Social
Media and Business: Getting it Right
Following the recent HMV Twitter scandal Independent Correspondent, Kerry Butters, explores the role of social media in businesses today. So, why can you get it so catastrophically wrong and what are the impacts?
The recent news about a member of staff from beleaguered
music retailer HMV tweeting
her grievances to the world has somewhat flagged up how social media should
be used for business.
Social media is the new advertising, there’s little getting
away from it these days and it’s not always easy to get it right, especially
seen in larger brands which seem to fail reasonably often.
So what can businesses do to ensure that their social media
presence represents their brand in a positive light? Well, until recently,
social media wasn’t seen to be measurable in terms of what results it could
return, but this is something that has changed over the course of the past year
or so.
Now, most large businesses that use social media recognise
its ability to drive sales, but
the question is, how is social networking being used and why do some big brands
keep slipping up?
For the most part, it’s down to a lack of knowledge,
especially for SMEs. The approach to social is different to email marketing,
traditional advertising and customer service. An ideal example of how to
overcome slip-ups was seen in the UK last week by FTD Flowers, who were so busy
for valentines that they didn’t send out all customer bouquets in time.
This led to a slew of angry customers taking to Twitter to
air their concerns, something which FTD soon responded to in the correct
manner. They apologised to each individual that complained and asked that they
sent an order number so that the orders could be tracked down.
Whilst of course people were still angry, it did manage to diffuse
a situation that, if left, could have had a serious effect on the public’s
perception of the brand’s reputation.
It’s examples like the one above that flag up the need for
social awareness within business. It’s commonly accepted that social media’s
overriding characteristic is that it’s a ‘friendly’ medium and one which only
works given a two-way conversation.
For businesses it’s vital to ensure that all queries are
answered on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, to name the biggest
sites. Complaints and concerns should be dealt with in a transparent manner, as
there is simply no hiding bad service on social media. Not only can a
disgruntled customer spam every comment field, they can post links to your page
and more importantly, they can tell their friends.
It should be considered that social media users are more
likely to trust
recommendations from a friend than any other form of advertising a business
is likely to put into place. In fact, 90% of people trust their friends more than
an advertisement they see, with only 14% stating that they trust brands.
For most firms, it’s a good idea to allocate staff who are
trustworthy and capable of using common sense when it comes to social media
management. In the case of HMV, whilst they may indeed have inspired trust and
loyalty in their staff, when it came to losing their jobs, one member of staff
proved that disgruntlement overcame loyalty. This would suggest that it’s a
good idea for any company to suspend social media logins in the event that
there’s a potential problem with any employee. It’s also vital that every
company has clear guidelines set out
to ensure that staff know what’s expected of them.
This is especially true when it comes to legal issues such
as intellectual
property and copyright. Staff should be aware of the laws and the
implications on these matters so that the company doesn’t end up at the wrong
end of a lawsuit.
Social media is an effective tool when it’s used correctly,
but still brands find themselves on the end of an epic fail occasionally. This means that the best approach to social is planning; just like any other aspect of
business, social marketing should be planned, as should the content which feeds
it, to avoid angry customers, or worse, legal action.
For any company that does experience a social mishap, it’s
important to realise that with a little damage limitation, a brand won’t suffer
in the long term. Whilst a company will initially feel the heat, addressing the
problem quickly, transparently and with a sense of humour will usually win out
in a situation, unless it’s a legal one.
Bearing this in mind, it’s a good idea for every business
with a social presence to ensure that they train and educate employees before
allowing them to access social media accounts. Company directors should
familiarise themselves with the law and social media best practices and apply
accordingly.
This article reflects the opinion of the author only. If you have any comments or feedback, drop us a line at [email protected]