Okay friends and neighbors, let’s talk about products.

In our first week of a systemized attack on managing communications we covered all the things we’re excited about for the month. In week two we’ll share our passion for our products, and in so doing, we’ll ALWAYS focus on how what we sell can make life better for the people who buy it. (I personally don’t believe there’s much success to be had in selling folks stuff they don’t need.)

Week 2: Connecting Products to Needs

Hopping on Facebook and sharing a fact about your product is tempting. It’s easy and the information is usually readily available. (Our brand new super-duper product X comes in 14 colors, for example.)  If that’s all you can come up with or have time for, better to post a fact than nothing at all, but whenever possible skip the obvious and share something meaningful. Social networks are for making connections. Catalogs are for providing features.

• Highlight customer stories. There’s no better way to showcase the difference your products can make for people than sharing a real-life story of how it happened. If you don’t have your customer’s permission to share her story refer to her in the third person (one of my favorite customers has three children under the age of five…). ALWAYS paint your customer in the best possible light and make the post or article an opportunity to honor her as well as share product benefits.

• Reference issues in the media. (I read an awesome article in Real Simple last night about getting organized. Products A,B,and C have really helped me… or Did you guys see Jennifer Aniston’s interview on ABC last night? Her necklace reminded me of our new product Q. I always feel like a superstar when I wear it!)

• Share top sellers. Amazon does not tell you that “customers who bought this item also bought…” for nothing. Let’s take a lesson. People buy what other people buy. Share your top five sellers for the month of April and start your list with something people-focused like here’s what my customers were loving last month.

• As you are choosing customer stories, media topics or personal testimonials to share, give some thought to which products you’re highlighting. It takes just as long to take a photo or write a statement about a ten-dollar product as a fifty-dollar one. At the same time, you never want to give the impression that all your company offers is high-end items. Create a balance.

And speaking of balance, posting an update on Facebook about your business more than once a day will get you unfriended, hidden and unsubscribed from faster than Bobby Brown got ousted from Whitney’s funeral. Bless all their hearts.

Next up, week 3: hostess happiness.