Handle the Negative Buzz!

Most of the companies be it a small scale industry or a massively huge industry, all the companies are realizing the importance of increasing the visibility on the social networking sites. While many large retailers have developed significant marketing presence on Facebook, Twitter and other social sites as a way to increase the brand awareness, dissatisfied consumers are increasingly using them as forums to complain about these companies and their mishaps.

While many practices have been talked about for managing this type of buzz on social media sites, we can enlist six basic recommendations for dealing with such incidences gleaned from the social media and PR professionals, as well as the retailers who have experienced such active attacks frequently. They include:

Take Negative as a Positive:-

Yes. It may sound vague, but this is true. Look at the negative buzz as an opportunity to strengthen the bonds with the customers, improve customer services and also reaffirm the corporate principles. It is not that difficult to please the customers online. They believe what they see, so make sure what you show them is what they get.

Foster relationships with Customer Advocates:-

It is very important to build proper relationships with the customer advocates who can and shall support brand when they are under attack.

Be a Good Listener:-

Always keep in mind that the consumer is the prime important person for the company. Listen to what the customers are saying, not just on social networks and Twitter, but also on ratings, reviews sites and on blogs. These reviews are really important and tell you where the company stands in reality.

Look for Alternative Solutions:-

For resolving consumer complaints, consider alternative solutions such as taking them private via e- mail or phone, which helps in giving your full attention to the consumers. Also, consider creating a new website or portal to deal with any particular issue.

Respond Quickly:-

Consumers are very sensitive when it comes to the response. They want acknowledgement that their concerns and problems have been heard and are being taken seriously. Taking care of thet will give them assurance and will make them understanding that it takes time to come up with an amicable solution.

Plan Responses:-

For different types of negative buzz scenarios, it is important to plan what response is to be given in what situations. Conduct proper ‘Fire Drills’ on how to manage and handle the negative buzz to avoid panic should mass customer criticism tends to occur.

ORKUT…The Popularity Check!

When the ever so popular Google launched its own social networking site ‘Orkut’ in 2004, it got a lukewarm response in the beginning.  Initially it was only popular with IT professionals but thanks to the youth of our nation, it became a youth icon (literally, in reference with the MTV Youth Icon Awards). Now if you don’t know what Orkut is or what it is about, then you need to do some serious homework. Orkut became the new trend, the new fashion and the new need. Yes…you got me right- need! It had actually become impossible to survive without it.

The trend had actually become that if you came across someone you are meeting up for the first time and you wished to stay in touch with that person then instead of exchanging phone numbers or e-mail ids, you straight away asked- “Hey, you there on Orkut?”. Such is its reach. No doubt, that in no time, Orkut became the 2nd most popular website in India and the most popular website in Brazil!
Why it became so popular…

Its users liked it for its simplicity and more than anything else, its novelty! Orkut can be given the credit for acting as the pioneer in India as far as the entire concept of social networking is concerned.

Moreover, since it was owned by the ever so popular Google itself, then the fact that its sister website also became popular does not come to anyone of us as a surprise.

Orkut also had the advantage of people not knowing about its competitors such as MySpace or Facebook. People knew only about Orkut and Google made sure that it did everything to popularise it even more (like by giving a link to Orkut from each of its web search results page etc.)

Is the charm fading out…

The charm of Orkut, as they say, is surely fading out. And there are a number of reasons responsible for it.  First of all, and thankfully people got aware of the other options to choose from. Facebook is undoubtedly catching up and even MySpace has also started to make its presence felt. Even the Indian social networking websites like BiggAdda and ibibo etc. are gaining momentum. They are likely to do much better if at all they pay a bit more attention to their advertising campaign. That’s a different issue however.

Next, the spam! This issue has really led to the defaming of Orkut. Fake profiles, fake ids, fake communities, and receiving bulk spam messages- all this and more such things have led to users gradually shifting from Orkut to other similar sites. The security and safety of the user account and his/her personal information is also a big question that Orkut has not been able to answer time and again.

It can also be noticed that since the time Orkut.com changed to Orkut.co.in, its popularity has actually gone down.

I hope that Orkut’s this popularity check has helped you, at least a bit, in your opinion about the same. If you are still on Orkut, then Happy Orkutting else congratulations on your wise decision!

MySpace Marketing Riches

Social network marketing is undoubtedly becoming ‘the’ hot topic in Web Marketing. Lately, the Internet has proven to be a very powerful medium and because of its numerous advantages such as its speed, accessibility and the fact that it is simple to use…the internet has started to be used more than just a tool of information dissemination and a mode of entertainment. Today, the internet is synonymous with business!

And here steps in one of the most recent forms of Web Marketing- the social network marketing. Though the makers of these social networking websites, to name a few, Orkut MySpace, Hi5 etc. had developed such sites for the sole purpose of connecting with people and staying in touch with them; but I guess, the masterminds of business had already thought of drawing out more use out of them. Marketing.

The ‘Popularity’ Question

However, even marketing requires intelligence. And thus, a businessman has to be very selective as to which social networking website he is opting for in order to gain the maximum benefit. And when such a decision has to be made, the ‘popularity’ of the website is the most important aspect that has to be taken into account. MySpace definitely wins hands down in this regard.

MySpace all the way

In order to do effective marketing, MySpace proves to be one of the most favorite options. And that is because it is considered to have a pool of more than 100 million members! So, marketing through MySpace can reap you brilliant results because at least some part of this 100 million member pool will eventually be discovered as your prospective customers. The bottom line remains that more the number of people on a social network, the better are your chances of hooking up more customers!

Not only popularity, but the features and the services offered by MySpace to its users also act as an advantage for a person who is looking at MySpace as a business opportunity. Let us here take a look at some of those factors that make My Space the best bet in regard to Social marketing.

Magnifying your business exposure is much easier because the number of members on MySpace is huge. Thus, the probability of getting more customers only increases.

The amount of information that you wish to give through MySpace is unlimited. This is because MySpace does not limit the number of photos, videos or information that you wish to upload.

The features of sending out large scale bulletins or individual private messages (suit your need) makes it really easy for you to send information or the updates across to your customers.

The existence of a number of forums, groups or communities, each catering to a specific interest, helps you to locate your target audience much more easily. It is also believed that navigating through MySpace profiles is much easier than its competitors.

All in all, if you plan to do marketing through a social network, then go for MySpace. You might just end up becoming rich!

Social Networking….Eroding Social Skills And Values?

Social networking is as important to the present generation as reading the morning newspaper. It is a habit for some and addiction for others. You might say that you are not into it, but you can’t deny the fact that it is in you. May be you are not an active member of this vicious circle (or non-vicious for some), but you are its passive observer for sure. Now, since almost everyone is involved in some way in this business of social networking, then the differences of opinions on the same are bound to happen.

Where, on one hand, social networking has a number of positives about it to boast about such as allowing you to meet new people, getting in touch with the old ones…and we all know what I am talking about…so I guess, I don’t need to go there again; but some people also raise questions about social networking eroding social skills and values of the people. How much of this kind of a question is valid is something that we all are seeking an answer to. But who is to decide that? The population in favour of using social networking sites and the number of people voting against it are almost evenly divided. Thus, the dilemma only increases.

However, almost everyone knows the benefits of social networking, so I thought why not use this space just to discuss the ‘social’ factor of social networking. However, by saying this I do not mean that I am talking only negative about this aspect. But, it’s best if we proceed from bad to good.

Because it’s so easy to stay in touch with people using such websites (which is a plus point!), have we started to feel that there is actually no need of face to face meetings now! Has wishing each other on festival times just confined to shooting a scrap or a message to your friends and relatives? Are we forgetting how we should be acting while we are in public because we almost never do that these days and that’s because we don’t get time from sitting on the computer 24×7?

If one section of the people agree to the things said above, then the people wishing to defend it are also ready with their arguments. Because we are spending so much time talking to all kinds of people through these sites, then aren’t we learning social skills? If we are learning to communicate virtually, then aren’t we actually getting ready to communicate with the real world?

Whether social networking is harming the society as a whole or if its harming the social life of an individual…this can’t really be decided despite critically evaluating both sides of the same coin. I guess, it ultimately remains a personal choice and to balance things out remains to be the best viable option. Both, virtual communication and face to face communication have their own charm. It’s not that one can’t survive without the other but it’s just that we can’t survive without the either of them.