August 4, 2009 at 1:16 pm
· Filed under America, Australia, Social Media
Social media is changing the relationship between companies and consumers. In today’s fast-paced, on-line world it is a requirement for companies to actively monitor the numerous social media sites. In “The Wall Street Journal” journalist Sarah Needelman profiles a few, recent examples of companies listening on-line and replying rapidly. Ford was rumoured to be shutting down a fan site. Quick interjection by someone in the social media team saved the site - and it’s 10,000 fans.
Closer to home I wrote at Easter about a bad customer service experience at local department store David Jones. I was gobsmacked to receive a handwritten note of apology after I posted my story. That led to an updated entry on how David Jones won me back as a customer. If you can convert the disenfranchised you make then evangelical.
Last week I was asked for examples of companies that “get it” when it comes to social media. Any examples you can provide? And specifically - and banks doing a good job with the platform? Do advise!
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Ellie wrote @ August 13th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
An interesting piece, Walter. I grappled with some of these problems working for a technology-related company. One particular site we watched hosted a very tech-savvy, expert, online community, one that was averse to the slightest whiff of “spin” or PR. The site had a small but influential audience, including, we noticed, a journalist who got most of his story ideas there. There were fairly robust exchanges because those writing had strong brand preferences. Our most amiable and tech-savvy PR person (a former journalist himself) got online to help out with complaints, straighten out any issues and add context, while keeping a sense of humour. Most of the PR department also scanned chat sites for complaints and passed them to our colleague to deal with. This approach meant a more balanced representation for us in the tech community - which included those who made purchasing decisions for their companies. It ensured both sides of any issues were presented to journalists who might be reading, who didn’t always come to us for balancing comment and who had a far wider, less knowledgeable consumer audience than the website(s). And consumers on the chat sites saw us as more responsive than our competitors, and a more likeable brand. They saw us listening to them, and they appreciated it. I like Walter’s reference to winning over dissatisfied customers: “If you can convert the disenfranchised, you make them evangelical”.
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