Much has been made in the news of the celebrity Twitter users with mega followings. Ashton Kutcher is sporting 3+ million followers, Oprah’s got 1.9 million. While this shotgun blast approach works in these situations where many will wait for a scrap of info to fall off the content table, the value for many is realized much closer to home.
Social media is at its best when it is, well… social. It is a mechanism for strengthening relationships (either interpersonal or within a group). There is an old question asking whether it is better to have a few good friends or a thousand acquaintances, and the answer is almost always “yes” – depending on what you’re trying to do.
If you have a well-established brand (i.e. Oprah), being able to blast ~2 million of your closest acquaintances with the latest tidbit helps strengthen your brand. If you’re a small business (a restaurant, for instance), what would you do if 2 million customers responded to a promotional post anyway? The fact that you’re not prepared to handle such an influx of business would create a negative experience for many.
The correct answer is that for small to medium-sized businesses, social media offers an opportunity to strengthen existing relationships and grow the size of your “inner circle” a little at a time. Use these channels to garner more feedback, offer exclusive deals or preferential treatment to the faithful, and create a sense of community around the products and services you offer. The results will be more repeat business, the ability to tailor your offerings to meet the needs of your closest customers, and controlled growth of your fan/evangelist community.
So, unless you’re already a mega brand, look to social media as a way to increase the quality of your interactions. You and your customers will benefit from the high quality ties that bind.
