Real Customer Connections using Social Media

Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on April 27, 2009 under Connecting Moments, Internet Connections, social media | Read the First Comment

“I just have a local business.  How can social media help me?  It looks like a big, confusing waste of time to me!”

Have you heard this?  Do you say this?  As a speaker of such topics as customer service and marketing for entrepreneurs, I often talk of the value of making the most of your online presence.  I’m surprised by how many business owners still resist the Internet for their business.  Some even lack a basic website. 

Ramon DeLeon owns several Domino Pizza locations in Chicagoland and has effectively used social media to reach out to his customers and the community at large.  I learned about Ramon thanks to Ben at Church of the Customer.  Ben shares how the Lincoln Park Dominos used a video apology to connect with a specific customer, and in the process also sends a message to the blogosphere that shows how connected and commited they are to their customer’s satisfaction.

Beth Harte shares even more details into Ramon (owner of multiple Dominos in Chicago) and his use of social media.

You may not see the need to be connected to the social network, but I guarantee you; your customer is!

You’ve heard it said that a dissastified customer tells seven or ten or fifteen people.  Those were the old days.  Thanks to social media a dissatisfied customer can spread the word to the WORLD that you missed the boat.  If you are actively involved on the web you can quickly respond to your customer and fix the situation. 

How do you get started?  The first place to start is monitoring the web for your company name.  Sign up for Google Alerts to see when you or your company is mentioned.  On Twitter, you can sign up for Monitter which will monitor Tweets to see when you or your company are mentioned.  Jump into the conversation with both hands and connect with your customers. 

How do you use social media to connect with your customers?