One of the things that continues to crack me up is how simple Social Media is and yet how difficult it is at the same time.
You see for me Social Media equals Customer Service.
Too many companies think of Social Media as Public Relations. I recently talked to perspective clients about Social Media and I described to them some problems that other companies are facing in the Social Media venues the reply was something like this.
” Oh we would never have problems like that and if we did we would just hire a PR firm to come in and fix it.” Houston, we have a problem.
A million years ago companies like Wal-Mart figured out that by having a human being at the door to the store to say “Welcome” and to direct people to the bathroom, the hardware department, etc was a good thing. People liked having a person to ask a question to and a person to say hello to instead of a sign with a generic graphic on it. We called it good customer service.
The hospitality industry knows that when you treat people in a professional, pleasant and helpful way that the customer responds with increased buying (and tipping). Its the human touch that wins people over. Casinos have hosts for their VIP’s because it makes them feel special and that the VIP’s know that their needs will be taken care of.
This is what Social Media can do for you. Twitter can serve to tell you the needs of your customer base. Facebook can serve as a way to get your customer base involved and together. Blogging allows you to share your story, your viewpoint, and your knowledge with the world and especially your customers. There are others that you should know about. GeoLocations like Foursquare are big on the horizon, You Tube is the number 3 website in the world and should be looked at and exploited, making videos about your products, your service are all excellent ideas for YouTube. Have you even heard of Digg, or Reddit or Delicious? It will be interesting to see how things shake out for them and it will be even more interesting to see how you utilize them to work for you!
All of these outlets are popular and allow you to communicate with your client base and for them to communicate with you. Its a great opportunity to be in touch with your customers and for your customers to easily be in touch with you. Will you take advantage of it?
