Social Media Is A Conversation, Not An Elevator Speech

(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 03, 2009 ) Cary, N.C.-I’m surprised so many businesses still don’t “get it” when it comes to social media. A lot of companies use social media like any other marketing vehicle and just broadcast, broadcast, broadcast. Social media is a “conversation” and businesses should use it to engage with their customers. It reminds me of personal networking. The best networkers are better listeners than talkers. Nobody wants to be cornered at that chamber of commerce function with the talking head who whips out a business card before you can even introduce yourself. The best networkers are those who listen, collect business cards and make connections. As good networkers expand their network by listening and making connections, businesses can use the same tactics in developing a successful social media campaign.

As the Marketing Director for Smithfield’s Chicken N Bar-B-Q, I use Twitter as a platform to broadcast and interact. In part of my social media routine every morning, I update the status on Twitter, respond to any comments “at” us and utilize the search function on the home page. As far as the updates I try to mix it up offering coupons, post links to news about us, or ask our followers questions (i.e. “Do you use receipts on the back of grocery store coupons?” or “Where would you like to see a store?”) I then respond to any tweets at us, answering questions or just responding with “Thank you!”. Finally, I will utilize the search function on the home page and search for our name and variations- “Smithfield’s Chicken N Bar-B-Q”, “Smithfields”, “Smithfield’s BBQ”, etc.. Most of the time, the tweets pulled up are complimentary and I tweet the person. I thank them for their kind words and request a mailing address so that we may send them a t-shirt. People are thrilled when they receive a t-shirt and often post the photos wearing the t-shirts, which I re-tweet.

Sometimes, I see a negative tweet about a bad experience. As opposed to ignoring the unflattering post, I tweet the person who made the post. This may sting, but it positions us as a transparent company who is always looking to improve. I use the same approach I took when I managed stores and a customer had a bad experience . We apologize, promise to correct the problem, send them gift certificates and ask them to visit us again. As a store manager, some of my best customers came from a bad experience that I corrected. Using that same philosophy on Twitter, we turn Twitterers into raving fans. One Twitterer was inspired to share his experience by posting it on a YouTube video.
While social media may be a relatively new, it’s using it with old practices that can make it work for your business. Unlike other marketing tactics, social media allows you to listen to your customers and give you opportunities to exceed their expectations. By turning social media into an interaction with your customers, you will have as many followers on Twitter as the best networker has business 
 

Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q
         Richard Averitte
         919-656-6987
         raveritte@scnbnc.com