I made a Social Media boo boo. It's quite embarrassing really, I'm supposed to be the expert right? Well I'm also human (which is why I don't auto DM or tweet) and I can make mistakes too.
What happened is this: I was showing a client around LinkedIn, when I accidentally clicked the mouse whilst hovering over the send button. This resulted in me sending off endorsement requests to about 50 people, most of whom haven't even laid eyes on me!
I immediately posted a status apologising for sending the message and got a few messages asking why they should endorse me having never met me. I wrote back explaining and apologising. What happened next stunned me....
People who had never met me, had never used my services, probably didn't need my services, and probably hadn't even realised we were connected replied saying 'Yes, what would you like me to say? Can you post one back for me?'
I was pretty shocked, it would never occur to me to write a false testimonial for someone, and wouldn't ask them to write one for me.
How can you trust what these people say? That's why mediums such as Twitter, Facebook and now Google + are so important. Facebook gives your customers a platform to thank you in a visible way, so your customers can see. It allows you to engage with your customers, and ask their opinions as well as hear what they are saying. Google + can work in much the same way, as well as pushing up your SEO rankings at the same time. Twitter is fantastic for instant referrals, for building relationships with potential customers, as well as 'competitors'.
It's vital that we are all on these mediums, whatever business you are in. I keep hearing people trying to argue that Social Media doesn't apply to their business, but even if you don't think you can sell directly through Twitter or Facebook (and I have yet to find a business that can't), you can listen to what people are saying about your company, whether good or bad, and take action, thanking them, or rectifying the situation.
Because, after all, Social Media is all about listening. You can learn an awful lot if you just listen.
Thanks for listening to me!
What a good point, Adore. I was searching for embarrassing stories for an upcoming presentation and stumbled onto your post. I have received many of those blind requests, so thumbs up that you posted an apology on your status.
ReplyDeleteYou illustrate how easy it is to get reviews by asking, though. Too many times, businesses miss out on building a positive image because they don't ask for what they need... good reviews.