Have you been practicing your communication skills today?
Have you spent a good proportion of your day answering e-mails, calling people up, responding to blog comments and posting up comments of your own?
If the answer is no, it could be that you’ve become caught up in your business, wondering about how to enhance your products or services instead of keeping your customers happy.
The Fundamental Trait
While both sides of running an online business are important, communication is fundamental.
Without it, our customers begin to feel unloved, and you run the risk of them drifting away to another, more friendly, service provider.
From the day we are born, we hone and develop our communication skills, babies scream when they want to let parents know they need to be fed, and this initial noise gradually gets refined over time, if we’re lucky, until we learn the art of speech and gain the ability to articulate more specifically about how we think and feel.
Language is the main thing that sets us apart from other animals, and without it, the art of blogging would be lost to us.
Studies of child language acquisition show that babies all over the world, on every continent, share the same vocal structure, and their babbling doesn’t alter regardless of what continent they are raised on.
This shows me something fundamental – we all start from a common platform of wanting to communicate with each other, and we only learn our own language later, when our parents and people around us start to teach us to speak, read and write.
The Point Of Blogging
The whole point of blogging, then, is to open up a great communication channel between us and our existing or potential customers. Aside from all the SEO-related advantages of running a blog, there is something fundamental about its purpose.
As the internet grew in stature over the past couple of decades, people accessed a truly global market for the very first time. Someone like me, who works from home and runs a business remotely could suddenly attract and retain customers from all over Europe and the rest of the world, and it came as a surprise to the first entrepreneurs when they realised the potential of the World Wide Web.
Obviously, when something as huge as the web descended on business, there was an immediate need to find a way of representing business in a virtual way, mirroring the traditional shop front that we were accustomed to, and making communication possible.
We needed a new way of opening up conversations and dialogue with our customers.
Given that we can’t stop everything and jet off to the other side of the world to have a business meeting with someone and sell our services, blogging evolved as the next step in customer attraction and retention.
Customer Interaction Is Key
The potential of customer interaction with a blog is vast.
Online, you can show people who you are, develop your brand, and discuss what is important to you in your business.
In the same way, your customers can learn all about you and what you do, and ask the key questions which will sway them in to a positive purchasing decision.
So, the next time you push commenting or responding to people on your blog to the bottom of your things to do list, remember the huge power and importance of what it is you are trying to achieve.
We are all part of a global network of supply and demand, and your little blog is the best possible tool you have, to welcome people through the door of your virtual shop, and chew the fat with them until they decide to make a purchase.
Sit them down, make them a (virtual) coffee, and get to know one another for a firm and long-lasting two-way relationship.
So let me ask this again:
Have you been practicing your communication skills today?
Please share your views in the comments below.
I’ve seen many people who think that they can make a living online while they are behind there computer screens like ghosts. I believe that there is almost no difference between the online and the offline world. If you want to make a solid base business, you need to Interact, Communicate and Share. Thanks for sharing
David,
You are right. Many think they can hide behind their screens. It is about getting the balance between on and off-line.
Andrew
Yep my friends have been telling me for years that a blog would be good for my small kitchen remodel business. But it takes so much time and dedication. I have yet to see the benefits but I definitely need to pratice my communication skills more. I’ve just started to blog so I’ll give this some time 🙂
Anita,
A blog is a great way to attract more customers to a small business.
But it is not just about the writing/content. it’s about design, layout, colors, look, images…
To get it right does take a lot of effort.
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Why yes, I have been practicing my communication skills today. My job is all about communication, actually, whether that be via social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, blogging, or calling business partners on the phone. I really enjoy these parts of my job, too. Sure beats starting at spreadsheets all day.
-Petra
Petra,
Excellent – that is great!
Yuk! Spreadsheets! How dare you swear on my blog! LOL
Andrew
Excellent points – we have been preaching to our customers importance of blogging to their overall business presence for quite a while.
Its hard to establish that “personal touch” over the web with potential clients and blogs are a great way to do it!
Alex,
Very true. You also have to manage customers expectations. Blogging is not the overnight silver bullet to more customers and more cash!
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Nice post.Communication is very important to get more customers,if communication is not good then customers think that they dont have much importance in eye of owner and they dont get good impression from website.
For a small business owner who is eager to become successful, I don’t see any reason not to blog. It is such a great contribution, a great way of communicating in widening the horizon and building even bigger relationships with our customers.
Agree, John!
Shame more small business owners are not aware of the benefits.
Andrew
Andrew,
Oh you are so right when you say that the whole point of blogging is to open up a communication channel. Not everyone realizes this fact. And with communication, there are many forms.
More importantly, customers build trust when they can feel a personal side of you. Like, an open about page, with your own pictures etc. Recently people also love to watch videos, that gives them the feeling that they know you already, quite easy to establish trust.
So trying and practicing different forms of communication is essential.
Cheers,
Jane.
Jane,
I see so many blogs that have no about page or no replies to comments.
Then they wonder why they don’t get a following!
Andrew
I am indeed! Not in the way that I will be using it in my business, but with my profession. I will be a teacher in a big institution and I want to be the best that I can be so that I can effectively teach my lessons to the students. 🙂
Sounds great! Public speaking is another skill altogether!
Andrew
I think blogging is one of the best way to interact with people and share what we know with the readers. Having a good relation with our clients, readers or customers are very important because this builds trust. Luring them and gaining their trust are two different things.
Gary
I agree…via blogging you can build some excellent relationships. I have.
Andrew
Definitely! Who doesn’t like to feel heard and valued for their opinion? Even if it’s a simple, “Thanks for sharing!” it’s a better response than silence. Then I have to wonder if the blogger was wanting a conversation or a diatribe.
Conversations are way more fun. And cute photos of toddlers talking on pretend (or not so pretend) telephones are irresistible, too!
Delena
Delena
I’m glad you liked the image. I loved it…as soon as I saw it.
Andrew
Andrew,
These are helpful tips! Just what I needed. My website is so plain and simple. Communication is really important for any business as it builds trust and long term relationship with customers. Thanks!