"Creating A Virtual Handshake and Engaging Content"
Since the Internet came online in the early 1990s, communications as we know it has changed in so many ways. Now instead of people talking in person to one another or on the phone, texting and email is now the daily method of communication. However, email is now considered cumbersome and time consuming in today's business world too.
There has also been a change in our linguistics which causes a breakdown in our communication skills called tech talk, which causes a void in how we communicate or rather don't! Because the Internet has become so fast paced, it no longer allows us to utilize our Professional Communication skills to build a trusting relationship with our clients. This is now considered old school. Unless people are current with the short forms and how to use the social groups used in today's online business world, their mandate can get lost in translation. How then does this affect people who are trying to promote their business online?
Before email and texting, we had the luxury of integrating our social graces, allowing us a face to face experience that complimented our intellect with our clients. In doing so, we build lasting relationships that are congenial, and over time, develop into a trusting rapport between the two individual parties, validated by a strong handshake!
Now it has fallen upon us to develop a lasting business relationship via creating a Virtual Handshake. So how do we accomplish this?
There is a way for the online businesses to still build a lasting relationship of trust with their readers that can be extremely effective by creating a virtual handshake. The way to do this is to transform our Professional Communication Skills into a verbal medium that compliments our content. By using our social graces as well, we can marry the three together and now the translation becomes much more transparent and easier for all to understand.
It's important right from the start of creating your content to speak to your reader, not at them. You will want to relate to them by first getting a good understanding of what they are searching for. Once you identify what that is, it's important to focus on how you can help them. Be sincere in your communications and present them with options so they can see you're for real and there for them! You will want to build a friendship first and foremost with your readers upon first contact in order to eventually gain their trust. What the reader is looking for may not be what you provide, but it's in your best interest to help them just the same, if you can. Why? Because they will remember you and will come back to your website or they may refer someone to you. So it's a Win, Win, situation!.
In creating this marriage of the three methods of building a lasting relationship, you have made a connection with your readers by using your social graces and putting them back in place. To give your readers that face to face experience, make sure your Gravatar (A full frontal smiling photo of you) is everywhere. You will want it to be on your WA Homepage for first contact when your readers make the decision to come through to join. So your smiling face should be there to welcome them and it will be right beside your sign up box. Equally as important, always have your face (Gravatar) beside your comment box on your website. There's nothing better then putting a face to a name.
Make sure you create engaging content through your comments to ensure feedback. For example. when you receive a comment on your website, you may want to ask the reader an open ended question that will encourage them to interact with you. This in turn will show other readers that visit your site, that you have an ongoing active website and that people have returned to you for help and/or advice.
If their comment doesn't allow for this kind of response, then you can speak to the reason why they came to your site. For example, they may be interested to know about a product or an idea that you know about that will be of help to them. If your comment has been of service to them, this would be a good time to ask them to feel free to share your Website with their family and friends. Always try to engage them in conversation, even if they mention something off topic. This way you are establishing a relationship that will help you to gain your reader's trust, because you're not just interested in what's in it for you, but you care about the reader.
Recent Comments
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Thank You for taking the time to check it out, I'm glad you found it helpful. Keep smiling. Sharon:)
Hi Ed, You're welcome, we are a community of caring members, I'm proud to be one. keep :)ing Sharon:)
Sharon, how did you get to be such a schmartypantolinos? You begin to sound like a grandmaster at this stuff. I particularly like the idea of the mugshot at the comment and signup points. Brilliant....Dick...happy Saturday from 10 inches of water in Charleston.
Hi dick, How are you doing down south, I checked the weather this morning and boy, that mess just seems to have stalled right over top of you guys. I hope you and yours are all safe and sound, I've said a little prayer for you and hope this will move away soon. Take care, my friend. Thanks for the kind words in your comment. Sorry I'm a little tardy getting back to you, I've been busy putting out fires on my last Blog. LOL Keep :)ing Sharon:)
Thanks Sharon. We are OK, but some parts of The Charleston area are under two feet of water.There is a ton of damage. Makes me wonder.....Dick
Hi Dick:
You are in Charleston? How are things right now? I am curious to know because my mother and I are flying into Charleston next week and planning a trip to Hilton Head. Send me a PM if you want....would love to hear what is the latest. I hope you and your family are safe.
By the way, what is schmartypantolinos? Everyone already can see what a super smart lady Sharon is but what is that really long word? :)
What a good idea! Makes perfect sense and I'm going to do that from now on. Thank you, Sharon.
Yes, I did! But still have some tweaking to do to them...if you want to take a look, it's incomeideasforretirement.com.
WOW! You and I have a lot in common, we.ve both worn many hats. I like the design of your site, it's attractive clear and very easy to follow. You have a great background for this and I believe you will be very successful. You are a warm person and your readers will like that. Keep up the good work. Sharon:)
Hi Alexander, good to see you too. I was a little under the weather for a couple of weeks, but I'm fine now and back on track. How are things going with you, something I could take a look at for you? Keep smiling, Sharon:)
Hello Sharon, this is a remarkable blog item! I love the point of leaving your reader with a question on the comments! Never thought of that! You write the best content! Keep up the good work!
Thanks Again,
Linda
Hi Linda, Thank you so much for the vote of confidence. I'm so glad I could help. Keep smiling, Sharon:)
Wow! Sharon, you are amazing.
That is such vital and valuable information.
So important to the longevity of our businesses
and our website growth. Awesome, thank you.
Thanks Ken, I'm glad you found it helpful and I appreciate that my message was received.
Here is a silly Question. I did try to put a few small and interesting graphics on it, but when I published my Blog they became Giants and out of place did you see these giants? LOL. I tried to delete them, did I succeed. If not, I'm sure everyone will get a good laugh! At least the Content came through and is interesting! That's what's important! LOL Keep smiling, Sharon:)
I have tried to make graphics smaller
on these post as well with no luck. LOL
I only see one here and yes it is a bit large
but it coveys the message very well.
btw; Sharon, If anyone gets a good laugh
out of it That is fantastic, laughter is great
medicine. Be well my friend, keep up the
great work you are a great team player.
I am proud to call you my friend. smiling :-)
Awwww shucks, Thanks my friend, you're right, Laughter is the best medicine:) I'm relieved the giants are gone though. btw; means? LOL Keep smiling. Sharon:)
Hi Ken, Thank you, I know some of them, so now I learned something New today ttyl. Keep smiling. Sharon:)
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Hi Sharon:
I enjoyed reading this blog. In reference to having a smiling gravatar, I have used the same gravatar as my site icon (favicon) - that is the little image on your browser bar of your website. I made it the same image so it is recognizable to people and a trust and branding can be established. I think it is important to do this right from the start. Your readers will trust you more because instead of an avatar (cartoon-like image) as a gravatar, you give people a smiling face to remember. When I first joined WA, I used a cartoon-like avatar, but after I began to built trust within WA and learned to trust others here at WA, I changed it to my actual face.
I always like connecting to my readers on my website and through my comments I get through story-telling. I tell a story that people can relate to or at least image themselves in. People relate well to stories. That also shows that I am a real person behind that computer screen.
You are right about the technobabble or tech talk. A whole new linguistic vocab has emerged as a result of the dot com industry exploding. Twenty years ago we would have looked at someone like they were an alien if they told us that they "Googled...[an XYZ person place or thing]." Or if someone said, "I sent you a tweet..." or "Do you want to Skype tonight?"
Thank you Sharon. Great blog. :)
Steph
Hi Steph, I'm so glad you read my Blog and get my meaning. Your comments are encouraging and help me to feel when I reach out that, I'm actually helping the members of WA.That my time is not being wasted!
Connecting with our referrals as they come through and it's our smiling face on fist contact is so important in gaining their trust. Hopefully, they will join as a premier member so we can be there for them and Pay it forward and accomplish what we're trying to do here. That is to help WA to grow so people will trust it and see that they can build their business on a safe website with everything they need to succeed! keep :)ing Sharon.