Social Media’s Hidden Opportunity for Direct Response Businesses

At first I thought “social media” was a bunch of fluff.

I’m one of those people who doesn’t have much need for or interest in small talk.

And a lot of social media chatter is small talk. Or whatever is smaller than small talk, if there is such a thing.

Nothing important, nothing urgent, just talking… A bunch of people talking a lot about a little.

That’s what I used to think.

Because even though I still look out at the social media landscape and see a lot of “chatter,” I also see how social media can play a very effective part in growing your business.

Even if you’re running a direct response business.

But it’s not easy…

It’s not quick…

And (if done well) it’s not automated…

It’s work.

And there’s the opportunity, because not many people are willing to do the work.

Social Media as “Hard Work” Spotlight

I think one of the most valuable benefits of social media, in addition to having new tools to spread messages and ideas, is that it makes it clear who’s investing EFFORT and who isn’t.

Who’s producing and who isn’t?

On the customer and prospect side, I think that EFFORT comes through and is perceived as CARING.

Fortunately, it makes the folks who are willing to work hard look really good.

And the folks that aren’t… well… how good does it look to you when you come across an abandoned blog or Twitter account or Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in months?

I used to have one of those. It doesn’t look good. You wonder, “Knock, knock, is anybody there?”

Maybe it’s a “blog” that got created just to promote a product launch, or a Twitter account that someone got going just to rake in six-figures while they slept.

Either way, the light’s on but nobody is home.

How social is that?

Here’s the deal:

Selling Online is EZ Compared to Building Relationships With REAL People Online

But it’s looking like enough folks are going to master the online relationship building thing that you should worry about the future of your business if you haven’t started doing it yourself.

Because if your competitor decides to put in the hours required to actually bond with their prospects and customers, then you’re gonna be out in the cold if all you’re doing is blasting them with “Buy Now” buttons.

So What’s a Direct Response Pro to Do?

So does all this social media stuff leave hardcore direct response guys (like me) out in the cold?

Does social media have a place in a profitable direct response enterprise?

Yep.

But it’s gonna require some new skills - actually a new discipline.

I think the new discipline is:

Consistency.

Particularly, content creation consistency.

Because with social media (or any type of relationship building), people have to have something to talk about. They can talk about content. And you can talk about content and add value without selling… even though you really are selling.

But how many entrepreneurs do you know who would list consistency as one of their strongest suits?

So for the direct response marketing business who’s ready to jump into the deep end of social media, here are a few suggestions:

1. Pick one social media tool (be smart about choosing - find out where the conversations are already happening) and stick with it for a while. Actually SHOW UP on a consistent basis. (Note to self: This showing up thing really works.)
2. Any social media that you can “automate” probably isn’t worth doing. Don’t fall for the line that says you can automate social media. Can you automate real conversations with real people? Who’d want to talk to someone like that?
3. Step back and try to take a more holistic view of your business. Is it really all about the response all the time?
4. The value isn’t in the tool, it’s in the message it conveys. That’s why it helps to have more of a message than, “Buy My Stuff.”
5. Think about how you can earn the response instead of manipulate the response.

It’s better to just get started than to “do it right” - whatever that is.

I’m not sure that social media is something you can learn in a course anyway.

After all, it’s about being social. And your idea of being social is probably very different than mine.

Being “social” is about being you in front of others.

And that’s where the value is. In that difference.

You just have to get it out there.

Related posts:

1. (Real Stats) Making Social Media Pay
2. Indirect Response Marketing: Will Somebody Please Call Claude Hopkins?