I remember one of the highlights of being a kid was when my parents allowed us to walk to the Quick Shop. That was the name of the closest corner store—where we would buy candy, chips and soda. The Quick Shop owners knew us and it was always such a thrill when we were able to go there unaccompanied by our parents! There were other corner stores close by, but we always went there. All the kids in the neighbourhood did.

That brand evangelism stems from the simple and human relationships that the Mom and Pop businesses used then and still use now. Build a human relationship with each customer directly, one by one, and they’ll share their good experiences with their friends, family and colleagues.

Social media is the tool of today that will do just that. Ask Dell. To date, they have reaped $7 million dollars in global product sales using Twitter. Yes, you heard it—Twitter. They’ve taken the “Mom and Pop” philosophy and used social media as a conduit to engage their customer in conversation. It’s that simple. I came across an article in the Huffington Post by Manish Mehta, VP of Social Media and Communications for Dell, that discusses how simple their successful use of Twitter and Facebook has been.

As an agency that specializes in social media and creative design—supporting businesses in creative ways to connect and engage with their customers directly—we can vouch for his article and tell you that it IS simple. People want to know that there is a human face to that name and brand and that you are eager to listen to them, assist them in solving their problems and, in turn, build a meaningful relationship with them. In return, they want to share their awesome experiences with you—and with everyone they know.

How easy can it be?

Best Nicole

Today’s corporate leaders are struggling to figure out how to use social media to further their business strategy. At Dell, we believe this is backwards thinking. Social media isn’t a means to further a corporation’s strategy, it’s a means to help determine it.

The “Mom and Pop” businesses in our neighborhoods have always followed sound and pragmatic business practices, rooted in developing, maintaining and strengthening relationships with customers. The customers and the businesses valued those relationships because “Mom and Pop” offered convenience. They listened to their customers and used their suggestions to improve the business. They provided great service and found ways to thank their clientele. Social media is really nothing more than the simple application of these business practices in a digital form.

So if you are wondering about how to leverage Twitter, Facebook, blogs, forums, and the company Web site to achieve your organization’s goals, perhaps you are starting from the wrong point. As with the corner store, if your business uses social media to engage in conversations on a human level, you strengthen your business and allow your strategy — both corporate and social media — to evolve based on customer feedback.

At Dell, we have a longer perspective on the social media conundrum than most. We’ve been an active leader in the space since 2006, with a depth and breadth to our social media presence that has earned top billing among brands using social media to engage stakeholders.

What we’ve learned is that social media has transformed the large corporation of the millennium into the Mom and Pop shop of the old days. The emergence of social media simply makes it more possible to connect directly with customers every day. Dell’s community goes well beyond our own forums — it now extends to direct contact with more than three million followers worldwide. Even during a historically difficult time for businesses of all stripes, Dell has generated nearly $7 million in global product sales on Twitter.

“Mom and Pop” knew that their business was only as successful as their relationships with customers could make it. That’s the value of the direct connection to your customer, and that’s how every company can achieve success using social media — by facilitating the conversation. No strategy necessary.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 11:52 pm and is filed under Brand Evangelism, Uncategorized. Tagged: AGENCY, BCAD GROUP, BLOGS, BRAND, COMPANY, CONNECTION, CONVERSATION, CUSTOMER, DELL, ENAGAGE, Facebook, FORUMS, HUFFINGTON POST, MANISH MEHTA, MOM AND POP SHOP, NICOLE MCKINNEY, SHARE, SOCIAL MEDIA, STRATEGY, TWITTER, WEB SITE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.