Social Media 101 - The Importance Of: “Thank You”
According to marketing consultant and author Gary Vaynerchuk manners are once again fashionable. Due to the mass up take of social media, customer relationships matter enormously.
There was a time when people were on a “first name basis” with their local shop and business owners. Businesses succeeded or failed on the back of their reputation within the community. Politeness and respect were fundamental to running a successful business. There was then a mass shift which disregarded these “old world values.” Enter the rise of the “Super Corporations.”
Out went the building of strong personal customer relationships; in came cuts, aggressive sales tactics and distant call centres. Vaynerchuk explains: “Before, it made some financial sense for big businesses to simply ignore people they consider whiners and complainers.”
The early days of the internet pushed the sense of customer solitude to a whole new level. Customers didn’t even have to step out the house to buy products. All hope is not lost, “Welcome to the stage: Social Media!”
“Now, dissatisfied, disappointed consumers have the power to make companies feel the pinch”, explains Vayerchuk.
People are once again talking to each other and rediscovering old world values that had been eliminated from previous business transactions. Caring obsessively about your customers is now a necessity. What social media has done is turn the world into a single, albeit rather large, small town. Gossip spreads fast, reputations are built and tarnished, and the power of word of mouth is greater and more widespread than ever.
This is now, as Vaynerchuk calls it, the: “Thank you economy.”
Tips to succeed in the thank you economy:
- “Be real” – Focus on creating an open sense of community and engagement:
“We don’t look at the platform as a sales channel,” says Guillaume Jesel, of cosmetic group MAC (2 million Facebook fans). Instead they are devoted to sharing content that furthers engagement and brand awareness.
- “Commitment” – The “mental obligation” is more critical that the financial one:
Social media is more about connecting and securing your community for the long term. Those looking to make a quick buck with social media should go elsewhere.
- “Empower those with an interest” – Those within your company with a genuine interest should help run your social media pages:
“Give their ideas and suggestions the credence and support they deserve as well as the freedom they need to provide top quality customer service, open communication and transparency.” Vaynerchuk suggests.
Thank You for reading.
Read more on how to succeed in the “Thank You Economy”: TopTenSocialMediaTips
Read more on the “Thank You Economy” by Gary Vaynerchuk: www.thankyoueconomybook.com
Posted by Imbraycd on 08 August 2011
Great post and great perspective on personalization and relationships in a global economy. In the age of social and mass media we sometimes forget that even if we don''t know someone well, a "thank you" isn''t as important. I just wrote about this topic
myself since I''ve been thinking a lot about gratitude and kindness recently and there seems to be a bad case of under-appreciation of appreciation going around!