The Do's and Don'ts of Social Networking
September 17, 2008
All companies must adhere to these rules when launching their own social network or community forum
By Avi Nimmer
If someone bought a product they were dissatisfied with 10 years ago, the extent of action the owner could take was limited to yelling at a customer service representative and possibly returning the product for store credit. Today, the same disgruntled customer has the ability to share his sentiment with the world through blogs, discuss the faults of the product in detail through social networks and even post a video displaying the downfalls of the company.
Social networks, which are a dime-a-dozen these days and only growing in popularity, are bringing together a large and diverse group of people. This is resulting in, among other things, a significant power shift in the typical business-consumer relationship: Rather than being forced to wholly swallow brand propaganda and advertisements, consumers are engaging in direct communication with each other and taking charge over their buying decisions.
Corbin Ball, president of Corbin Ball Associates, a meetings technology firm, provided the following example: Recently, Facebook creator and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was publicly interviewed in front of an audience. Unfortunately, both the interviewer and interviewee did not adequately prepare for the discourse; a dull and unorganized presentation was the result. Audience members, upset by the disappointing interview, began "twittering"—making comments on twitter.com, a social networking site that connects people via cell phones—about the poor display. Someone posted a dare to yell out "Zuck, you suck!" Another person took up the offer and the session only deteriorated from there.
In an era where any "average Joe" has the ability to share his views with potentially millions of people, companies are struggling to regain the upper hand. And the solution many corporations have reached follows the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" strategy: Companies are starting social networks of their own. But before any company ventures to start such a network, however—a big step that can potentially make or break a product or company—it is important that managers and CEO's know some of the essential do's and don'ts of creating such a forum.
Do: Create an open environment where customers feel safe sharing their views and experiences.
Dell has created such a forum, called IdeaStorm (www.dellideastorm.com). Opened in early 2007, IdeaStorm allows customers to engage in direct communication with each other to discuss problems and/or recommendations, as well as receive instructions from fellow peers. "There's no 'us versus them' mentality," says Caroline Dietz, a Dell spokesperson. "It's a community of people all trying to answer, 'How can we solve this together.'" So far, IdeaStorm has received nearly 10,000 ideas and over 80,000 comments, with approximately 150 of the ideas being implemented, according to Dietz.
Don't: Blatantly use the forum to push your personal products/agenda.
Jason Alba, CEO of jibberjobber.com and author of I'm on Linkedin—Now What?, understands the thin line between being a member of the community and presenting a sales pitch. "The social networking environment is a place to enhance [your] brand or make announcements," says Alba. "[You] don't want messaging to come across as scripted by HR or the legal team—it needs personal touch." Alba's typical message in social networks is unrelated to his company or products; it is simply a means of keeping his name out there. That way, "when I do want to talk about my stuff, it's not seen as pitchy," says Alba.
Do: Use social networks to enhance your image and create a personal relationship with customers.
Public forums are a great way to get your company's name out to new customers, as well as give customers a voice to air their thoughts, grievances or advice. "Social networking tools should be used to bring people in, acknowledge what they have to say, and react [to their comments]," says Ball. In order to be effective, though, there has to be a large population using the network, including representatives from multiple levels of the company. If there are only three people in Idaho using the network, it is a bad reflection of the corporation. "As a company, [you] have to make sure you can get the necessary traction for your network," says Alba.
Don't: Give customers too much or too little freedom of speech.
If the legal team is looking over every comment and censoring the most basic of customer recommendations in fear of bad PR, the network is not only useless, but counter-productive. Such a network is likely only to lead to frustration from customers and employees alike, and to steer individuals to make their comments in other uncensored forums.
On the other hand, if the forum is totally unmonitored and neglected by the company, the forum may spin out of control, which is why it is essential to have employees involved in the dialogue. Such a forum is likely to devolve into a mob mentality, where the company turns into the bad guy. "Engaging in conversation with customers requires a high level of transparency," says Dietz. "[Companies] have to know who the audience is, and what is trying to be generated."
Do: Transparency, transparency, transparency
No matter what goal a company is trying to reach through opening a social networking forum, the most important criteria is transparency in its motivation. If you claim the forum exists for customers to be able to honestly communicate with one another, don’t use the forum as a propaganda launch pad for the company. Of course, it is acceptable and even encouraged for employees to get involved in the dialogue, but proper etiquette must be observed: "[Employees] have to understand where they come off as too promotional," says Alba.
As social networks continue to be created and evolve, these basic rules of networking will continue to guide companies in their quest to create open customer forums.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
This article is brought to you by Sales & Marketing Management, the leading authority for executives in the sales and marketing field.
|
|
RSS
