Imagine Your Reality

I read a rather interesting article in Forbes, where a famous person posted about her problems with maytag on twitter and her blog and as a result got Maytag to fix the washer that they originally weren’t going to fix. What this situation and others like it continues to demonstrate is that any person who has a sufficient number of followers will also have corresponding social influence with those followers.

Some people would argue that social media empowers customers in general and I do agree with that notion, when it comes to being able to do research and get opinions from your network, but I also find that the social influence a person has is dictate in large part by how many followers a person has. If I complain about maytag on several social media sites, I might get a response, but if someone has a one million followers, as this person evidently did, then she will definitely get a response, because what she says will motivate action in many more people.

The fact is that while social media can empower consumers and allow them to share information about companies, and complain about those companies, the influence to get a company to respond has to be large enough to actually get that company to take notice. The only time that really differs is if a company is actively proactive in social media and makes a point to respond to issues as they arise instead of waiting for someone influential enough to come along and stir up a lot of people.

It may seem rather cynical to note that only people who have lots of followers get the kind of response that the person in the article received, but in similar cases, when a company has been prompted to respond it has occurred because the person complaining has lots of followers and has issued a call to action that has started to impact a company.

So are customers really empowered by social media? In the sense that they can do research and get information from other people they are, but in terms of complaining, unless you can find someone who has sufficient influence with a lot of other people, its fair to say that a customer continues to have the average amount of influence on companies, which is to say very little. Your best way to change that is to accrue followers and develop enough of a relationship and reputation with them so that they will act when you complain.

I’ve discussed social networking sites by niches and also the big three social networking sites that most people in the U.S. know about, but there’s one other type of audience to consider, which is a very important one for many businesses: An international audience. Now while it’s fair to say that Linkedin and Twitter have an international audience, the same can’t be said for Facebook. And it’s unwise to assume that just because a social networking site has an international audience that you’ll reach the people you want to reach.

There are some social networking sites that have developed geographically, so if you want to connect with people in other parts of the world, it can be useful to get on those social networking sites.

Ecademy is a social networking site, with a large population of Europeans. Bebo is another one that caters mostly to Europeans. Orkut is a social networking site that is popular in South America. And there are many other social networking sites that are popular in specific parts of the world.

It is useful to know abut geographic specific social networking sites if you want to do business internationally and feel that using social media will get you in front of the audience you want to do business with. You also need to keep in mind that certain cultural norms will be different, dependent on the culture, and this could effect your social media interactions. It would be a good idea to join one of those sites and spend time watching how people interact, to get a feel for what might be expected of you.

It should be clear that audience is not a simple matter with social media. There are cultural and geographical aspects to consider, the purpose and layout of a social networking site, and why other people are on there. In the next few posts, I’ll also look at audience in terms of other social media platforms, such as blogging, radio, and video.

The other day I was talking with a prospect about her needs and what she was looking for from a business coach. As we talked, I quickly realized that the person she really needed to work with was someone else she was contemplating doing work with. That person had a program more tailored toward the needs of that prospect. I ended up telling my prospect that and she agreed and we came to the conclusion that she might need my services at a later point, but that for the moment she should work with this other person.

One of the most valuable services you can perform for a prospect is recognizing when that person should be referred to someone else. In face, if you know someone should be referred elsewhere, but you work with that person, you may be doing more harm than good, both for that person, and for you, because if that person realizes that s/he could have gotten better service elsewhere, then s/he will leave your business and may tell others as well.

It’s best that you be honest and acknowledge what your strengths are and the client you can best serve. And if the person coming to you is someone you could help by referring that person, then do it. That person will remember that you helped them by referring them on to someone who could really help him/her and s/he may just come back someday or send referrals your way as a result. That kind of helpfulness makes an impression on someone, because it shows that you think its more important that s/he gets the best service possible, and your willing to refer them to that service.

What do all of you think? What are your policies when you have a prospect and know someone who could be a better fit?

I visited my family for the holiday season and one the flight over the air plane company I flew with ended up turning what was expected to be a short layover of an hour into a seven hour ordeal of waiting, excuses, and ultimately poor service. Now some latitude can be given because its the holiday season so there’s more travel than usual and this can effect things badly, but when excuses keep piling up and activity doesn’t seem to be occurring, people get angrier and angrier.

Certainly the people I was waiting with got more and more frustrated as all of us were told that it was a mechanical issue, then an issue of getting paper work signed off on, and then the mechanical issue again, until finally we were directed to another plane and flown to our destination. I remember one of the people asking the stewardess of the plan if they were going to give us anything nice like a free snack or alcoholic drink for the delay and was told no. Would it have cost the airline some money to give out a free snack or alcoholic drink? Probably some, but when we compare that with the customer dissatisfaction and the propensity of those people to tell their relatives and friends, that cost is small in comparison to the loss of customers. One of the people came up with a pithy phrase using the company’s name and while we laughed, I couldn’t help but wonder how that phrase could come back to haunt that company.

Customer service sometimes has to become customer repair, where a business makes the extra effort to make up for the mistakes that occur, in order to repair the relationship with the customers. This isn’t the ideal situation and the reality is that the customer will remember that their trust was damaged. But when customer repair occurs, it shows the customer that the business is aware of the mistakes and is willing to do what is possible to repair the damage.

When a business doesn’t engage in customer service or customer repair, the likelihood of retaining the customer sharply decreases and can ultimately hurt the business. A business is only as good as its reputation with its customers and when those customers are upset they want to be heard. If the business won’t listen, they’ll find someone who will, whether it’s in person or on social media sites.

What do all of you think?

I took a holiday this last weekend…a few days away from social media, from running a business, from all the other things I’ve focused on. I really needed it and when I came back I didn’t feel like I’d really missed anything, though I’ll admit I do feel a little behind on a few projects. But I’m also ready to work on those projects and don’t feel burned out. What I learned is that I need to give myself time off. I like what I do, but if I’m doing it everyday I start to become a technician doing a job, instead of a business owner. So I took a holiday and my business didn’t crumble around me. It’s still here and so am I.

On February 11th I’ll be presenting a 4 hour talk and presentation on social media automation for government. If you mention my name and register for the event by Dec 16th you’ll get a 50% discount for the event!

Latest Radio Shows

The latest Social Media Coach and Imagine Your Reality Radio Shows are available for listening.

Automate Your Business Teleclass
When: DEC 10 2-3pm PST  and DEC 14 Noon to 1pm PST
Register at Taylor’s Schedule page or by email

Social Media Webinar: How do I use Facebook for my Business?
When: Dec 11th, noon to 1pm PST, From the comfort of your office or home
Register, go to http://www.imagineyourreality.com/Events.html

Social Media Webinar: How do I use Linkedin for my Business?
When: Dec 11th, 2pm to 3pm PST, From the comfort of your office or home
Register, go to http://www.imagineyourreality.com/Events.html

Social Media Webinar: How do I use Twitter for my Business?
When: Dec 18th, Noon to 1pm PST,  From the comfort of your office or home
Register, go to http://www.imagineyourreality.com/Events.html

Social Media Webinar: How do I use Biznik for my Business?
When: Dec 18th, 2pm to 3pm PST, From the comfort of your office or home

Register, go to http://www.imagineyourreality.com/Events.html

After you’ve spent some on social media, it’s important to start analyzing how you are using social media as well as what the impact of that use is on your web traffic and business success. This step is important because you need to determine if your basic strategies for social media are working, as well as what sites are proving most useful for you.

To do this analysis, it helps to have a web analytics tool on your website such as google analytics or clicky. These will allow you to track where your traffic is coming from when they come to your website. But web analytics is just the start. You will also want to note on which sites you get the most responses, as well as how people are responding. For Twitter you will want to use Klout, which will allow you to see your analytics for Twitter. Unfortunately other social networking sites don’t have analytics, but you can still keep track by noting how people are responding to your posts.

For example, when I post a discussion to a linkedin group, part of how I rate the effectiveness of that strategy is by checking my blog for the amount of traffic that came to it as a result of the discussion post. I also check and see how many responses come in (and make sure I respond to them). Finally if people want to connect with me as a result of the post, that also tells me I’vve had an impact.

Because different social networking sites have different strategies, what works on one may not be the same as what works on other. As you learn how to use each site and interact with people, you’ll also to start learn what strategies work and which ones don’t. Keep track of each strategy and note the kind of responses you get. If you don’t get the response you want, then experiment.

At the same time you need to recognize how much time and effort you are willing to put into a site, if its not producing an impact that’s useful. Some social media sites aren’t going to fit your strategies, no matter what you do. Some are poorly designed and trying to use them is more of a headache than its worth.

Ultimately to analyze your social media presence, you need to look at your presence and where you spend time and what responses you get. Develop strategies that cultivate those responses and build relationships. Keep track using analytics, but if necessary keep a spreadsheet as well with each social networking site on it and track by number the responses and interactions you get. By continually keeping track you’ll be able to determine what sites are working with your social media strategy.

The other day on Linkedin I read an an interesting question about business policy vs free speech as it applies to social media. The text of the question is below, as is my response:

Today’s business mantra is “Always Be Connecting.” And the tools –linkedin, twitter, plaxo, blogs, online discussion groups, online communities, etc.– are flourishing. However, in many business organizations, we find a reluctance to let employees use these tools unfettered.

What’s your take on this issue: Should organizations let their employees have access to social media? Why or Why not?

This is a complicated issue. On the one hand allowing employees to communicate via social media can be an excellent strategy for producing buzz about your business, but on the other hand employees can easily waste a lot of time and sometimes even offend clients because of their activities.

The solution is for companies to engage in using social media, but have clearly defined policies that spell out what appropriate behavior is on social media, as it pertains to the company and representing it on the web. These policies also need to explain how much time can be put toward social media. Finally, while businesses need to accept that social media is something their employees will use, employees also need to understand that it shouldn’t replace workplace productivity.

Also what employees need to recognize is that what they say on social media sites can impact the perception people have about the company. On the other hand, if they have legitimate concerns about the company they may find that social media is an effective leveraging tool to get the company to address those issues. Businesses need to make sure they address employee concerns effectively, and also make it clear that social media isn’t the forum for discussing issues about the company or the clients of the company. It’s a tough issue because the business can only monitor what their employees do, in the end.

The best social media policy for a business to adapt is one where only the people who need to use social media use it, and otherwise the employees stay focused on doing their jobs and sustaining the business, while the business also makes sure to take care of those same employees

I met with Justin Kistner of Webtrends for lunch and we got into some interesting discussions about social media, etiquette, and behavior. He made a really good point that etiquette is based around social norms and conventions, but behavior isn’t always based on those norms and can sometimes make a person stand out. There’s certainly some truth to that observation. The question that comes up however, is how do you make sure your social media behavior is successful, where even if it violates the norms, it interests people enough to overlook that violation and/or even shift the norms to that behavior?

I’m thinking here about the occasional game or contest that is used by a company or celebrity. Sometimes this social media behavior is successful, especially if not done in excess and other times, when it is taken too far it becomes annoying to people and the backlash ends up making the behavior unsuccessful.

As a business plans its social media campaigns what needs to be kept in mind is that whatever is done needs to not violate the norms so much that people end up ignoring it and/or labeling the business as spammers. Successful social media behavior may not always be in line with etiquette, but it does keep the etiquette in mind and respects the power of that etiquette.

So what makes successful social media behavior? Something which isn’t overly spammy or advertising, which offers a benefit to other people, and makes it fun to get that benefit, and mostly importantly doesn’t go overboard with the message. The tendency to try and push a message out as much as possible is what ends up creating unsuccessful social media behavior. Plan your time for sending the message and you will get people interested in what you have to offer. Plan your frequency around that time, but don’t overdo it and people will accept it. Offer something of value and people will accept if you break a few norms. But do it with recognition that overdoing it will kill your campaign.

Some of the articles I’ve seen on social media have focused on an area many businesses are failing in, namely: Customer Service. The issue is that businesses are ignoring the opportunity to engage customers via social media, specifically when it comes to customer complaints. Traditional marketers will say that paying attention to customers isn’t the way to go, but this seems counter-intuitive, especially when the visibility and transparency of a company is increasingly evident in the public eyes.

Social media provides businesses the opportunity to engage in proactive customer service, making themselves readily available to their customers. When a customer complains about a service or product, the business has an opportunity to address that concern and work with the customer to change the issue.

I’m reminded, most recently, of an exchange I and a few other people had about some Adobe products. We complained about their customer service and how long it took to get a question answered via the phone. And after the exchange was done, I watched to see if Adobe would reply via social media. They didn’t. An opportunity to address customer concerns was lost, and it further enhanced the reputation that Adobe has bad customer service.

What should companies do then to address customer service, especially via social media?

First, if the resources and budget is available, make sure there is a person or people who monitor and manage the social media presence of the company, while also doing search on social media for questions and issues that people ask. These people may not be asking those questions specifically in regards to your business, but that shouldn’t stop you from responding.

Second, develop a comprehensive business policy that addresses how social media is used in your business and what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable uses of social media when representing the business.

Third, when dealing with a customer complain, don’t just address the issue and solve, but also determine if this is a common complaint and look into making changes that solve the issue permanently.

These are just three components to consider in developing a customer service policy that allows a business to use social media and creates a positive presence for the business.

As social media continues to evolve, businesses that employ it also need to evolve. In this article I’ll discuss some of my recent changes to my social media presence, based on how my understanding of it has evolved with the technology itself.

First up is plugins and wordpress updates. If you’ve downloaded a wordpress.org file and created your own blog, remember that you need to stay up to date with the latest version of wordpress. For many people this is as simple as a click of a button, but make sure that before you click that button, you back up all your data, so if something goes wrong you can re-apply all of that data to your wordpress blog.

Personally, this is why I prefer a manual approach. It’s obviously not as quick as pushing a button, but the manual approach allows me to go in and do the update from the backside, as well as learn from any mistakes I make in the process. It can be a little time consuming, but what I learn as a result makes up for the time. The benefit of doing the updates is that you do get security updates and other relevant updates for your wordpress account.

Just as you want to update wordpress, you also want to update your plugins, so you have the latest versions. Usually the latest updates will include solutions to bugs and/or improvement in the service the plugins offer. One plug-in I downloaded recently was the Disqus comment plugin and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to keep track of not only the comments, but also reactions to your blog posts on the social media web. With the reactions feature, I can see who retweeted my blog posts, even if they include my name in the retweet.

The other big change to my social media strategy has been the incorporation of more video. Video is an underused resource in social media, but its increasingly going to become relevant as people use it to create information videos, video blogs, or comedic video entries. I’m planning on making more videos, because I know they provide a level of interactivity that people will want more of as time goes on. After all, if you can see how a product works, as opposed to just reading about it, which will interest you more?

Look for further updates in the future for the changing social media strategy I’m incorporating into my business.