Are you asking your customers to like you or follow you?

What ever happen to getting to know each other? Those early conversations about what you do, what are your plans and helping me out with one thing or another?

It seems all that is gone by now. Yesterday I received an email from a vendor which we bought a software product about two years ago. The subject said something about their social media sites. When I read the email, they were simply sending a link of their twitter and Facebook site asking me to click on the link and follow them or to just like them. I just though, what? Just like that? I though about running into a high school friend that I haven’t seen for a few years and all of the sudden telling me: hi Jose, how are you? hey there’s something I wanted to tell you…do you like me? eehhh, mmmm, what was your name again?

So, this is email isn’t far from that story. I sometimes complain about some vendors, specially in the tech sector, that once you buy their product, you don’t hear about them never again. This was one of those cases. I haven’t heard from them since two years and now I receive this email asking me to like them.

Sincerely. Not cool software company, not cool.

Try always to have some kind of conversation. These are somethings you could do:

  1. Send valuable things about you, your industry or about the product. How about that feature long hidden in the product?
  2. What other customers are doing for the product.
  3. Tips about what other things i can do with the product.

The point is to establish some kind of conversation, but don’t start sending me emails asking me to like you. It’s just too soon for me.

What are you doing to get your customers to like you?

Why having a business blog is a good idea

Today there are several mechanism available on the Internet to reach your clients and everyday seems to be more. But I still consider business blogs to be one of the best ways to really communicate the audience what your business is about.

Other venues get you to interact with clients, get to know them and they get to know us (sometimes maybe too much) but you can’t get an idea out there in 140 characters. That’s why your blog should be your command center for transmitting and developing your thoughts. Consider this:

  1. Twitter is great way to get to customers and them to you, but with the 140 characters limit, it’s pretty difficult to express ideas and be sure they got the right impression.
  2. Facebook fan pages are also very good, but still you can’t get an idea elaborated with wall posts. Although you can do some very good branding.
  3. Elaborate the ideas and thoughts on your blog and point to your posts from these social media sites so you can start real conversations with customers and potential prospects.
  4. Starting a blog now days is pretty simple, just go to WordPress or Blogger which are pretty good. Personally, I would recommend WordPress, the management is very easy and with the vast variety of plug-ins available nearly everything is possible without having to be so technical.

What are you using to express your ideas?