With all the technological advancements of recent years (do you remember what it was like without mobile phones?), many of our conversations now take place online or through texting and it’s not unusual to hear people lamenting the loss of traditional conversation. Formalities which used to be common in written communication have all but disappeared and the anonymity of online communication means that people often say things they would never dream of saying to someone if they were face to face.
As a marketer, conversation is still all-important when it comes to building relationships with potential clients. Conversations can take place across a variety of different mediums including face to face, through text, email and social media. As a marketer it’s important to be aware of how you come across during the conversations you have with people, both online and face-to-face.
Although methods of communication have changed over the last century, basic good manners haven’t. I recently stumbled across an etiquette manual by Arthur Martine that contained a lot of great advice, much of which is still as relevant today as it was in 1866. Here are a few pointers:
Aim to make the other person feel good
Martine states that the art of true politeness is to make the people who you associate with feel as satisfied with themselves as possible. 150 years later this is still the cornerstone of great customer service. You want the people you converse with to go away from the conversation feeling positive and to associate you or your business with those positive feelings.
Know when to listen
Listening to your customers is essential if you want to build relationships and gain a reputation for being customer-focused. The days of delivering lengthy sales pitches or publishing endless blurb pushing your products and services are well and truly over. Whether you’re dealing with negative social media comments or you’re in a sales meeting with a client, resist the temptation to blow your own trumpet and instead ask them about their issues and listen to the answers.
Show that you are paying attention
It’s important to be engaged with your audience, whether you are online or face-to-face. Interest and attention can be communicated by body language when you’re in front of someone, but it is more difficult when you are online. Taking steps like responding to comments on blogs and social media pages can show your audience that you are interested and attentive.
Keep the conversation relevant to your audience
Knowing who you are talking to and keeping the conversation relevant to their interests and subjects they understand is essential if you want to build lasting relationships. This includes not assuming a level of technical or industry understanding which your audience might not all share.
Be polite
It can be easy to forget basic politeness in the age of twitter and Facebook updates but remembering to say please and thank you and speak respectfully to people still goes a long way, possibly even more so, now that it is becoming increasingly rare.
Great marketing starts with building relationships. Basic courtesy and good conversational skills will continue to stand the test of time both in every day conversation and marketing communication.
About the Author:
Jo Macdermott is the Chief Marketing Consultant at Next Marketing in Melbourne. She has 15 years of marketing experience, is a Certified Practising Marketer and is a sought after marketing media commentator. Jo specialises in working with small and medium businesses. Follow her on Twitter here.
