Entrepreneurs like Marc Coucke set about actively finding the followers themselves, by using their passion to attract the right target group. Of course, not every is a Marc Coucke.
Research carried out by Linkedln in collaboration with the Altimeter Group has shown that company leadership is a key factor in sharing passion with the market. The more passionate a computer’s leaders are, the more passionate that company’s staff will also become. Social media are then an ideal place for these enthused staff to share their enthusiasm and pride with the rest of the market. In my book The Conversation Company. I devoted considerable attention to the role of company operatives as ambassadors for their companies. This approach has many benefits in helping to find the right human touch. The more staff share their experiences on social media, the more the outside world will be impressed with the passion of the company in question.
Of course, there is much more to sharing passion than simply sharing online stories. Passion is about having a daily dose of drive and motivation. It is about staff who enjoy helping customers. It is about possessing unique human qualities that have an infectious effect on others. The personality and culture of the company forms the basis for all these things. Constantly searching for new ways to transmit this passion to your customers in the online and offline world must become a permanent part of the management of your human-based customer relationship.
Let your people shine
In the customer relationship of the future it will be your people who really shine when it comes to creating an emotional bond with consumers through their special blend of creativity, empathy and passion. These are all qualities that computers are unable to replicate. It is important to let your people score in the things that they are good at. There is a trend nowadays to overload staff with all kinds of technological aids to ‘optimize’ their relationships with customers. After all, it is logical to assume that a salesperson with an iPad will be better able to help customers.