Audience expectations in social and the parameters in which we measure ourselves change constantly. First it was not responding enough, then not responding to a high enough percentage of your audience, and then not responding quick enough.
You know social changes quickly when you come across an article from just two years ago that seriously discussed the idea that you can respond or interject ‘too quickly’ as a brand in social. Back then maybe the idea of social was nascent enough that certain segments of the audience would find it intrusive or Big Brother-ish for a brand to listen to what was being said.
Not in 2013.
Today, social is the first port of call for many people. During moments of crisis, the phone is quickly abandoned for the tweet, where recourse is on the record and, with transparency on both sides, many times quicker as the brand strives to make good under a very public lens.
Social media is the news breaker and the information relay for today. In times of crisis or criticism, it’s also the reason that organizations are now publically on the hook to deliver timely resolution. Twitter and Facebook keep problems – and their resolutions – public and honest.
Yet customer care and outreach isn’t limited to merely responding to a direct @mention. By not taking into account those beyond your business’ immediate connections and sphere of influence, you are moving forward as a brand with blinders on. Two years ago, tread lightly was the byword for interjecting into conversations that didn’t directly address you, the organization. Today, there should be no such caveat. The only hesitancy should be ensuring you are tactically smart with each touchpoint. The expectations and acceptance of response, listening and outreach have reached critical mass; there is no stigma to brand interjection, and more often than not well-timed and witty asides are celebrated.
Being tactically smart when it comes to unsolicited interjection is the new fail-safe. In the simplest of terms it’s not spamming those who are in conversations around you. It’s the human touch of providing value that you can’t foresee, and the audience around you doesn’t expect. It’s the single best argument against automation of social.
It’s also one key method to extend your reach beyond your immediate sphere of influence. Every time you successfully reach out is one instance of brand awareness, of creating an entry point to a very long funnel that could lead to an eventual conversion or aspiration. Social is not sales; social is the exchange of information and ideas that one day may lead to sales. Every interaction becomes social customer care, existing customer or not, because every single participant on an open, public, social network is outreaching with each message, whether they realize that or not.