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Brand Power – What a difference a tweet can make!
By Paula Attfield on January 21, 2011
Brands often worry that if they engage on social media sites, that they’ll lose control of their brand.
For a few years I lived in upstate New York. It was during a time when online shopping was on a steep rise. Coming from Canada, where most online purchases were subject to massive shipping fees I rarely shopped online.
Living in the U.S. – where free shipping for online purchases was becoming the norm – turned me on to www.zappos.com. An amazing website with an awesome selection of shoes and free shipping!
However, when I moved back to Canada, I learned Zappos free shipping does not apply here. What a disappointment!
The power of a tweet
On the spur of the moment, I vented my Zappos frustration in a tweet… expecting my laments would be lost in cyberspace.
Within minutes, I heard back from Zappos. They had tweeted an apology and explanation for having to charge for shipping in Canada. All of the negative feelings I had toward Zappos vanished.
I love Zappos for hearing me. I love Zappos for so aptly managing their own brand, and for their continued awareness of, and responsiveness to their customers. They listened and responded.
What did Zappos do right?:
- They heard my complaint
- They responded immediately
- They engaged me in a conversation
- They won me back
Well done Zappos.
Charities take note. Listen to your audience. What are they saying? Take time to respond. Engage.
Tweets that mention Stephen Thomas » Brand Power – What a difference a tweet can make! -- Topsy.com wrote, on 18:35 at Jan 21, 2011
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Paula Attfield, Stephen Thomas Ltd.. Stephen Thomas Ltd. said: Brand Power: What a difference a tweet can make! #blog by @Paula_Attfield – http://bit.ly/hyn9yt [...]
Clare wrote, on 08:08 at Jan 22, 2011
Hi Paula,
Great post, it really got me thinking! As a staff member for a highly recognized charity brand, I often search Twitter for what people are saying about us, and sometimes get involved in discussions around people’s comments. Often their tweet is factually incorrect… BUT, who am I to prove them wrong?
I don’t tweet on behalf of my organisation, I don’t have the ‘authority’ to represent their brand on line, and although I believe that every staff member should be out in the world representing the values of the organisation we work for, our extremely large and ‘brand policed’ media team would not agree!
It’s an interesting dilemma as a staff member. Speak out on behalf of your organisation because you are passionate and knowledgeable about the issue raised, and risk the wrath of the people who are paid to represent the organisation, but don’t in this way? Or say nothing, and hope that if you harp on about it long enough, someone in the media department will listen?
How would you have felt, for example, if someone with a personal account replied to your tweet, rather than Zappos corporate account? Would it have had the same impact on you, even if they said they worked there?
I think most organisations have a long way to go on this.
Two good examples from the UK are @TmobileUKhelp and @virgintrains. Any tweets I have made mentioning some service issues have always been picked up and responded to. Not always = happy customer, but at least = less unhappy customer.
I will be looking more closely to see if any charities are doing this thanks to your post Paula.
Clare
Paula wrote, on 13:39 at Jan 25, 2011
Thanks for your comments Clare! I’m sure you’d find yourself not alone in this predicament… ie of not being able to weigh-in on behalf of the brand of your orgnization/employer in the social media realm. Every organization is different, and the best thing that each orgnazation can do is to trust their staff to speak out and engage in conversation. Simple social media guidelines can be created to help guide employes in an organization, without being directive, guidelines can offer some simple does and don’ts. We have such guidelines at ST that have served us well. In any case, best of luck!
Jacob wrote, on 23:50 at Jan 25, 2011
A trend I’m seeing: people who used to enjoy blogging their lives are now moving to Twitter.
Paul Nazareth wrote, on 00:08 at Feb 04, 2011
Thank you for expressing that sentiment Clare. So many charity staff go to conferences and hear about social media. I feel like the dog tied up in the cold outside Starbucks. 80%+ of charities have no social media policy and the general consensus is “don’t touch – it’s not for you”.
A wonderful sentiment from the 2010 Digital Leap conference – whether you participate or not – it’s happening! http://www.viddler.com/explore/stratola/videos/22/
Josh Stuart wrote, on 12:37 at Feb 27, 2012
Great post Paula. Social media is often silo’d away in lots of NGO’s / NFP’s with junior level staff who don’t have authority / responsibility to engage on sensitive issues in a public way. This unfortunate reality creates a disincentive towards organizational brand stewardship.