Social Media Shorts: Face the Music

If you’re human, you’re probably overwhelmed with all of the social media tools out there.

As I come across an article or concept in social media that I find particularly useful, I’ll share it with you here. I’m learning too.  Just click on the category “Social Media Shorts” to see the collection.

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Face the Music

Worried about that jaded, big-mouthed, frustrated customer raking you over the coals in every possible nook and cranny of the internet? You should be. But that doesn’t mean that you should ignore him. As Paul Gillin reminds us in his book, Secrets of Social Media Marketing, people are going to talk whether you like it or not. You might as well be part of the conversation.

Today, almost nobody calls customer complaint lines. Customers take their problems directly to the Web, whether through consumer advocacy sites like Consumerist.com, RipOffReport.com, My3Cents.com, ConsumerAffairs.com, and PlanetFeedback.com or through their own blogs and social networks….And as the audience for more blogs and social media sites such as Digg reach critical mass, it’s easier than ever for consumers to wallpaper the Web with their customer-service nightmares.

~ Gillin, Ch. 2, pg. 27

Here are a few secrets Paul shares throughout chapters one and two:

1. “Be willing to admit fallibility and promise to improve. Nothing will stop a negative discussion more quickly. What most people want to see is an admission of guilt and a promise to address the problem. Failure to listen will only be taken as evidence that the company doesn’t care.
2. “Negative feedback isn’t necessarily bad. It helps us to understand our short-comings and make our products and business better. If customers are willing to offer you free advice, why would you not want to listen?
3. “Resisting the voice of the customer is futile. Your customers are already talking about you. They’ll keep doing that whether or not you respond. But if you do respond, you have the opportunity to surprise and even delight people who might have otherwise never have bought from you again (guest author B.L. Ochman, p. 34)

Did you hear about the McDonalds twitter backfire?

* I am not receiving any sort of financial incentive to promote these authors. I’ve just read their stuff and found it to be useful when structuring a social media plan *

 

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