Social media.  It's like the girl who told you she thought she might be pregnant 15 minutes after you dumped her.

Today, we're having a candid conversation about social media.  Or, more specifically, trial by social media.  Because it appears that the whole "innocent until proven guilty" thing need not apply.  We're talking about everything from Michael Phelps to your business.  Buckle up. 

The Olympic Conundrum

So Michael Phelps just got out of rehab for the second time, because apparently he's a gold medal winner when it comes to the butterfly AND the scorpion bowl.  

And what does he come out into?  A media sensation because his girlfriend announced to the world through social media that she's intersex (meaning she's got - or has had - both male and female parts).

The guy's all ticked because she never said anything to him.  Ok, perhaps she told him right before rehab - allegedly.  But his point is fair.  You waited this long...and then announce it to me and then days after the world?  Phelps is getting slammed on social media now, because she said she's afraid he'll dump her now because of the announcement. 

Hold up.  How about the fact that he may choose to dump her because she lied to him...and then announced it to the world while he was in rehab?  Why can't we talk about THAT minor little detail?

Lighting Yelp On Fire

We've gotten the calls from real estate agents. From restaurants.  From retail locations.

"Some idiot came in here after having a bad day.  They were a jerk.  They were impossible to make happy.  Then they wrote a bad Yelp review about US.  They sent out a nasty tweet about US."

And suddenly, your business is convicted.

When I worked in television for an NBC station, we'd have people reach out to us all of the time.  "Look at this nail I found in my coffee at xxxx coffee shop."  "Check out this killer scorpion that was in my soup."  "I found a tiger in my pad thai."  (That last one sounded a lot more dirty than it was meant to sound.)

Sometimes it was legit.  Sometimes they were full of it and just wanted free exposure and free food.  How do you know which was legit?

The people that posted it on social media.  Because if it's online, it MUST be true, right?

Fight the Enemy

First of all, if you're going to win...you need to understand the enemy.  You need to be able to document your case.  And even then, sometimes it's not worth fighting - you may drag yourself into a debacle that will cost you more money and more of a headache than it would have otherwise.

Respond.

Your customers want to know that you care.  It's ok for you to screw up - as a matter of fact, we encourage you to do it.  Not intentionally, of course.  But if you're not failing, then chances are you're not trying to innovate.  It's important to understand how to address those failures and how to respond to people that you ticked off.

What's The Secret To Social Media For Businesses?

It's simple, really.  Stop talking to customers on social media.

Just.  STOP.

And start having conversations with them.  Get to know your customers.  Learn about what they like and how they interact.  Get to know their habits.  Engage with them and share THEIR engaging content as well.  Turn all of your customers into brand ambassadors and it will pay dividends.  Because the day will come when you will be on trial on social media.  And I don't know about you...but I want to stack the deck in my favor when it comes to the jury.