July 16, 2012

Social Media Masterclass

What did you hear?

CHRISTINE ZAKRAJSEK

columnist

When I asked you to listen to online chatter as your first social media experiment, please understand that I know this advice is against conventional wisdom. Typically, what is recommended to folks new to social media is "Talk! Engage! Connect!" In my experience, when you start chatting people up without any understanding of what they think of you, your attempts to engage and connect fall flat. Simply put, if your neighbours think your kids are brats and your house is ugly, showing up to the neighbourhood doling out decorating and parenting advice will be an unpleasant experience for everyone involved.

So what did you hear?

I heard nothing. This tweeter thing is obviously broken.

Ahhh the solitude of the quiet brand. Thankfully, turning up the volume of your brand can be quite easy. Start posting project updates, new career opportunities, and great things you are doing in the community. Increase your network by following folks in your business ecosystem (folks tend to follow back if there are synergies between brands) and when these new followers post great stuff, retweet them!

While you’re turning up the volume keep a vigilant eye on what folks are saying about you. Occasionally, you will see comments about your brand without your brand being immediately engaged in the conversation. Don’t fret about being left out, instead introduce yourself to the players and join the fun!

After hearing what folks are saying about us, I crawled under my desk and cried.

The good thing about hearing this is that now you know. The bad thing is that once you know you know. So crawl out from under your desk and get to work! First thing to keep in mind is that social media chatter is a reflection of your brand. If you have a crappy brand, social media alone can’t fix that. You must fix your brand first. Listening to social media chatter can help pinpoint the main trouble spots for your brand.

Also, if you have folks complaining online, these folks (although it might not feel that way right now) actually care about your brand. Try reaching out to them via social media and engage them on how your brand can win them back. The feedback might be very tough to stomach but it just might be the medicine your business needs to survive.

Folks LOVE us. Like, freaking LOVE US.

This is amazing news! You must work for EllisDon. All kidding aside, brand love is an amazing thing to be a part of. If you have rabid engaged fans, recognize their devotion to your brand and arrange a meet up so your brand advocates can share their love with each other. You can also reward their loyalty by asking them to be a part of new initiatives you are launching. Who doesn’t love to be the first in line? Also, take the time to help your brand advocates share their message using whatever social media resources you have available.

When we talk about the concentric circles of online engagement, your superfans should be pretty close to the brand core. They can help spread the word and also alert you to trouble brewing just off your radar screen. Also understand that a superfan isn’t necessarily a super-sized casual fan. Sometimes the superfans represent a niche interest in your brand which is not reflective of your larger brand strategy.

Arguably, the results of your listening experiment weren’t as polarized as these three options. However, there will be times when you bask in the adulation of your superfans and times when you wonder if anyone can hear you and times you really wish that you never logged on. The key to staying sane is to make sure that what you’re communicating is reflective of your overall brand strategy and your brand strategy is an authentic depiction of your brand. If your brand strategy is out of sync with reality, it’s time for a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting.

Social Media Masterclass is a collaborative initiative developed by Reed Construction Data and EllisDon. Christine Zakrajsek is EllisDon’s social media manager. Social Media Masterclass appears every Monday in the Daily Commercial News and the Journal of Commerce. Please send any emails to editor@journalofcommerce.com

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