image copyright: toonpool

I’m sorry.

Two words in the English language that are uttered many times, not only from me, but from others too.In the social space, complaints, issues and irritation are conveyed in real time, and patience isn’t a virtue that many have. This further fuels frustration and causes even more tweets, blog posts and complaints.

Brands are being counseled to apologize first, figure out what went wrong and try to make it right. Although the model “the customer is always right” has been around for awhile, has it gotten out of hand? A crap product is a crap product, no matter what the business model is.

When did we:

• Shift the customer service model to expect immediate reaction, not aware of legal channels or traditional company approval?
• Feel outraged when the problem was solved and no type of fiscal refund or free product was given?
• Decide to counsel clients to always respond, instead of evaluating first?

Evaluation

Determine whether the brand is just gathering or actively listening
This is a crucial first step in the process. Many might protest that just gathering information and monitoring is defeating the purpose of the social space. Why it’s not a long term solution, it also helps to make sure that a.) the brand is comfortable on the type of channels they will be communicating on/observing; b.) that the agencies/internal people have time to set up the education foundation

Paid v. Free Measuring Tools
This is a post in itself, but I have a hard pressed rule when it comes to recommending measurement tools for not only our clients, but for the agency itself. Each one is different, and each one might have a combination of tools to get the job done. There is no magic button or band-aid that will pop out a monthly measurement report. There are amazing paid tools out there in Alterian, Radian6 and Sysomos, among others. If you can’t justify the cost of the product with what you’re using it for, it’s not worth it. Every client has different needs, which equals different “bells and whistles.” How do I know this? It’s the first question I ask.

The question: “What do you want to accomplish in 3, 6, 9 and 12 months?”

It might seem a bit broad, but I prefer pyramid approaches to benchmarking results. That’s the thing – if you aren’t starting out with a question, then breaking it into specifics BASED on the client needs, you aren’t going to find the right tool. If you’re actively responding on behalf of a client, that’s different than just monitoring. That’s what free v. paid comes down to – and then you can determine best fits. For me, education of the tool on the vendor side is an important piece that helps make me recommend one over another. Are training classes available? How responsive are they when I have questions/need reports? Is the tool hitting all measurable objectives I’ve set for the client?

Once a brand determines that they would like to actively respond, then it’s time to further construct your evaluation and response methods.

Response

There isn’t a hard and fast fool-proof solution to response. Even though automated sentiment is hot, there is still a need to do a bit of manual work in the backend. Technology, while great, doesn’t have all of the inside information on the inner workings of a company. That’s what people are for. They can evaluate and see if a person will have impact on their potential audience/demographic, or if they tend to be a person who complains a lot. Does the person have a negative approach? I’ve found that brands usually respond if I say, “I seem to be having an issue on my end – do you know of any solutions? Happy to chat via phone. TY in advance!” instead of “You’re crap, I want my money back” type argument. I think the Air Force has a brilliant model for evaluation/response when determining who to respond to.

Because, yes, not every single person is going to get a response. From a business model standpoint, it seems to be a big resource and has a lot of finance devoted to it. Do many companies have the ability to have a team solely devoted to responding online in this type of economy? From my experience, no. Does it happen? Yes.

Each approach and response will be different based on the client. Review the crisis communications plan, update it every 6 months and include SM tactics, and have a playbook that dictates:

Who will respond on behalf on the brand for each situation

• What type of situations warrant a response
• Is your legal department involved? What approval channels are necessary?
• How the brand determines sentiment
• What hours of the day the brand will response
• Window of response time
• Example scenarios

Future Clients/Employers

The thing is – every time you complain about a brand or experience, people are watching. Not only are future employers reading your stream, but former colleagues and present bosses as well. A PR agency executive told me that she scans Twitter streams, and if she sees someone who cusses, complains a lot and goes on rants, she won’t hire them. Why? That attitude isn’t something she wants to put in front of a client, and it’s the only thing she can go off of.

At the same time, new business is a large part of every agency. If you complain about a brand, it’s probably not going to be one that would be open to a new business pitch. While I believe that complaints can be constructive, they have to be worded carefully because of the tone issue in this space.

What are your thoughts? How would you flesh out your evaluation and response? Do we apologize too much?

There are a lot of great relationship builders out there. They walk around events with ease, chatting with each and every person – so much so, you can almost see that connection. Memory plays so much into this, and it wasn’t until recently that this truly came to light. Your hippocampus is the part of your brain that houses a memory, and Discovery Health calls it the “librarian” of your memories.

Being able to remember the little details – and be a detail oriented person – is key in relationship building. Those that only”see the big picture” see connections as chess pieces to help them in some way. Relationships are superficial, and therein is the distinct difference between a networker and a connector.

Your long-term memory is the section of your brain that plays into relationship building. It involves that information you try to personally retain because it matters, and you make an effort to remember it. Being a true connector, therefore,  falls into that category.

Everyone has heard of the business card trick. You write down on the back where you meet them, what they do, why they are important. Hold up. Let’s put a twist on this.

I make notes about every single person I meet – but 24 hours later. I recall conversation, what we talked about and why it was interesting. This flies for even online interactions (I have a Word doc specifically for this.) I write down three things I’ve noticed about them. For Arik Hanson, it was that he has two kids, loves the Vikings (any anything Minnesota) and he’s usually in the best mood early morning (or when golf is on.) It not only works on your memory (I can recall anything I’ve ever written down) but it forces you to focus on the core elements of a person – what makes them happy.

Sure, an insane memory is helpful in more ways than I can count. But check out memory books such as “Use Both Sides of Your Brain” which focuses on mind-mapping type techniques; or even researching online for various resources.

Behavioral psychology and sociology books can also help enhance your relationship building skills. It helps to give one a keen understanding of how we react as people, and the differences between different types. It gives you insight to signals, comfort level and how to best interact.

So, try it. Remember a little detail and pick up the phone to call that person. Gauge reaction. Chances are, the fact that you remember something shows the importance that person plays into your life.

What do you think? How does memory play into your everyday life?

My co-worker Teresa Basich recently vlogged about the new direction she wants to take, what her blog means and how she hasn’t disappeared.

A new direction. Change is scary. It always has been.  This blog was initially my outlet into the world of PR, communications and brand building. I had no other way to express my thoughts or emotions. Now, I work for an amazing company where I’ll be able to niche-specific talk about agencies and their role in social, brand-building and strategy on Radian6’s blog. I am able to talk B2B specific in an u30 voice for MarketingProfs Daily Fix.

I started #u30pro with Dave (almost a year ago! )in hopes that we could really tackle issues facing the u30 workforce – while also taping into other professionals outside that age group. That community is a drive that I can’t capture in one sentence, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

In essence? I have lots of outlets, but it’s pretty reflective of my work experience as well. I’ve interned for movie studios. I worked for the most intelligent association in the world, literally. I’ve worked in both small and large agencies.

I’ve just never been able to pinpoint what this blog means to me. And honestly, it’s meant a lot. When I won “Best Up and Coming” in the 2009 PR Blog Awards, I just wanted to continue on the path I set forth.

I’m ready to rock the change. I will be working soon with Andrew Norcross on a blog design that I hope reflects my new direction. New challenges. And a renewed hope in my blog writing on this type of level.

LinkedIn. It’s used widely by business professionals to engage, connect and share information with one another. Many question it’s usefulness in the business world, even with new features such as Company Follow and Likes.

So how can you use it? Social Media is not about the platforms, but the ideas and concepts behind it. Platforms are used for execution. It’s all about how a brand approaches and where the audience is. Much of these four specific areas use examples from my current job, but can be applicable across the board.

Follow Sales Leads

So, awesome. You have a solid relationship with someone on a project or they use your company product. You call one day and someone else picks up the phone, “XX no longer works here.” Well, crap. Where do they work? We only had a professional relationship, with work email, phone and company.

You have to love the Internet and Google. Most will change their information at the request of the company left, and LinkedIn, as a professional site, is one of the first to be changed.

Example: If a solid contact/friend I have moves to a different agency, and they don’t use R6 (but want some type of software thats similar), that can be leveraged in the future – not through hard sell, but through relationships. If they are in need of SMM, they have a.) experience using it b.) a solid relationship c.) pre-seeded buy-in. It should be noted that just because software worked in a previous agency, it should mesh with measurable objectives at the new one. It’s not always a fit.

Follow Current Clients

We all like to follow brands. A pre-seeded brand follow might be more B2C and retail when it comes to LinkedIn, but from a business perspective, it can come in handy as well. By following brands, you can also follow personnel. You can see who has moved from agency to agency, who has been promoted, different clients they are working on (as most PR people list out the brands they represent.)

Example: Agency dynamic is unique in that the 30 and unders (SAEs and below) have an extremely high turnover rate. It’s not unusual to move from account to account as needed, to change agencies, to leave because it gets too tough. On the flipside, the execs don’t change as much, and when they do, it’s huge.

Network of Recommendations

Yes, LinkedIn can be used as a lead gen tool. The recommendations shown on your profile play a big role into the first impression – especially if your page is high on Google Search Results. Did you know LinkedIn also has DirectAds -  a feature that allows you to push relevant ads to targeted demographics in the entire LinkedIn subscriber base. It’s similar to ad targeting in Facebook or even Google AdWords.

Example: On the agency side, when I was interested in software or a product, I immediately Googled the company, then looked for testimonials. Many times, it lead me to a LinkedIn page – where I could see the connections/relationships, how long they had worked there and what type of experience they had.

Groups

Utilize Groups and LinkedIn Answers to gain “expertise points” in your specific category. Users tend to trust those that have the expertise, rather than the latter. You are not only engaging an audience and providing information, but your ideas and thoughts are being pushed into the News Feed of all connections. Talk about recognition and being seen by clients or people you work with.

Example: As a community manager, its imperative to be where the content is – no matter the platform. If people are talking about something, its important to answer questions that make sense.

So, what would you add? Do you agree/disagree? Let’s chat.

Photo credit: invent now

I used to be incredibly shy in social situations – well, if I was honest: in general.

Ok, stop laughing.

Up until my junior year of college, I couldn’t even order a pizza because it freaked me out.  I made my boyfriend at the time do it. One time, he threatened to not let me eat. We had a staredown for four hours before he gave in.

Never said I wasn’t stubborn.

I can be a lot to handle. I know this. Over-exuberance goes hand-in-hand with my personality. I’m passionate, I get really excited, I’m ridiculous and if I think you’re awesome, I probably act like a 12 year old girl at an NSYNC concert. High five party, anyone? However, there is a solid guarantee that you’ll be laughing at some point in our conversation.

But I’ve used that old insecurity of hating social situations to my advantage . I’m by default extroverted (which being in public relations has helped with),  but am totally comfortable stepping back and listening to others. I am now totally in the zone when with people, and no one needs to know the past. That nervousness does creep back up every now and then – but isn’t that something many experience?

It’s a tedious balance that has helped me throughout my entire career. So why bring it up now? I use it in presentations and talking to classes because it seems I should have gone into a career opposite of public relations. But, I didn’t. It was the best decision I ever made.

Humility is something that many battle with -We are ALL insecure about something. We ALL have something to improve on. We surround ourselves with individuals who can help mold us and educate. We are only as great as those that challenge us – meaning if we aren’t learning, if we aren’t listening, if we think we are total BAMFs all the time,  it will catch up. Don’t be abrasive when challenging.

I will, and never can, stop learning. There is so much out there that needs to be absorbed. Work in a job that makes you passionate and excited to wake up to everyday. You want that feeling of “Is this really my career?”

So, how have you used your insecurities to challenge yourself on a daily basis?