The old customer-service adage, “the customer is always right” is especially true on any social media platform. When a customer has a bad experience in a brick and mortar establishment, the incident can typically be resolved through the immediate intervention of a manager. However, when a customer encounters a bad digital experience the entire world (i.e. your brand’s entire online customer following, as well as anyone within one-degree of separation) can easily know a one-sided view of the incident with the click of a “share icon.” IS SOCIAL MEDIA THE NEW SOAPBOX FOR A DISGRUNTLED CUSTOMER? Of late, social media networks have become the soapbox platforms for many customers. They are the forum for immediately voicing opinions without any thought about the repercussions. These networks offer the perfect opportunity for customers to complain, provide criticism, or to actively support any business. It is for these very reasons, that companies must tread carefully on social media. They must be ready to immediately respond to both positive and negative customer feedback. Their responses must not only be timely, they must be appropriate — let’s not forget the case of the ever-ready screen shot — I’m looking at you U.S. Airways, 1-800-Flowers, or any of the numerous viral instances when a social media post or apology went awry. And so, rather than an extensive list of hypotheticals that might not accurately apply to every social media instance of customer outcry, here are two “don’ts” and two “do’s” that will serve you well in your responses to disgruntled customers. Don’t waste time debating with a customer online. It is far too easy to manipulate comments via selective screen shots or Photoshop. Don’t post tongue-in-cheek remarks that will immediately cause someone to post “that’s racist,” “that’s anti-feminism,” or any “wtf” type comments that seem to have become…
In keeping with the current social media advice theme of the past few months, I want to share some recent statistics from the gurus over at HubSpot. After all, it is only through performance statistics that we can discover if our campaigns are truly working. 1) 92% of marketers agreed that social media is important for their businesses. The same percentage of marketers also agreed that social media has generated more exposure for their clients. 2) 72% of marketers are using social media to develop loyal fans. 3) More than half of marketers who’ve been using social media for at least three years report it has helped them improve sales. 4) 74% of marketers who spend 40+ hours using social media per week earn new business through their efforts. 5) 95% of marketers who use social media at least 6 hours per week indicated their social media efforts increased exposure for their businesses. Well there you have it; the proof is in the pudding. Social media efforts must be consistent, long-term marketing campaigns that are designed to help businesses reach new, loyal consumers. Written by: Laura P. Parker Laura P. Parker is a full-time freelance writer and marketing guru. For more marketing tips or consultation advice please contact her at laura@laurapparker.com. www.laurapparker.com. Note: Thanks to HubSpot for publishing their latest findings. Check out http://www.hubspot.com for more social media marketing statistics.
In January I wrote about the 2015 outlooks for several of the prominent social media platforms. This month I want to discuss how you can tailor your social media messages to better match current holiday trends. It is no secret that February marks the month in which many retailers will push to have their consumers buy Presidents Day or Valentine’s Day specializes. With this in mind, I have a few tips to help you connect with your customers during the ‘February buying frenzy.’ Twitter: Don’t forget to tailor your tweets to match the current trends. For example, you can join the #ValentinesDay and #PresidentsDay hashtag ranks to help promote your tweets. Generally speaking, holiday Twitter success occurs when you have a particularly witty or catch tweet that warrants a retweet. Stay away from generic promotions, such as “Happy #ValentinesDay.” You can instead think outside of the box with something a little more original, such as “Single this #ValentinesDay? #50ShadesofGrey is coming to a theater near you… we’ll be there too.” Facebook: People love to share photos around the holidays. These photos could be anything from a new purchase to a romantic dinner. No matter what they are sharing, the point is, if it is related to the current holiday, then the photo offers a chance for your customers to connect with your business. Encourage your followers to share their holiday related photos. You could even run a contest to see which photo acquires the most likes or shares, and the winning photo would receive a gift card or gift. Instagram: Cute, cuddly, daring, or simply astonishing, when it comes to Instagram holiday success anything goes. To this end, I recommend assigning an emotional trigger to each holiday, and then posting a photo that invokes that specific emotion. For example, Valentine’s…
With 2015 upon us, it is time that we start to implement a modern social media strategy. Whether you are considered a large business, one woman (or man) show, or fall somewhere in the middle, the following projected trends will help you to implement a successful social media strategy. After all, when it comes to being a social media standout, you must know the ins and outs of your chosen network. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is positioning itself to become THE Social Network for Business. In other words, the platform wants to move from being “the other social media account… you know, the one your boss makes you fill out,” to the “authority on business.” The network is expanding its publishing platform and aims to corner the market on professional publications. Facebook: Facebook has laid out plans to aggressively join the mobile wallet space. Paid advertisements and promoted posts were only the beginning. The social media platform will soon roll out the “buy” button and a new era of mobile e-commerce will begin. Twitter: The era of trading verbose text for witty quips will continue to reign supreme on this social media conglomerate. Like Facebook, Twitter is also jumping on board with the new “buy” button. They hope to capitalize on the ease with which users re-tweet, share, and otherwise comment on millions of products. In 2015, users will be able to simply click and buy on the latest tweeted trends. The slight changes of the established social media platforms will keep the marketing spirit alive and well, as companies strive to gain the attention and loyalty of their customers. 2015 will also be the year that newcomers, like Ello and Yik Yak, attempt to change the game by offering more user privacy, no advertisements, and a better experience. However, even in the face of new competition, LinkedIn,…
Facebook. To some of us it has become a “been there, done that” social media avenue, however when it comes to building brand recognition, Facebook is still one of the best viral market spaces. As a writer, I have seen a lot of articles claiming to “know the secrets to Facebook success.” As a writer, I have also scoffed at these articles, because while they do ring true with certain wise tidbits of advice, when it comes to Facebook no one as successfully opened Pandora’s box. Many businesses seem to be caught up in the rat race of obtaining more likes, shares, follows, etc. However, how often do these new likes turn into actual clients? How often do we actually follow up with possible social media leads? The real beauty of Facebook lies in the aforementioned ability for a business to build its brand recognition. And yet, in the hope of achieving more likes, and thus more potential clients, all too often companies turn to Facebook gimmicks rather than true branding. For example: throw back Thursdays, cat GIFs, posting items about how to “be a good friend” or (perhaps my favorite) “share with your friends to see what they really think about you.” The latter gimmicks are just a few examples of the popular trends on Facebook. Unfortunately, while the trends may gather numerous likes, shares, follows, etc. they all too often don’t effuse a company’s true branding. Company branding should be consistent across all mediums. From Facebook to printed brochures, a company needs to stand by its branding. With this in mind, the only advice that I have when it comes to Facebook is to never trade true company branding for a few additional likes. Stay true to who you are as a company and social media success will…