Social Media Response Times

By Martha Wilson

You wouldn’t dream of allowing your phone to ring off the hook, or let a customer go straight to voicemail. In today’s business climate, responsiveness is the key to your company’s success.

If your organization has embraced social media (and if it hasn’t, it’s missing out on major customer connections) what’s the next step? You must consistently respond – to  Facebook comments, e-mail questions, tweets, and Blog posts.

First, post your hours of operation on your profile page to let customers know what to expect. If you aren’t monitoring your pages at 3 a.m., say so. That way, you won’t turn off the insomniacs.

Customers who email expect you will acknowledgement their request within one to two hours. This is especially true when you’re dealing with a complaint. Other email messages should be answered in 24 hours.

Twitter is a more immediate challenge. You should try to respond within a half hour. If your customers are tweeting, they expect more immediate feedback.

Facebook communication is a 24-7 thing. But if someone files  a complaint, you’ll want to respond in under an hour.  Questions and other customer service issues can be handled in under two hours. You should weigh in on general conversation or comments within a day.

Blogs and Forums require the same attention as Facebook – that is, daily.  Remember that best practices mean you respond at least within a day.

Social media is a more effective, more direct, more instantaneous way to say, “This company cares and this company responds.”  Businesses need to learn to adapt, and adapt quickly.

Fast food restaurants get it.

McDonalds, Wendy’s, and Chick-Fil-A have all captured more than a million fans on their Facebook pages. They are versed in “fast” as a key driver for customers. Wendy’s had an astonishing 20-minute response time to more than 6,000 posts in January 2001, according to Jason Falls, founder/editor of Social Media Explorer.

What’s the secret? These companies, understanding the strong correlation between responsiveness and engagement – hire people to do it.

If you communicate with your customers through social media, or are considering it, make the time to respond. It’s the smartest way to attract and keep your client base.

Martha Wilson is an associate at Web Face, (http:web-face-solutions.com), a marketing and communications company that will help you listen to and respond to your clients on social media channels.

Are Universities Today's Living Dinosaurs?

By John McGory

Social media is the greatest “do-it-yourself” communications tool of all time. Unlike the printing press, telegraph, telephone, radio and television, social media unleashes the power of the individual to communicate to the world.

Social media puts the printing press into each of our hands.  It makes us television producers, columnists and telegraph operators.  We can form and enrich relationships with people around the world and down the street.  “Social” in this context means much more than a “howdy-doo neighbor.”

This medium is still in its infancy. We will determine what it grows up to be.  Our hands are on the controls. How will it change us?  Here are a few potential areas. 

Social media will further democratize knowledge.  The printing press took the power of knowledge away from the Church and made it secular.  Social media will do the same to large institutions.  Universities, governments and corporations will face challenges.

Advertising will not be the obtrusive ogre that has stalked us for decades.  People will exchange information among peers regarding products and services.  Companies that abuse our trust will suffer.  Television, radio and newspapers will not hold the captive audiences they once did, so molding public opinion will be challenging.

Politics will see rapid change.  Like-minded people will find it easier to collaborate on issues.  Politicians will bypass traditional media sources and speak directly to the people, but this freedom comes with a price.  Politicians who lie to the public will be sent packing.  Campaign contributors may wield less influence as social media reintroduces democracy to our political system.

Social media will drive down profit margins.  The flow of information among people will expose cost differentials among similar products.  Businesses will need to keep up with lower-priced competitors or face the consequences.

So how does a business prepare for such tumultuous change?  Here are a few simple “do-it-yourself” activities:

1.  Get training on how to effectively use social media. Owners need to quit pretending social media is a fad and understand its implications to business.

2.  Review your advertising mix and track its effectiveness.  If certain forms of your advertising have slumped it may not be due to the recession.  Fundamental changes are taking place and it may be time to try new strategies.

3.  Tell the truth.  The fastest way to oblivion is deceiving your customers.

4.  Don’t oversell when using social media.  How bored are you when someone tries to sell you insurance at a cocktail party?  Social media is the same.  Bores will not be tolerated.

Social media will change the world forever.  Its power is not yet fully understood.  What is established, however, is that we are not going back to traditional advertising, politics and business as usual. 

Aldous Huxley’s wrote in Brave New World that “When the individual feels, the community reels.”  Social media allows the individual to feel and tell his friends all about it.  The community is beginning to reel.

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 John McGory is a partner at Web Face (www.web-face-solutions.com) , a marketing and communications company that helps businesses and organizations prepare for the future. 

When Peanut Butter Met Jelly

By John McGory

Dean Keith Simonton, in his 1989 book “Scientific Genius,” suggests that geniuses are superior because they form more novel combinations than the merely talented.

Exciting new opportunities or experiences are possible through novel combos.  When peanut butter met jelly, magic happened.  The same can be said for Monday nights and football, sizzle and steak, Oreos and milk, spandex and clothing and recliners, remote controls and flat screen TVs.  Once the atom of creativity is split between entities, the fusion of genius is created.

The rush to social media for business applications is impressive.  Companies of all shapes and sizes are creating Facebook fan pages, Twitter accounts and blogs.  But in many cases, rather than creating magic, these efforts are provoking ire from the boss who wonders why they are paying someone to tweet, “Have a nice day.”

Like Einstein and energy, mass and the speed of light, astonishing business results come from the combining of ideas.  It takes a truly creative mind to fuse unlikely combinations that turn a zipper into Velcro.  But it doesn’t take Lennon and McCartney to put together simple social media and business ideas to make sweet music.

Think strategically about how your company uses its newsletters, blogs, social media and web sites in tandem.  These vehicles need to act in unison to create community and eventually drive traffic to your web site.

After scratching our collective heads over our own web site, social media channels, blogs and newsletter, we at Web Face decided to coordinate two or three messages at a time.  Here are some non-techie ideas on how to put it together.

1.  Create a blog.  Keep it short, in the 150-to-500-word range.  Make it topical, interesting and fun. Entice the reader to want to know more about your company without pushing a hard sell.  If you have different topics, create several blogs and include a link to your web site.  Write catchy headlines.  Hire talent if you don’t have the staff to create attention.

2.  Create an email newsletter.  In the newsletter put two or three teasers about your last few blogs.  Link the blog so people can find it.

3.  Tweet your blogs and post them on your web site or Facebook page.  Track your blogs to see where your traffic is coming from – your tweets, your Facebook page or your newsletter?    

4.  Track which topics drive traffic.  Improve the system as you progress.

The key is to take a couple catchy blog ideas at a time and promote them using the social media tools available.  This combo of your ideas and social media tools will bring more customers to you.  It isn’t peanut butter and jelly, but this simple lesson on combining ideas can bring a new appreciation of the power of the Internet.

John McGory is a partner at Web Face.  Web Face (www.web-face-solutions.com) can help you combine the ideas that will make your company’s social media efforts soar.

Vaudeville Tips for Going Viral in Peoria

By John McGory

Does your social media business plan “play in Peoria?”  If not, then consider a few 100-year-old tips from the vaudeville stage to attract an audience to your tired Facebook act. 

Vaudeville was the main form of entertainment in our country from the 1880s through the early 1930s.  The term vaudeville came from the French phrase “voix de ville” or voice of the city.

Social media is today’s vaudeville.  Our “voix de ville” comes from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The original vaudeville show was a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill.  Comedians, singers, dancers, Shakespearian actors, jugglers, freaks and anyone else who could entertain an audience shared stages across America.

Entertainers strived to refine their acts to work their way from the small towns to the big-time venues of New York and Chicago.  “Will it play in Peoria?” was vaudeville’s mantra, as promoters knew talent would shine through no matter where it played.

The similarities of vaudeville and social media are hard to miss. Many gather on common digital platforms these days to provide entertainment, social commentary and business, all on the same bill.  Statistics show that more than 90 percent of Americans work to be noticed in the social media theater.

Yet many businesses still struggle on the social media stage.   They strive for the big time but too often end up getting the hook.  Here are five vaudeville principles that apply to your social media efforts. 

1.      Keep it clean. Vaudeville promoters passed out blue envelopes each Monday to acts that used lewd language or themes, warning them to change the material or be blackballed.  Off color content will repel more people than attract. Keep your web sites, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts PG clean.

2.      Know your audience.  Vaudeville comedians drew on numerous accents for their acts.  They would not, however, make fun of Germans in a town full of Germans.  They made fun of Italians.  (ba-dah-bing) Be relevant, not repulsive.   

3.      Content rules.  Milton Berle, the late vaudeville and television comedian, said it took 18 months to two years to develop seven minutes of good stand-up comedy.  Having quality social media content takes time, effort, talent and continuous editing.      

4.      Pay for talent.  Telling a joke does not make you a comedian.  Hire the talent to make your web site and social media channels crackle with excitement.  The business owner is the promoter, not the act.

5.      Keep it current.  Audiences in 1920 wanted to hear Swanee, not By the Old Mill Stream, which was so 1910.  Vaudeville audiences wanted fresh, exciting and fun stuff.  Your audience wants the same.  Update your social media material on a regular basis.  If it never changes, you’ll be playing to an empty house.

Keep these ideas in mind as you try to attract an audience for your business.  And who knows?  If it plays in Peoria, it just might go viral!

Why do you think most business social media campaigns don't attract an audience?  Too boring?  Visually unappealing?  What one tip would you give to make a social media campaign zing?

John McGory is a partner in Web Face, a Columbus communications and marketing company that will help your company “Play in Peoria.”

Social Media Crisis Management

by Martha Wilson

Most of us find it hard to imagine what Rep. Anthony Weiner was thinking when he committed a serious social media faux pas by tweeting out near-naked photos and inappropriate comments to young women. While social media can be a minefield, when used correctly it is not a dangerous entity. In fact, it’s standard practice for smart companies to use Facebook and Twitter to manage negative publicity.

As Weiner discovered, juggling multiple Twitter accounts can be a challenge. And while nothing could have saved the New York congressman’s job, the best tack to take in a crisis is to acknowledge, apologize and use humor to move on. When a Red Cross employee recently tweeted about buying a six-pack of beer for the chapter’s entire blood donor base, Red Cross embraced their “human voice.”  They tweeted an apology and admitted the mistake.

The guilty employee also jumped in with apologetic tweets.  Right away, consumers loyal to the brand weighed in with supportive comments, reminding people that mistakes are human. In short, most said, “Hey, we’ve all been there.” 

The brewery even encouraged customers to join the Red Cross blood drive. “Brand evangelists (people who believe in your product or company) want to see you succeed,” says mackcollier.com.

Before you jump into a fray, consider pondering these crisis-situation questions offered by Walter Shrabe at fusedlogic.com:

·       Is the information factually accurate or inaccurate?

·       Is the responsible person, account or organization credible?

·       Which platforms are being used for the negative activity?

·       Does the responsible party understand the technology they used and the community they reached?

·       Is there current conversation you can research related to the incident?

·       What was the sentiment of the initial responses to the negative statement?

·       Is the discussion growing in size or is it isolated?

Once you’ve answered these questions, it’s time to respond using the social media platforms that reach your audience and customer base.

A final thought from Bloomabq.com: “It’s important to remember that corporate reaction through social media can’t change facts, but it can build (or rebuild) confidence among customers that they will get what they pay for.”

It’s likely Weiner has a long way to go to rebuild, but Bloomabq’s advice is worth remembering.

Martha Wilson is an associate at Web Face, a communication and marketing company helping clients stride through the minefields of social media

Selling Frappuccino in the 21st Century

by T.C. Brown

There’s a whole lot of hubbub in the digital universe these days.

Here’s a question.  Has your business embraced social media?  If the answer is yes, would a social media guru give you an A, or are you in need of serious tutoring?

One more question. If you don’t use social media, have you set a date yet to join the 21^st century?

Evidence abounds that businesses are spending more time with social media to market their products and services, and many are starting to realize some serious ROI.  Best of all, benefits are greater than ever for small businesses.

There is, however, another side to that coin – companies continue to cling to the “old ways” of marketing, and are turning a deaf ear to their social media sages.

That according to a recent IBM survey, which showed that many firms use these digital tools as PR platforms instead of thinking of them as magnets to attract more viewers, aka potential customers.

Maybe your company is the best thing since a double chocolate frappuccino, but a majority of consumers told IBM they don’t visit corporate websites.  Of the ones who do, 60 percent said they must first have “complete” trust in that company.

It’s not complicated, folks.  People want free stuff, or at minimum a bargain. Or they want helpful advice for their needs or concerns.  In short, build a community.  It’s that simple.

Meanwhile, while several surveys show companies devoting more time to social media, it is small businesses reaping the greatest results.  More than 90 percent of the 3,342 small business owners who responded to the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report said social media plays a key role for them.

This stuff works. Firms that spend at least six hours a week in the digital world are nearly twice as likely to get leads generated as those who spend less time.

Just remember: stay fresh, be relevant and take measurement.

Basically, your company has two choices.  You can climb aboard the train, or wave bye-bye as it leaves the station.

TC Brown is a partner at Web Face, a communication and marketing company helping clients climb aboard the train.

Women Make the Social Media World Go 'Round

By Martha Wilson

Men have long lorded over the remote in the home, but move over Rover, there's a new in-house sheriff when it comes to social media.

Arguably women have always been the better networkers, so a recent Digital Year in Review whitepaper that showed females making leaps and bounds in time spent on social media was not exactly a bombshell.

Link that with Pew Research Center findings that men make choices in only about 26 percent of all couples, and you're left with one conclusion--women make the social media world go 'round by being the deciders. That bodes very well for businesses doing social media marketing to the X chromosomes gender.

For most women, social media is a fabulous tool to connect with like-minded individuals, to locate needed products and to speed up multitasking in order to gain more time with the people they love.

“Companies looking to reach women — whether as consumers, entrepreneurs, employees, or advocates — have an unprecedented opportunity through social media to engage them,” says Jessica Faye Carter, author of the Technicultr blog. “For women, social media presents abundant opportunities to lead, effect change, innovate, and build relationships across sectors, locally, nationally, and globally.”

Conversations between companies and female consumers are moving beyond “what do you want?” types of questions to getting real-time feedback from women on products, services, and marketing campaigns—sometimes before they go to market.

For instance, in China, Unilever, the makers of Pond’s Age Miracle moisturizer, asked bloggers to try the cream and share findings. That risk paid off. Consumers gave the moisturizer a big thumbs up, leading to the adoption of social media strategies by other Unilever offices in Asia.

And Kmart launched a new program, Smart Shoppers Unite, which mixes deals with shopping advice and lifestyle discussions. Features include tips from The Frugalista, a popular bargain-shopping blogger, coupon section and games. This network is interest-based — anyone interested in budget-conscious shopping can join.

No doubt, social media is becoming a major tool for women of all interests, says JoAnn Bamberger, author of Mothers of Intention: How Women and the Social Media are Revolutionizing Politics in America.

“I think we love our villages and we love reaching out to the people we know and interacting with them and sharing our stories and experiences,” Bamberger says. “I think that's something that the world of social media has allowed women to do in a way as never before.”

So, what’s the bottom line? The research is clear. Go after the deciders – women buyers – using social media platforms to boost your bottom line.



Social media helps women spend more time with the ones they love.

 Martha Wilson is an associate at Web Face, www.web-face-solutions.com