So, imagine this. Someone comes up to you in church, at your Kiwanis Club or at the annual stockholders’ meeting. Right there, in front of God and everyone, they say something really nice about you and your company. Then, without even acknowledging them, you turn your back and walk away. Would never happen, right? Wrong. And you’re probably doing it all the time.
Yes, you are likely snubbing your very best customers, your devoted followers and your raving fans. Or, if you’ve given over these duties to a “social media expert,” then they are doing it in your name. Don’t believe me? Keep reading.
Somewhere north of 90% of almost all new Twitter accounts have unaccountably been sold on the idea that “social” media is simply a private megaphone.
They’ve been told, no matter whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, that they can simply blather away and not worry about what is being said about them, to them or in response to them.
Yeah, you’re starting to get it, aren’t you?
It’s Just Human Nature
Many of us seem to think that there are no rules when it comes to social media. Not even the rules of common etiquette and human nature.
Let’s consider another scenario. The teacher asks her class, “Where did you go for your summer vacation?” When Bonnie, Sally, Jeff and Larry raise their hands and give their answers (Bonnie went to market, Sally stayed home, Jeff had roast beef and Larry went wee-wee-wee all the way home), how many teachers would not say “Thank You” to them right in front of the class? None. Zero. Nada.
But, it’s happening all the time on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. You are likely snubbing, ignoring and alienating the very best of your customers and fans simply BECAUSE you’ve been sold on the idea that the most common human emotions are not in play on those sites.
Let’s Not Pick on Audible.com
Case in point.
Sheryl and I love the Internet audiobook company Audible.com. We’ve been members for about 10 years now and have downloaded well over 400 audio books (most of which we’ve already listened to). We are such raving fans that we even took a pilgrimage to their headquarters in Wayne, New Jersey a few years back.
And, of course, we follow them on Twitter.
So, when Audible recently asked, “What are you listening to?” I couldn’t wait to Tweet my answer to them, just like Bonnie, Sally, Jeff and Larry couldn’t wait to answer their teacher’s question. I wanted the world (and Audible) to know that I was listening to Rosanne Cash’s newest book, “Composed” – and that I liked it a lot.
So did Amy Tucker, Chris Stewart, Lance Agena and Gordon White – pointing to the books they liked – “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” “Life as We Knew It,” “The Blessing of a Skinned Knee” and Cavett’s “Talk Show.”
How did Audible thank those who responded to their Twitter question? With silence. Which, when you think about it, is weird for a company with that name.
We picked Audible as an example for this article because we like them so much and we think they will value the input. But, if Audible is asking that question in a parenthetical way, they don’t understand Twitter. If they are collating the results for some reason, but not even acknowledging those who participate, they’ll soon have no one writing back to them.
And, if they are posting mostly self-promotional messages, well, it didn’t take @TantorAudio or @macmillanaudio more than three shakes of a donkey’s tail to join in the conversation and start romancing me on Twitter. Yes, it’s true, it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside to know that Tantor and Macmillan cared.
Rosie Write Back, Rosie Write Back
It doesn’t matter whether you are a rock singer, a florist or an audio book company. Human nature remains the same.
My devotion to a few of my favorite singers and songwriters is now fading, while my respect for Rosanne Cash keeps growing, in part because “Oh my gosh, Rosanne Cash wrote back to me on Twitter!!! Squeal!”
If you think I’m kidding, you’ve left behind everything you ever learned about the human heart while you’ve been busy posting automatic megaphone messages on Twitter.
A good test of any Twitter account is to see how often they write back to their fans and followers. Some never do. Others, like Ms. Cash, regularly thank, answer, help and laugh with their fans.
You see, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are not a sales media. They are not advertising media. They are places where you have the opportunity to make your current customers, fans and readers feel good, make them feel important and make them feel accepted.
And, when you think about it, we’ve always known that your own raving fans will find you more new customers than you ever will find with any strategy under the sun – or in the cloud(s).
The folks who have figured this out are getting the most out of Twitter.
The folks who haven’t figured this out are left asking their so-called “social media experts” who sold them on selling and megaphoning in the first place, “How come no one is buying my stuff?”
If a Mouse Wants to Buy Your Gift Certificate….
Over the past few weeks I’ve been ignored by both the mighty and the meek when I’ve sent them Twitter “@ messages” and “DM messages.”
So, here’s the takeaway for those of you who’ve been multi-tasking and not paying close attention:
The first thing you should do each time you visit Twitter is to check both your “@ messages” and your “DM messages.” After all:
- I want to buy a gift certificate from your golf course and I have cash in hand.
- I wrote great things about your latest concert on your own Facebook page.
- I subscribe to your magazine and I said extremely nice things about you on Twitter.
I’m your customer, your devoted fan and your reader. I’m your next webinar attendee, your subscriber and even, perhaps, your next friend.
And you? You are turning your back on me, and that’s certainly a questionable social strategy.
If you think everyone else is doing what you’re doing, think again. While I was being ignored by you, @rosannecash, @KeithOlbermann, @sree, @pkedrosky and, yes, even @TantorAudio or @macmillanaudio wrote back to me, as they do to scores of their other fans and followers. And, you don’t think these folks are busy?!!
Time to re-think your Twitter strategy. That way, the next time you’re in church, Kiwanis Club or an annual stockholders’ meeting you won’t turn your back and walk away.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent points and ones I whole-heartedly agree with. As an avid Twitter user, I respond positively to those who simply…respond!
Hello Jen,
You are such a good sport. Jen was perhaps my most responsive Twitterer and is the one that led me to Macmillan and Tantor Audio. She’s left a comment even though I didn’t get her in the screen shot – and in the article. Thanks, Jen. You have distilled down what took me way too many words to say. Your “simply respond” reminds me of E.M. Forster’s “only connect.”
Michael: Excellent points as usual. This is a great insight into the uses (and abuses) of Twitter and other social media. I still get a kick from good old-fashioned comments to my blog and usually respond to a person with a private email mssg.
My one concern with Twitter is that a general reply can be seen by the whole world, yet to DM them we both have to be following each other.
Ian
Hello Ian,
Thanks for the note. You make a great point and it’s one that I think sometimes keeps people from commenting on blogs (and, I suppose, on Twitter, too). I think of Twitter as a way to recognize and thank other people in public. There is an old management saying, “Reprimand in private; praise in public.” I’ve always loved that saying. That also goes along with Chris Brogan’s 12-1 ratio. Write 12 things about other people for every 1 thing about yourself. It’s hard for me to think of where thanking or recognizing someone in front of the whole world could be bad. But, I see your point for more complicated matters.
Thanks for the shout-out. We love engaging with our followers and listeners. Of course it can sometimes be hard to get to everyone, but we think it’s important to at least try. That’s the point of being on social media in the first place.
You made me laugh, Samantha (who is from Macmillan audio, for those of you who haven’t yet clicked on her link),
That is the point, after all, isn’t it. Smile.
I’ve just started listening to a Macmillan audio called “Travels in Siberia” by Ian Frazier – and it’s starting out very promising. I need to go out running now so I can listen.
Great points, Michael. Social media sites like Twitter level the playing field. At least for now, every account must play by the same rules. Businesses need to remember they’re the ones who followed the us, the customers, to this space and that they are not the only ones with a voice. That means they need to listen and learn to respond. (I love Audible, but come on folks, even Dell is warmer than you on Twitter.)
Anyone on any social media site needs to remember one rule: Be a good human.
You guys are just hilarious. Thanks so much, Lance.
Oh, that Dell comment really hurts. It’s amazing that companies, entrepreneurs, entertainers and writers don’t realize this. I have a theory. Short form – most of the people on here are really being swayed by technology “gurus”, or they are farming out the duties to other people, and they are not paying any attention to what they are doing. It’s just a theory.
Hi Michael,
Thanks so much for including us in your story. Like the tweets from us that you quoted above, we really do enjoy getting to talk with our customers! Twitter has allowed us to connect with customers and audiobook fans, and it’s an environment that makes our followers feel important. We’re happy to be able to respond to them in almost-real time.
Hi Jen,
You guys are the real deal on Twitter. During that Twitter back-and-forth you guys said you’d been following the whole discussion. And, when I said I’d lurk – you said, “lurk away.” Refreshing, indeed.
What a clear and insightful statement. When you do this right it “makes our followers feel important.” What could be better? Thanks for the comment.
As usual, Michael, you’re just so damn logical with this latest blog post. As one who was raised in Nebraska, and who attended Catholic school, (YIKES!) I was eager to pursue a rebellious, antisocial existence after I departed from the Cornhusker state and I started my new job on Wall Street . My lofty goals were easily met. I found many of the people there to be pre-Twitter social scum. The only verbal interaction I could acquire there was from cab drivers who would smile and ask me if I REALLY wanted change back for my $50. But then I moved to Colorado, and the revival of polite interaction once again won my heart. Like most of us, I do business with people I like. With a little congenial interaction I would be a prime target for conspicuous consumption with my Twitter friends; but I guess I don’t have any New York cabbies following my tweets.
Hi Jeff,
I used to be a cabbie so I resemble that!
You are right about the different styles. Thank goodness I haven’t run into too many New York types on Twitter, just folks who ignore everyone else but their own belly button. One way or another, we’re going to drag you into this social media stuff and then you can run into the current Twitter social scum. Not hard to find! As always, thanks!
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