Ross Kimbarovsky, co-founder of crowdSpring, wrote a phenomenal Mashable article titled, 10 Small Business Social Media Marketing Tips. Every professional marketer should read this article for his fantastic advice that readily applies to any business thinking about social media marketing execution. The article shares both "beginner" and "advanced strategies."
A Case Study in Audience Engagement
More importantly, I'm genuinely impressed by the personalized responses Kimbarovsky provided to the reader's comments. After reviewing about 45 of his responses, I stopped counting. These personalized responses ranged from "I'm glad you found the article helpful" (for the commenters who provided quick "thank you-type" comments) to longer and thoughtful replies.
I think we could learn a lot about genuine audience engagement by studying his responses. Kimbarovsky demonstrates the importance of listening and individualized treament. If I could ever generate comparable numbers and types of responses for my content, I would be overjoyed.
But generating the responses or initiating the conversation is only half the story. The other half is carefully listening to each individual — and isn't that really the art of great conversation …
If you think I'm full of it, read this eMarketer article, Consumers Demand Brand Interaction. One of the study findings shows that new media contact with companies and brands fosters goodwill in a majority of users with at least 70% of the respondents reporting positive impressions, stronger connections and a greater willingness to engage with the company.
Great Examples We All Could Learn From
Check out Kimbarovsky's personalized responses here — it's a clinic in genuinely listening, responding, and engaging an audience:
Tony,
Much thanks for the kind and humbling words in this post. I’ve always been impressed by how other people I respect (@edwardboches @garyvee and more) handle comments. From the time I started writing (and engaging in discussions), I view each comment in its own right – as if that person and I were talking face to face at a party. Sometimes, the conversation is simple – just an exchange of hellos or thank yous. Sometimes, it’s a bit more involved. But just like we wouldn’t ignore someone who says something to us at a party, we shouldn’t ignore someone who takes the time to post a comment.
You’re absolutely right that listening is key. I wrote about this last year – http://blog.crowdspring.com/2008/12/08/talk-with-people-not-to-them/
Best,
Ross
Ross, thank you for stopping by and leaving such a thoughtful reply. I love your analogy of the party, and how it readily applies to responding to someone who takes the time to comment on a post. You’re absolutely right that when someone takes the time read what we write, it’s the online world version of saying “hey, it looks like we’ve got some similar interests, do you have some time to chat a little?” When someone does that, it makes us feel good so don’t we owe it to that person to return their kindness.
Thank you for sending me the link to your “Talk With People, Not to Them” post. I enjoyed the post, and I just left my comments on your blog a few moments ago. Many thanks Ross!