“If it isn’t two-way, it isn’t communication. It’s message distribution.”
This quote has stuck with me ever since I came across it in this article about employee engagement. It’s such a simple, common sense, idea and yet, some employers forget about it when communicating with employees, just as many brands forget as soon as they start using social media.
If you’re going to participate in the world of social media, you need to make the shift away from talking to your customers to talking with your customers. The key here is to listen and, as often as possible, respond. We understand that you cannot implement every suggestion a customer may make or remedy every single complaint that comes through. But at least acknowledge that you are listening to your customers and their input matters to you and your brand.
These tools present plenty of new opportunities for brands. Never before could you receive instantaneous feedback from your customers, nor could you ask your fans to recommend you to their network of friends and actually watch the endorsement unfold in real-time. However, you’ll only achieve these unique results if you approach social media as it’s own unique strategy…and not as a new vehicle to push traditional marketing strategies.
-Kim, @kimberwom
