Photo by US_Air_Force
The key to launching and a successful social media effort is being as prepared as possible prior to execution. This means to be prepared in the sense of:
- A communications plan–the integrated approach and circle of influence and messaging
- Schedule of social media updates and the focus of the updates–determine what is going to be said and when
- A response plan for negative and positive comments based on the campaign and any difficulties, which are encountered–you will always receive both types of feedback for numerous reasons
- Monitoring, tracking and reporting–need to know consumer sentiment and how things are going from a ROI standpoint
One element, which often seems lacking is the response plan…So let’s focus on the response plan and the best way to prepare.
The response plan is a combination of customer service responses to both positive and negative feedback. With every campaign, there will be users who love the campaign and those who encounter difficulties. These issues can be dealt with flawlessly if certain road bumps are anticipated.
Think about crafting the answers in the form of an internal FAQ. Brainstorm the questions, which users might have and use a team to answer and approve the questions. Be sure the phone response uses a different tone than the social media response, but both provide the same and most accurate information. Circulate the information to all parties involved in mediating the responses to ensure consistency and add to the list as additional questions or concerns arise.
Recently, uni-ball pens launched a free pen giveaway. They created a microsite and iFrame posted as a Facebook tab, to collect free pen entries. The site was launched and moving well until there was a glitch with the entry process. In a quick, same day response, uni-ball posted this on their Facebook fan page:
“Those of you who ordered yesterday, we have confirmed receipt of your order and you should expect to receive your confirmation email by 2:30p CST today. While we continue to work out some kinks, we thank you for your patience and appreciation for uni-ball.”
Their informal, yet formative approach received positive feedback and resolved a lot of the questions they were receiving from the Facebook and Twitter pages dedicated to the campaign.
Perhaps uni-ball anticipated encountering a glitch and created a response plan ahead of time to address and technological issues. Their statement did the trick and bought them additional time to figure out the technical side without losing fans or infuriating potential customers.
Good work, uni-ball and let that be a lesson to always be prepared with a response!
Jen Cohen is a social media and marketing maven knocked down many times in 26 yrs. Something Creative http://somethingcreativemarketing.com
Tags: applications, Business, community, content creation, response, Social Media, social network, Strategy, the right way
