Jimmy Griffin & The Wonderful World of Social Media

From the 'Drop the Monkey Business' column in The Galway Advertiser 12/09/2013 P.111

All the different social media sites can be daunting places to be when you’re in business, however when used right it can generate great outcomes. Most businesses struggle to use it to their benefit as they base all their posts on products that they sell and very little focus on customer’s needs outside the scope of what they want the customer to buy. It’s a voice not just for your business and products, but also for your customers and community. In the wonderful world called social media, on the different platforms and the endless stream of social sites bidding for your attention to join and partake in a sometimes addictive environment where you can tell everybody about everything and have nothing to show for your efforts and nobody interacting with you, it can be hard to get excited. However the opposite is also true. You can talk to an engaged and interested audience about one important item that generates lots of interest and activity, both online and offline. Using social media at it’s best comes when we take the words ‘Social’ and ‘Media’ and apply the literal meaning of the words like a winning formula that can’t be any other way but successful. Think about what you’d talk about over a pint or a coffee. You keep it social and interesting. In many ways what it amounts to is good conversation by somebody who is impassioned about something that affects the masses.  A great local example of this is when Jimmy Griffin from Griffins bakery started the online Facebook page: Galway City Car Parking Information from Griffins Bakery, a community page talking about Galway city car parking charges and sharing ideas and discussions about a better approach to the subject. Jimmy is harnessing the voice of the people for fair car parking charges. 

On meeting Jimmy upstairs in the bakery I quickly learned why he is so good at social media. Jimmy is good at social. He’s good with customers. He knows them all by name and he takes time to connect and say hello to everybody. He is passionate about his customers, passionate about his business and passionate about getting a solution to a problem that is of no help to his business, his customers or the local community. By creating a platform and communicating to a engaged audience on that platform gives both the creator and the participants a voice that can not be ignored. Jimmy’s car park campaign has been the subject of much radio and print media (including this article), which can create discussion and evoking change. What Jimmy is doing is using his expertise online and his brand to channel the concerns of his customers and potential customers, which otherwise go unheard. Social media gives power to the people. Responses happen faster and the conversations are more heartfelt and honest. When I asked Jimmy his take on social media in business, he said “Social media offers businesses immediate one to one communication with people. It has life and is happening in real time allowing people to communicate their thoughts there and then creating more honest and direct measurable dialogue that is instant.” This is very true on Facebook and Twitter where if you don’t respond or get a response to a post while it is sitting in your newsfeed it fades away; you are only as good as yesterday’s bread. (Excuse the pun!) Jimmy added “It has the power to create anticipation and debate when used in the right way, at the right time and for the right reason when looking to get the right result.”  When approaching Social Media ask how you can use the space as a voice for you and for others? How can you respond and get a response that will get people talking? Speak about the things that matter most to your customers and as much as you may like to believe they want to talk about the products you sell, more than likely it’s far from that. At the end of the day, it is all in the name: ‘Social’. Be Social. Nobody wants Spam. Another great plus ‘You get the opportunity to connect with a different audience. If you’re going to be on Facebook or any other social media site, be sure to be social and engaging, just as if you were going to go into a bakery you’d be sure to come out with something sweet!

LISTEN TO YOUR BUSINESS

From the 'Drop the Monkey Business' column in The Galway Advertiser 7/3/2013 P.101

How does one listen to their business? The key to your business is your customers, therefore that’s a great place to begin. You only need to stop talking. It’s that simple. When you stop listening to yourself and your own internal voice and all external noise and waffle, you can pay attention to your customers. There's a big distinction between showing interest in your customers and really taking interest in your customers. Listening is a tool that can make that difference. One of my favourite books of all time is Stephen Covey’s ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’. Stephen hits the nail on the head when he says ‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood.’ That’s the essences of listening and the secret of success when applied to business.

I don't recall where I first heard the words "you have two ears and one mouth, and you should use them in that ratio" nevertheless; it must be the best piece of wisdom one can apply in business. Give your business the love it needs by listening a little more and talking a little less. Switch off the chatter and listen. You maybe surprised at what you hear. Great business people know how to listen to their customers. You have to listen to your customers and allow them to shape the success of your business. Too often, we start marketing campaigns or launch new products without including the customer in the planning process.  They will tell you what they want and how you can help them. They will tell you if your service is great or poor. They will tell you if they’ll come back and do business with you again.

Listening allows you to get feedback and facts, so that you can make better choices that help your business grow in the right direction. To be always listening attentively is crucial to building rapport and trust with your customers. Listening is a real way to build a solid reputation for your brand. The good name of your business can depend upon your ability to listen.  If you stop listening to customers, they might not receive the service they should receive. When this happens regularly, it can taint the reputation of a business.

When you are actively listening it can be more engaging for the person speaking and you will understand the real message with in what they are saying. You are more focused on the topic and carry more intention to accept their perception of situations and help them where needed. When you are truly listening, your body language, eye contact, and overall focus will let the person speaking know that you are engaged and attentive. The lesson is crystal clear: you need to listen to and act on the needs and perspectives of your customers. Even if you don't like what they are saying, value what they have to share. Listen effectively, and actively absorb the information given. Show that you are listening and interested by providing feedback so the person with whom you are interacting knows the message was received.  A great listener is able to show the person speaking that they have been heard and understood. If you are talking, you are not listening and may lose a golden opportunity to get feedback from a customer or to be given an interesting idea for your business from a colleague. As the old proverb says, "If speaking is silver, then listening is gold.”