Avoiding Social Media Weak Sauce

June 29, 2009

A lot of small businesses are using social media. But it is interesting to see how few businesses are actually using social media well. Unfortunately, not many of them do.

Most still approach social media as if were just another place to put their billboard. How many times have you seen a Facebook page or Twitter post history that consist of nothing but product blurbs?

What they fail to see is that they are missing great opportunities to start conversations with potential customers. They aren’t harnessing the ability to build community around their brand.

Often times, there seems to be a correlation between companies with weak interaction skills and companies that don’t really seem to have a coherent brand. If a company doesn’t even understand brand, then of course they won’t get how everything can be an extension of their brand.

Could it be that the same mentality that doesn’t understand the concept of “brand” can also be linked to organizations that don’t even want to venture in to social media?

Like social media engagement, early brand management was stymied by an inability to show direct quantifiable results. Despite that, there were some who rode the hunch – who understood the power of a strong brand and used it to build business empires. Today the value of a strong brand is not only quantifiable, but often times what failing businesses lack most of all.

I am not contending that Social Media alone can bring in these kinds of numbers, but it can strengthen a brand. After all, isn’t a Brand ultimately a means to build a group of people who favor your product. Isn’t that what successful social media does as well?

A few companies really do understand how to leverage the power of social media when it comes to a more practical aspect – like customer service. You’ll see a lot of great examples on Twitter.

Companies like Zappos or Quicken Loans aren’t just using the web to make the customer feel a little more empowered or validated – they’re giving customers – and, in turn, the customer service rep – the power to instantly address concerns.

They realize what other companies miss: that the interaction doesn’t end once the service problem has been addressed. It continues beyond the transaction – as the satisfied customer spreads the story of the experience through e-mail, word of mouth, Twitter. In doing so, these customers are strengthening a company’s brand and helping secure future business.

For many companies, the step into social media is be a big one. For those that not only adopt it, but really use it to its potential, the rewards can build and sustain platforms to gain valuable insights and future revenue.

If you have seen any other good examples using other web venues, we’d love to hear from you.

By Mike

Filed Under Technology, Marketing, The Process

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