Social Media for Venezuelan Change

The country of Venezuela is in turmoil. With widespread chaos and social unrest, the internet has become a sanctuary for many Venezuelans, inside and outside of the country, to vent their frustrations and support. 

It has been recently reported that the government has shut down Twitter and most other points of communication for the average Venezuelan. As a global society, should we have a call to action by spreading their message for them? What are your thoughts? Is Social Media the protest of the current day? We may not be able to run the streets of Caracas in support but can we do it digitally?

-Edmund McCombs

Social Media at Work?

There's always a sense of anxiety about it. You're sitting at your desk, you're anxiously longing to log-in to Facebook and check out something, but your boss is just right there. Right there over your shoulder waiting to catch you! But, wait - this article here starts to break down Social Media myths and says that it actually may be ok for you to get "social" at work.

The article goes on to explore the idea that maybe your workplace wants you to be active online. But, the tricky part is that some users stated that their workplaces wanted the user to represent the business on Social Media and that, can be a slipper slope. Now, this is the point in which you need to set up the parameters around your personal Social Media accounts! Some of the respondents also said that their workplaces asked them to share their personal Social Media details on the company's professional sites. To me, that is going way too far and just asking for trouble. One drunken tweet, one mildly inappropriate status update and your job is on the line - this will benefit no one!

While I think you should be allowed to use Social Media at work, I do not think it should ever be used on behalf of the company, but I also think that you should ever mention your work on Social Media. Sure, it is a part of your life and something we all do but, honestly...I don't care to know too many details of my friends' working lives unless it is on LinkedIn - the appropriate channel for that information.

So, proceed with caution! Keep work at work and your Social Media sleuthing to a minimum. We all have personal traits that may not be in line with perfectly sculpted corporate images and, that's ok! Just be sure that those two worlds don't collide like Justine Sacco learned the hard way!

-Edmund McCombs

Social Media Advertising? $500 Will Do!

Curiosity was getting to me and I was beginning to wonder just how much money flowed into Social Media advertising and where it was all going. Doing a little search, it lead me to this article which outlines the ad spend ratio of each site and where best to spend your cash.

Reading the line, "with online advertising spend overtaking TV advertising spend for the first time" really solidified, in my mind, the need to include a small advertising budget with my clients when they sign up. I think for some small businesses, $500 right off the bat can be nerve-wracking because perhaps they feel that it isn't a tried and tested manner to get a proper return-on-investment. But, the great thing with Social Media is that you can literally spend $5 and see how far it will get you from an advertising perspective.

You can target the exact audience you are looking for and you can decide how your money is spent. It's an amazing tool and many people have gained leaps and bounds beyond their initial investment.  If you're curious to learn more, check out: www.brandemconsulting.com and we'll talk it through.

-Edmund McCombs

Connect Like a Celeb

I read this fascinating article on forbes.com (check it out here) about how big brands could take a cue from celebrities when it comes to growing and engaging with their followers.

For me, the biggest take away is the point of being authentic. Nothing is more important to me than authenticity, whether it be on a personal or professional level. We are human beings that are curious, inquisitive, emotional and if a brand wants to connect with me, I need a level a realness that hits one of those targets. Engage me, excite me or make me feel something that no other brand of your type has.

I feel so often that corporations become densensitized entities and people can't relate. If they could only harness their humanity while blending in the necessary aspects of corporate jargon and responsibility, I think they'd be surprised at how far it would take them with the average consumer. Nobody wants to read sterile yet perfectly polished information about a brand on Social Media unless it connects somehow. Finding that balance can be hard, but it's definitely possible - sometimes you just need a little help along the way.

-Edmund McCombs

A Social Conscience?

Inherently, I'd like to think that people are good and that people want to do good. So, it should come as no surprise that Social Media inevitably has become a mechanism for causes and awareness campaigns. All Social Media channels instantly become a global forum and with the right backing, they have the potential to change the world.

As I have read more and more about this topic and some of the initiatives people want to create, I get excited. I feel a sense of pride - a sense that we, as a global community - could rise up from the safety our own homes and create real, tangible change. 

But, and there always is a 'but', change never comes easily and Social Media is, in a basic sense, easy. We can vent, rant and throw out an opinion, but will our fiery fingers lead to real change? I am not sure. 

I always think back to the Kony campaign which took off like no other crusade has before. Then, when the call to action was supposed to ring clear - nothing, nada, zilch. A few courageous people took to the streets to fulfill a promise but most just watched the video, hit "share" and moved on with their lives. 

So, can we make change? Can we collectively "do good"? I'd like to think so - but, I'd also like to hear your thoughts.

-Edmund McCombs

Stealing Followers - It Just Doesn't Feel Right, Does It?

Trying to find followers of your Social Media profiles can sometimes be difficult. Perhaps, you're looking in the wrong spot or targeting the wrong audience - whatever it is, it's just not working for you.  So, what do you do?

In my opinion, you re-strategize, get with someone who can help you (like Brand'EM) and plan a new approach. An article recently published on entrepreneur.com suggests a sort of strategic poaching. Essentially, scouring your competition's pages and then getting their followers to find and "like" you. They refer to this as "stealing" followers but I am not sure that that term is correct because really, all you are doing is offering people options. As they say in the article, "Stealing is usually a zero-sum transaction, wherein one party loses and the other party wins. But that is not how it works with social media."

The beauty of social media is that when someone turns on their computer or switches on their mobile, the world is at their fingertips. They are no longer confined to fancy billboards and flashy lights, they can simply hunt and gathering until their query or demand is met.

A happy client or customer can not be poached which is why it is up to you and your brand to make sure that your competitor is lacking and that your service is so impeccable that they never have to go anywhere else. And, in today's world, that finer touch - that step above the rest - begins and ends online. Are you ready?

-Edmund McCombs

Social Media - The Future of Customer Service

Last night, I was reading an article (you can find it here) and it mentioned the top Social Media trends for 2014. It went over the typical trends of selfies, Facebook remaining a constant and that people will continue to use their mobile phones to view Social Media; however, the one that caught my attention most was # 8, the one that mentioned a trend in customer service.

8. Customer service will migrate to social media

Social media channels have become an irreplaceable tool for customer service. In times of crisis, national airline Finnair uses social media to respond to its customers and to provide them with status updates and other instructions.

Successful customer service operations in social media require humility and a constant presence. Moreover organisations would do well to remember that material shared in social media channels will remain accessible to customers in some form. This also opens up possibilities for effective marketing based on customers sharing corporate content. Online dialogue will also change the way companies develop their products, as they’ll have the benefit of constant feedback from their customers.

I find this fascinating because this truly shows the power of Social Media and how when a brand does things right, it can truly reach the core of its customer base.  

Many years ago, I had a negative experience with a cable tv provider. I complained online after an exhaustive attempt at a resolution with a call centre and, even thought I remained furious with the call centre, when a representative commented back to me on Social Media I felt a sense of understanding. I thought, "Wow - someone is listening. Someone did care about my issue!" It didn't make me forgive or understand their lack of knowledge within the call centre setting but it did let me know that they had implemented a Social Media plan to resolve issues and that was a pretty good thing in my mind.

So, what's your opinion? As a business do you have a plan in place for dealing with customer service complaints or, even better, compliments? If not, let Brand'EM know and we can work with you to sort out a strategy.

-Edmund McCombs