After my post on the Catalyst blog on Online Transparency last week, I really started to think about the other side of that coin – Online Reputation. I’m not just talking about a bad reputation online either. I’m talking about the good and the bad. Again, this all has to do with relationship management of your audience.
Let’s talk about the bad reputation first. With social media and blogging being so prevalent in society, it’s easy to see how one bad comment about your leadership, service, product, sales force, etc. can spread like wildfire. All it takes is one person with online influence to see the comment and decide to run with it. Believe me, there are people out there that do this for a living. These “mixers” love to stir the proverbial pot in order to gain online followers. So if someone in your customer service department handles a customer rudely, who will know? EVERYONE! There’s also a class of online Twitter users that love to post only negative tweets about bad experiences. These “nega-tweeters” just want to be heard and believe that Twitter is the best place for it. And because humans naturally love drama, this one tweet will be seen by thousands, retweeted by even more and eventually you have a big game of telephone going on and your brand image and reputation will suffer.
All is not lost though. You do still have businesses with a good reputation online. I will personally tweet about a good business experiences that I’ve had. There are others like me that I call “kudo-tweeters”. We’re a positive breed of online users who understand the importance of recognizing a company when they do something right. Although our tweets don’t spread like wildfire, they’re still out there. And they’re just waiting to be snatched up by the company and used to their advantage. The problem is, most businesses ignore the good and only pay attention to the bad. Or they forget to look for the online “bad” and flip it into an online “good”. But businesses that reward the “kudo-tweeter”, win big in the end.
What can you do to help create a good online reputation? Ben Franklin said it best, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” So if you’re just now getting into the social media or haven’t hit it big yet, keep your nose clean. Don’t post a single thing that you wouldn’t want your customers, parents, or pastor to see.
What can you do to clean up the bad stuff that’s already out there? Trust me when I say this, cleaning up the bad stuff online is VERY difficult and can take years to get rid of and that’s if you’re lucky. Online freedom of speech is a tad different and Google, Twitter, etc. protect the freedom to say what you want online.
It’s important to monitor what is going on out there so that you can catch people when they’re being good or bad. It’s all about you as the business paying attention and listening to your audience. React positively to the good AND the bad and you’ll have a great online reputation.
If you have any questions about ways to monitor your online reputation, contact us or email me.
This week Skype and Facebook announced that they are partnering and that online video chatting would now be part of the Facebook platform, along with group chatting. This is a huge deal considering that both Facebook and Skype are basically household names. So it really got me thinking. Is Facebook really just a social app anymore or can it be used for so much more?
Consider the facts*:
More than 750 million active users
50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
Average user has 130 friends
People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook
There are over 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages)
Average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events
Average user creates 90 pieces of content each month
More than 30 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each month.
So let’s be creative. Here are just a few of the many business applications you could be using this new feature for.
Online video conferencing; both domestically and internationally
Group meetings via the video and group chat applications
Ability to leave video messages for your team
Face it; technology has grown and continues to grow very quickly. It has become more affordable and has integrated itself into our daily lives. Even though we have yet to see flying cars and all have robot servants at home, the technology that we do see has grown leaps and bounds in the past 10 years. If your business isn’t moving along with the changes, then you’ll get left behind.
If you’d like to sit down with me and discuss some ideas for your business, email me.
For more information on Facebook’s new video chat feature, click here.
Are you on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, WordPress, LinkedIn, Posterous, Instagram, Tumblr, Flickr or some other type of social media outlet? If so, when was the last time you posted? What are you using it for? Is it just because everyone else is doing it or are you using these outlets to maximize your online presence?
You see most companies think that since their competitors have a Facebook page or blog or anything else, they need to as well. In theory, that’s true. But the reality is that most companies never really get the purpose of social media and therefore start the account and leave it sit. Maybe they go heavy with posts on their blog and then the excitement wears off and the last time they posted was sometime last Summer. If that’s you, you have one of two choices: 1. Start posting at least three times a week, or 2. Clean up the web and delete your account.
Why do I say this? Actually it all has to do with the whole point of social media in the first place; it’s SOCIAL media. The first person to “tweet” wasn’t doing it to make a bunch of money. They were just trying to socialize. The first person to post a blog wasn’t trying to further their career. They wanted to speak their mind.
The goal of the social side of media is to engage others, make new connections and start new relationships. It’s also a numbers game. The more “friends” you have, the more exposure you get. But the challenge that companies have when trying their hand at social media, is that they forget to actually be social and then end up frustrated because they never see their numbers go up.
So, here are a few little tips to help you increase your numbers:
For every three serious things you say online, say one fun thing. For example, let’s say you are a runner when you’re not working. Ask your audience what their favorite running socks are. If you go out for coffee, talk about your drink of choice. It sounds silly, but you’re being transparent.
Ask for your audience’s opinion on a topic. This engages your audience and starts a dialogue. It shows that youcare.
If you’re going to blog, then be sure to blog at least three times a week. Anything less than that is a waste of time. And again, apply rule one to your blog. Show people that you are a real person.
The CEO and/or other leaders of your company need to blog regularly. This helps establish your company as one that regularly communicates with your customers.
Pictures, pictures, pictures. People want to see YOU. They want to know YOU.
I guess in all of this, there’s really only one key idea I’d like to get across. Be TRANSPARENT. When economic times are tight, people typically become increasingly relationship oriented. By being transparent to your audience and letting them know that you’re one of them, then new positive relationships can begin and trust will be established, potentially leading to new business relationships.
If you’re looking for some good advice or just need help getting started and would like to talk more, let me know. I’d love to discuss how Catalyst can assist you in becoming more transparent online.
Editor’s note: While I was working on this blog I stopped for a 22 oz. iced mocha with whipped cream, took a picture of it, posted it to Instagram and tweeted about the whole experience while also promoting the coffee place I got it from using GPS. Ahhh, transparency! http://instagr.am/p/GrrBi/
We have been working on a proposal for a client prospect with a customer base that is predominantly made up of senior citizens. The company is fairly new and they do not have the budget to blanket the entire country with their message. They need a targeted approach to help sell their product and they need to show their Board results. Based on these objectives, part of our presentation will revolve around new media – specifically facebook advertising and fan building.
I think most companies are becoming more aware of the opportunities within facebook: managing your spend, immediately monitoring results, zoning in on your target audience, etc. However, I am not sure they understand the engagement level that seniors have with the social networking site. Here are two big myths surrounding senior citizens:
Myth #1 - Seniors aren’t using the Internet.
Back in December 2009, Nielsen released a report that indicated Internet usage among those 65 and older had increased more than 55% over the last 5 years. That is a jump from 11.3 million active users in November 2004 to 17.5 million active users by November 2009. According to Nielsen, this age group is the fastest growing demographic on the Internet.
To further dispel this myth, the same study found that seniors are also staying on the Internet longer. By November 2009, those 65 and older were spending over 58 hours per month on the Internet.
Myth #2 – Seniors aren’t on facebook.
It may surprise you to know that facebook growth among seniors is pacing faster than all other demographics. According to an article by allassistedliving.com, senior citizens have recorded 1448% year-over-year growth for the past three years. Seniors became 11% of all facebook users as of 2010.
The article also shared a few other stats that prove not only are seniors creating facebook accounts, they are truly engaging with the social media tool:
Hundreds of classes are being held each year to teach senior citizens how to use facebook. Class size averages 80 people!
40% of those on facebook want to connect with family and friends.
30% are sharing photos.
10% are engaged in contest or promos.
I share all this not to propose that you target senior citizens with nothing but facebook. We would never recommend a single tactic for any group. However, don’t assume Grandma Alice doesn’t understand how the Internet works or that she will never sit down to update her status. Seniors are becoming more tech savvy every day. Make sure that you are considering social media as part of your marketing mix when targeting this group.
Okay, now I have to get back to that proposal. Wish us luck!
500 million is a mighty big number. Facebook is proud to share their user numbers and 500 million is very impressive, no doubt. I imagine most of you have built your company page and suggested that all your friends and family “Like” your organization. Hopefully you’ve been writing some great posts and are seeing your fan base grow outside of your inner circle. So now that all these people “Like” you, what do you do? The answer is simple: give them what they want.
At CATALYST, we dedicate time to immersing ourselves in research that can benefit our clients (and Facebook family) and wanted to share some insight with you regarding Facebook users and why they “Like” a brand:
40% want to receive discounts and promotions
39% want to show support for the company to others
36% want to get a “freebie”
34% want to stay informed about the company’s activities
33% want to get updates on future products
30% want to receive updates on upcoming sales Source: Understanding How and Why Facebook Users Interact with Brands, Mashable.com.
Do a few tests and determine which initiatives yield the best results for your demographic. We would love to hear from you – let us know your success stories. And honestly, we welcome the failures too. It’s all part of the social media process and the measurements are there to tell you what is working and what needs to be changed. Keeping these needs in mind while engaging consumers on your Facebook page will go a long way to maintaining and growing your fan base.
