When I walk into a shop I have never been to before and introduce myself, I can usually expect one of three reactions. The best one for my humility is the blank look. They have no idea what ScubaBoard is nor how big we have become. They look at me with vague distrust as I tell them about our 220,000 registered users and the 800,000 to 1.6 million visitors we get each month. Its a good reality check that I have more work to do in getting our name out there for every diver to know and use.
The second response is they are happy to finally meet me. No, I dont let the effusive accolades go to my head (much), but its always nice to hear how they are integrating in with the divers and users on ScubaBoard. Its amazing though, how many of these fans still dont know about how to incorporate Social Media into their business without wasting a lot of precious time.
The third response is rather negative. Someone somewhere on ScubaBoard has said something negative about them and they cant understand why I just dont delete all those comments. Their whole ScubaBoard experience is based on one or two negatives instead of the host of positives that are on there as well. As I listen to them rant and rave it becomes obvious that they have little idea how to incorporate Social Media into their business as well.
Three vastly different responses and yet they all have the same core problem: they arent listening. In the past, it was very hard to gauge your customers experiences with your company. Oh, they were talking about you alright, but good or gab, those word of mouth discussions hardly ever got back to you. With the advent of the Internet and blogs, that changed a bit. The discussion became more word of internet and you got to read what a few people thought about your business. If you were smart, you bribed the crap out of those influential few to get good reviews.
Todays mantra is Word of Social Media. Experiences both good and bad, are being shared online about you. Yes, YOU. Youll find them on Facebook, on Twitter and even on ScubaBoard, sharing the good, the bad and the downright ugly with anyone who would care to read. Make no doubt about it, the success of your business whether its manufacturing, teaching or hosting is right here on the Interwebs. All you have to do is to listen and let your customers and potential customers know that you are listening. When you finally listen, make sure you put what you are learning to good use. After all, thats the point of listening.
The second response is they are happy to finally meet me. No, I dont let the effusive accolades go to my head (much), but its always nice to hear how they are integrating in with the divers and users on ScubaBoard. Its amazing though, how many of these fans still dont know about how to incorporate Social Media into their business without wasting a lot of precious time.
The third response is rather negative. Someone somewhere on ScubaBoard has said something negative about them and they cant understand why I just dont delete all those comments. Their whole ScubaBoard experience is based on one or two negatives instead of the host of positives that are on there as well. As I listen to them rant and rave it becomes obvious that they have little idea how to incorporate Social Media into their business as well.
Three vastly different responses and yet they all have the same core problem: they arent listening. In the past, it was very hard to gauge your customers experiences with your company. Oh, they were talking about you alright, but good or gab, those word of mouth discussions hardly ever got back to you. With the advent of the Internet and blogs, that changed a bit. The discussion became more word of internet and you got to read what a few people thought about your business. If you were smart, you bribed the crap out of those influential few to get good reviews.
Todays mantra is Word of Social Media. Experiences both good and bad, are being shared online about you. Yes, YOU. Youll find them on Facebook, on Twitter and even on ScubaBoard, sharing the good, the bad and the downright ugly with anyone who would care to read. Make no doubt about it, the success of your business whether its manufacturing, teaching or hosting is right here on the Interwebs. All you have to do is to listen and let your customers and potential customers know that you are listening. When you finally listen, make sure you put what you are learning to good use. After all, thats the point of listening.