Navigating the “risk” side of social media

Social media allows people to connect with each other with ease.   According to the penny-stock-promoters turned mortgage-brokers turned social-media experts, even BRANDS can connect with people now!

You mean companies can interact with their customers?  Holy hell….someone call Ray Kroc.  That’s profound.

But, there is a fly in this magical ointment:  A large percentage of people are idiots.

Don’t believe me?    Check out any “trending topic” on twitter that starts with a #.  Watch for approximately 20 seconds, and you’ll find a majority of posts look something like this.

This isn’t a minor point.  Twitter is the prince of social media (facebook has to be king)…..and as soon as it made  the valuable concept of “trending topics” available to the public, the public ruined it.  That’s what happens when something with no barrier to entry takes off…..it becomes the digital equivalent of a free air show down by the river.

The moral of the story is to be very careful with your “brand” (this includes yourself) on social networks.  You’ve got to remain above the masses, while at least giving the appearance of caring what they think, occasionally.  That’s a tough task, even for national politicians.

So, here are a few tips on how to navigate these murky waters:

1. DO respond enthusiastically to positive, intelligent comments or requests fairly often.  It’s especially effective to tell someone that their idea for your product or service is a great one (as long as you really are going to implement it SOON), and then give them another shout out when it’s implemented along with some discount or other reward.
2. DO respond to negative comments where the problem has ALREADY BEEN FIXED. Letting people know “I’m on it” is nonsense….because that’s what we expect you to do.  Letting people know that their problem is solved shows that you are listening AND effectively responding, which is refreshing and turns a negative into a positive.  (Note, don’t do this if the original complaint is an inexcusable mistake on your part that will increase the RISK thoughts of other customers when they search for your brand in the future).
3. DO NOT respond to negative comments that are unfair, incomplete or without logic. Name-calling should never be acknowledged.  Neither should whining, shouting or any other childish behavior.  Think about it….if the person is being illogical or annoying, the odds are pretty good that no one is listening to ANYTHING they say.  Who cares if someone shouts bad things about you into a vacuum?

Bottom line:  Highlight and encourage those who are saying positive things about you, as well as people you’re sure will become positive because you’re solving their reasonable problem.  But don’t bring any attention to your detractors.  Don’t argue with idiots.  They’ll bring you down to their level, where they have a LOT more experience.