Social media experiment: who has a clear purpose?

The social media experiment is getting interesting. I've gotten a few more responses, discovered something surprising about most of the 'participants', and added another company to the mix. Here are the updates. (Read a description of the experiment here.)

More Responses

I'm feeling a bit more encouraged today than I did on Friday. Last week, I posted a question to the Facebook pages of five of the companies in the study and only received one response. I posted a question to a sixth company over the weekend and have now received a response from three out of six companies. Even better, the answers I received were very helpful. There are still some companies that I haven't interacted with on Facebook, but I'll try to get them involved this week.

Surprising Twist

John Curran asked if any of the companies in this study had Service Level Agreements for their Facebook or Twitter pages (find John on Twitter @TrainingTsar). In other words, did they have a clear policy that described what type of service customers could expect through these outlets, such as how quickly they'd respond to inquiries. I couldn't find published service standards for any of the companies in the study, but John's question helped me realize I had overlooked something obvious:

Do these companies clearly identify their reason for being on Facebook and Twitter?  It is a best practice to set clear expectations when you interact with your customers. Companies should state on their Facebook page "Here's why we have a Facebook page". Their Twitter page should contain some statement that says "Here's why you should follow us on Twitter." I checked each of the companies in the study and found a big gap:

 One company's Twitter page described why you should be a fan on Facebook, but not why you should care about their Tweets (odd). Only one company had a statement of purpose on both Facebook and Twitter. 

New Company 

I added a 12th company to the study over the weekend. One of the unresponsive companies in the original group has a direct competitor that I also frequent. Their competitor didn't show up in my initial search on Facebook and Twitter, but I discovered over the weekend that they are in both places. Now things will get even more interesting with some head to head competition for my discretionary income!

What's ahead...

This week should prove interesting as I attempt to interact with the remaining companies in the mix. I've also decided to start revealing the companies as I reach some conclusions about their social media approach. Finally, your comments and suggestions are much appreciated!

Social media experiment starts with a fizzle

My social media experiment is off and walking. Not for any lack of trying on my part. Just a lack of social on the part of the companies I'm trying to interact with. (Read more about the experiment here.)

What happened in round 1?

I kicked things off by posting a question on the Facebook fan page of 5 of the 11 participants. I'll get to the other 6 later, but I want to keep it natural and I only had a legitimate reason to contact 5 of these companies so far.

One day later, I've received a response from only one company. A fellow 'fan' answered the question I posted to another company's page, so I suppose that's fair too. The other three companies are radio silent so far.

Demographics

My colleague, Grace Judson, offered a theory on how this will play out:

I suspect the level of engagement will depend heavily on the size of the company - which isn't something you've listed in the demographics. My guess is that the smaller the company, the more interactive they'll be.

I think Grace's theory is a good one, but the one company that's responded to me so far had over a million Facebook fans. Here's a snapshot of the fans and followers for my test subjects:

More predictions...

Angela Hill is one of my social media gurus. She offered an interesting perspective on what will determine whether a company succeeds or not in this arena:

The gaping chasm between followers and true engagement will grow deeper as we move towards a fully integrated online branding experience. Companies who do not quickly evolve and adapt will struggle with measuring and controlling the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Whereas companies who do embrace this new Marketing 3.0 methodology will develop stronger, more transparent, interactive relationships with their client base, which will in turn generate revenue, allow for predictable metrics and build brand loyalty.

Yeah - Angela can get a little deep, but I think her theory is essentially that companies interested in engagement (the 'social' aspect) will do well while companies following a more 'media' strategy may get left behind. You can hear more of what Angela has to say about branding and social media by following her on Twitter: @incitrio.

Social Media experiment: more social or more media?

I have a little theory – they way businesses interact with customers via social media is generally much more about media than it is about the social aspect.  I know, it’s probably not a new theory, but I’d like to test it on a personal level with a small experiment throughout the month of March.

The experiment

I’m going to pick 11 businesses where I’m already a customer and take it to the next level by interacting with them via Facebook and Twitter.  At the end of the month, I’ll look at how my impressions of these businesses have changed.  My experiment will examine three specific areas:

• Engagement.  Does the business proactively try to engage me as a customer when I connect with them on Facebook and Twitter?
• Interaction.  Does the business respond when I reach out to them via Facebook and Twitter?
• Social, Media, or both: Does the business focus on the social element, the media element, or both?

The businesses I’ve chosen fit three criteria:

• They are actively using both Facebook and Twitter
• I’m already a customer
• I don’t have a personal relationship with any of the principals of the organization or a vested interest in the outcome (other than improved customer service!).

For now, I’ll keep the businesses confidential to maintain a level playing field.  Here are a few demographics:

• 7 local businesses and 4 national chains
• 5 restaurants, 4 stores, 2 entertainment providers
• 3 have a single location, 8 have multiple locations

Please check back for regular updates, weigh-ins from experts, and the eventual reveal of who I am interacting with. Or, you can follow me on Twitter if you want to observe the experiment in real-time. @Toister

The rules of social media: engaging customers in public forums

Today's post is a quick weigh-in a topic that has drawn a variety of opinions: should you engage customers directly in social media forums? Some people suggest this is a good way to get out in front of issues, and there are numerous success stories where a company has engaged people through Twitter, Get Satisfaction, Yelp, and other forums. Other people have decried this practice as an intrusion, as though the company being discussed should simply sit out the conversation and let the masses decide for themselves.

Here's my opinion: it all depends.

Ultimately, its your customers (not you) that decide whether you picked the right approach. This leaves you with three basic choices:

1. Do whatever you can to understand your customers so you can appropriately respond to their needs. Online, the means knowing whether or not your customers want you to engage them through public forums.
2. Educate your customers to convince them you are working in their best interests. This approach can be highly effective, but it can also backfire if your educational efforts miss the mark.
3. Segment your customer base by those that like to be served the way you like to serve and those that don't. Spend your time, money, and marketing efforts pursuing the customers who like what you have to offer. Spend as little time, money, and effort dealing with customers who want what you don't have.  This approach works great if there are a lot of customers who like you just the way you are. It doesn't work so well if it whittles down your potential customer base to your Mother and your dog, the two "people" who love you unconditionally.

A quick example...

Recently, I posted a recommendation on Yelp for one of my favorite Italian restaurants, Antica Trattoria. I was pleasantly surprised to get a message from the owner thanking me for the review. His outreach made me even more loyal and I can't wait to go back. Here's what he wrote:

"Hi Jeff T.,

I wanted to personally thank you for sharing your positive experience at Antica Trattoria on Yelp.  Our staff works hard to ensure that you enjoy your time here, so it's most rewarding to hear that our restaurant helped to make your dining experience a positive one.

Please feel free to ask for me and when you are next coming in- it would be my pleasure to meet and thank you again in person.  In the meantime, please let me know if you have any suggestions for us, as we are continuously trying to improve.

Best wishes,

Francesco Basile

Chef/Owner Antica Trattoria"

Where do you come out?