can all agree that for the majority of the time, doing it with the long term goals in mind, is the smarter solution.  After all, the rewards are so much greater that way!

Going for the long term gains is the strategy of Social Media Marketing.  What you write today may bring you customers for years to come.  That is, if what you write is helpful and relevant to your readers.

In an October eMarketer report, Lauren Fisher, an analyst with the company, offered a few reasons why providing relevant content to your audience is a good strategy:

• It builds trust. By providing information, you are helping potential customers mitigate risk. If the information checks out, you have given them reason to trust you.
• It will propel your brand into a customer’s consideration set. As Brian Kardon, CMO of Eloqua, told eMarketer: “When you help prospects learn things and are generally helpful when they’re in a buying cycle, they’ll think about you first”

Writing your thoughts, ideas, insights, etc. via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, (whatever!) is THE way to propel your brand and as Brian Kardon says, provide helpful information “…when they’re in a buying cycle…”

Building Trust IS a Long Term Goal

I remember about 4 years ago I got a call from someone living in Charlotte, NC.  After a few phone conversations, he wanted to meet me to decide whether he should use Eckweb for his Internet marketing needs.  Now, I live 4 hours away from Charlotte and my goal is to provide Internet marketing services for as low as possible – so that means that I need to keep my costs down as much as possible.  Hence, I don’t go out and meet customers, it’s more a waste of time than it is profitable.  That’s just the nature of this particular business.

But, this particular person insisted and said he would drive down to meet me.  So, we did meet.  He told me that he can’t do business with anyone who he doesn’t “shake hands with.”  I remember telling him that he shouldn’t be on the Internet then.  Cause the reality is, he’s going to eventually do ALOT of business with people whom he’ll never see.  I told him he needed to learn to Trust and to build Trust online.

These days, that’s what every business owner needs to do.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a small local mom and pop or a large international company.  You build trust and a customer base one at a time.  With each individual customer.  It’s no different online.

So, go for the long term gains.  Use your social media tools to let your customers know who you are, what you’re company is all about and how you plan to make their lives better.

It’s the smart way to get more customers!