What About Customer Satisfaction Online?

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January 21, 2013

Customer satisfaction has always been an important contributing factor to businesses and more recently, it has been translated to technology too! No longer it is sufficient for businesses to ensure customer satisfaction offline, but on online platforms too.

The Reason

It is okay to place your contact number on a website 10 years ago (if you had one) and expect customers to call you directly should there face any problems. In fact, your website did not need to be interactive. A guestbook (do you remember that one) was the cool thing back then.

Today, things are different. There was never a time more relevant than now for you to ensure a higher customer satisfaction rating on your online platforms. A recent survey revealed huge numbers on online customer satisfaction and how it CAN indeed improve sales – both offline and online (click on below image for full article).

The Challenge

You may have seen or read tons of reports, articles, infographics such as the above and you know by heart how customer satisfaction is important. The problem is, how?

How can you effectively increase customer satisfaction through your website?
What can you do to ensure customers have a good digital experience with your brand?
What does it take to be ‘user friendly’?
What is ‘user friendly’ anyway?

If you’ve asked some of these questions above, read on!

10 Ways To Increase Customer Satisfaction Online

#1: Provide REAL Product Reviews and Ratings

Note that I stressed on the word ‘real’. Simply placing a photo of a satisfied client with a well scripted message does not cut it anymore. Allow customers to generate their own reviews, both good and bad. Empower your customers to create more customers. Let customers see for themselves what others are talking about your product or service and allow them to speak of their experiences as well.

#2: Clear Navigation (and Call-to-Action!)

Ever been to websites that plays hide-and-seek with you? Hidden links, poorly coordinated colours or simply just by having too many links. Contrary to the beliefs of many businesses, having more links does not necessarily help customers to navigate better.

Ask yourself, who do you expect to come by your website? What do they expect to see? 3 different links to you company’s vision and mission statements or the products and services you offer? Are they often looking for an answer to a question or to get personal advice from you?

#3: Support

Let’s be honest here, there are many occasions where we as customers ourselves often head straight to the contact form to pen down our feedback, suggestion, enquiry or question without first checking the FAQ page or using whatever search feature there is. While sometimes it is due to customers being hasty, often it is due to you not providing clear or simplified ways for them to seek support from.

Let’s take a look at Air Asia for a bit. Note that they have a section on their website solely dedicated to answering customers’ questions? Not only they provided a clear and distinctive way of searching, the topics are also laid out in a very understandable manner, minus the jargons.

#4: Be Multi-Channel

Provide as many avenues for customers to be in touch with you as possible within your capabilities. This not only allows customers to communicate on what they are comfortable on, but it also demonstrates how open you are to hear from your customers.

I usually recommend my clients to have a minimum of 3 different customer touch points: a contact form via the website, a contact number and a social media platform. While these touch points are not absolute, it caters to 3 different groups of customers – the tech inclined (contact form), the non-tech inclined (contact number), and the socialites (social media platform).

#5: Surprise Them

Think about the small things that can make a difference, just as how awesome it would be for a hotel to leave you a handwritten note during your check-in or how the waiter brings your check with free mints. How can you convert these small gestures online?

It does not need to be something big but good enough that it stands out, especially from your competitors. It can be a small bonus, extended warranties, free support or training, insider discount, an easy return process or even personalized packaging (I’m a sucker for packaging)!

#6: Don’t be Too Quick to Reply

Businesses often equate speed or response time to customer satisfaction. That’s just partially true. There’s nothing more irritable than receiving a half-baked reply that derails from the customer’s concerns. Customers want their voices heard and problems acknowledged. Saying “We will look into it” is not enough, especially if it s a canned response.

Your response does not need to be Lego, but relate yourself in that very same situation, address the pain and always offer a solution. If there is none, tell the customer what will be done exactly on your end to rectify the problem. Take it another step further by dropping the customer a call or another email few days later to provide an update of the situation.

#7: Mobile Compatibility

You’ve probably heard this a million times and I’ll say it again because it IS that important. With such a huge increase of mobile users over the past 3 years, it is almost guaranteed that customers will likely stumble upon your site on their mobile devices – whether it’s through a link on Facebook, a newsletter you’ve sent or via search engines.

A site that is mobile compatible usually has these traits:

NOT designed using Flash
The site fits into the screen
The contents, such as text and images can be seen without scrolling or zooming
Simplified navigation scheme (e.g. displayed in a dropdown list instead)
Quick loading time

#8: Check Your Links

This sounds like an easy one but you’ll be surprised on how easy it is for you to miss just a single link on your website. Click here for an example.

See what I mean? Did that annoy you just a bit? Check your links. All of them. Make sure they work as intended as customers do get annoyed if they can’t get to where they want to be!

#9: Revisit Your ‘Introduction’ Page

There really is no reason to put a page before your home page. I am very glad that this trend is slowly making its exit but many businesses are still on it! If you have one, do you REALLY need to have one? Can that introduction be placed as part of the home page instead?

Such pages not only requires customers to go through an additional step to ‘enter’ or to ‘skip’ it, it is bad for SEO too. Search engines hate it, and you definitely do not want to get into their bad books!

#10: Loading Speed

One of the biggest turn offs is slow loading speed. Not only it greatly affects browsing experience, it totally kills the mood too. No customer would be happy waiting for your product page to load or to make a payment. Did you know that even a second is now, too long?

Google has a nifty tool to test your website’s speed and recommends ways you can speed it up, though you need a technical person to do so. If your website is getting anything lower than a score of 60, you definitely need to do something about it!

Customer Satisfaction is Here to Stay

Like it or not, customers will continue to expect more out of businesses online especially when the internet population and tech literacy continues to increase. Business can no longer escape this fact, not for long.

Remember, dissatisfied customers can stir a storm and should not be taken lightly.

What’s your take on customer satisfaction online? What is it that ticks you off the most?

Will Social Media Remain Relevant 10 Years Down The Line?

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July 17, 2012

| Jan Wong

That’s a question I recently received from a friend over dinner. In fact, another question followed,

“What will you do when it (social media) goes out?”

So, what will YOU do when it goes out? Will social media cease to exist?

The short answer is in fact, no.

And I’m not saying this because I’m protecting myself in the industry but simply because it’s true. Sure, statistics from multiple sources such as this suggests that the acceptance rate of social media is now shifting towards the east from the west but does this mean that social media is reaching a plateau?

I suggest otherwise.

Let me start by saying that social media is not new to begin with. It has been present ever since communication began, now spiced up with technology allowing communication to take place a whole lot faster and well, faster – on different mediums.

Why ‘Social’ media then?

Interestingly, Wikipedia defines social media as “[Social media] includes web-based and mobile based technologies which are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue among organizations, communities, and individuals”, “forms of electronic communication” on Merriam-Webster and on other sources, “consumer generated media”.

This can only mean that social media has been with us before the days of social network giant Facebook and will only come to an end when consumers stop communicating (social) and decides to no longer share information (media) with one another.

Technology will evolve but communication remains.

What we are experiencing and looking at today is the evolution of technology. Social networking sites may not last the next 10 years, maybe even the amazing Google Glasses will not last but will it come to a point where communication ceases? Will consumers today let go of their privilege to communicate directly with brands and the ability to share consumer insights with one another?

Having that said, brands today face a challenge no different than before, that is to keep up with technological changes – not the technology in itself, but on how to manage the technology to the brand’s advantage. That’s what I’ll be doing for the next 10 years.

What about you?

Social Media for Entrepreneurs: Friend or Foe?

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March 14, 2012

| Jan Wong

Note: This is Part 4 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series.

Social media networks are awesome to have

This is Part 4 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series. Quick access to the series below:
[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2: Why It’s Made for You | Part 3: The Reality | Part 4 ]

Disclaimer: The video was recorded as part of the RU Ready series targeted to entrepreneurs in Malaysia by Prudential which I was involved in. This also happen to be my first ever video series :)

Social Media for Entrepreneurs: The 5 Realities of Social Media

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March 9, 2012

| Jan Wong

Note: This is Part 3 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series.

With the many benefits social networking platforms have, it is no wonder many that are new imagined being ‘social’ is easier than it actually is. After all, you probably already have a personal Facebook or Twitter account in which you’re up-keeping well.

Unfortunately, having your business on social media isn’t something (as) easy.

The difference is this – on your personal page you’re free to share and talk about anything you want and let’s be honest, the main reason you’re spending so much time on these platforms is because it has been, and continues to be all about yourself; and you keep track (or stalk) your friends’ latest happenings.

And that does not happen with your business. Watch the video below on the reality of social media.

The 5 Realities of Social Media An Entrepreneur Should Know Of

Note: this is an extension of the video above

#1: You’re not connected as you think you are

It is always a good idea to first reach out to your existing networks (friends or followers) when putting together your business page. However, the friends you have may not be fans of your business. Even if they are, they may not necessarily be your potential customers. And you’re certainly not connected to all 800 million people on Facebook. Which also means that your business is hardly global.

#2: It won’t be a case of increasing sales

At least not so soon. Social media platforms should never be seen as an answer to low sales simply because it never is a sales platform to begin with. It says ‘social’ for a reason. Don’t get me wrong – sales CAN happen but it will be a result of communication and relationship building, not through blatant advertising.

#3: It is not easy. At all.

Just like starting up a business or a new website, it isn’t easy at all and there are many reasons to it. Whether it is marketing strategy, customer acquisition or retention, they are also valid (and prevailing) challenges on social media platforms so much so that if you think that getting started is tough, you’re wrong. It’s tougher ahead.

The frequent changes and updates in technology, the fact that you’re dealing with consumers that continuously demand, and the time required to be seen as ‘present’ on these platforms for people to take notice of your business is sufficient enough to get you going for as long your business is running.

#4: It isn’t free either

Speaking of time (in #3 above), time isn’t free, and by now you should have noticed the heavy involvement / requirement of time on social media. You need time to build connections, to create conversations and the dedication to make it happen for you.

This also means that you may have lesser time to do (actual) business thus losing out on potential sales elsewhere. If you choose to hire, there are costs involved as well. Sure, the platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are free, but the calculation does not stop there.

#5: And it isn’t a numbers game

Many have said this and I’ll say it again – don’t ever get caught in the numbers game. In other words, don’t spend all your time accumulating the number of followers or fans! Unless your only goal is to look better than your competitor and not get anything out of it, never compete in numbers.

In fact, you can even purchase fans and followers from as low as $5 USD. That’s how ‘cheap’ they are.

Additional read: 8 Grave Misconceptions about Social Media

“Okay, what to do then?”

+ Keep your head in the game and focus on what’s most important for your business.
+ Strive to provide value and provide them consistently.
+ Create conversations that is about them, not about you.
+ At appropriate opportunities, give them a reason to share about you and tell them how to.
+ Get them involved in your business through discussions. Hear them out!
+ Encourage them to share their thoughts or ideas.
+ Take a step further to get to know them better, for example, their interests.
+ Don’t be all suited up. Have fun! Run promotions, giveaways or share lighthearted resources (don’t go overboard though!).
+ Don’t automate replies. Being genuine is key.
+ And ultimately, stay committed.

Next up in Part 4: Friend or Foe?

This is Part 3 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series. Quick access to the series below:
[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2: Why It’s Made for You | Part 3: The Reality | Part 4 ]

Disclaimer: The video was recorded as part of the RU Ready series targeted to entrepreneurs in Malaysia by Prudential which I was involved in. This also happen to be my first ever video series :)

Photo credit: BizOrigin

Social Media for Entrepreneurs: 3 Reasons Why Social Media is Made for You

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March 7, 2012

| Jan Wong

Note: This is Part 2 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series.

Social media networks are powerful tools for both individuals and businesses. No, I’m not referring to the fact that it has a huge user base (because you will not be able to reach out to all of them anyway) but the ability to do the below 3 amazing things for your business.

Watch the short video below!

If you missed this part in the video above, let me ask you again:

“Everyone, including your competitors are on social media networks. Why are you on social media? What are you doing different than them?”

That may sound like a simple question but you’ll also need to understand the 3 reasons why social media will benefit you as an entrepreneur to understand what can be done:

Note: the below is an excerpt from the video above (with a little extra)

#1: Social Media Levels the Playing Field

Social media is all about building a relationship with your target audience in a two-way conversation. It is not meant to be collected and admired upon. This also means that brands with huge budget cannot directly purchase success on social networks, unlike on print ads where visibility wins. High visibility does not guarantee a growing relationship with your audience.

On top of that, these social media platforms often go through updates (like the recent Facebook timeline update). Big brands have to keep up with it as well and there are no shortcuts to it.

#2: Social Media Can Be (Very) Targeted

One of the advantage social networks have over traditional mediums is that it can be a whole lot more targeted. Not only it allows you to target potential customers in a specific location, gender, age or interest (such as in Facebook Ads), it can also be used to target conversations (on Twitter) or even current locations (on FourSquare).

This means that entrepreneurs today have the ability to reach out to their target audience specifically without spending unnecessarily while effectively meeting the ‘wants’ of a customer.

#3: Social Media is a Network of Networks

Many people limit their networks to their immediate friends or followers, thinking that it is only them that they are reaching out to and this is a flawed concept. One of the main benefits of social networks is the ability to tap into the networks of your friends or followers. This can be done through the ‘sharing’, ‘retweeting’ or ‘recommend’ feature on Facebook and Twitter.

How else can social media benefit you as an entrepreneur?

Next up in Part 3: The 5 Realities of Social Media

This is Part 2 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series. Quick access to the series below:
[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2: Why It’s Made for You | Part 3: The Reality | Part 4 ]

Disclaimer: The video was recorded as part of the RU Ready series targeted to entrepreneurs in Malaysia by Prudential which I was involved in. This also happen to be my first ever video series :)

Social Media for Entrepreneurs: The Basics

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March 2, 2012

| Jan Wong

Note: This is Part 1 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series.

“With power comes great responsibility”

I’ve always found that quote from Spiderman to be so very true. The thing is, social media networks over the years have become a checklist item for entrepreneurs, business owners and individuals alike, so much so that people are just doing it because it is THE thing to do.

They forget that social media is a force to be reckon with and cannot be taken lightly. It is not something where you setup and forget or a tool to make you money in your pyjamas.

Have that said, here are 4 responsibilities entrepreneurs should take note of on social media:

#1: Stay dedicated

It is easy to give up especially when you’re lacking in followers / fans or when no one seems to be reading your articles, replying to your posts or retweeting your content. But instead of throwing in the towel saying “It does not work”, ask yourself, “Why isn’t it working?” instead and do something about it.

Could it be your approach? Could it be your timing? Or could it even be your profile description? Remember that you’re dealing with people on social networks behind those pretty avatars therefore it can take some time before you catch their attention. Again it is a game of trial and error. Never give up!

However, be aware that social media can be a major time suck. Something as simple as replying to a comment can lead on to many other activities and distractions so set a time for yourself to be ‘at work’ on social networks and turn it off when you’re done so you won’t miss out on ‘real work’ in your business.

#2: Learn, and never stop learning

You need to be in the know as an entrepreneur, especially if you’re on social media and having not enough time is NOT an excuse. Technology and business today are moving so quickly that it might cost you if you are oblivious to what’s happening. Besides, it is just unforgivable if you’re not taking time off to learn especially with the abundant of resources online today.

Reading 3 articles a day can take you very far and that will probably just take you less than 10 minutes. I have personally subscribed to a number of feeds on my Google Reader so that I won’t miss out on what I deem as important such as technology news, social statistics / infographics and marketing insights. You should, too!

#3: Ignore the glitter

It is extremely easy to get caught in the glitter as an entrepreneur. Yes, like a magpie. It can be the iPhone 7 (new gadgets), Mega Hootsuite (new apps) or whatever that is supposedly made to help ease the workload on social networks.

Sure, there are tools or gadgets that WILL help (and I use a number of them) but do you need the latest of them or even at all? Choose your tools wisely and work with them. Remember, it is quality engagement you need on social networks so complete automation is not necessarily a good thing. And if you’re thinking about auto DMs on Twitter, forget it. It ain’t cool!

Disclaimer: the gadgets and apps mentioned in this section are all made up and is not to be represented as a rumor, leaked information or marketing attempt for any kind.

#4: Don’t abuse the usage of social media networks

Now before you go trigger happy with social media networks, you should be mindful that there are certain social media manners and rules to adhere to. Take Facebook for example, tagging your followers / friends on a promotional flyer, posting on their walls to promote your product, and pestering them to “Like” your page are seen as spam. A rule of thumb is to not do to others what you don’t like others doing to you.

As for rules, know that the Facebook rules and guidelines forbids you using Facebook as a promotional platform. This includes contests of any kind. Sounds familiar? Yes, this means a contest of “Likes” or “Tagging” or “Sharing” are all prohibited on Facebook.

I wrote this article some time back on this and though much has changed, the gist of it still remains. Check it out if you’re unsure about the Facebook promotional guidelines.

What’s your experience or advice to entrepreneurs on social media? Do leave your thoughts at the comment section below.

This is Part 1 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series. Quick access to the series below:
[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2: Why It’s Made for You | Part 3: The Reality | Part 4 ]

Next up in Part 2: Why Social Media for Entrepreneurs?

3D glasses image credit: CoolGadgetConcepts.com

Social Media for Entrepreneurs: An Introduction

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February 29, 2012

| Jan Wong

About two weeks ago I was invited to speak to 120 aspiring entrepreneurs at a workshop hosted by Prudential Malaysia under the RU Ready campaign, specifically targeted towards college / university students and young adults. It was an exciting opportunity as I always enjoy sharing with young people but yet a humbling experience to be speaking alongside two well established entrepreneurs, Candice Lee (Sales Director of Capital Asia Group) and Timothy Tiah (Co-founder of Nuffnang).

Speaking to young entrepreneurs always reminds me of the excitement of being an entrepreneur, especially when you’ve a new idea in mind. You just can’t stop thinking and talking about it with the intention to grow the idea and eventually commercializing it. However, any entrepreneur would tell you that the journey won’t be easy. It’ll be tough. That’s because…

Entrepreneurship isn’t science

One of the key attributes of an entrepreneur is to not fear failure, so much so that if you’re afraid of failing, you won’t cut it as an entrepreneur. It is a never ending journey of trial and error and what worked for Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs may not work for you, simply because there’s no one fixed formula to success in entrepreneurship.

Similarly, there is no fixed formula to social media success

In the excitement of establishing a new business as an entrepreneur, many approach social media as if it is the cure to business problems or the formula to a successful business. The thing is, entrepreneurs must remember that building your social media presence is similar to building a business. It takes time, commitment and dedication that grows through time.

Social media can be part of the cure or formula, but never THE cure or formula

Social networks are a gift to entrepreneurs. It is only until the introduction of social networks that entrepreneurs are able to start at a faster pace. Think about it – you’ve resources on blogs, video content on YouTube, and a whole world to explore and to be in contact with potential investors, partners or buyers via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Is there more?

This is the introduction to a 4-part series on social media for entrepreneurs so stay tuned for more!

[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 ]

Here are the slides to my sharing session at the workshop if you’re interested:

Social Media for Entrepreneurs

Quick access to the series:
[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 ]

The Credibility Curve, 2nd Impressions and Social Media

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February 27, 2012

| Jan Wong

I was listening to someone over the radio the other day speaking about sales on how the importance of building your credibility in your networks will attract more business opportunities. I wasn’t really paying attention at first and I suddenly thought:

“Hey, isn’t this true on social media networks too?”

If you take a look around, you’ll find many companies, businesses and individuals trying their very best to accumulate masses of fans. You know how it works – some put together promotions and contests requiring you to first “Like” their page or to “Share” with their friends, some go all out to build connections and to send personal invitations, some create a welcome page with a freebie to give away upon a “Like”, and some go by the shady way of just purchasing fans / followers.

Where am I getting at

Many tend to spend their time accumulating, amassing huge amount of fans by creating a very well polished, presentable and approachable first impression. It’s like walking into a newly opened cafe in town and the waiters are friendly. They greet you by name, start small talks and will even leave you something so that you’ll come by again. All these are great to have, however…

How many take note of creating a great 2nd impression?

It is very easy to start off something big but it is never easy sustaining its growth and its the same on social media. You see, being social does not end at having amassed 100,000 or 1,000,000 fans. In fact, whatever the number of followers are, that is only the beginning and here are 3 reasons why:

#1: You’re the new kid in town

Which also means that you’re probably one out of the many competitors out there doing the same thing.

A painful truth: Your followers may have “Liked” you only for the sake of winning that brand new gadget you offered as a prize.

What can you do: Show them you’re not just a pretty face. Give them reasons to remember or to talk about you in their personal networks. Leave them something to share and to take action of, keep them involved in one way or another.

#2: You’ve left them looking forward for more

Consumers have high expectations, especially when you’ve created an unforgettable first impression. They’ll want to experience it again, or more.

A painful truth: If you’re unable to keep up with their expectations on their 2nd experience with you, there’s a possibility that you’re out.

What can you do: Never, ever over promise beyond your means. Can you still fulfill that promise if you have 10, 100, 1000 or even 10000 customers? Go small, but strive to over deliver all the time. Ask yourself, “What else can I offer to create a better experience?”. Sometimes the key is not to create an extensive but a unique experience.

#3: You’ll be forgotten, soon

No matter how good the experience is, there’ll be a time where your customers will experience something better elsewhere and you’ll be forgotten.

A painful truth: They forget quicker online. Can you remember all the pages you’ve “Liked” on Facebook in the past? When was the last time you posted / interacted on a brand’s Facebook page?

What can you do: Don’t let the momentum of your launch campaign go down. Start putting out content that matters. It helps when you tell your fans what you want them to do or to even ask for suggestions on what you can do better. This may sound like common sense but the more people you get interacting, the more people will see your brand on their timeline.

So how is credibility related to this then?

Creating memorable experiences naturally breeds memorability towards your business. When that happens, a relationship is formed between you and your customer – because you’ve been there with them. It’s a feeling of familiarity, or trust. The reason why you say or think that social media isn’t working for you is because the perception of risk continues to supersede the perception of trust among your customers.

To make social media ‘work’, you’ll need build your credibility with your customers.

So if you haven’t already, remember,

2nd impression matters. It drives credibility.

Yes, even on Social Media.

Photo credit: Bob Gorrell

A Crawling Restaurant Experience @ The Hungry Hog

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January 11, 2012

| Jan Wong

It was my mum’s birthday last weekend and we decided to head to a nearby cozy local restaurant for a simple celebration dinner. It wasn’t our first time there so we ordered our usuals and all was well… until my dad started swinging his leg about. He stood up and lo and behold, a cockroach fell out of his trousers. Yes, it crawled into his trousers when we were eating. Disgusted, we decided to get the bill and leave.

Being concerned customers, we told the waiter (or what seemed like the boss) what happened and to my disbelief, she just shook her head saying:

“Sorry, it’s too bad. I just got in so I didn’t see what happened.”

Followed with the bill, with a 10% service tax and the usual 6% government tax.

What was she thinking!?

Now, we weren’t expecting a discount or a free meal but it would be nice if we got a (nicer) apology rather than a (very) poor excuse. While you’re nodding your head in agreement (I’m guessing you are), it’s amazing to see similar occurrences happening even on digital platforms. From the recent Paul Christoforo to Versace’s Facebook wall-closing incident, we can learn two things:

1. Treat your customers like customers. Sure, some customers can be a pain and customers are not always right but they’re still your customers. Did you know that for every 1 complaint received, there are 26 others that did not complain, making up to 10,000 dissatisfaction?

2. Avoiding the situation won’t make things better. In fact, it’ll get worse. In the case of Christoforo, let’s just say that his career is over. As for Versace, well, they got a whole lot of blasting themselves from fans and supporters.

With all that said, it is important for businesses today to remember that…

Customers today are social customers

They no longer are customers who purchase blindly and allows you to get away with things easily. The proof?

social media supporting consumer decision making in malaysia

click for larger image

Malaysians actually rely pretty heavily on social networks to receive advice prior to making a purchase. On top of that, 78% of the Malaysian internet population are on Facebook and 31% of them has a blog on Blogger (source: Nielson Research). This also means that if they don’t like you, there’s a 78% chance you’ll end up on their Facebook wall or in a blog post somewhere in the digital world.

What happens in the digital world? It gets worse

Not only the complaints are visible to potential customers, they are permanent. And since these content are user generated, you have no way of removing them. A well optimized complaint on a blog will probably guarantee frontage results across search engines. Same goes to negative reviews on FourSquare, Amazon, eBay or TripAdvisor and shared across Facebook and Twitter.

Think about it – would you really want that for your business? What if you’re able to turn that around to a positive testimonial instead? Wouldn’t that be good? I’m sure it is.

With an experience like that, will we go back there again? We won’t. Will you?

Social Media Integration Framework

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December 5, 2011

| Jan Wong

Social media is no longer something mysterious to businesses and the number of businesses integrating and accepting social media as part of their branding and marketing efforts are increasing as time passes. The question is – how many of them are successful in doing so? Business and social media experts generally agree that social media works when it is done right – through understanding your target audience, actively engaging and to be human when interacting.

The Problem

Having that said, why do businesses still find it difficult to integrate social media into marketing strategies? With so many businesses all around the world hopping unto different social media platforms fighting for attention from the consumers, how can organizations today engage the target audience effectively?

With these questions in mind, I decided to write a research paper and to propose a Social Media Integration Framework to assist organizations (brands) when integrating a social media strategy. The research is split into two different parts where Part 1 is merely the preliminary stages of the framework (i.e. planning and design); while Part 2 will be an in-depth research upon the actual implementation / execution of the planned social media strategy.

Here’s the proposed Social Media Integration Framework:

The framework is basically a walkthrough of different phases for organizations that are looking at integrating social media that spans from identifying the objectives to the actual launch. It is meant to be a guide for marketers / decision makers on how to go about integrating social media to better their chances in being successful by ensuring the strategy produced covers the important aspects.

To test the importance of having a clearly defined social media strategy, this research compared three (3) different organizations of similar criterias:
1. from the FMCG industry;
2. have an existing social media presence quantified by a minimum of 45,000 Facebook fans and minimum page views of 500,000 – 1,000,000 monthly
3. have their social media goals derived from not more than 1% of existing traffic
4. looking to increase fan base, page views and engagement with their target audience

These organizations utilized different social media strategies where:
Company A – had no specific social media plan / strategy with a simple microsite
Company B – had a specific target audience with a product based microsite with Facebook sharing
Company C – had a specific target audience, Facebook contest microsite with sharing and online banners
Note that Company A has no social media strategy in place where Company B and C has a social media strategy derived from a process that resembles the proposed framework

The Findings

From the findings above, it is seen that Company A struggled to meet their goals while Company B and C surpassed them. As seen in Company C, a well planned strategy and by being relevant to the target audience can in turn generate a larger response and level of participation. This may very well indicate that consumers are likely to participate with a brand should it be relevant to them.

This can be done by first identifying the objective(s) of brand in integrating social media, identifying the target audience and the relevant channel(s) before even attempting on putting together a strategy as illustrated in the diagram above.

What’s Next?

This preliminary research only indicates the importance of having a well defined social media strategy in today’s businesses to maximize the level of participation with your target audience. Part 2 of the research will be looking at Part 2 of the model, the relationship between the content and the audience and an introduction to methods of monitoring social media efforts.

It will take a while before Part 2 of the research is done so hang in there!

If you’re interested in this research and would like to receive a copy of the research paper, simply leave your details below and I’ll personally drop you an email with it! On top of that, you’ll be informed when Part 2 is ready :)

Note: the academic research paper entitled “Social Media Integration Framework in the Creation of Brand Strategy: Preliminary Stage” is written by Jan Wong & Albert Quek and was presented at the Global Communications Conference 2011, expected to be published in 2012.