How to Keep the Conversation Going

article

1 novembre 2008

A conversation is a dialogue that occurs between two or more people, it involves the continuous flow of information from party A to party B and vice versa. As a company executive, leader, blogger, it is part of your responsibility to make sure that these conversations don’t turn into broadcasts. What do I mean by broadcasts?

If you continuously push out content on your blog (or other platform) while ignoring the comments and emails that you receive from your users or customers then you are not having a conversation, you are broadcasting a message.

A broadcast is the one way flow of information. A broadcast is a commercial or a flyer on your car. If you are seeking to become an active contributor in the social media space then you need to make sure that your conversations don’t turn into broadcasts. The conversations are where the value is, learning from your users, sharing ideas/information, getting feedback, and building relationships.

So how do you make sure that your conversations don’t turn into broadcasts?

Respond to all of your comments and emails, and when I say respond, I mean put some thought into it, add value where you can.
Facilitate conversations and discussions by asking your readers and customer’s questions, ask for feedback, ask how you can improve, and ask what your readers and customers think of a particular topic/issue/tool.
Thank your customers and readers for the time they are spending on interacting with you; show them that you care and that you appreciate them.
Respect your customers and your readers by not sending out spam or unsolicited communication.
Get to know your customers/readers, who are the active ones, who aren’t?
Encourage new members to comment and interact again. When I receive a new comment/email from someone, I thank them and then tell them that I look forward to hearing more from them.
Offer your customers/readers the opportunity to become a part of your brand, let them share their expertise; perhaps let them write a guest post.
Participate in other discussions and communities that are outside of your blog. Find other industry related blogs and comment on them, ask questions, get feedback, encourage dialogue.