It's about the conversation!
I found this fascinating quote today about saying "Thank-you" to people who follow your brand or company through social media:
You really can’t use this one enough. Thanks for thinking of us! Thanks for mentioning us or recommending us. Thanks for that great bit of information you shared. Thanks for pointing out the typo on our website. Thank you for sharing your viewpoint (even if I disagree). Graciousness matters, and the simple art of thanking someone can indicate very subtly that you’ve been listening.radian6.com, Aug 2009
Saying thank-you is the first thing that has to be done in any social media campaign, however there are tons of other ways to have conversations with your social media followers, here are a few I've picked up along the way, and the blog at radian6.com helped me remember.
I'm sorry.
This is the fastest way to diffuse negative comments being placed on your blog/facebook or tweeted at or about you or your brand. We all goof up. Even companies with the best intentions. Explain why a decision was made, fess up to it being a bad decision and ask for advice on how to rectify the situation. Sure, your followers on Twitter may not be stockholders or investors, but they're just as important - they're consumers. You might be able to deal with losing one customer, but what about the 200 that follow that person, and the 200 that follow each of them?
Here's how I can help.
By proving your expertise in an area and providing backed-up reasoning (yes...beyond your TOS -- why is the way you're helping this user helpful to the community of users at large?) you're showing that you're willing to assist not only this user, but the community at large. Guess what, though? You have to keep helping. Remember, it's a conversation; you may just not have the final word.
How can I help?
If you don't understand the need, or if the customer just seems too upset to understand a direct answer, sometimes asking them what they think is a fair resolution to an issue might be helpful. Now, understand that the first response you get from an upset customer may be wildly different from what you can offer, but you have to start somewhere. On the other hand, this is a useful question to ask people who are praising your organization or brand. Let's assume you're Coke (for the sake of my poorly constructed example), and you have a customer praising your newest caffeinated beverage. Asking this person (or group) how you can help can lead to advertising opportunities -- you never know the next time Littletown, Nowhere is going to have a little league event and need uniforms, that have your new product all over the front of them.
Yes (or No) and here’s why I think so.
Whoa! Who'd have thought it? You have an opinion? Sometimes it's best to speak from a personal perspective. Company spokesmen (and women) should be able to voice an opinion that is contrary to the company line - as long as it's a constructive criticism and makes a point to the company's dedication to it's customer base.
Conclusion
Social media may be a conversation, but at it's core, for companies, it's customer care 101. If you respect your followers, and treat them well, you'll do well.
- Social Media case study: Broadcast vs. Engagement in forums (socialmediatoday.com)
- Well who'd have thought it, this Social Media thing actually works (thisisherd.com)
- First Look: Our Convo (stoweboyd.com)
- Social networking sites can raise publicity legal issues (jonggunlee.tistory.com)
