SERIES: Social Media Lessons for Brand Marketers

The power of social media lies in the fact that everyone can contribute, converse and connect over something they're passionate about. Whether it be a cause, product, brand or celebrity, there are devoted fans who relentlessly advocate and promote their passions. In the eyes of brand marketers, this represents untapped potential that can help raise brand loyalty and generate a devoted legion of fans. At the same time, it's also a risk that brand marketers must be willing to take, as stepping into social media is not a simple task.

There are many different ways brand marketers can use social media, and depending on their tools and approach, many can succeed. In this series of articles, I’ll explore some of the successful (and not so successful) cases and what brand marketers can learn from them. As an introduction to this series, we’ll have a look at Dell Computers, who has over the course of two years, netted $6.5million dollars in profit via social media.

As one of the largest technology corporations in the world, Dell also happens to be one of the most active in social media. Its Dell Community features a unique mixture of social media that ousts its rivals in both its breath and quality. For example, the community has a range of blogs that reflects its business segments and key channels; this includes blogs that specially discuss education and enterprise IT. The range of such blogs ensures that Dell brings news, information and discussion that cater specifically to target audiences, and with this definite structure of blogs, it also means that conversations can be easily managed. In the eyes of brand marketers, this makes managing a brand easier, since the blogs thus act as direct channels to key audiences.

In a similar fashion, Dell organizes its Twitter channel so that there is a clear structure to marketing and generating conversations surrounding their brand and products. In total, Dell has over 35 different Twitter accounts, each reflecting a different brand and marketing purpose. For some, the purpose is to act as a channel to market products, such as @Biz_Dell_AU, which talk to business owners and provides updates on sales and discounts. On the other hand, there are Twitter accounts which are more community-based, like @Dell_Insights which communicate latest news and information on the technology sector. To a brand marketer, these accounts demonstrate how Dell has intentionally broken down its branding strategy so each Twitter account reflects how Dell wishes to be perceived by certain audiences. In the Twitter channels targeted to small businesses, Dell is seen as the brand that provides the latest tips and news for business owners; whilst for those targeted to technology professionals, Dell is seen as a thought leader and filter of quality technology news and information.

Dell's 35 Twitter Accounts

When we see the bigger picture, it's clear that Dell’s use of social media reflects its size and resources. Naturally, not all companies will be able to manage numerous Twitter accounts and blogs. However, in this particular case, the important lesson for brand marketers is to understand the underlying strategic approaches to branding using social media. What it also demonstrates is that social media is overall, an extension of Dell's existing brand marketing strategies. It's incredible ROI, however illustrates how social media can help raise not only brand profile, but ultimately, company revenues.

How to Use Twitter for Customer Service

Using social media, virtually anyone can complain about a company, its service or products. What this means for companies is a need to swiftly manage customer complaints so they don't escalate and damage brand reputation. This is particularly applicable to Twitter, as its real time search functions means companies can now monitor customer complaints and respond to them quickly.

Many companies now maintain their own Twitter page in an effort to provide a new type of customer service. Instead of the traditional customer service model, where consumers had to approach and contact companies, companies are being increasingly proactive and actively seek opportunities to mitigate customer complaints. For example, US Telcom giant AT&T maintains a Twitter channel (@ATTCustomerCare) which has a dedicated customer care team who spend their days monitoring the AT&T brand and helping people with their issues. Their channel has over 4,000 followers and acts as an online customer care headquarters which addressees issues ranging from product information to faulty goods. This Twitter channel also centralises AT&T's online customer care, and directs individual customers (with their complaints) to the relevant departments' Twitter accounts. They do this by tagged departments with @replies.

From a consumer's perspective, Twitter helps eliminate some of the common frustrations that surround customer care, including having to call various departments and wait for the dreaded 'please hold the line'. That said, because Twitter is a real time channel, customers may also have higher expectations for customer service. Once customers tweet their complaint and companies' acknowledge it; customers expect a follow up or resolution within a timely manner. After all, the company has publicly acknowledged their complaint, which means consumers expect companies to step up their customer service.

However, before companies dive into using Twitter for customer care and support, it is important to remember that the key (like most social media) is to listen. Companies such as Big Pond and their customer service team (@BigPondTeam) spend most of their time listening to customers and proactively approach them. However, this includes responding when both complaints and compliments are made, as this shows customers they are heard and valued.

By doing real time searches, companies can see what is said about them and what sort of comments people are making. This helps nip the bud of any complains that may escalate. From a company's perspective, Twitter is useful for customer service not only because it's a preemptive system, but also because it facilitates innovation. The more attentive companies are to their consumers, the more they know about customer needs and thus find new opportunities to improve company service and products.

It is however, important to put Twitter in context to overall customer service. Although it's useful to understand how companies can use Twitter to respond to and 'nip the bud' of customer complaints, all customer service channels must be treated with equal consideration. Companies which focus their attention all on Twitter and social media may risk caring more about their brand and reputation than they are with true service.