Social Media and Getting the Awkwards Out of the Way

There’s nothing better than meeting someone for the very first time, but feeling that you’ve known them forever. We’ve all probably had that experience where you’re just very comfortable with someone you’ve just met, and they feel like a longtime friend.

In recent years, I feel like this has been happening to me much more frequently, and I’m betting you might have had the same experience. One of the big reasons for this is social media. As I’ve met people online, and become part of online communities, I’ve gotten to know a variety of folks. As we connect online, I learn about their families, their likes and dislikes, their hobbies and jobs, and more. Sure, there is a false sense of intimacy there, because online, I don’t really know them, at least not in the fullest sense.

But when I bump into them in the offline world, in a physical context, and we meet for that first time, I suddenly feel more comfortable with them. And this happens to me on an almost weekly basis.

But the beauty of social media is that we get to know each other, and it helps us, as I like to call it, get the awkwards out of the way. While we may be meeting people face to face for the first time, we have a past. We have context. That awkward small talk that is the hallmark of first meetings isn’t necessary. It has already happened in a much less threatening online context. This is why I am a firm believer in the concept of small talk, and even engaging in seemingly trivial conversations. While I have no experience on which to base this, I imagine it’s much like the online dating thing. We have some form of relationship beforehand. It makes life a lot more simple.

When we talk about businesses and forming online communities, this is what we are really talking about, or should be talking about. Not just conversing or “engaging” with customers online, but really getting to know them, to the point of almost anticipating how they think, what they want, and how they’ll react in certain situations. Certainly this is easier said than done, but it is possible, especially on the small business level.

Engagement isn’t just talking back and forth. It involves listening, understanding, asking questions, and so much more.

Use the opportunities presented to you on social media to really get to know your customers. Don’t let “relationship building” and “engagement” just become nice little buzzwords. Let them mean what they are intended to mean.

Engage in small talk with your customers online, and it will make things that much easier when you connect with them online.

Do you have any examples of how this has played out in either your business or personal life?

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