The majority of my clients who have reached out to me asking how they can leverage social media channels have come ready with case study after case study of viral campaigns that seemingly created an army of tweeters and followers. And the question:how do I create such loyal re-tweeters?
And while I’m happy to take anyone’s money, I have to caution them: viral campaigns don’t create brand evangelists…a good product and good service does. Better yet, addressing reported cases of poor service creates even stronger evangelists!
It’s human nature: we’re more likely to complain about bad service than we are to offer kudos for great service. And so all things being equal, most companies will likely find more people complaining online than complimenting.
For any business seeking to get involved in social media marketing, my advice is always to start by listening and engaging with those customers who are already speaking about you online before you try to create the next great viral campaign.
There are many reasons for this approach: identifying which networks your audience is most engaged in and how, identifying influencers, understanding the tone of the conversations, understanding your competitor’s online tactics and establishing benchmarks.
Another key reason: without all the inevitable marketing broadcasts, it will be easier to identify unhappy customers who are criticizing your brand or product. And therein lies your greatest opportunity to begin to create a viral Word of Mouth campaign and army of influencers.
Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup.
Consider this, you’re dining at your favorite restaurant and:
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you have a good meal
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you have a good meal with bad service…you complain and no one makes an honest attempt to apologize or make it right
- you have a good meal, with bad service…but the managers sees the service infraction and quickly offers to remedy it
- Which scenario would most compel you you to tell all your friends about the restaurant? Most people would say scenario 3. And for good reason. Most successful businesses will tell you that their greatest customer evangelists have come from situations where they have dropped the ball…but quickly made it right.Of the many benefits Social Media has afforded your business, one is the opportunity to embrace customer service blunders and turn them into opportunities to create your strongest evangelists.
Broadcasting Customer Care
Social Media has given a stronger voice to brand detractors. And uncomplimentary comments about your brand has the power to sway hundreds or even thousands away from purchasing your product or service. The opposite is also true and that’s a large, missed opportunity for most businesses.
When you reach out to an online detractor with an honest declaration of your concern and willingness to satisfy them, you not only improve the relationship with that one customer, you broadcast your customer care philosophy to everyone watching!
This demonstration creates invaluable PR and establishes a trust with prospective customers, who will be more confident to purchase knowing they will be taken care of should anything go wrong.
Publicly addressing customer criticisms will have the dual-benefit of creating strong customer advocates and establishing confidence in prospective buyers.
How have you created brand evangelists online? Let us know, get in on the conversation by posting your thoughts below.
By Sam Fiorella
Feed Your Community, Not Your Ego
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