Working for a broker who is also a Social Media consultant, I am usually trying to keep up with (whether I want to or not) the methods of applying it to my business. Instinctively, I try to use Social Media to brand myself and develop a decent presence among the digital community. However, I accidentally stumbled upon one, major disadvantage Social Media can have towards your business today.
My broker, Jason Crouch, is also the co-founder of 210 Consulting. As part of his platform, he has a Social Media talk show which airs on Tuesdays on Blog Talk Radio. You can listen to archived shows here. They typically have a Social Media winner and Social Media loser of the week. This is usually determined by the best / worst service that one experiences from a business via Social Media. This is the basic level in which we view customer service and Social Media. If you've read my last post, you know that customer service is somewhat of a big deal with me.
Let me share with you what happened today. Once again, if you've read my last post, you would know that I have had some issues with my last financial institution. Today, I went in to tie up some loose ends. I've already fired them, but also believe in being a responsible customer. When I left the building, I was again, infuriated. Since I have been using Twitter a LOT lately, I've developed a habit of immediately reaching for my phone almost everytime I have a thought. Well, guess what I was thinking as I left the bank? My "former" bank is on the way home and about 2 minutes from my house. After I got home (2 minutes later), I logged on to Facebook and Twitter just to see what was going on. I already had a comment thread for the tweet I had just sent not more than a few minutes ago.
It hit me. Social Media has brought "word-of-mouth" to a whole, new level. As businesses use Social Media to attract customers, customers are using Social Media to tell their sphere of influence about their customer service experiences. Businesses and consumers have effectively started a digital stand-off within the realm of Social Media.
Here's a practical scenario. I own / manage a business and start a Twitter page so you can follow our activities and any specials. I can also use this as a medium to communicate with you, the consumer. This is potential problem number 1. Our tweets have just become a public forum. Now, take it one step further. If I upset or disappoint you, all it takes is a little #hashtag and our business has now spread like wild-fire. The average twitter user has 126 followers. Remember when we were told that an unsatisfied customer was thought to tell 10 people about their experience?
Hear me right so you don't hear me wrong. I am in no way saying that Social Media is a playground where you can act irresponsibly and slander people. I am saying that Social Media does give you a radical voice as a consumer. Use it wisely.
Photo Credit: http://www.cgonlinemarketing.com/images/social_media_collage.jpg
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