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Tag Archives: entrepreneurs

Brand Focus #2: Basic Customer Service Mistakes You Don’t Want to Bring onto #SocialMedia

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June 14, 2011

| Jan Wong

I was hungry one afternoon and I did not want to leave the house as it has been really hot where I’m at lately. I thought that since I’ve not had pizza for quite some time, I could just order one and have it delivered within 30 minutes – after all, that’s their service promise. To top if off, they now have a tracking service so I’ll know where my pizza is at. Cool!

Dominos Pizza Malaysia

So I placed my order at 2.32pm, expecting it to arrive at 3.02pm and you’ve guessed it – it did not arrive then. “No problems”, I thought. “I’ll just get a free pizza on my next order and delays do happen anyway.”

3.15pm and the pizza has yet to arrive and this is where I decided to put Dominos Malaysia’s customer service to test. I called up the call centre and reported my “missing” pizza in which they told me that perhaps the rider was lost and advised me to give him another 5 minutes else I should call them back.

10 minutes passed, 3.30pm and still no sign of the pizza. I called Dominos as they told me to and they told me to wait for another 5 to 10 minutes and that there is nothing that he (the sales rep) can do to help. Shocked by his reply, I probed further and he then said his manager may be able to do something about it but he isn’t free at the moment and mentioned that the manager will call me back the moment he is free.

The verdict? 3 days have passed, no calls received.

This incident reminds me of my past experience with another company.

3 Basic Customer Service Mistakes That Should NOT Be Brought To Social Media

Lesson #1: Don’t Assume If You Aren’t Sure

5 minutes. Are you sure? If there’s one thing in common in most customer service personnel, they give inaccurate information or in other words, false hope. They give a solution that is of most convenient to them and hope that it’ll never come back to them.

On social media platforms, it is worse. When a customer posts a question or complain on your blog / Facebook page / timeline, they are most likely already confused or dissatisfied with you and should be handled with care. If you do not know the answer, seek for help or offer to discuss the solution privately via email (and get someone to help you out!). Do not ever give answers for the sake of giving them.

Lesson #2: Be Careful of What You Speak

customer service on social media - think before you speakLike it or not, you’re representing your brand and saying “I can’t do anything to help” can be detrimental, even though it was not meant in that way. This may be more difficult to do over the phone but you’ve got no excuse if it is on the computer screen.

Take some time to structure your words before clicking on the “submit”, “update” or “tweet” button.

Lesson #3: Do What You’ve Said You’ll Do… and Don’t Take Too Long

The last thing customer wants is to wait. Get back to them within the shortest time frame possible! If you’ve said you would call, email or reply to their enquiry, do so! I personally think that no business should take more than 24 hours to respond. Anything more will clearly spell out to the customer that you’re N.O.T.I.N.T.E.R.E.S.T.E.D.

It won’t look good if the same customer posts on your wall for the 2nd time demanding for a reply. Remember, everyone is watching!

Is there any other mistakes you think should be avoided at all cost on social media? Share them below!

 

By the way, the pizza came at about 3.40pm and I received a standard voucher for a free pizza on my next order but still no phone call from them.

 Branding, Insights, Social Media |  brand focus, business owners, crm, entrepreneurs, mindset, online, social media, trend |  Comment

The 5 Groups of Marketers on #SocialMedia

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June 7, 2011

| Jan Wong

Having worked and talked with a number of businesses in Malaysia, I find that there are 5 groups of people out there when it comes to taking on social media. Whether they are small business owners, marketing personnel from large corporations or even individuals, they all seem to fall into one of the groups below:

Group 1: The Fans

You know social media is the way forward. You embrace it no matter where they are or the situation that they’re in. You know your way in and out of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter. You are very active and you’re everywhere – perhaps the first to jump on that new social network recently launched – there is just no social media tool you will miss, as long there is “social media” labeled on it.

Group 2: The Skeptics

You feel that social media is a trend and it will soon fade away simply because conventional media still reigns. Perhaps you’ve tried this social media thingy and found that it does not work for you and does not see how it can for others, too. You may see it as a gimmick that marketing agencies are trying to sell and you just don’t see why would anyone want to follow your business on Twitter or check-in to your business on Foursquare. Social media is overrated.

Group 3: The Navigators

These are the people that know their way around social media. You know what are the best tools around, what works and what does not, what tools to use for a particular situation. You see the potential of social media and know how it can both benefit and fail your business depending how it is managed. You’ve all the knowledge and is constantly learning and you’re good in putting together strategies and plans to make it work for you.

Group 4: The Lurkers

Or perhaps also known as readers. You go around reading blog posts, tweets from specific #hashtags, following those at the top in the industry, always accumulating knowledge on your own. Yes, you may have your own social media accounts but they are just avenues for you to obtain information or maybe even to keep tabs on your competitors. You may also be feeling inadequate because others seem to be more knowledgeable / experienced than you.

Group 5: The Creators

Just the opposite of Lurkers – you create content and participate across social media platforms. You’ve that burning desire within you to keep sharing what you have, not afraid of what another may think of you. Chances are you already have a blog and is on Twitter or Facebook (at least) to get your words and thoughts out. You’re participating in chats, communities, groups and comments. You’re doing it as a way to express your thoughts and ideas.

Which Group Do You Fall Under?

So, how do you see yourself on social media? I say I’m a little bit of a creator + navigator (and fan :p) when it comes to social media, simply because I get excited when talking to people about it and even more so when the question pops “how can my business use social media?”.

Before Doing Anything, Know Yourself

Many times individuals and businesses fail on social media because they THOUGHT they should be what they aren’t. Unless you’re a master of disguise, the consumers can see through you right away. Understand that there is no right or wrong group to fall under.

However, if you’re only obsessed about content creation, don’t neglect lurking once in awhile. If you’re all about lurking, maybe you should put your knowledge together and be a navigator instead. Too much of a group can also be your downfall.

What about you? What group do you fall under?

 Insights, Marketing, Social Media |  business owners, entrepreneurs, facebook, mindset, social media, trend, twitter |  2 Comments

What To Do When #SocialMedia Policies Are Broken?

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June 5, 2011

| Jan Wong

We’ve read of many articles talking about to go about setting up social media policies in your company, how to involve your employees in enforcing them like in IBM and the importance of having some sort of guidelines at the very least. I too, agree with such importance but what happens when one breaks the policy; or in a worse case scenario, defamed your brand / business on the vast world of social media networks?

Now, I’m talking about a step beyond negative comments. It’s more of a direct allegation or news that may affect your brand image.

Perhaps you could warn or fire that particular employee. But what if the person who accused / defamed your business isn’t part of your company? What will you do? Or rather, what can you do?

There was this incident that happened very recently where I’m at about this guy, pretty well known for his presence on social media (he blogs and comments on social issues) and he Tweeted a (later found untrue) statement about an employee from one of Malaysia’s top publishing companies. The tweet said something about the employee being disrespected and mistreated by her employees AND employers.

the 100th apology tweet

To cut the long story short, the guy then had to apologize 100 times on Twitter over three days, admitting that he has indeed defamed the publishing company and he finally completed his ‘sentence’ at about 7pm today (Saturday).

I say this as an interesting incident only because of the unique ‘punishment’ of posting 100 tweets – definitely the first I’ve seen which led me to think:

  • Is it necessary?
  • Is it effective to begin with?
  • What would be the best way to punish / address someone in a situation such as this?

What do YOU think?

 

 Insights, Social Media |  business owners, entrepreneurs, mindset, policies, social media |  Comment

Brand Focus #1: Importance of Linking #SocialMedia Offline Right

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May 31, 2011

| Jan Wong

It’s interesting to see how businesses scurry to take on social media without much thoughts or a strategy. Are you one of them?

Just last weekend I went to a restaurant with a bunch of friends for lunch. It is situated in a bungalow, well furnished and a pretty nice place to chat.

Putting that aside, what caught my attention was the menu, or rather, what’s inside the menu. No, not the selection of the food, not the price, but this:

Jarrod and Rawlins MenuIt has a Facebook badge on the menu that says: Join Us On Facebook. I thought to myself that this is a good way to build a fan base or even an avenue for customers to give comments or feedback.

I began to look for the URL of the Facebook page – but found nothing except the domain name as seen to the left. Well, that isn’t too bad – I immediately looked up the site and guess what? It has no reference to the Facebook page either.

Now at this point of time I was rather determined to search for the missing URL but since it was a lunch gathering, I temporarily put the quest aside..

..until I got home. I went to Facebook and did a search and here’s what I got:

Jarrod and Rawlins Facebook

I was shocked. They DO NOT have a Facebook page at all. The only result that matched was “Jarrod Rawlins” which isn’t them and just random Facebook places that have not been claimed by the restaurant themselves.

Join Us On Facebook? But You’re Nowhere to be Seen!

Here are 2 quick lessons / reminder from this case:

#1: Putting a Facebook Logo Ain’t Cool / Impressive if it Does Not Work

Don’t / Never be inclined to put a Facebook / Twitter logo on your promotional materials if you do not even have it setup and maintained. If you do have one, make sure you have the URL or the Twitter handle to go along with it. Remember, it does not work like a button when it is printed so the URL is a must!

Additional tip: Stay away from http://www.facebook.com/pages/urlthatcannotberemembered12345.php – which is a default URL assigned to your page when you create one. You can actually get a pretty URL for Facebook here for a more memorable URL.

#2: Know What is it Supposed to Do

Know what you want to achieve with social media platforms. Directing customers to a blank Facebook page or an inactive Twitter account is counter productive. Offer discounts, offer exclusive updates, opportunities for customers to leave their thoughts on their last visit, maybe allow customers to redesign your menu or even just a thank you note – give value to your customers and they’ll be back for more!

Are you making the same mistakes? Have you seen similar mistakes by businesses? I would love to hear your experiences :)

 

 Branding, Insights, Marketing, Social Media |  brand focus, business owners, entrepreneurs, facebook, social media |  4 Comments

Why You Should Forget About Conventional #Marketing

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May 29, 2011

| Jan Wong

Every business on this planet is fighting for attention, trying to sell a product or service to the consumers and sometimes it just backfires despite your effort. So why market your product? Don’t bother producing promotional campaigns – you’re wasting your money and here’s why:

#1: Consumers Don’t Care About You

And they really don’t. In the eyes of the consumers, you’re just ANOTHER product / brand. Yes, you may be the best among all but think about it – your competitors are shouting the very same message and this will result in a long, and perhaps an unfavorable journey for your business, simply because it will take time for the consumers to consider your message, evaluate and compare them with your competitors.

#2: Consumers Are Surrounded With Marketing Campaigns (and Gimmicks)

You can look at the outcome from two perspectives:

1. Consumers today are better decision makers – they tend to research and ask around for opinions before purchasing.
2. Consumers today had it enough with marketing campaigns – they simply avoid you (see short video here).

Neither outcome favors you as an marketer, especially when your business is new – budget constrains and lacking in credibility.

#3: Consumers Want Solutions

“Enough of selling! How about giving me a solution to my problem instead?”

Today’s consumers had it tough. Not only they have to put up with marketing spams, they have their own problems to attend to as well and all they want is a solution to their problems. If your marketing campaign only talks about your product, give it up – consumers won’t buy-in.

Going Beyond Marketing – to Creating an Experience

Instead of talking, why not try listening to understand what is it that the consumer wants rather than assuming? While it may be difficult to reach out to consumers before, social media platforms have made it easy today. Focus on creating an experience with the consumers instead of pushing the product to the consumer and you’ll see the difference as below:

The lines in grey illustrates the processes involved in the conventional consumer purchasing funnel and the one in red shows how powerful a bond / relationship with the consumer can be. It builds confidence among the consumers allowing them to jump into purchase – more powerful than conventional marketing efforts.

It Takes Time

I’m no way suggesting that this method is a shortcut to success. It takes time to build a bond with the consumers but its effect may be greater than conventional marketing efforts and social media makes it possible. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are great tools to approach the consumers because they are already on it. Approach them like how you would to approach a friend without being pitchy.

5 Things to remember when approaching consumers on social media:

1. You’re there to offer a solution to their pain.
2. You’re there to build relationships.
3. You’re there to give value.
4. You’re there to ultimately convert them into advocates.
5. You’re there to listen.

It’s time to do away with conventional marketing and let the ‘human’ do the job. Let people drive your business, not products.

What are your thoughts on conventional marketing vs social media marketing? Does the buying power solely rests on the consumers themselves now?

diagrams adapted from: Harvard Business Review.

 Insights, Marketing, Social Media |  business owners, crm, entrepreneurs, online, social media, web 2.0 |  2 Comments

5 Reasons Why #SocialMedia Contradicts Conventional Media Marketing

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May 26, 2011

| Jan Wong

The more I dive deeper into social media, the more I see how different is marketing today compared to before with the usage of various social media tools and platforms. The conventional way of ‘mass marketing’ or ‘mass advertising’ don’t seem to work that effectively anymore and even some small business owners are beginning to explore this new ‘thing’ called social media.

Before we go further, there’s this VERY interesting video on YouTube that you HAVE TO watch:

Interesting huh? With those thoughts on your mind, here are the 5 reasons why social media marketing contradicts conventional marketing methods:

#1: Conventional Marketing Says TALK. Social Media Marketing Says LISTEN.

Just like the video above, conventional marketing does all the talking and they’ll just go on and on to promote their products and brand just like how this sentence will go on and on without any punctuations and you’ll have to read the entire sentence in one breath and yet it still does not end because they’ll want you to buy and if you don’t they’ll keep talking and talking.

In other words, it’s just a ONE way relationship. Consumers today respond better to conversations. Remember, a conversation is TWO way. Before you click that “update” button, think – will YOU as a consumer respond to a post / update / tweet like that? How does that reflect you as a business? Is it too pitchy? Are you giving an opportunity for your followers to respond?

#2: Conventional Marketing Says KEEP. Social Media Marketing Says SHARE.

Content used to be exclusive. My research is mine. My video is mine. My article is mine. My statements are mine. Can’t blame them though, there isn’t any content sharing platform back then. However, such content were considered as trade secrets and even employees are not told of it.

Today, social media marketing is all about sharing. It is about getting as many people to share the message as possible. Call to actions are no longer limited to “Enter Your Email to Win Prizes” but to “Share This With As Many Friends As Possible to Win”. Companies are even creating content solely for sharing purposes – through SEO (you want to share your content), viral videos, contests and more!

#3: Conventional Marketing Says SELL. Social Media Marketing Says GIVE.

Conventional marketing focuses on the money. You have to pay if you want something from me. Makes sense, right? However in social media marketing, it’s all about giving, and believing in the philosophy of ‘givers gain’. Giving does not necessarily mean money, but VALUE. This can be done through information, service, support and even conversations to keep that relationship with your consumers alive.

#4: MONEY Determines Conventional Marketing. ENGAGEMENT Determines Social Media Marketing.

The rich becomes richer and the poor poorer in conventional marketing. Big corporations have millions of dollars every year to put up huge marketing campaigns with their brand plastered on every wall, ceiling, car and walkways, so much so that it feels as though they dropped a bomb in a city and yes, they do get the word out rather effectively – with a lot of money.

Not so on social media platforms. Money helps, but it does not necessarily produce results. The engagement and relationship speaks louder on social media. Think about it – what is it that really makes a content viral? The content? Or the consumers? The consumers make it happen. Yes, you can purchase fans and followers but that is equivalent of hiring a delivery boy to hand out your flyers and that does not go very well on social media.

This is where smaller businesses stand a chance against the big guys.

#5: Conventional Marketing Says QUANTITY. Social Media Marketing Says QUALITY.

Now this is an interesting one. Many have spoken on this before and I, too have written an article about quality isn’t exactly everything on social media networks (yes, I believe quantity matters, too!). However when it comes to conventional marketing, quantity ALWAYS matters. Think about it: the number of flyers, brochures, airtime, commercial spots, newspaper advertisements, coupons to giveaway, buntings, billboards… you get the drift.

Social media marketing on the other hand, aims for quality. Quality articles that educates, quality fans and followers that become your brand advocates, quality updates to drive conversations and quality conversations to build relationships.

Moving Forward

Recently I met with a potential client that just could not comprehend why would people blog to share personal / company information, update their status so that others would know what they’re up to and ‘check-in’ so that people could stalk them. He knows he needs to ‘do’ social media but just can’t get the reason why are people so into it.

Having looked at all that, it is clear that social media marketing really DOES NOT make sense to a conventional marketer. If you’ve been wondering why is it so difficult to convince an “experienced” marketer in your company (or client) to adopt social media methods, it is because it does not make sense to them.

It’s sharing time! Are there any other areas that conventional marketing efforts contradicts social media marketing? Do leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

 Insights, Marketing, Social Media |  business owners, crm, entrepreneurs, online, social media, trend, video, viral, web 2.0 |  Comment

Websites vs Blogs: Which is More Superior?

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May 24, 2011

| Jan Wong

I’ve been on #TweetDiner (a weekly chat on Twitter) for about a month now and it has been really awesome thus far! Met a number of great people and have definitely learnt quite a bit from fellow diners. If you do not know how it works, we have a topic every week and we’ve been talking about LinkedIn last month and today we started on the series of Blogging (click here to see what’s coming up next).

While discussing about Blogs, there was a mini discussion about the differences between a Blog and a Website. How different is a Blog from a Website? Should every business Blog? Is a Blog a Website?

A quick ‘define’ function on Google tells us that:

A blog is a personal website on which an individual records opinion, links to other sites, etc. on a regular basis.

A website is a location connected to the Internet that maintains one or more pages on the World Wide Web.

What does this mean?

To me, this means that Blogs are merely a subset of a Website, in which a Website encompasses everything on the Internet – from Blogs, Forums, Social Networking Sites, Search Engines, Shopping Carts and etc. In other words, Blogs, Forums and Social Networking Sites are merely functions to a Website.

Blogs

Blogs in general operates as a Content Management System (CMS). If you were one of those that had a GeoCities site years ago, you were technically already “blogging” back then. The term ‘Blog’ only came into being when people started keeping online (or web) journals (or logs) on different Websites. Having said that, it is no wonder a Blog allows you to create, manage and publish contents so easily – just like what a CMS does.

Websites

Here comes the tricky part. True, traditional websites are built to have static information on what we call HTML. Content updating was a tiresome task and requires technical skills to do so which is why web designers earn up to RM10,000 (about USD3,000) back then for a simple HTML website. As technology grew, people found a way to update content the easier (and cheaper) way – through CMS.

W3Techs: Research shows that WordPress is the most widely used CMS

Which Reigns Superior?

As you can see, that is an unfair comparison. Websites encompasses (and can be a combination) of everything which is naturally more superior to Blogs.

Should / Can A Company Use a Blog as their Website?

PLEASE DO. An ordinary user may only look at WordPress as a publishing (i.e. Blog) tool. Did you know that that very same blogging tool you have holds great power (sorry, couldn’t resist that one)?

Let’s take a look at some examples of companies using WordPress as their Website, both old and new:

www.kb24.com

Interesting, no?

Some of these sites don’t even look like a Blog! How do we know it is WordPress? Simple. Simply right click on any Website and select “View Page Source”. You’ll be presented with a whole bunch of codes somewhat like below:

revealing the source code

Some sites choose to rename the path to something else but if you’re familiar with the codes WordPress uses, you may be able to spot which is and which is not :)

3 Reasons Why You Want to Use WordPress As Your Website

#1: It’s Easy To Get Started

Head over to www.WordPress.org and you’ll know what I mean. Installing WordPress is as easy 1-2-3, within 5 minutes! It’s all about downloading the file, uploading it to your web host, put in your details and that’s about it. There’s even a VERY detailed guide to guide you on it. You’ll no longer need a web developer to do the job.

#2: It’s Easy to Manage

With WordPress as your CMS, you can now add your company’s content to it just like how you’re blogging. If you’re not ready to roll out periodic updates, play with the ‘Pages’ and put up the necessities – “About Us”, “Contact Us”, “Our Services” and etc.

#3: It’s Easy to Grow

Getting tired of your Website? Change the theme simply by downloading a new one, adding new functionalities with WordPress Plugins, Widgets and more! If you didn’t know, there are Plugins for inventory management, shopping cart, community membership and a whole lot more.

What are your thoughts on using WordPress as a corporate site? Have you used WordPress for other purposes other than blogging?

credits to: 1stwebdesigner.com

 

 Insights, Social Media, Technology |  bloggers, blogs, business owners, entrepreneurs, social media, trend, web 2.0 |  2 Comments

#SocialMedia Lessons from My Visit to @StarbucksMY

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May 19, 2011

| Jan Wong

Just about 3 days ago I had an appointment with a potential client at a Starbucks outlet in town. Being one that frequents Starbucks quite often especially for discussions, I walked into this particular outlet without any expectations – already with a drink in mind.

I opened the door, stepped into the outlet and the baristas on duty turned and welcomed me. Nothing special here, most Starbucks outlets do that. It’s also a common sight in many cafes around the area.

I continued walking to the counter into the queue and something caught my attention. The barista introduced herself to the customer in front of me, got the customer’s name and began conversing with the customer by name. She eventually wrote the customer’s name on the cup and have been addressing the customer by name ever since.

I was impressed. Even after I got my drink I stood to observe just a little longer and all the baristas were doing the same – something totally different from the other outlets I’ve been to.

What’s the deal over here?

I can’t help but to think that businesses and individuals can learn a great deal from the situation above in their social media endeavors.

Here are 4 lessons I’ve learnt from this visit:

#1: A Warm Welcome – Welcomes are no longer a ‘good to have’ today. It is now a ‘must have’. Customers have grown to expect a welcome as it also makes them feel important and recognized.

welcome to janwong.my

#2: Personalization – This is the tricky part. On social media platforms such as Twitter, many are seen to be using automated tools to do the welcoming (auto DMs, anyone?). The least you can do is to take a few minutes to look at your new followers’ Twitter profile or blog and to address them by name. I usually try my best to give my new followers a shout out on Twitter to create an opportunity to get to know them better.

#3: Be Genuine – “Be yourself. People can sense when something is forced” @BrandonPDuncan. Take genuine interest in your followers by getting to know them first. There are plenty of ways to do this – read their blog, check out their Facebook page or their tweets. You can never pretend to know them.

#4: Consistency – The last thing you would want to be is to be inconsistent. Whether as a brand or an individual, consistency is key to build your presence and a lasting perception. I would say that you shouldn’t start off anything if you doubt you can stick with it. It may do you more harm than good.

Is there anything I missed? I would love to hear your thoughts on how businesses can enhance the experience of their fans and followers.

 Insights, Social Media |  business owners, crm, entrepreneurs, online, social media |  6 Comments

Are You Taking #SocialMedia Seriously: 23 Complaints = 10,000 Dissatisfactions!

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May 14, 2011

| Jan Wong

Just a couple of days ago, my good Twen @AskAaronLee tweeted an interesting stat:

Tweet by @AskAaronLee

Interesting, huh? It has much truth in that.

Many businesses and individuals go on social media to leverage upon it’s strengths and opportunities. You hear of testimonials of how great comments and feedbacks have benefited them and their business. Are we overlooking something over here? If positive feedbacks spread well on social media networks, negative feedbacks spread even better.

If that does illustrate the magnitude of dreadfulness, here is a scary calculation:

For every ONE complaining customer, there are an average of 26 customers who don’t bother to complain = 27 unhappy customers

27 unhappy customers x an average 16 people they will tell = 432 dissatisfactions

And this is just for ONE complaining customer.

What if we have 23 of them?

23 complains x 432 dissatisfactions = 9,936 dissatisfactions for every 23 complains!

How scary is THAT?

If it’s still not scary enough – understand this:

This research was done WITHOUT the involvement social media networks.

Which also means that the figures above were calculated based on conventional means of communication. Having that said, imagine what will happen with social media?

Using a similar calculation, if you have 1 dissatisfied fan on your Facebook Fan Page, that again totals to 27 dissatisfied fans.

If each fan has an average of 130 friends, 27 unhappy friends = 3,510 negative impressions on Facebook alone.

What happens if you’ve more?

Think again before ignoring that complain – it may cost you more than you thought it would. It is never ‘just a fan’ on social media. It is ‘what the fan can / would do’.

It will be awesome to hear your thoughts regarding the findings above!

Resource Source: White House Office of Consumer Affairs, Washington, DC

 Insights, Social Media |  business owners, crm, entrepreneurs, social media |  3 Comments

Are You Building a Ghost Town on #SocialMedia?

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May 12, 2011

| Jan Wong

With over 600 million users connected via Facebook and 200 million on Twitter, it seems almost impossible to be on the network yet have nobody noticing you or your business. Is that right? In fact, many businesses think that they’ll automatically be spotted by millions of fans just by hooking up unto the social network.

A recent discussion with Andrew (@hanelly) from TMG Media got me thinking – how are these businesses doing on the social network? What kind of network are they building? Are they building a Ghost Town or a growing Business Hub? Are YOU building a Ghost Town?

5 Indications of You Building A Ghost Town on Social Media

social media ghost town, tom fishburne

#1: Your last update / post was at least a month ago.

Last updated: December 2010.

What does that tell you? Perhaps it shows that I’m not interested in what I’m doing here anymore, I just couldn’t care less, or maybe I’ve closed down? Whatever the reason is – it’s not a good one. If your social media networks are idle, you’re simply telling your prospects and audience that you’re closed for business.

#2: You do not have the time to respond to comments.

Have you been to websites, blogs or Facebook pages that are filled with enquiries but they are not responded to? Some businesses even choose to respond to comments selectively – which is equally bad (or worst!). To respond is to communicate, to engage, and this is the essence of social media. If you’re on the social network only to push content, you may just want to consider advertising instead.

#3: Your blog / wall is populated by others (spam).

Your blog or Facebook wall is yours, which also mean that people that stops by expects to see your content. Facebook walls have the tendency to be filled with advertisements and updates from other users if not managed properly and it only reflects a negative image on you. Customers walk into Starbucks for a cup of coffee and not to buy pizzas.

#4: Nobody seems interested.

Open, but closed

Now this is a tough one. You’re spending a lot of time creating content, trying to open up opportunities for engagement but nobody seems to be listening to what you’re doing. This calls for a change. Try doing something different if you haven’t. Instead of trying to create conversations in your own blog / wall, go out and engage with others to build your network.

#5: You’ve abandoned the ship.

This is the worst that can happen! It is never, ever a good idea to abandon your social media networks if you’re still in business, simply because you’ll never know what will happen to it. It may become a spam paradise and it could be detrimental to your business in the long run. The least you could do is to delete / suspend those accounts if you’ve concluded that you’re not going to work on it further.

Are you building a ghost town?

I sure hope not! But if  you think you have any of the above indications, now it is a good time to do a check and find out what’s going on.

What are your thoughts on a social media ghost town? Ever been to one before?

 Insights, Social Media |  business owners, entrepreneurs, social media, trend |  4 Comments

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