How to Connect with YOUR Customers online.

In a previous article I shared that the premise now is to create content that users want to use and share. The best way to do this is to set the bar at authenticity and honesty. When you do this you will be able to really connect with your audience.

So what does really connect mean in an online environment?

• know your audience – Who are they? Where do they hang out? For example I like to work with small business owners helping them to define who they are and then create a presence online that represents just that. I am not going to Fortune 500 companies and working with top execs. My approach to how I market myself will be guided by who I am wanting to attract. No country clubs for me! Intimate networking events and small workshop events are where I will go for new business.
  
  
• engage with your audience – Interact with them in a way that they will be able to hear you and find a benefit. I am always sharing content that has moved or inspired me in some way. No matter what your business is, if your customer does not feel inspired they are very likely going to move on to somewhere else. We are all familiar with the hard sell. In fact the moment we suspect that the person on the other end of the line is doing just that, we start running. I want to share with you my recent experience with a telemarketer who started out the conversation with – “I hate to be that telemarketer that everyone is annoyed by, but I have to meet my quota of calls for the day so if you don’t mind just hearing me out for one minute?” Now as it so happens I  chose not to listen and that’s fine, but I politely said good bye and thanked him for his honesty. While I don’t know what he was selling, my interaction with him was honest, and authentic and neither one of us was left feeling the conversation feeling annoyed.
  
  
• always give more than the dollar amount perceived -Do I really need to explain this one?