Heya there, MK here with the latest bit of social media marketing thoughts before the weekend. For those of you at SXSW this week, have fun and let us know what you’re seeing.
For those of you not lucky enough to be at SXSW, you can bond with me.
Do you feel like somebody’s been watching you? That’s a good thing, Rockwell! With sites such as Blogpulse and Technorati out there, it’s easy to see what is popular and also what is being said about your organization online. Not only is it easy, it’s also vitally important to know what is going on out there with your name attached. Why is this so important that there are actual sites out there to help you? Because you have to keep up with your markets, and you have to know what they are thinking to better serve them. After all, they may have some ideas that can help you succeed. Perhaps even more importantly, you need to know what the world is saying about you so that you can maintain and defend your brand or organization’s reputation online. Seems easy, right?
Well you have to have a thick skin too, and ignore some of the comments such as “you’re lame” that are inevitable, and just not helpful. But take the good and the bad feedback that is constructive and work to solve their issues and improve your service. It’s almost always a good thing when somebody talks about you. Remember- sometimes a bad review can be handled in a way that turns it into a positive!
Whether you are getting positive or negative feedback, as long as it is constructive, make sure you thank the person and let them know how you will improve or continue to maintain the functionality of what you are doing. Point them towards things you’re doing to encourage the sharing of experiences (such as your Facebook fan page). Get involved in the discussion, and encourage them to get involved, too!
Again, and I cannot stress this enough- in almost all my posts I have to mention that social media is about discussion and conversation, and that means a two-way stream of information. Without that, you will lose big. So get in there, stalk the stalker, and work the social web!
