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Sorry. I know a lot of businesses think that their customers care about them but I can assure you that they probably don’t. Not unless there is something seriously in it for the customer, or you have truly engaged them on a personality level.

Some companies manage it. Two spring to mind immediately, Google and Apple:

• Google - Because they have focussed on the needs of their search customers more than the businesses that want to be in the listings. You know as a searcher that you will get the best results you can. And they keep backing it up with Wow products, like Google Earth. That said, how many businesses now rely on Google? When you put yourself in a position where you need them like a crutch, you are going to have to care.
• Apple - They continue to create innovative products. They have fans and evangelists and the whooping you hear from an ecstatic keynote speech by Steve Jobs is a sound to behold for any CEO.

In the UK, you also have companies that create a core fan-base. Innocent drinks for instance. An engaging brand with a niche audience that is becoming less niche by the day. A clear company philosophy and brand consistency lead the way.

What all of these companies also have in common is personality. I’m not talking about companies that go overboard to be ‘whacky’ to stand out - they actually show they care. Their products are great (the staple of any business) and they embellish this with their ’story’.

Compare this to Microsoft, Yahoo or Dell - how do they engage you? Or your company - how do you engage your clients with your personality?

Of course, you can’t force your company personality. Don’t pretend you are liberal if you are a traditionalist. There’s something for everyone and you want to end up with an engaged audience with similar ideals.

And like any friendship. It takes a lot more to build it up than it takes to destroy with the wrong thing said.