Conversation About vs Conversation With

Not everyone wants to talk non-stop with you. Consistent conversation is a rare thing when compared to how much conversation is going on. Thinking that everyone will post on your business’s Facebook Page is overestimation of participation.

When working with clients I clarify this as separating Conversation About from Conversation With.

Two Types of Conversation

Conversation About is what most Social Media conversation is. People talking to other people about things – the game, the gossip, the news, photos, musings. This conversation is organic and spontaneous, built upon a network of people the user is already connected with. The context is already there.

Conversation With is what happens when a user goes directly to a brand’s Facebook Page or website and has a conversation with the brand itself. This requires people to actively seek out the brand’s platform when they can just as easily comment in their own feed.

The amount of Conversation About is over 95% of total conversation. Conversation With is the rare exception.

What Moves Conversation About To Conversation With?

Motivation. The rewards have to outweigh the effort. Consider what actually motivates someone to seek out a brand:

• It’s fun or a novelty
• There’s a discount or promotion
• I get to share an idea
• I can brag to friends
• I’m interested to find out more

Given this, I understand how hard continued Conversation With is. And how impressive it is when people manage to build genuine community around a brand.