It’s a common complaint. In fact, it’s one I’ve made myself. You create all this fabulous content and it feels as if no-one’s listening. No-one comments on your blog, your Facebook reach is rubbish and you feel like throwing a party if you get a couple of likes on a post! You feel invisible. How can you get your customers listening to you when it feels as if they don’t?
People don’t always react
The really frustrating thing about putting content out on your website or via social media, is that you can’t always tell how it’s been received. You can check your Google analytics to see how many people have visited your website and how long they’ve spent on each page.
What they can’t tell you is whether anyone liked your stuff. I’ve had moments where a Facebook post has made me laugh and I haven’t even clicked on a reaction icon. I couldn’t honestly tell you why, I just didn’t. Your future customers could be reading every blog post you publish but never leave a comment. It could be because they can’t think of anything to say, they can’t be bothered or they might just have been distracted by a toddler throwing their breakfast across the room.
The important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t take it personally. Even people with thousands of followers and a successful business might only get a handful of comments.
Are you talking to your customers?
The trouble with lack of feedback on content is that you can’t always tell the difference between content that your customers like (but don’t react to) and the stuff that they hate. Bluntly, if you’ve identified your ideal customer you need to make sure that your content speaks to them. If it doesn’t then they’re just going to turn off.
If you’ve already identified the kind of customer you love to work with, you’ve made a great start (and if you haven’t this blog post will help.) How would you talk to your customer if you met them face to face? Would you be brisk and business like, friendly and chatty or somewhere in between?
It’s often difficult to get going in writing if it doesn’t come naturally to you. You might think of writing as being something formal that you had to do at school. Even a gossipy letter to a friend can be tricky if you’re used to chatting face to face. If you find it challenging, try recording yourself. What would you say to your customer if they were in front of you? Chat away and explain your topic and you might find the right words more easily.
How to get your customers listening
Sometimes getting your customers listening starts with listening to them. I work with lots of small businesses run by women with families. They have the same challenges and concerns as the working mums I meet at the school gate. The women in my networking group talk to me about their lives all the time and some of it ends up in a blog.
Occasionally, getting it right is about trial and error. You might have tumbleweed on your Facebook page for ages then suddenly something strikes a chord. I wrote a random post about how my week had been turned upside down and suddenly I had loads of comments from people who felt exactly the same!
There’s no magic formula. But I find I get the most success when I keep my customers at the front of my mind.
Are your customers listening to you? Let me know in the comments below!
