subject: Online Communities Count [print this page] As the world moves forward through the technology age, the online audience is becoming a greater asset to all businesses. The thing is that this situation can make it a little hard to work one on one with your clients. Meeting people and interacting with others online can sometimes seem a little impersonal, unlike in a store where people that come in can talk to you directly. We can see expressions and get a feel for an individual when they are standing before us. But this doesnt mean that we dont treat them differently. It is important to remember that the online community is still composed of individual people.
Detecting the online community
The online community is huge- full ofwell, just about everyone. Since your business doesnt necessarily need to reach everybody, it is important to understand who your audience is. Find out where they are, and go to them. The internet is the largest mall in the world, and while it is important for your audience to find you, it is wise to reach out and find them as well. Remember the annoying guy who calls out to people passing by at the carnival? Well, though it may seem annoying to some folks, it does get the message across. You hear the name, and it sticks in your mind. Sometimes, you need to reach out into the online community and make yourself known, so that people will know you are there.
Making sure you stay in touch
Social media sites are some of the best business tools on the internet. Theyre designed to intertwine networks of people, allowing discussion and conversation to take place easily and swiftly. As a business owner, utilizing this tool for your personal brand or business is imperative. Not only can it represent your name and business, but it allows for others to find you too. Social media is possibly one of the best communication tools available, but unfortunately, there are limitations to what can be done online.
Blogs, articles, and comments
While it is important for you to maintain a good image on your social media sites, remember your own site as well. Blogs, articles, and especially the comments are all important communication channels for the public. While it isnt like having a face to face discussion with a client, posted blogs and comments can actually offer their own advantage of displaying your business publically so that people can see how you do business. If your finesse and style are quality, people will see this and be influenced.
Understanding the power of the online community
Because the internet provides such a large area for business to prosper, people traverse electronic mediums in search of entertainment, products, and services. This community is full of people who often work together to grow and change their world. The online community isnt quite like a town, where you move here and there, stopping by a single grocery store to pick up milk. It is a world of its own. Unique in the fact that anyone can talk to everyone, and that can be used to your advantage- because if someone talks positively about you, it is possible for anyone to hear it. This is an awesome power, but it can be a double edged sword if you dont handle yourself properly in business affairs.
The online customer is just as important as the walk-in client. Though an online audience may be faceless, hidden by the matrix of data, they are still people communicating through the internet. As a business owner, it is vital that you understand the power of such a community and how they are influenced. What they are saying in the online world can affect you, so know how to be effective as well.
by: Russell Wallace
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