Every company has its social media mountain to climb.
Gary Vaynerchuk, who I talked about over at here a couple of weeks ago, is a passionate Sherpa in this analogy. He’s built himself as a one-man brand and his Wine Library TV empire is the envy of entrepreneurs the world over. You tend to listen to a guy like that, especially one who gets as fired-up as Vaynerchuk.
His latest book, The Thank You Economy, is focused on how you can use social media as a platform to make customers feel appreciated. Small Business Trends has a look at the book and the message, which we’ll break down here.
Give Up Control
Vaynerchuk is a leading advocate of loosening your hold on your message, something I tend to subscribe to. Here’s that thought in his own words:
“Business leaders consistently underestimate two things. First, they underestimate people’s willingness to forgive. They are afraid to put up fan pages because they think any negative comment is equal to a ’60 Minutes’ investigation showing the whole world how much they stink…. Second, they underestimate people’s [B.S.] radar.”
The point? You can afford to make a few minor mistakes, and holding your corporate motto to your chest like a shield is only going to make you seem like a boring, soulless entity that is using social media for its own nefarious ends. Even if that’s true, you don’t need to let your customers know that. They’re looking for a personal connection, something that will make them want to engage with and stay with your business, and there’s a million ways to do that without being a robot.
Be a human being. If your company is accused of making mistakes, react to it online like you would react to a situation outside your office. Ask them about it, explain your side of the issue and fix it if you can. The urge to backpedal violently and toss press releases like hand grenades should be suppressed at all costs.
Customer Service
Let’s say you’re a firm that provides working capital to small businesses. It’s no longer enough to just provide those services and provide them well, which we would all like to believe we do.
It’s about making customer experiences extraordinary, and that’s not as daunting as it sounds, according to Vaynerchuk:
“Behind every B2B transaction, there is a C. The C in a B2B exchange – usually a purchasing manager, a purchasing agent or a buyer – wants the same thing as any other consumer when making buying decisions: outstanding product and service, and the reassurance that someone is thinking about how to best meet the person’s business needs.”
Social media fits into that equation by allowing you quick, easy communication with your customers. There’s no better way to let people know you’re appreciative of what they need from your company than to tell them, and if you can’t do it by phone or in person, doing so online is an awfully good substitute.
Thoughts about Vaynerchuk’s new book and this advice? Share them in the comments, please.
Photo credit to Raquel Teixeira at http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=view&id=1054025
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