It’s about digital marketing.
I hear too often from medium and large corporations that the biggest fear they have with any digital marketing strategy, efficiently using Facebook or any social media platform for that matter; the possibility of receiving negative comments on your Facebook business pages, etc.
Well, that’s an interesting idea; Aren’t they categorically saying they expect negative feedback because they don’t believe in your product or because they’re concerned about your ability to provide an acceptable level of service to your customer? They consider that a digital marketing strategy with social networks is dangerous for their brand, this is so typical of corporate Fat Cats that operate in a safety net, while collecting their large salaries, but achieving nothing…
So from the beginning they have no faith in your product? So why the hell are they in business or why the hell do they work for an organization they fear? Why not just up your game and get back to basics? OK, I’m side tracking again.
Or even easier than that, encourages negativity, do not be afraid of him. After all, it’s that negativity that can help them strive for the perfect product or better service; negative feedback is from your customers or prospects, shouldn’t they be listening to (or engaging with) them? Of course they should! That is what digital marketing is all about.
Marketing has moved into a whole new paradigm of customer engagement (due to many digital marketing techniques), listening, and evolution. Old-school marketing techniques aren’t just making a comeback, they’re back.And to top it off, relationships are being forged like never before.
Facebook, for example, has given the opportunity for the first time in history to create a One-to-many and many-to-one communication business platform. A business can promote itself to many people at once (such as TV, radio, or even print media), BUT Facebook allows many to respond to chat, and not just with you but with each other.
Not accepting this paradigm shift is not only foolish, but naive. Embrace digital media.
Now let me assume that many of you know how important the use of digital media, and even more so Facebook, is for your business; You have set up a Facebook page and have started posting content. Great, BUT, you have to get it right! Facebook is all about engagement and relationship building, some of you may recognize that concept in brand marketing. Well, that’s exactly what it is. It’s a platform for you to market your brand, not tirelessly sell like many do. This is a key part of digital marketing with Social Media.
Let me go back to what prompted me to write this post. I noticed a fairly large company, in the healthcare niche, posted a comment on Facebook about health insurance (obviously, that’s what they sell after all). Apparently, they were inundated with some negative comments. This is fine, but what they did next was a disaster. And it’s not the first time I’ve seen this done, and it certainly won’t be the last. Instead of targeting (engaging with) their leads, they commented on the post stating that they had removed some comments due to their nature. EPIC FAIL! especially for a digital marketing business. The only comment they made was to highlight that they censor their content. Doesn’t that make you question their integrity as a company? So the opportunity to engage and potentially earn respect and more clients was gone; not only did they not engage (which, by the way, this page rarely does), they disrespected the lead and deleted their comments.
I’m not going to try this particular business, I have a close friend whose business does cool stuff on Facebook, but they don’t engage! They miss out on the number one reason they are digital marketing on Facebook; engagement and building a fan base (customers and potential customers). They regularly post some great images, and I always make a comment, but not once has there been a response to my comment! Again, fail! A company should have as a policy to have the last word on ALL comments on Facebook. The worrying point here is that this particular business outsources social media to a so-called expert.
Going back to the moral of the story, use digital marketing strategies, especially Facebook for your business, promote your business on Facebook not by advertising but by providing interesting content; and most importantly, CONNECT with your fans! That is what marketing is all about after all!