Think Human

Who pays for what you sell?

Who wants it? Who needs it? Can you understand why they feel that way?

These are important questions as you set out to market your business online. There is a lot of bullshit floating around to get you off track and lower your success rate. Here is what I mean:

• SEO is an important consideration but not if it gets in the way of what you need to do.
• KLOUT is an algorithm driven ‘Score’ that others made up to make them money, is it getting in the way of what you need to do.
• Twitter followers (though I love you) have become a bragging right, is getting them getting in the way of what you need to do?
• Yelp reviews that rip your business by anonymous reviewers with one review, are you paying too much attention and not doing what you need to do?

So what do you need to do?

Think Human.

Humans buy what you sell, they want and need it. They feel that way because it was designed for them, and with their needs in mind. The way you communicate with them is what matters the most in your marketing.

Think about it for one second.

If you come across as a robot, an asshole, or both, does it matter if you pop up on the first page of Google? All that will do is to sour your reputation faster.

What if your Klout score gets you more attention, but you never respond, are rude, or just try and hard sell everyone? What if you spend so much time trying to play the system and up your Klout score that you simply miss opportunities to connect with your potential customers? Are you going to call people and tell them that your Klout score is a 71 and they should buy from you?

What if you could trade 20,000 twitter followers for 100 engaged followers who were buying from you? You would do it. You would do it right away. So stop focusing on what you don’t have and start leveraging what you do. Make human connections with them and let them find out how awesome you are.

Use your picture for your accounts, let employees post on behalf of your business, do whatever you can to convey that you and your people make up your company. Be creative, honest, open about things that go wrong and right.

It is far too easy to get trapped behind a monitor, and forget that your business does not exist in an isolated world, it is part of a community and it is mandatory for your success that you become a part of it. That community is Human, just like the people who own those businesses crowding that pier up there we are all in this together.

Isolating yourself by forgetting that is a losing proposition.

Thoughts or comments? Please share.