Social media is not rocket science, but it is a commitment and for many companies, a change in culture. As the name implies social media is social. Its very nature is about interacting with clients and creating a community around you in which you will be an active participant, but not always the leader.
Most companies are very good at one-sided communications with extensive public relations or advertising campaigns. Many of these same companies also have extensive customer service departments. Unfortunately, even in the best of companies, these departments don't always sync up and fail to connect the incoming communications with the outgoing messages.
For many companies, the onslaught of public opinion is frightening. However, just because you are not willing to listen to the opinions of your clients, does not change the fact that they exist. Often messages that affect your brand are already spreading on social networking sites, you just aren't part of the discussion yet.
Though hearing what clients have to say may be humbling, having a good gasp of where you stand with your clients and what it will take to maintain their loyalty will make your brand stronger in the long run. Social media allows for an open and honest exchange with clients. It is opportunity an opportunity to find out what people like, what they don't like, and what they want to see from your company.
However, even if you are prepared to listen to the conversations online,
before jumping into the fray you should evaluate your company's capacity to
respond. Do you have a client service team in place to handle complaints
that appear online? Is your product development team nimble enough to respond
to changes clients are seeking in your products? Do the various departments in
your company communicate and cooperate to resolve issues quickly?
