[Welcome back to the You Can Be a Word of Mouth Marketing Supergenius! newsletter. This is text from the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]
Bad things happen to good companies. Sometimes it’s your fault, sometimes it’s bad luck. But it’s how you respond that matters. A few tips:
1. Never underestimate the power of a sincere apology
2. Point to independent sources
3. Fix problems publicly
1. Never underestimate the power of a sincere apology
An honest, genuine apology can cut through the hysteria and calm even the harshest critics. It’s not always easy for a brand to do — it requires humility and candor. But not only can it defuse the current situation, it can also help you build credibility for the next time an issue comes up. To see how this can be done well, see how Amazon’s Jeff Bezos apologized for his company’s removal of certain copies of George Orwell books from Kindles.
2. Point to independent sources
It’s common for negative word of mouth to involve a lot of misunderstanding and misinterpretation from customers and critics. A great tool to use here is third-party sources that can explain the full story. This strategy of redirecting the conversation to outside experts was a key part of UPS’ response when a competitor launched an attack campaign over new industry legislation.
3. Fix problems publicly
When you solve problems in public forums, more people get to experience what a great company you are. Your options will vary depending on your industry, but even the most regulated brands have options here. Take H&R Block, for example. They take conversations offline to exchange sensitive customer information and then invite them back online when the problems are resolved.
[Welcome back to the You Can Be a Word of Mouth Marketing Supergenius! newsletter. This is text from the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]
When you’re beginning to track your word of mouth online, it helps to look at how big brands — companies that often track tons of conversations — do it. A few ideas to get you started:
1> Create a baseline
2> Focus on the key topics
3> Put a team behind it
1> Create a baseline
Finding your baseline of conversation levels should be your first priority when starting to track your word of mouth. When The Home Depot launched their monitoring program, finding their initial baseline helped them figure out what “normal” conversation levels looked like. Once you have your baseline, you can then measure how effective different topics and tactics are at moving the needle.
2> Focus on the key topics
For UPS, using automated systems to track online conversations is a challenge because it’s tough to filter out the unrelated discussions — comments about “sit-ups”, “pick-ups”, “tweet-ups”, “mash-ups”, etc. So instead of sifting through millions of unrelated conversations, administrative assistants at UPS are each given a specific topic related to the brand to follow online. The program takes advantage of an underutilized staff resource and gets a human eye involved in the filtering.
3> Put a team behind it
At Dell, they’re serious about making listening to the customer a key priority. They just launched their Social Media Listening Command Center staffed by a team focused on the real-time conversations about Dell. And while most brands don’t have the resources to pull this off, you can get your program off the ground by putting someone in charge of listening and giving them the tools to get started.
Come to BlogWell: How Big Brands Use Social Media on February 16 in San Diego to hear Starbucks, Clorox, Intuit, Avery Dennison, USAA, Community Medical Centers, State Farm Insurance, and the U.S. Navy share case studies in corporate social media. You’ll learn how to get started, get past roadblocks, and make your social media program phenomenal — in one afternoon, for just $250.
You’ll get practical, how-to advice on creating great content, getting management buy-in, educating employees, keeping lawyers and regulators happy, simple and ethical disclosure, and engaging fans. You’ll ask questions, discover new ideas, and get answers from people who have been there, done that — all in four hours.
In her BlogWell Atlanta case study presentation, “Protecting Your Brand Through Social Media,” UPS’ Manger of Corporate Public Relations, Debbie Curtis-Magley explained how her team used social media tools to defend their brand online and share their side of an issue.
Debbie’s presentation covers her top 5 tips for social media defense, how her team determined which conversations to participate in and which ones to ignore, and how she kept executives informed on the issue.
You know your company needs to pay attention to how it’s being talked about online… you’re just not sure of the best way to make it happen. Learn from Dell’s Manish Mehta and UPS’ Debbie Curtis-Magley who deal with this every day.
You’ll learn:
What kind of conversations to watch for
What tools are available to help you monitor
How to find the right time to join the conversations
This is GasPedal's blog about all things word of mouth marketing. We cover everything from the best word of mouth case studies to the latest research, focusing on the practical ideas you can use to get your fans talking about you.
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