MARKETING EXPOSED

“But what if they say bad things about us and other people see it!”

It’s one of the common fear threads from small businesses (or even big ones) facing the thought of embracing social media by being open and transparent – whether thru Twitter, or from a blog soliciting comments or having a page on Facebook.  Isn’t asking for comments and ideas from customers inviting trouble?

My first response is that if it is inviting trouble, then maybe that’s because there are some things you need to address or fix.  Isn’t criticism something to learn from?  Especially when it comes from the very customers who you are in business to serve!

But my second bigger picture response is framed in the context that listening now IS marketing.  Listening, really listening – instead of just talking about yourself; your business – is the epitome of service.  And perhaps even collaboration.  And, in the case of negative comments or criticism, rightly deserved or not, how you handle that – out in the open- is the essence of powerful trust marketing on a deep level.  It’s your chance to shine and build phenomenal trust to the one angry customer, as well as to anyone else who’s witnessing your action via a blog or Twitter stream.

And with the ease and speed of today’s social tools, if a customer is angry chances are that even if you didn’t give them some sort of outlet for them to vent directly to you they’ll make it much worse by just venting on their own out in cyberspace. 

“Social media didn’t invent criticism.  It just made it much easier to communicate.” 

That was a comment I heard at a recent conference from Social Media listening expert and blogger, Amber Naslund.

People will talk anyway.  What’s important is that you’re listening.  There are numerous tools available at your disposal to make sure you hear what people are saying about your business.  So even if you don’t have an avenue on your website or a blog or a Twitter account where people might comment directly TO you, you still have ways of monitoring the web just to watch for what is being said through other channels. 

Certainly the most basic way to keep tabs is by simply setting up a Google Alert where you can type in a term or words you want to monitor via Google and set up an alert that is sent to you via email however often you’d like.  To check in on what’s being said on Twitter about you, your competition, or your category in general,  just do a specific Twitter Search or go a step further and do a Google Alert style monitoring called TweetBeeps.  A really cool site that gives you a number of options and ways to search for what is being said on the web is Backtype. 

The point of all this is that it is critical today to listen.  Being proactive and giving existing customers, and the potential ones in the community at large, direct ways to communicate with you sends a powerful message.  But even if you’re not quite ready to jump in with both feet (and please realize there is a time investment factor to consider to effectively using social media) make sure that you have your ear to the air. 

And when you do come across something, RESPOND!  If it’s merely a harmless comment that mentions you, or praises you, respond!  If it’s a problem, handle it.  Social media lore is rife with horror tales about companies that didn’t respond to an angry blog post.  Negative word travels with light speed – especially today.  But dealing directly and effectively with a negative can also travel with quite positive light speed thanks to the power of the socially connected Internet. 

And THAT is a bit of powerful marketing that didn’t even require you to come up with a creative marketing message.  It just requires you to be real.  Which starts by proactively listening.

Are you willing?  Do you have any stories where you diffused a negative and perhaps even turned it to a positive?

- Steve

Photo credit “listen to ME”: Orange_Beard

Photo credit “Social Networking”: martin.canchola