A couple of weeks ago, the network was abuzz with rumors that Google would be launching a new social service called Google Circles. The primary feature that would distinguish this new offering from established players, such as Facebook and Twitter, was the ability to group contacts into certain “circles”. Rather than lumping all of my contacts into one big generic amalgamation of “Friends”, I could organize independent groups (Family, Co-workers, etc.) in a way that would actually reflect the social networks that exist in my offline life. This would establish boundaries and solve the “worlds are colliding” privacy issue that currently exists when sharing on social sites. Unfortunately, Google is denying the existence of Google Circles and only time will tell if (when) this product will be released.

 

 
However, this brings up a number of interesting points. Social networks are about people connecting with each other on different levels, and naturally some of these ties are of greater importance than others. So how does a business effectively leverage these relationships? If your customers are able to rank the people in their lives based on those that they have strong or weak ties to, do you change your social marketing strategy accordingly?

The answer lies in the conversation. Conversations that drive purchasing decisions exist on so many levels: between friends and family, the consumer and the company, the shopper who commented on your product and the person reading that review, and so on. As Paul Adams points out in his presentation The Real Life Social Network v2 (which is fascinating and worth a look), we rarely make decisions alone and we often look to others for guidance when making decisions.
 

 

Keep in mind that search results are starting to be populated by social conversations. Questions and Answers, and product reviews (to name a few) are indexed by search engines. Generating favorable conversations is an easy way to increase your company’s SEO rank.

In order to encourage and support a community of loyal consumers, it is crucial that you listen and interact. People feel good when their attention is reciprocated. If a consumer takes the time to review your customer service or comment on your Facebook page, fostering happy feelings can be as easy as keeping the conversation going, addressing any concerns, and inviting others to participate in the discussion. A company that is approachable engenders feelings of trust, and if people trust you, they’ll do business with you.