Our Blog: where do you stand?

Companies Can't Abandon Social Media's Front Lines

By: Ashlyn Brewer | 12/12/2011

If companies weren't scared of social media before, they'd definitely be shaking in their boots after reading this recent Forbes article on the Alec Baldwin/American Airlines scuffle -- "Companies Can't Win the Twitter Wars."

The article portrays Twitter as the Wild West of consumer opinions, where the public will almost always to sympathize with the funny consumer "victim" - and the company will always be demonized.

Reading through the article, it's no wonder many brands are scared of social media. However, the answer for companies isn't abandoning social media tools like Twitter, it's improving how they use them.

A few things to remember:

1.  Social media isn't a war, but social networks can be the front-line of your company's conversations with key stakeholders. These networks provide a rare chance for two-way conversations.
2. The complaining is going to happen with or without you. Companies who opt-out of social media don't get a pass from being discussed there. Being aware of the conversation online and having active networks gives you the opportunity to respond in the same forum that the complaint was lodged, just like American Airlines did in the Alec Baldwin case.
3. Social media might force you to change your game - but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Clearly, in the Baldwin/American Airlines situation the company didn't need to re-think their business. They were simply following regulations. However, most bouts of social media complaining could be seen as pithy and helpful 140 character customer feedback cards. For instance, although Netflix still suffered for its price increases, social media reactions at least kept them from proceeding with that Qwikster disaster.
4. Social media and search combining forces has positive implications for companies, not just negative ones. The Forbes article's author points out that the growing link between social content and search could hurt brands as negative content floats up in the rankings through multiple "likes" and "+1s."  However, if they do it right, companies will actually benefit from greater ties between search and social media. Because ultimately my friends' opinions of American Airlines will impact me more than Baldwin's the next time I'm searching Google for airlines.

Moral of the story? Every communications discipline is a risk. You can't ensure your media coverage will always be favorable. You can't ensure your employee communications will always be positively received. But these risks create real, tangible opportunities that make them worth it.

Yes, social media also has risk. But if you have solid research and strategy, it can benefit your organization, even if you have to take a few dings now and then.

Posted in Digital Communications