Social media – the issue of control

Pootling around the BBC News website, I happened upon the interesting ‘Twitter and Facebook aid small firms’ which sparked a desire to blog. Not because of the main theme – who hasn’t heard of the baker who tweets when the bread’s fresh? – but because of the ‘expert’ opinion on the issue of control.

Online, the draconian moderation of blog, photo and video comments amounts to professional suicide. Simply put, if a disgruntled customer takes umbrage with your service online and you delete their comment, you validate it. The disgruntled customer remains un-placated and other visitors to your blog, twitter or profile will wonder where it went. “Could it have been deleted because it was true and Company X wants to sweep it under the carpet?” they’ll think.

The full quote from Professor Sundararajan could be dangerously misleading. "You are losing control of your message by inviting customers in to a dialogue and that could be problematic if they criticise you." Is he implying that criticisms must therefore be quickly quashed by removal? Some might make that inference. If they do, they’re doomed.

'Janet' responds to wall feedback on a Dell special offer - and will no doubt soon act to mollify Ms Corradin

Dell's Facebook page also allows new 'discussion' topics to be posted - whatever the subject

Many thought Dell was doomed when their Twitter feed was bombarded with complaints of non-delivery, missing parts, poor customer service. It would have been tempting to shut the feed down in an attempt to save face, but anyone can see that would have achieved the reverse. Instead of controlling the situation through censorship, they managed the situation through mediation.

Each customer was responded to personally; still today, Twitter and the sister Facebook company page are sounding boards for those unhappy with Dell’s service; but they’re responded to either individually or as a group where there is a common concern. Balanced with special offers, competitions, news and stunts, the page is not overrun with complaints – but they’re still visible. What’s even more important is that the measured, helpful and personal responses are also visible. Even with the negative posts, social media is enhancing Dell’s reputation – without the need for airbrushing and dictatorship.

Comments from followers are the lifeblood of social media. It shows your followers are truly engaged with your content and are sharing that content further afield. That they’re really listening, rather than just following.

Disallowing or censoring comments is seen as dishonest and deceitful in a social media landscape that strips companies bare, revealing their personalities and ‘true colours’. Losing a small amount of control over content could prove to be the most beneficial thing to your online reputation – you could even overtake Dell as the poster child for free speech on Facebook.

WIIFM?

(What’s in it for me?)

It’s a phrase we hear more and more often in today’s society. Kids expect payment in sweets for emptying the dishwasher and the likes of Orange (RockCorps) and Disney (Give a Day. Get a Disney Day) even have to bribe people into volunteering.

Popular theory points the finger of blame at digital TV and the interwebz. We’ve less free time than ever, but a greater choice of ‘stuff’ to fill it with. If it doesn’t make an instant impact, we’re off.

But why am I telling you this? Indeed, what’s in it for you?

Social media, as discussed in our earlier pub analogy, is about joining conversations and speaking to people on their terms, in their language. It’s also about (and I loathe to use this phrase) ‘adding value’. But I do mean adding genuine value, value appropriate to the situation. To do this you have to put yourself in the place of your audiences and ask – what’s in it for them?

WIIFM isn’t corporate information style-guided to within an inch of its life. If someone genuinely wants to read page after page of your latest press releases, they’ll go to your website and look at your news section. Verbatim copying and pasting of releases, into a blog or other feed, is missing the point and (most likely) duplicating your website. What does that offer a visitor?

Think about when people use social media and what they’re hoping to get out of it. Most companies block Facebook, Twitter etc, so most employees only access these sites at home – in their own free time. What you do in your free time – do you watch funny YouTube clips you’ve been sent, strain your eyes playing Bejeweled Blitz and enter the odd competition?

Probably. You do those things because there’s something in it for you. They make you laugh, you enjoy doing them, you might get free stuff. There’s no hard-sell, no preaching, no pressure.

That’s how you engage people with your social media. Not every post has to be fluff, of course, and it’s perfectly OK to post more heavyweight items since they offer value to readers too. Balance it out. But by drawing potential customers in through offering them something of value for free (a proverbial carrot of clips, relevant articles or prizes and samples), or inviting them to interact with you (polls, competitions or surveys) then you open them up to the wider world of your business. Not just them but their friends – they share your funny clip with their mates; their mates now know who you are. They retweet your article; their followers are sent to your blog.

And we’re back in the Newt & Cucumber again – the couple you initially struck up a conversation with might have no need for your product, but since they like you so much they’ll introduce you to someone who does.