The Buzz
Who Is In Charge?

We recently ran across a very interesting Blog by Brett Waters, a regional Vice President of RightNow. It talks about who is in control of the way you do business. You may be surprised in what he has to say.

"I believe that consumers have always had expectations but never before have they expected a great experience to accompany every interaction. In 2009, 62% of consumers quit doing business with a company due to a bad customer experience with 37% of these saying they would never reinstate their business; 83% of consumers that had a bad experience told others about it. With social media tools at their disposal, the repercussions of this can be enormous.

Consumers are beginning to understand that they are in control and that they can set the tone for every interaction they have with you. An example that sticks in my mind is that of musician Dave Carroll, a U.S. traveler whose guitar was broken while he was flying with United Airlines. Carroll aired his compliant in the form of a very funny song accompanied by a pointed video which he then placed on YouTube. It created a whirlwind of negative publicity and by early 2010, the video had been viewed by almost seven and a half million people - all of whom no doubt have the phrase "United breaks guitars" well and truly implanted in their memories.

Another well-known example I remember is Vincent Ferrari who recorded a conversation with an AOL representative as he tried to cancel his AOL account. The AOL representative resisted Ferrari's request. Ferrari then posted the audio file on his blog, it became instantly popular- the conversation aired on CNBC and NBC, and YouTube recorded more than 62,827 hits two days after it was released.

The lesson from both these examples is that companies can no longer manage the customer relationship. One can however control the customer experience you deliver... [We must acknowledge] ...that our own individual customer experience is critical and [decide] to make it the focus [of] every touch point. This means ensuring that our interactions via the web, social media or contact centre all deliver - if not exceed - our expectations. It is these three experiences, when executed well, which will drive revenue and deliver sustainable competitive differentiation."

 
Social media is something many corporate executives had dismissed as a passing fad. Unfortunately for them, it is here and it is here to stay. More importantly, it has quickly become a platform where most of our target markets are spending time.

Couple this with behavioral target marketing the internet allows us and you have a very powerful medium to promote your business. With the explosion of Facebook  and Twitter as viable platforms for your business to market, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to make sure you keep the effectiveness of these tools.

This is the first of a two part series of the eight mistakes to avoid when dealing with social media as a part of your marketing strategy. As we never try to reinvent the wheel, the information used for this series is paraphrased from a white paper written by MediaPost Publications social media insider Catharine P. Taylor. Enjoy and take heed.

Mistake 1: Pretend you can do without it.
You may have already run into the Graying Skeptics, executives who can't understand why they should devote employee time and company resources to social media. Well, social media is here to stay, and the rocketing growth of some outlets makes it foolish to ignore them. Take Facebook, who recently reached 300 million users worldwide who's largest demographic is 35 to 49. A set that most businesses are eager to reach. So social-media will be a part of your strategy whether you do it or not.

Mistake 2: Play down the costs.
Sure, Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages and YouTube channels don't cost a thing. But don't think for a second that you can do your social-media effort on the cheap. Getting the most out of these tools requires time, attention and skill - none of which are free. Over time, however, social media does save you some money, since you can use these outlets for efforts you might otherwise contract out to PR firms, ad agencies or market researchers. Don't expect to replace them all. Instead, think of social media as a necessary and powerful complement to your existing outreach.

Mistake 3: Act like you own the conversation
Social media is a conversation, and conversations - more so than ads - require tact. "It all begins with listening," says Paul Chaney, an Internet marketing director who bills himself as The Social Media Handyman. Just as you wouldn't walk into a cocktail party and start bragging about yourself, Chaney says, you shouldn't "just jump into the conversation" in social-media channels, either. So if your customers are talking about your stores online, don't just start blasting them with canned sale promotions. Instead, get a feel for the vibe of the conversation, then ease your way into it. Let your social-media mavens become resources for these customer micro-communities. Once your folks have earned some trust, they'll have the leeway to advance your business goals.