Why I believe we are having success using social media?
We do not use social media as a sales channel and we do not use social media as an advertising channel. I believe that our success from social media is a result of amplifying who we are, what we are about and engaging with others. I am sure that social media helps develop our brand and helps our sales but these things are a by-product of being authentic in our messages and attracting the type of people who care about the same things that we care about.
So what do we really care about?
Besides re-inventing the building supply channel to help our customers win, we care about our values. I really care that we build the company the right way. Building strong relationships that can be trusted. A company that doesn’t say one thing and then do another. A company that respects others and continues its promise to get better every day. I care about creating an environment where there is meaning to our work.
What I have found from taking a stand in creating a company this way is that many people care about the same things that we do. That has lead to great relationships with more and more people that have come in contact with BuildDirect. It has led to more business as those people spread the word. It has made hiring and retaining great people easier and it has also led to some great public relations.
We had some more of that type of press again yesterday when the Vancouver Sun ran a great story* to talk about what we are doing differently to ensure that we come out of this recession stronger than ever.
(*In light of everything I have said above though, I did want to point out one point of clarification on the story. Although the company has enjoyed top-line revenue growth in other years, and we intend to do it this year, it was not made clear to the reporter that this is not the case so far this year).
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Kudos to Jeff, Rob and everyone at Build Direct for accomplishing exactly what they have set out to do. I have watched Build Direct raise its brand awareness amongst a vast & diverse group of people in Vancouver & online by being authentic, engaging, offering value and being fun to converse with online.
They just get it!
At one of my presentations recently I gave the example of Build Direct staff as brandividuals, people who have raised awareness of their brand without being pushy or market-y. Yeah, definitely doing social media the right way. As long as it doesn’t go to their heads, we’ll be good heheheh
Hi Jeff. Great post! Given your approach to social media it’s easy to see why BuildDirect is so successful. It’s always good to reflect on the things you care about and why you’re in the business. Let’s you know you made the right choice!