A Questionable Brand
Everybody has a bad review online. If you can’t find a good review, it is time to look at your product.
This seems obvious, but to me, this statement perfectly describes the role social media is playing in the business world. Consider the two parts of this statement: Firstly, everybody has a bad review online. That is a little pessimistic (or realistic?), but you must realize this before engaging in social media. Secondly, an abundance of bad reviews indicates an issue with your offer. Without agreeing to this statement, your brand will not survive.
The social media movement is weeding out the brands that are not willing to change. But how do you know when you should change?
The idea of social media is to engage in conversation. I believe the role of brands in social media should be to ask questions. Traditionally, marketing has meant providing a message – take it or leave it, this is what we want you to know. Social media marketing does not adhere to this traditional view. The social part indicates that brands do not hold all of the answers.
Begin by asking how can we help? It has been proven many times in the short history of social media that you cannot attack an individual with an issue and you cannot ignore an issue. By asking how you can help, your brand becomes a fallible entity that is willing to admit an accurate sense of reality including imperfections and limitations as well as achievements. Basically, give your brand humility.
Among others, questions offer two helpful characteristics: monitoring and engagement. Follow trending opinions of your brand by explicitly asking for those opinions. People love to hand out opinions, so take advantage. One of the best ways to engage individuals and groups online is to ask them questions. Your users feel valued when you ask them for suggestions or information in a personal manner.
Individuals must follow this same pattern when using social media. The way to learn is to ask. Every Twitter usage guide says “add value”. None of those guides say add value by having all of the answers. Questions are often as valuable as the answers that come of them. I am often asked questions I simply do not know the answer to until I take a minute to consider them. These types of answers help me as much as they help the person that asked (in fact, that is where this post came from).
In social media, nobody has all of the answers (except all of the “experts”…). Answer the questions asked of you, but be sure to ask the important questions of your own.
