The Power Of Social Media

It's 2012, and we are well in to what we call 'The Digital Age'. Gone are the days of using maps, typewriters, stopping and asking for directions and having photo's developed at the local Boots. Every thing we do can be done at home, (or out on the move) at the flick of a button, or in most cases, the touch of a screen.

Mobile phones are more like pocket size devices which have many features, one of which happens to make calls, camera's, GPS navigation, email and of course, Social Media. 

Why Social Media? What is it that has us addicted to (over) sharing where we are, what we are doing, what we are thinking and in some cases what we are eating? Because if you turn back the clocks some 10 years, to a time when social media didn't exist, I don't ever remember receiving phone calls from friends telling me 'I'm at the cinema about to watch Jurassic Park', or "I'm just in the back garden, chilling in the sun with a glass of beer". This was information we just didn't really share. So, back to the question, 'Why?' Well that's simple - because we can.

But social media isn't just about sharing photo's, information and whereabouts with your friends... oh no! Brands are using it too. Big brands use the power of social media to gauge online interaction with their brand, to see what people are saying, see what people want and in some cases, even to monitor complaints. Which is what this post is focused on.

In the last couple of month, I have used Social Media, particularly Twitter, a couple of times to rant about my dissatisfaction at service levels from a couple of brands, but I did it in such a way that I knew the brand would see it in the hope they would take action, resulting in me receiving almost £150's worth of compensation from the 2. After all, no brand wants bad press. The brand's in question were First Great Western Trains (@FGW), for their poor train service this month, resulting in me missing connections and being late to work 7 times in one month and SCS Sofa's (@SCSSofas) for not delivering our new sofa when stated. Both of these brands picked up on my complaint and handled it very efficiently and left me extremely satisfied with the result. #WellDone ;)

So here's my 'Quick & Simple Guide To Complaining Via Social Media'

Step 1. Google 'Brand name twitter account'.

Chances are, if said brand have an account, Google will know it, and display it... For those of you not familiar with Twitter ID's, they all start with an '@' symbol. For example, mine is @Lynden2883

Step 2. Tweet Your Disgust.

Create a Tweet, this doesn't have to be Shakespeare's greatest work, and remember you only have 140 characters (including spaces), and you HAVE to get the Twitter ID in there too (maybe even a hash-tag). Make it simple, and make it instant. It's no good waiting until you have calmed down, it has to be there and then.

e.g. Really p*ssed off with @BrandName today, completely #RuinedMyDay, #Thanks

Step 3. Wait For A Reply.

If said brand have a Social Media team worth their salt, they should get back to you, and usually within a couple of hours. In both my cases, it has been within minutes. After all, that's what they are paid to do.

Step 4. Be Brazen.

My Mum always told me, "If you don't ask, you don't get"... so be brazen. Once they've replied, tell them what would make it better, what would be ample compensation for your miss-fortune / inconvenience. Don't ask for something that's clearly not going to happen, like the winning lottery ticket, or £500. But something realistic that you know should be well within their power.

Step 5. Show Gratitude... 

This is something I think people often forget. We are all too quick to complain when things go wrong, but not so quick to give praise when something is handled right. OK, so they messed your order up, or ruined your day, but this wasn't the fault of the customer care / social media team who handled your enquiry, so show a little gratitude in the way they handled it. Sometimes a simple 'Received #GreatCustomerService from @BrandName today, #Thanks :)' goes a long way, and will ensure that team, keeps working the way they did. :)

1 important thing to remember... 'The World Is Watching'. Whether someone follows you or not, there is a high chance that other people will see your tweets, especially if you are using hash tags in there too, and the brands know this also. So they want to be fast, they want to handle your problem, and most importantly, they want to be seen doing so. So use this to your ADVANTAGE!!! 

Go on. Embrace the Power Of Social Media!