Comments on: The Paradox of Building Stronger Online Relationships http://www.jackieadkins.com/2010/02/25/paradox-of-building-stronger-online-relationships/ Conversations on Marketing and Social Media Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:49:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Promoting Your Business Online 101 « UK Prestige Blog Arena | Advertising Marketing Wisdom http://www.jackieadkins.com/2010/02/25/paradox-of-building-stronger-online-relationships/comment-page-1/#comment-711 Promoting Your Business Online 101 « UK Prestige Blog Arena | Advertising Marketing Wisdom Sun, 28 Feb 2010 08:12:05 +0000 http://www.jackieadkins.com/?p=957#comment-711 [...] The Paradox of Building Stronger Online Relationships [...] [...] The Paradox of Building Stronger Online Relationships [...]

]]> By: Jackie Adkins http://www.jackieadkins.com/2010/02/25/paradox-of-building-stronger-online-relationships/comment-page-1/#comment-1051 Jackie Adkins Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:18:16 +0000 http://www.jackieadkins.com/?p=957#comment-1051 Great points, Elisa! As I read in a book, familiarity leads to trust, which leads to loyalty, and what better way to make a customer more familiar with you than by reaching out to them offline? That level of trust increases a whole lot when you interact in person, and it makes you feel a lot less like they may, as you so eloquently put it, give you a virtual bitch slap. Great points, Elisa! As I read in a book, familiarity leads to trust, which leads to loyalty, and what better way to make a customer more familiar with you than by reaching out to them offline? That level of trust increases a whole lot when you interact in person, and it makes you feel a lot less like they may, as you so eloquently put it, give you a virtual bitch slap.

]]> By: Jackie Adkins http://www.jackieadkins.com/2010/02/25/paradox-of-building-stronger-online-relationships/comment-page-1/#comment-1050 Jackie Adkins Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:16:06 +0000 http://www.jackieadkins.com/?p=957#comment-1050 Haha thanks for stopping by and sharing the cartoon, Jeannie! Haha thanks for stopping by and sharing the cartoon, Jeannie!

]]> By: Jackie Adkins http://www.jackieadkins.com/2010/02/25/paradox-of-building-stronger-online-relationships/comment-page-1/#comment-709 Jackie Adkins Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:18:16 +0000 http://www.jackieadkins.com/?p=957#comment-709 Great points, Elisa! As I read in a book, familiarity leads to trust, which leads to loyalty, and what better way to make a customer more familiar with you than by reaching out to them offline? That level of trust increases a whole lot when you interact in person, and it makes you feel a lot less like they may, as you so eloquently put it, give you a virtual bitch slap. Great points, Elisa! As I read in a book, familiarity leads to trust, which leads to loyalty, and what better way to make a customer more familiar with you than by reaching out to them offline? That level of trust increases a whole lot when you interact in person, and it makes you feel a lot less like they may, as you so eloquently put it, give you a virtual bitch slap.

]]> By: Jackie Adkins http://www.jackieadkins.com/2010/02/25/paradox-of-building-stronger-online-relationships/comment-page-1/#comment-710 Jackie Adkins Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:16:06 +0000 http://www.jackieadkins.com/?p=957#comment-710 Haha thanks for stopping by and sharing the cartoon, Jeannie! Haha thanks for stopping by and sharing the cartoon, Jeannie!

]]> By: Jeannie Chan http://www.jackieadkins.com/2010/02/25/paradox-of-building-stronger-online-relationships/comment-page-1/#comment-708 Jeannie Chan Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:10:05 +0000 http://www.jackieadkins.com/?p=957#comment-708 Interesting. This is obviously a topic on many people's mind. Just today, I came across another link that discussed the very subject! <a href="http://bit.ly/bsWEu3" rel="nofollow">http://bit.ly/bsWEu3</a>. Interesting. This is obviously a topic on many people's mind. Just today, I came across another link that discussed the very subject! http://bit.ly/bsWEu3.

]]> By: Elisa Doucette http://www.jackieadkins.com/2010/02/25/paradox-of-building-stronger-online-relationships/comment-page-1/#comment-707 Elisa Doucette Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:45:38 +0000 http://www.jackieadkins.com/?p=957#comment-707 I have attempted chest bumping offline after an extremely successful softball league season and learned that when you are a girl...it generally hurts. I imagine it is the equivalent of all the boy-ouchie-hits on America's Funniest Home Videos..<br><br>But I digress...<br><br>I agree that companies can fall dangerously into a trap of "getting out too easy" by appealing only through shallow online interaction. I'd say there are two ways to counter this. The first is follow up. Creating systems that are put in place to make sure than no one feels as though they were just answered "by a bot" and forgotten. An email/phone follow up, customer comment card, something. Not only does this reach out to your customers, but it encourages them to interact. Interactions = customer loyalty = repeat business and referrals.<br><br>The second is the human "factor" of your online presence. Anyone can create auto replies and canned statements. Many businesses spew our updates and Tweets and marketing without ever attempting to reach out and build any sort of relationship. As has been mentioned with Foiled Cupcakes, she does an amazing job of showing clients the person behind the screen. Granted, this is sometimes easier with a smaller business, but not impossible with a larger one. And of course there's the false sense of relationship too. You @reply with someone for a bit, follow them, comment on their site, assume a level of relationship somehow/some way and then you go to DM them and BAM! <br><br>It's not a virtual hug, it's a virtual bitch slap. :P I have attempted chest bumping offline after an extremely successful softball league season and learned that when you are a girl…it generally hurts. I imagine it is the equivalent of all the boy-ouchie-hits on America's Funniest Home Videos..

But I digress…

I agree that companies can fall dangerously into a trap of “getting out too easy” by appealing only through shallow online interaction. I'd say there are two ways to counter this. The first is follow up. Creating systems that are put in place to make sure than no one feels as though they were just answered “by a bot” and forgotten. An email/phone follow up, customer comment card, something. Not only does this reach out to your customers, but it encourages them to interact. Interactions = customer loyalty = repeat business and referrals.

The second is the human “factor” of your online presence. Anyone can create auto replies and canned statements. Many businesses spew our updates and Tweets and marketing without ever attempting to reach out and build any sort of relationship. As has been mentioned with Foiled Cupcakes, she does an amazing job of showing clients the person behind the screen. Granted, this is sometimes easier with a smaller business, but not impossible with a larger one. And of course there's the false sense of relationship too. You @reply with someone for a bit, follow them, comment on their site, assume a level of relationship somehow/some way and then you go to DM them and BAM!

It's not a virtual hug, it's a virtual bitch slap. :P

]]> By: Jackie Adkins http://www.jackieadkins.com/2010/02/25/paradox-of-building-stronger-online-relationships/comment-page-1/#comment-704 Jackie Adkins Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:45:52 +0000 http://www.jackieadkins.com/?p=957#comment-704 Foiled Cupcakes definitely sounds like a cool business and one that their customers really have developed a sort of attachment to. Some guy introduced me to them in this video series he does. :) Foiled Cupcakes definitely sounds like a cool business and one that their customers really have developed a sort of attachment to. Some guy introduced me to them in this video series he does. :)

]]> By: Tim Jahn http://www.jackieadkins.com/2010/02/25/paradox-of-building-stronger-online-relationships/comment-page-1/#comment-703 Tim Jahn Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:43:06 +0000 http://www.jackieadkins.com/?p=957#comment-703 That's a great point. I forgot about the companies that started out online entirely.<br><br><a href="http://www.foiledcupcakes.com" rel="nofollow">Foiled Cupcakes</a> is an excellent example of this. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/foiledcupcakes" rel="nofollow">Mari</a> sells cupcakes 100% online with no storefront, but she has created the most personal company I've ever seen. She's not hiding behind that website - she's out on the front lines each and everyday putting a face to the company and the experience. That's a great point. I forgot about the companies that started out online entirely.

Foiled Cupcakes is an excellent example of this. Mari sells cupcakes 100% online with no storefront, but she has created the most personal company I've ever seen. She's not hiding behind that website – she's out on the front lines each and everyday putting a face to the company and the experience.

]]> By: bethcoetzee http://www.jackieadkins.com/2010/02/25/paradox-of-building-stronger-online-relationships/comment-page-1/#comment-706 bethcoetzee Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:24:37 +0000 http://www.jackieadkins.com/?p=957#comment-706 I hesitate to use the word "same" but mainly because it's subjective in this example. You may have a person who isn't very touchy-feely in person but who is comfortable giving "virtual hugs" or you may have someone who considers the virtual world sterile and would rather look the person they're doing business with in the eye and shake their hand. I do, though, think it's important to acknowledge that a growing segment of the population is becoming more comfortable with these virtual "touches" and to figure out how you can reach out to people (without being creepy) in both your personal and corporate online voices. I hesitate to use the word “same” but mainly because it's subjective in this example. You may have a person who isn't very touchy-feely in person but who is comfortable giving “virtual hugs” or you may have someone who considers the virtual world sterile and would rather look the person they're doing business with in the eye and shake their hand. I do, though, think it's important to acknowledge that a growing segment of the population is becoming more comfortable with these virtual “touches” and to figure out how you can reach out to people (without being creepy) in both your personal and corporate online voices.

]]>