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8 Aug

5 Simple Reasons Social Media is Hard For Some Companies

I was at dinner in Paris, France when a Chief Marketing Officer for a major brand asked me about Facebook and how to respond to negative feedback. She wanted to know if it was okay to DELETE a fan’s post as if it never happened.

I immediately told her “No, it’s not okay.”

I asked her what would she do in a real life situation? She wouldn’t just walk away from that customer would she?

She said that she would probably just make a recommendation. I told her the same holds true in social media. The only difference is that the whole world can see her recommendation

Here’s how I told her to respond:

I’m sorry you were unhappy with XXX. It has a very distinct taste that some prefer and others do not. If I may make a recommendation, you might want to try YYY. Numerous customers seemed to really enjoy YYY.

I told her that by doing this, she would achieve:

  • Acknowledgement of the customer
  • Greater customer service
  • Another sale (we all want more sales, right?)
  • Better relationships with her target markets
  • Potentially a brand ambassador to go spread the word on how amazing her brand is for taking care of them.

Let’s not forget that this conversation was taking place on social media where the followers and friends of fans can also potentially see this ongoing interaction (i.e. An individual’s Facebook Wall).

With the eyes of the world observing, don’t you want to be known for having exceptional customer service and brand engagement? Especially if the aforementioned company is a “luxury brand.”

The CMO looked at me and simply said, “I had never thought of it that way. It actually seems so simple yet impactful because everyone can see this interaction. It might even produce more than 1 sale.”

I could see she clearly got it.

ATTENTION READERS – This is the impact social media has on your business. The fact is, there are typically 5 simple reasons social media is hard for some companies, and they are as follows:

#1 It’s Relationship Driven

You have to develop a rapport with your core target audience (customers, clients, whoever) and grow the relationship. Think of it this way, relationships online are the same offline. You must ask questions, listen, listen some more and then respond. This shows you care about your customers, and they will repay you in kind by buying your products and sharing their customer / product experiences with their own networks.

#2 It’s Transparent

You can’t fake it. You may try to represent yourself or your product online different than it really is, but if the customer finds out the truth, your brand may pay dearly. One bad experience and a customer can blast it out to millions.

Case in point: Man Spends More Than $1,000 to Call Out British Airways on Twitter – This man actually spent his own money to be heard by millions.

Look, in the last few years, entire countries such as Egypt, Libya & Tunisia have been effected by social media. When people are united under one cause, there is no stopping how far their reach can extend when using digital channels to distribute information. The same holds true for brands.

I’m not saying you have to divulge trade secrets or anything. I’m simply saying that you must be very open and honest with your target audiences about what your brand is and what your brand is not. You must then carry yourself that way throughout your entire digital engagement.

#3 It’s Audience Segmented

You can’t use the same messaging and tone for everyone on every social media channel.

First of all, only use social media and digital channels that your audience interacts with. If they’re not on Facebook, then don’t use Facebook. You’ll be most effective with your content and your dollars by interacting with your customers where they spend most of their time online.

Second, when you do engage with your target audience, don’t speak to them like a robot with a monotone voice. If you had done your research, and I hope you have, then you know what they are most interested in. Create content around those topics and build from there. It’s not rocket science.

P.S. – This is where having a strategy ahead of time would help you determine what your audience is looking for and what kind of tactics you can deploy to engage with them.

#4 It’s Sparked By Creativity

It doesn’t matter if you think you’re the most boring company in the world. Just find a way to relay who you are and what you do in a creative way.

As put by AdHere Creative:

You can inspire a great deal of attention by awakening the curiosity, affection and trust of people. Marketing challenges such as low engagement levels, limited budgets, and even negative publicity are not necessarily an impediment to the success of your campaign, but an opportunity to sport your creativity and resourcefulness.

Look, it’s not like auto insurance is the most compelling business, but brands like GEICO and State Farm sure seem to get it. They find ways to relate to their target audiences by extending their brand into campaigns that spark creative engagement.

#5 It’s Authentic

This goes hand-in-hand with transparency. The difference here is that your brand must really strive to have good intentions for your customers or clients. In short, you must mean what you say.

If you ask for their feedback, be prepared to listen and respond accordingly; either with a professional response or an actual update to your product or service.

Additionally, you must remember to NEVER overreact. If they say something that’s truly disrespectful, have the patience to say nothing. Don’t entertain it.

Finally, give your audiences content they are looking for. This shows them that you care about their needs and you’re looking to develop your relationship further. It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers. Just showing them you care is authentic.

In Conclusion

There are probably numerous reasons companies struggle with understanding social media, or the capacity to which they can leverage it. The 5 I mentioned just happen to be core components of the social ecosphere.

If you’re looking to take advantage of all the benefits social media has to offer, you should probably at least consider a very high level overview of the following:

  1. Do a brand audit – What are your company’s goals, who is your customer, where do they live online, what are they asking for and who do you have in place to help you achieve your digital goals
  2. Develop a strategy – What social media channels make the most sense to your target audience, what types of content will you create for them, how often will you distribute it, and how will you manage and measure it.
  3. Execute tactics – Create your channels and content, test and tweak with your audience, use software tools to help you automate distribution and measure results.

There’s substantially a lot more involvement to this, but you get the idea.

If you’re a company looking to master social media ROI, hire yourself a very talented and skilled employee who knows how to navigate a brand through the digital paradigm and pay him/her well:

Example: Apple Hires Nike Social Chief As Digital Marketing Director

Or simply get yourself an equally talented and skilled digital consultant with the resources to make it happen.

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Matt Gottesman

Matt Gottesman is a global digital strategist and technology advisor, creator and editor-in-chief of Hustle & Deal Flow™ - an online magazine dedicated to the world's entrepreneurs, creators and makers, a Social Media Influencer and a consultant on New Media and go-to-market strategies for investments in digital marketing, technology, websites, mobile applications, eCommerce, social media and content.

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