Q: I’ve done a good job of building Facebook friends/fans and Twitter followers. Now how do I take that relationship to the next level to encourage referrals?
In the classic rom-com Annie Hall, Woody Allen says, “A relationship, I think, is like a shark. It has to constantly move forward or it dies.”
So how do you move forward with all the good folks who have, say, “liked” your company page on Facebook? I believe the answer is to picture a ladder – a relationship ladder. Your job is to start climbing that ladder, advancing your business relationships to the next rung whenever you can. The stronger the relationship, the more likely you are to get referrals.
First rung – From many to one
Social media is a great way to facilitate one-to-many communication. You post a special on Facebook and a thousand fans can see it. You tweet the location of your next event and all of your followers can retweet it. That’s a wonderful thing and modern marketing miracle. But to take things to the next level, you need to identify some individual voices in the crowd. Reply to comments, start a back-and-forth conversation, private message people, and take it offline to a one-to-one email exchange to go deeper.
Second rung – From screen to phone (or smaller screen)
A next level beyond one-to-one communication is taking it to the phone. Now that might mean setting a time to chat with some of your social media contacts, putting a voice to the name, or that might mean asking for cell phone numbers to start text message marketing to those that want to join the inner circle. It all depends on what makes the most sense for your specific business.
Third rung – Put the “face” in Facebook
Even better than talking on the phone or texting to your contacts is getting face-to-face. Consider organizing an event for your fans and followers so they can meet you in person, shake your hand, and connect with each other. Or select one or two social media contacts to ask out for coffee. You might be surprised at the feedback, suggestions, and insights you gain. And when geography makes it impossible to get together in the flesh, consider a video conference, free through services like Skype.
There are a lot more rungs on the relationship ladder, but hopefully these ideas will help you get started!
To get your business featured in this column, please email your entrepreneurship, parenting, or work life balance questions to Charlotte executive coach Dr. Jennie Wong at Jennie.Wong@LimelightExecutiveCoaching.com.
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