In crafting core values for our company, I landed on responsiveness as especially important for the kind of work we do. With so many different communication channels and nearly constant information overload, I wanted to be sure that we focused our attention on staying connected to our clients and each other.
When clients trust us to lead their marketing efforts, they need to know that we’ll be responsive on a number of levels:
- They want to know we’ll respond to requests in a timely way, especially to in-the-moment needs. As we respond quickly, we build clients’ confidence that we are available, attentive, and ready to serve them.
- They want to know we’ll be responsive to events in the world. Recently, we had the opportunity to make recommendations regarding social media posting in light of the Las Vegas tragedy. Several clients expressed their appreciation to our sensitive approach and fast-action in responding to the crisis.
- They want to know we’ll be creative in responding to news stories, to create media attention for their work.
- They want to know we’ll be responsive to changes on social media platforms to ensure we’re following best practices on their behalf. Facebook algorithms change, LinkedIn’s functionality changes, and our clients want to know we’ll adjust to those changes in ways that ensure they are optimized to reach people with their messages.
I also knew, in forming a company comprised of both in-person and virtual team members, responsiveness as a core value would help our team stay connected to do our best work.
As a business owner, I want to know that:
- I can reach my team in a timely way to request their work on projects.
- Team members can count on each other to respond to questions or requests for help.
- I can trust my team members to respond to clients quickly.
- I can trust my team members to be alert to news stories in progress, changes to social channels, and the need to adjust our work to more effectively serve our clients.
In each of these instances, we have a choice about how responsive we will be AND we are responsible in teaching people, by our actions, how to communicate with us. We also bear responsibility for making requests about how we want people to engage with us.
For example, I’d much rather receive an email than a Facebook message for business-related communication. I’d rather receive a quick text message than a voicemail for an urgent request. If people contact me outside of business hours, even if I see the communication, I will choose when to respond.
I want responsiveness to be part of the core experience of my team and clients in working with Weaving Influence. At times when we fail to live up to the value of responsiveness, I want us to be open to correcting any missteps to make things right.
Tell me something! What are the most important ways you incorporate responsiveness into your life and business?
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.