Is Blab building trust in a profound way?
Blab is a relatively new around three months old. For those who don’t know, Blab is a video streaming platform that is incredibly social and sociable. Hootsuite’s CEO Ryan Holmes will be pleased. He has been quoted as saying that:
It is perfectly normal and acceptable for people “to show emotion, vulnerability, joy, silliness and the whole gamut of human experience on social media
He will be impressed by this new kid on the block, that really does seem to be building trust in a very different way.
Yes, I know it’s easy to wax lyrical about the latest shiny thing in the social media arena. But let me say that, right now, Blab is capturing a spirit and excitement that’s been missing. This is not a just a broadcast medium it is a highly social platform. People jump in and out of blabs sharing information, collaborating and generally chatting sociably with people from all over the world. You can see how this is going to work for business.
All these things can happen during a Blab. It took me 10 minutes to make up my mind to buy a book when a trusted gatekeeper interviewed the author. When you jump on the Blab you might well be convinced to make the right decision.
People do, after all, group together to explore specific topics of course but right now there is a lot of wandering as well as co-blaborating (yes, I know, it’s truly horrible!) The great thing is you can see and hear people as you chat. There are four ‘hot seats’; in every blab and people come and go, say their piece then comment from the sidelines. They might jump in the hot seat more than once but everyone is keen NOT to hog the spotlight.
People are optimistic and enthused. They are swapping, tips, ideas, stories and generally hanging out together. When you’ve spoken to someone for an hour + (apparently some blabs have gone on for 21+ hours – heaven forbid!) you get to form a pretty good opinion about them. Would I want to do business with this person? Would I want to hang out with them? The verbal and non verbal information is exchanged rapidly and connections are strong. They last too as you feel as if you have met someone and there is a pull
This is so different from the automated social media that proliferated in the past. Remember the time when no one would respond to a post or a tweet and people started falling out of love with the medium?
As Ryan Holmes says, social media is all about emotion and that’s what needs to be harnessed in the marketing and buying cycle. Blab is fulfilling that function effectively. There are so many possibilities for this new platform. If you want to create a Blab strategy read this.
8 ways to utilise Blab and counting!
- Why not devise a book programme outlining relevant books for your niche?
- Run training – you could train four people with others commenting
- Set up a beauty salon where a professional advises someone in the hot seat about how to style themselves,
- What about a networking session where people are encouraged to offer their elevator pitch for 30 seconds?
- You can even see consumers setting up a Blab to interview local tradespeople for their proposed project.
- Companies could use a blab to connect employees from other branches and if it’s an industry topic may grab some great ideas from people who simply turn up.
- Pose a problem – get many solutions
- Create an interactive TV show
If you have a niche, interest or passion, a brand, product or service then Blab’s the place to accelerate the buying cycle and create trust.
If you haven’t taken the plunge then check out Blab right now. Check it out but be warned, you might start coming over , well, all emotional.
Do let me know your experiences on Blab.
Further reading
Vivienne Neale is a social media strategist, content writer and founder of the Digital Marketing Think Tank that meets once a week to discuss tactics, theory and practice.
