Remember when business was simpler and you only had one list to worry about?! (Or two, if you count contacts that aren’t on your ezine list.) But Web 2.0 has changed all that.
Because blogs, Facebook and Twitter are essentially creating other lists of contacts and prospects within your sphere of influence. But the quality of your relationship with each of these lists varies greatly.
Ezine subscribers–They’re in the center of the bulls-eye below because they tend to be your most loyal fans.
They’re not only letting you into their inbox– which people are getting increasingly protective about–but the personal note most ezines include gives them a chance to know you better. So they feel more of a connection with you.
Blog subscribers (via email)–A step out from the center, these prospects are all about the information.
They want to keep an eye on what you’re doing, but you’re not building as much rapport with them. Plus, they usually have to take the extra step of clicking over to the blog to read the full article. So you tend to get less overall readership.
On the other hand, they may be getting your emails more often–which can create a sense of familiarity.
Blog subscribers (via RSS)–These prospects are literally keeping you at arms length because they’re not convinced you’ll consistently provide enough value to rate being in their inbox. (Unless they’re a fanatic feed reader.)
Facebook–Friends would probably be yet another ring beyond Twitter because it’s so common to friend someone yet never interact with them.
But people who join your FB Group have taken that extra step–so they’re definitely interested in your topic. Also,you can build credibility and rapport through group emails.
The downside is you don’t have direct access to them (ie their email address) and groups can be pretty inactive.
But it exposes you to a new circle of contacts and can be a good first step in building a relationship with them. It’s also a good way to interact with subscribers and contacts you already have.
Twitter Followers–Twitter is more complex, which is why it’s on the outer ring. If someone’s following thousands of people and not breaking them down by interest in apps such as Tweetdeck, they may never even see your tweets.
Yet the more casual nature of Twitter means you can connect on a business and personal level that builds the all important Know, Like and Trust factor.
So again, it’s exposure to a new group of people and a good way to further relationships with other contacts.
Keep in mind that Twitter and Facebook are NOT about just pushing offers and info out to people. (None of these should be, but you’re held to a higher standard with Facebook and especially Twitter.) It’s more about interacting.
But in short, all of these networks create a valuable web of contacts and potential clients for your business.
