Screens are wonderful windows into the online world’s soul.  Through them we access a myriad of information, experience the good and the bad of Life and have the ability to share our laughter, fear, pain and successes.  They are wonderful indeed, but, there is a danger that comes with screens that no product manual or salesman warns us about – A false sense of being faceless.

When it comes to Brands and their online presence, especially the successful management of it, we often find that small to medium-sized brands are particularly prone to fall into this trap. Here’s usually how it goes:

Being online isn’t easy

Brand A is a two-man band. They’ve got a website that is sort of working, and decide it is now time to try their hand at Facebook. They start off by creating a Facebook page and posting pictures of the business, their products and at least 10 specials that simply can’t be missed. Then they share it with their family and friends and wait. They get 6 Likes, but after that, nothing happens.  They post a few more specials, share a motivational MEME with a cute puppy on it, and wait.

Back in real life, a new range of products has arrived, its tax season and Partner A is fighting off Influenza. Two months go by before they finally get the time to visit their Facebook page again. Still nothing. Realizing that this is not going to work – they simply don’t have the expertise or time to run this properly – they acquire the services of an agency. The agency pulls a few rabbits out of a hat and Voila!  The Likes and visitors to their site start rolling in. Brand A feels very Socialicious and partners A and B can now focus on what are really important – meeting more clients and selling more products so that they can make more money to pay their agency. The problem with this scenario is that Brand A and their agency have fallen into a trap.

Being Socialicious requires you to:

Listen first

You can’t simply start a Facebook page or get a Twitter handle and expect the world to come. You need to LISTEN first. And, if you want to dig deep and find out exactly who says what where and when, you got to pay for it – whether in hard currency or with time. This is where most SME’s get stuck :

– they don’t have the resources to pay for a proper online listening tool

– they don’t have the time to be online themselves

– they don’t feel comfortable being the face that represents the brand

Know your audience

Through listening, you get to know your clients’ personas. If you know who you’re talking to, you know what to say and how to say it. You won’t address a room full of CEO’s the same way as you would a room full of moms. However, in both cases, you would address them as yourself – Partner A of Brand B. You won’t address them simply as Brand B.

Interact personally

People don’t want to talk to a faceless brand all the time. They want to have personal interaction with Peter, the CEO, or get updates on their request from Mary, the Sales Team Manager. Listening is followed by participation, and if you want to embrace the true power of being Socialicious, you can’t only participate as a brand. An agency can provide valuable insight, but they must involve you or someone at your business in the listening and participation process. You simply cannot remain faceless and think that your influence or relevance will continue to grow. That trap only leads to a stale brand presence and, ultimately, online death.

Featured image via Zazzle.com. Screens image via Penny Peirce, faceless man image via theperfectdesign.com and Headphone image via wirenews.co