• Are You Talking to Your Most Intimate Customers?

    Posted on August 1st, 2011 by and currently 7 commenting.


    It really is the intimate relationships in our lives that shape our lives. Photo of our very own Megan and her husband Mitch via Libby Williams.

    I am reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book Committed.

    (Hey, I’m a girl and it was on sale…)

    The best part of the book is in the intro. There she describes her struggle with writing “the next book” after Eat Love Pray. She wrote an entire book to her new found millions of readers and then tossed it. It never saw the light of day. Trying to write to all those unknown faces just felt wrong to her.

    She found her voice again simply by remembering that before she wrote a mammoth best seller, she was writing for about 27 of her best friends. The ones she knew would buy her book. She calls out each of them by their first name in the introduction of Committed. And she wrote every word with those 27 friends in her heart and her head.

    I have been studying brands on Facebook. From Berts Bee’s to Oreo to my own clients.

    It’s all the rage you know.

    What kills me is the current land grab for likes. I must confess, this particular discussion about “likes” makes my skin crawl. And I was hesitant (and therefore late in the game) to join it.

    Some parts of this social media craze make me want to retire early.

    But here I go and here is my question to brands:

    If you are a brand and you have 1000 or millions of likes on Facebook, do you know any of them? Do you know about their lives? Can you call them out by name?

    I heard the most interesting set of words (from one of our clients actually). We were doing our periodic check-in, looking for stories and lessons learned. This particular client said he was happy knowing they were “responsibly growing their Facebook community”.

    For instance, there where discovering people who are willing to help them solve problems. By listening and reaching out to a select few, they learned that they can actually create “lifelong fans”.

    By acting like humans, they truly feel they are getting closer and closer to a handful of folks. And learning a lot about themselves and what matters to their customers in the process.

    And more importantly, our client can actually list some names. And tell some incredible stories. We talk about these new friends in meetings and think of them when creating new programs. They aren’t a demographic or a target anymore, they are real human beings now, with hopes and dreams and pet peeves.

    We have come to know them intimately.

    I get that someone liking you on Facebook has a value. It’s a media impression. An eyeball. But beyond that, what is the value? Vs.the value of one lifetime customer?

    I can’t pretend to connect the dots. Not yet. But I do think the land rush will end soon. And we’ll all calm down. And I can keep working.

    Hopefully.

    Tell me what you think? Do you think a few friendship can shape a company’s point of view and make it more remarkable? Or do you think it’s all about impressions. Or both.

    What do you think is more important: Shouting to the masses or having an intimate conversation with your brand’s fans?

    I’m listening. Let’s talk.

  • GregPash

    Great thoughts Robbin. Intimacy is so important for building a genuine brand experiences. But what to do with the fans that may be “anonymous” to a large brand, but feel an intimate connection themselves?

  • KatieP

    I just like the word intimate. Intimacy is the opposite of shouting, it is whispering kind words to your dearest friends.
    But is that the way to do business … I have no idea. Right now, I’ve just got my wee community who I know and love and that’s perfectly fine by me.

  • Robbin

    I get what you are asking and that is a question in my heart as well. Maybe wearing a Facebook Like as if it were a badge or a bumper sticker IS one answer for those fans. Maybe.

    But I still believe supporting a community with shared passions is the goal. That way you can become intimate with not only the brand but others who share your passion.

    Thanks for adding that valuable point and question. Really good one.

  • http://twitter.com/JLWatsonConsult Jim Watson

    Hi Robbin,

    When I’m driving in my car with the radio on, and I hear a spokesperson tell me to “Like us on facebook,” I want to scream out, “Like you?  Hell, I don’t even KNOW you!”

    I think you’re right Robbin – it’s a frenzied land grab.  And the QUALITY of the relationship behind the Like, Friend or Follower is really what matters.

    There’s a difference between a quantity of impulsive digital connections, and the quality of a true relationship.  And in business and the real world, honest-to-goodness relationships are what endure, and what matter.

    Jim Watson
    http://bit.ly/efrxOg

  • Ann Tudor

    I am a jewelry designer and have no aspirations of making mass
    produced items so focusing on my current customers needs to be first
    priority.  Brains on Fire, the book and blog -Thank you.  I got into the whole twitter following, facebook page liking and all that and I personally am worn out from it all.  I have “met” a few like minded people on twitter that I communicate with and feel a more personal connection with them and same with some of my facebook page fans.  I am trying now to really focus on my current customers who are actually buying my things.  As my kids would say, DAH!

  • Sue

    I work with a lot of advocacy organizations, and I think both quantity and quality are important.  If, for example, an organization needs to call on several thousand people who have “liked” the organization to get as many as possible to sign onto a petition or send an email to their representatives on a timely issue, than quantity is important to get the volume response that gets decision-makers’ attention and has an impact over time.  Certainly, quality of relationships can also be important for these organizations as well, as those individuals emerge who are willing to be volunteers and generally become more engaged with an organization.  The trick is striking the right balance so that people can find a variety of ways to feel connected to an organization.

  • Anonymous

    I fully believe no matter the size of the organization, there is tremendous value in actually knowing customers. This thinking is usually reserved for small businesses and nonprofits but large orgs can also benefit by acting more human because the “business” barriers get stripped away and you’re left with people relating to people. Then you grow a relationship like you did with your spouse or best friend. Business owners can learn a lot from analyzing how they built relationships in their personal lives. If you don’t have any friends though, you may have a harder time and may want to let Brains on Fire help you out!