Social Media Buzz….

Social media is basically like play-doh,where consumers can create,re-create and change a general perception regarding a brand,a public figure, or even themselves.

by listening and observing the social media buzz or buzz words,brands can actually create a very focused perception in the minds of their consumers, something which can help in the creation or new tag lines or statements which the brand might be able to associate with itself. But this is not the only thing you have to look at, you should be able to make sense out of the discussions being held as many online conversations/buzz do sometimes seem chaotic and random,so basically each comment,each update and each and every thread of content/buzz being poured on your page needs to be carefully analyzed in order to create an appropriate response, or else everyone will just be running around in circles without really getting a solution to anything.

Lets look at some common buzz we usually encounter on the social media:

• Compliments– its been seen that many So-Me ( Social Media) users usually end up complaining a lot on their bad brand experiences and how they didn’t like a particular service…but these same So-Me users like to compliment their favorite brands on the brand pages as well, tweeting about how good their experience has been on it, and what are the best things regarding it etc.
• Usage Experiences– like i always say the whole crux of  social media is dependent on sharing information,conversation,and experiences, consumers do it through tweets,micro blogs, and through fan pages.
• Complaints- So-Me users love to rant out their frustrations,complains and just randomly dish out on brand pages, is could be specifically regarding a a bad experience, it could be regarding bad service or it could be as simple as just someone whos bored and don’t have much to do,so he/she might start “boredom anger” rants on your page.
• Testimonials and Suggestions– another great form for So-Me users to express their loyalty towards a brand, they give out their testimonials on their experiences and use or maybe even an event they went to for the brand,this might initiate into discussion forums, and your brand or you might actually end up getting a few good ideas regarding future activities through these forums.
• Buying Behavior– consumers/ audiences are always in the habit of asking friends and old users before they set out to buy  a new product or even an extension/ update of the product or brand which they are already using,this could give brand owners good insight on what the customer wants and how they(owners) can change or add value to the brand.
• Brand Switching– not all consumers are always satisfied with what they have and many a time they are a little confused with the brand choice they have made, they might come on a page and ask around if there are better alternatives then what they have,this might guide brand owners in realizing and possibly picking up a hint in the changing consumer attitude, and smart marketers would be able to do something about it.

These are some of the basic / most common buzz you can find on the social media, because honestly online conversations can simply not be categorized,there might be as many conversations as there are the total number of people on the Social Web, but all these conversations and online interactions in one way or another point towards the fact on how consumers can create and re-create a particular brand and its essence on their own.

The important part is actually listening to this content carefully, finding out what is important from it,devising a suitable response to it an using suggestions and testimonials from it for your own advantage.  In the end it is always better for a brand to know what its consumer is saying about it BEFORE the competitor finds out.

Handle your Negative Online Customer Comments Positively.

Some call it a blessing,some are irritated by it,others just downright don’t want it in their lives, this is how social media has impacted people ever since it grew in popularity and use.

However, brands and products have reaped more than a few benefits in terms of promotion and marketing on the online/digital frontier,taking their brand names to new heights. Along with this it has also given customers/target audiences a greater sense of attachment with the brand, through social media the customer now can simply say if he likes or doesn’t like a product right on the brands Facebook/Twitter/Google+ page . He can vent out his complaints,he can praise the brand, and he can provide opinions on what he like and what he doesn’t with regards to the brand.

With this comes the bad part,if interactions,complaints and opinions are left unattended on the social media, it starts planting a seed of doubt in the mind of the audience that the brand doesn’t pay much head to whatever the target market is saying. So how do  you deal with maintaining a positive relationship with your audiences online, and manage your interactions with them while mitigating their complains. Try this:

• Listen to what your audiences are saying to you and about you- if a customer is dissatisfied, try and talk to him,answer his query. Handle with care 🙂
• THINK before you SPEAK- never be in your “angry” mode when replying to customers/ or your online fans, because in that intense moment you could end up saying things which might not have good repercussions later on.Take your time in thinking just what to say to your online customer,how to craft an answer so that you/your brand remain in the “good books” while the customer is also left satisfied.
• Know the details- if you are running a brand, with a team of staff under you, you need to know what they are up to or how they are dealing with their side of customer interaction, once you know whats going on behind then you will be able to devise your answers in a better way.
• See how others are doing it – its always a good idea to look around other brand pages and learn to see how they are handling their customer interactions, this helps you in realizing the tone of interaction they are using, how customers are responding on their page to their updates and answers.
• Policies do work – social media interaction never follows a set pattern it could peak up negatives responses as well as positive ones, so having a set “rules of engagement” in terms of online responses helps if not completely erasing the negativity. If you do not define rules and policies for online engagement then you really don’t know where your online interaction is headed, and then it runs all over the place hence in the end deeming to be ineffective.

As social media progresses at such an exponential pace, online business managers or social media support teams are advised to be best prepared and skilled with handling such queries, complains, and concerns as soon as possible.

Always remember if a customer experience with your brand goes to the dung can, the online world with its tremendous capability to spread news and experiences in a viral shape can completely ruin your brand.