Social Media

Happy New Year!

January 12, 2016 By Rae Hostetler

Back in the office I’ve read with great interest the story about a disgruntled customer at Indianapolis’ Kilroy’s on New Year’s Eve. While our team manages social media, it can sometimes be a conundrum how to manage customer comments on social media pages. In this case, neither the customer nor the manager held back in the Facebook dialogue.

I saw and read the post Jan. 1 while skimming my Facebook feed. I thought, “WOW, this gal actually feels ok to go to the Facebook page and rant.” She said they’d spent $700. She claimed the bill was wrong and the waitress was rude when they tried to talk to her about it. The poster claimed someone OD’ed onsite and the people who work at Kilroy’s were more worried about that than making their bill right—especially after spending so much money.

In truth, a woman was having a heart attack and the staff was doing their best to get her emergency assistance. The manager of Kilroy’s posted back a scathing message with some curse words and derogatory phrases about the gal posting the message. The gal pulled her post and Kilroy’s opened a Go Fund Me account to help the woman who had the heart attack with her medical bills. It’s raised $14,000 plus dollars as I write this.

I’m now thinking double WOW. So who’s right? Maybe they both are… a little bit.

A study from professors at the University of Maryland, Carnagie Mellon University and Cheung Kong Grad School of Business in China was published in Marketing Science recently. The study determined that addressing complaints on social media is worthwhile because it can improve the customer relationship outweighing the potential side effect of possible future grievances. OK, so the manager should have responded.

One of the study’s researching professionals says companies should not overreact to negative comments remembering that past responses to complaints can affect how consumers respond in the future. My thought to this statement is… the manager overreacted in his comments going as low as the gal who posted. I’m not thinking I’d like to head to Kilroy’s this weekend. Professional advice… keep it professional but direct.

Perhaps it’s my age or attempt to maintain a professional decorum, I still believe social media is not the place to blast a company, a person and so on. Make a phone call, talk to a manager or write a letter. Not only are you held in a higher regard by the company, often you’ll receive a better response to resolve the problem to ensure it doesn’t occur again.

For years I’ve said, social media is like a large crowded room of people at a party. If you wouldn’t say something on stage in front of them, don’t write it and post it. It’s definitely going to be interesting to watch and see how this impacts other companies’ responses on social media going forward.

Maximize your impact through social media

November 18, 2015 By Rae Hostetler

By Shannon Philllips

Let’s face it, not only is social media here to stay, its dominating presence makes it essential for companies and organizations to think differently and creatively about communicating with target audiences.

Here are a few ideas to consider in developing your social media strategy:

Upgrade your “app” knowledge – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are popular platforms, but there are dozens of other apps (YouTube, Google+, Periscope, Snapchat, etc.) that are just as well-known and widely used. Before you create a social media strategy, spend time learning about various apps and how other companies and organizations use them. Remember, every app is not a perfect fit for every company. During your research, determine which apps will be most useful for your company or organization.

Here’s a list of popular social media apps to get you started in your research:

http://heavy.com/tech/2015/10/top-5-best-free-social-media-networking-apps-for-iphone-android/

Here’s a list of apps to watch in 2016:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2015/08/13/7-social-media-platforms-that-could-explode-before-2016/

Designate a social media person or team – It is impossible to have a social media strategy without a team or person to create, post and control content. To succeed in communicating your message on any social media platform, content must be consistent (at least one post/ tweet per day) and response to followers’ questions or concerns should be timely. That’s where a social media team or person comes in handy. In addition, assigning social media coordination ensures accurate communication of your message. So often, companies assign this task to 10 or 20 people without providing direction. Very little gets posted or messaging is inconsistent. The common phrase “too many cooks in the kitchen” definitely applies here. Assign one to three people to maintain your social media pages to avoid these pitfalls.

Make social media part of your daily conversation – It’s easy to focus on traditional media (newspapers, TV, radio) during communication meetings. Always remember your followers on social media who will read the information on their timeline faster than reading it on a website. Social media is a great opportunity to get creative with messaging at no cost. Planning a BIG announcement? Build anticipation with photo posts or hints each day prior to the announcement. Share the big news on social media with a short video from the CEO with the website link for more information. Remember, this is your opportunity use YOUR page to engage thousands of YOUR followers. Keep your message short and to the point.

Social media can be a fast way to connect with customers and supporters. With a solid strategy and a bit of creativity, your company or organization will experience a different level of engagement.

Shannon Phillips coordinates social media for clients at Hostetler Public Relations.