Not long ago, we talked about the significance of social listening to a brand. In this new post, we are doing a sequel that tackles the next tricky step: joining in the conversation.
We mean what we said, that talking with customers through social media is tricky. But it can be dealt with extra effort. You see, the people who comment on your posts are more than just profile pictures. They are humans who can easily be turned off by brands talking with them on the borderline of being stalker-ish. They can be grumpy, too, if brands ignore them or interrupt discussions where brands are best as spectators.
There is no perfect formula in creating successful social media conversations. But they largely involve brands to be respectful, pleasant, and quick to respond, regardless of the nature of the conversation. These values, if adhered by every personnel charged with a social media channel, can show customers the company’s personality and strengthen their loyalty.
Brands like AboitizLand and The Outlets at Pueblo Verde have created and maintained a consistent friendly tone online and in their social media campaigns, responding timely to comments and tweets by customers. Still, as we visit other brands, mostly from the Philippines, we cringe at the lack of effort at engaging followers meaningfully in a social media conversation.

It always pays to do research first before starting a conversation, and to plan. Doing enough of these will let you know that what a social media conversation starter or a campaign primarily requires is respect. Respect for your brand. Respect for your customers. Respect for the social media community.
You don’t want a repeat of failed social media campaigns like Audi’s #PaidMyDues campaign that feature personalities instead of its new A3 sedan, which provoked consternation among its Instagram followers; Happy Father’s Day ad from the Mad Men team, featuring the character Don Draper, a philandering father; and failed attempts at associating with events, such as brands promoting its products as a way to honor Martin Luther King Jr.
When you embark on your campaigns or conversation starters, do not expect to just sit around and have customers do the interactions for you. Take note that 64% of 18-24-year-olds want companies to respond to them in conversations online.  Be careful on the use of hashtags, too. You would not want to associate your brand with a negative incident, as with the case of Etenmman’s, a manufacturer of baked goods, which unintentionally tweeted a hashtag that referenced to the injustice of the Casey Anthony Not Guilty murder verdict.
Most important factor in any social media conversation, we believe, is to constantly remember that you are talking to humans, not bots. Show your company’s human side and make your customers feel comfortable about you by ditching the corporate jargon, talking to them in personas based on their age groups, being timely in response and respecting their opinions.
How we talk with others face-to-face, comfortably and openly, among peers and colleagues should be the same climate on your social media landscape. Take the extra effort to do more than just post, click and wait.
Avail of our free 30-minute consultation and we will share with you some more tips on creating successful social media conversations.
Photos from www.pixabay.com