No excuse not to join your customers’ conversations, says business expert
Friday, November 21, 2008
Big brands are making a big mistake – and losing a great opportunity - if they overlook the importance of engaging in conversations with their customers, according to a leading business expert.
The way people treat one another inside social networks like Facebook and Ecademy is changing, and businesses need to catch up, according to a leading business expert. Speaking on her regular online business TV show on yourBusinessChannel, social networking specialist and founder of Ecademy, Penny Power claims that online social networks are moving beyond twentieth century values, into a new world.
On her business TV show, Power noted that in this new world, people generally try to empower each other, and break down the barriers. While entrepreneurs often intuitively understand the power of the conversation as a marketing tool - how it works and when to use it - larger organisations do not. Many larger businesses need to realise that having conversations with their customers is increasingly important in the modern era, said Power on her business TV show.
As part of her expert business advice, Power described a recent example of ‘how not to do it’, which occurred on Ecademy. A user had blogged about a large organisation, criticizing their service. The organisation approached Power and asked her to remove the blog, saying it was defamatory. In the meantime, fifteen more users had posted comments on the blog, joining the conversation.
On the business TV show, Power explains that she explained to the organisation that in her opinion they should contact the person, or reply to the blog, and join the conversation.
The customer was already unhappy with the organisation, she reasoned, and had reached out to their network to share their thoughts. According to Power’s expert business advice, by asking to have the blog removed, that organisation had not only lost the opportunity to speak to them, to prove that they were responsive and to restore their reputation, but had angered the user even more.
Power closes her business TV show by saying that even big brands need to consider what people are saying about them on social networks, and join the conversation.
Further links/information:
* View this and other business TV shows featuring business experts. http://www.yourbusinesschannel.com/
* News about the latest expert business advice and upcoming business TV shows. http://www.yourbusinesschannel.com/blog.aspx
* Business television on your website or blog. http://www.yourbusinesschannel.com/partner.aspx
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