Jeff Wilson, Partner/Chief Customer Experience Designer at Sensei Marketing, published a post entitled “Social Media is Creating Bad Customers.” The post has created quite the buzz, but I'm not sure it's totally accurate. In fact, it may scare off folks who are just now willing to take the plunge.
He says that social media empowers the average Joe to post anonymous, nasty, mob-generating comments with no accountability. Maybe, but these scenarios are few and far between and aren’t really relevant in the grand scheme of things. Here is my take:
1.) People a
re smart. If you deliver great products and services consistently, your fans will defend you against the nasty mob. They’ll also recognize a jerk when they see one.
2.) Social media makes brands smarter. Never before have we had so much access to information about our market and our customers! Negative data and feedback can help brands deliver better products and improve their overall bottom line.
3.) Brands are becoming more human. This is a good thing. The more connected (and sometimes vulnerable) a brand becomes, the more accountable they must be. This is good for all business, our global community, and local employees.
The key to social media is to develop a strategy that speaks honestly to your audience through the channel they most prefer. Know what you set out to do with your social channels, and don’t get distracted by the few loud voicesm - unless they provide some insightful advice you should consider to improve your product, service, or level of engagement.
What do you think? To learn more about ExactTarget social products and how they can help you manage the conversation, request a demo and speak directly to one of our social media experts.
Enjoy!
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