Dear Santa

I have been a very, very good girl this year. No, wait. I have been an exceptional girl this year. It’s been a long, hard year for most and to top it all off, I work in social media. I’m a social media manager, Santa.

That means I’m paid to talk to people on behalf of brands. That’s hard work. I have smiled when most would have cried, I have sat quietly when I wanted to run screaming from the boardroom and I have spent hours behind my computer being ‘engaging’ when it was hot and sunny outside.

I’ve learned a lot this year, about things I like and things I don’t like so much. That’s why I’m writing to you. Last year, I asked for a GHD flat iron. This year I want to ask for something completely different. I want to ask you NOT to bring me the following:

• A brief for 30 engaging, interesting and shareable wall posts on teeth whitening.
• A client whose revert is simply: “Can you make it more engaging?”
• A client brief that includes: “Can you come up with a concept that will go viral?”
• Clients who take my beautifully crafted wall post and add their own, long (un-proofread) copy to it.
• Clients who don’t grasp the urgency of responding to escalated social media queries.
• Clients who forget that we’ve created a perfect social media voice/tone for their brand – and who write their own posts using txt spk.
• Clients who forget that the content strategy you painstakingly prepared for them actually contains guidelines for the thing they just cocked up.
• Trolls.
• Customers who overreact.
• Clients who think a great competition prize is an iPad.

No socks, no soaps, no stationery. No iPhone covers, percolators, books, fruit dainties or pedicure kits – I don’t want any of that stuff either.

But if you could manage to stack a few of these in your sleigh, I’d be most appreciative:

• Fabulous reactions to the social media content I generate. (Remember that Facebook post that got over 300 comments in half an hour? More of those, please.)
• More lovely commenters – there have been such funny and clever responses this year.
• Clients who really get how valuable it is for their brand to tell the truth – and who realise that they can get so much out of interacting with their customers rather than just broadcasting to them.
• Clients with big social media budgets.
• ‘Penny drop’ moments. I love the look on clients’ faces when they realise that the things that annoy them personally on Facebook are things that their brand should avoid doing too.
• Happy clients who are thrilled when we reach their objectives way before they expected it.
• More insights into human culture and behaviour. I’m learning so much about people from the way they interact with brands on social media.
• More compliments from customers on brand pages/Twitter. It’s lovely when we hear from people who honestly appreciate the brand and take the time to share good feedback on social media.
• Clients who will give me leeway to do something a little more fun, different and unexpected.
• Clients who value my strategic input on social media so much that they start involving me in other areas of their brands.
• Inspiration, so I can actually write 30 engaging, interesting and fun wall posts about teeth whitening.

I know I’m asking a lot, but I figured you’re used to greedy girls. After all, that woman used to ask you to bring her the deed to a platinum mine and decorations for her Christmas tree from Tiffany, of all places. In light of her wild requests, I think a couple of good briefs and some mildly mannered fans isn’t such a big ask.

Hugs

xx

But when a brand that usually does a stellar job online makes a mistake, should we not retain some perspective and cut them a little slack? (And let’s reserve the word ‘disaster’ for tsunamis and earthquakes, shall we?)

Much as they (and customers) would like to think they are, social media managers are usually not in complete control of their little online empires. Often, it’s when a social media strategy has been signed off and the channels are launched that the social media managers’ battles begin.

In the last year, the Mints have developed at least 15 social media and/or Facebook strategies for high profile brands. And sound as these strategies are, internal battles can prevent them from being implemented properly.

What they’re up against

Even the best social media managers are often at the mercy of brand / product / marketing / other senior managers and directors. People who have their own agendas and want their material featured regardless of the editorial calendar and social media guidelines. Who think they know better – but who are removed from their customers.

Just as frustrating are the people who promise to supply content or answers, but don’t. One of the most useful skills a social media manager can have is the ability to pull rabbits out of very empty hats.

To add to their joy, social media managers are often working their bits off trying to field abuse and compensate for ops, management and customer service shortcomings in other parts of the organisation. It’s a pretty thankless task. And unfortunately, those who do a good job simply find themselves overloaded with even more queries to resolve. Customers are quick to complain and will swarm to a channel that finally gets them results.

Cut them some slack

Woolworths’ customers hauled the brand over the coals on Facebook recently for using images of very, very thin models in a campaign. While some people were not satisfied with the company’s response, the brand did address customer concerns quickly, repeatedly and professionally:
 
Chances are that Woolies’ social media managers’ hands were tied over the ‘skinny models’ campaign. Knowing how customer complaints are usually handled on the Woolworths Facebook page, their response above is a little colder and more corporate than usual. I’d not be surprised if the social media managers were advising the product manager to pull the material immediately – but were meeting resistance. (This is all pure speculation – my company is in no way involved with Woolworths’ online marketing.)

We’ll likely never know what the situation was. But I’m pretty sure that the Woolworths social media team had a really bad week and were handling it as best they could. Some customers realised this:

So social media’s not all glamorous, then?

No, it’s not glamorous, and often it’s not much fun either. Social media managers spend a lot of time handling complaints and fielding abuse – often after hours (Facebook page moderation at 4.30pm on New Year’s Eve, anyone?). But this is part of the territory of putting your brand out there and it’s important for brands to know what they’re in for.

Unsurprisingly, clients need to be better educated about social media. Not just their social media teams, but everyone who will be contributing content, and those up the chain who make overriding decisions. Their agencies and consultants must make them aware  of the pros, cons, dangers and opportunities of being so in touch with their customers. Be clear on what resources are needed to do a proper job (budget, training and headcount). Communicate what could happen if the brand drops the ball and how important the brand’s ‘character’ is in bad times. Make sure there’s a solid content strategy and moderation policy in place – which includes crisis management.

Then, because managing a Facebook page or Twitter account well takes sensitivity and finesse, if your social media managers are doing a great job, give them more respect. They are the ones who are actively engaging with the audience on a daily basis – so listen to their advice. Trust their expertise.
_______

What are your thoughts? Should we adopt a zero tolerance approach for social media faux pas, regardless of a brand track record online? Or should we acknowledge that these things often get blown out of proportion? Do weight in with your feedback in the comments below.

By Jo Duxbury 

Have you ever tasted a chocolate cake made from an Ina Paarman bake mix? Perhaps one has even saved the day for you. They’re pretty good – and they’re idiot-proof. So they should be, because it took 121 iterations of that cake mix for Ina and her team to be completely satisfied that they’d found the perfect recipe.

Persistence in pursuit of excellent quality is a trademark of Ina’s business. She advocates ‘constructive discontent’: keep refining until you get it right. In the 20+ years that have seen her garage-based cooking classes evolve into a wildly successful foods business, Ina’s focus on quality and care has served her well.

Speaking at a session for women in ICT at the Bandwidth Barn in Cape Town recently, Ina shared some insightful yet completely common-sense business philosophies:

• When choosing a business partner, find someone whose skills complement yours. If you’re too alike, you’ll just compete with each other. Rather, find a partner who meets a need that you can’t provide for yourself.

• Similarly, have a good mix of skills and personalities in your leadership team. This will keep everyone on their toes, ensure that nothing is overlooked, and will create a more dynamic and interesting environment.

• Spot and seize opportunities. The best way of doing this is to listen to your customers – which so few companies do. Listen and respond – have an outside-in approach. And listen to what customers are not saying, as well as what they are. True insights can be gleaned from reading between the lines.

• Be financially disciplined. Understand the difference between what your company (and staff) needs, and what it wants. Invest in the former; be prudent about the latter. You never know when tough times might be ahead, so make sure you have a financial cushion to see you through them.

• Success takes persistence, passion and a lot of hard work. Ina says she spends a few hours working on Sunday afternoons so that she can ‘have a slight feeling of control for a few hours on a Monday morning!’. Amazingly, she also answers many of the questions on her Facebook page herself – a strong indication of how important she believes it is to listen to and engage with her customers.

It’s a cliché to say how inspiring it is to meet someone, but in this case, it’s very true. As well as being a highly accomplished businessperson, Mrs Paarman is warm, authentic, funny and wise – a wonderful role model for South African entrepreneurs.

Article by Emily Shaw

Shiny, happy people

There’s rather a pithy saying going round at the moment, ‘you’re never as ugly as your passport photo or as good looking as your profile picture.’ It’s funny because it’s true. Most profile pictures are chosen very carefully. They’re the most flattering, they don’t ‘try too hard’, they show us looking relaxed, healthy, wealthy and most importantly, happy.

If you think about it, a lot of the content people generate (and consume) on social media is staged to some extent. Think about status updates. While you do get a couple of friends who seem not to have got the social dynamic of what is acceptable and what isn’t, the majority of people post carefully. If they’re normally pleasant, they’re saccharine in their updates, the foulest mouthed in reality will asterisk out cuss words and if someone is quite excited about going to a concert, they’ll tell you where they’re sitting, with whom and how much the tickets cost. In upper case.

They’re faking a bit, aren’t they? And in turn, so are you and so am I when we say the show was ‘enjoyable’ when it was boring, the party ‘awesome’ when it was passable and when we upload photos that hide our double chins. Yet no one ever calls people on their fakery on social media.

The truth hurts

Imagine if you were following the conversation thread on Facebook between two women. Let’s call them Anna and Bella.

Anna has posted a picture of herself in her new jeans. She captions it:

‘Nothing beats a pair of Guess jeans.’

Now imagine if Bella came along and posted beneath it:

‘Anna! Those aren’t Guess! We bought them yesterday at that factory store, remember? 505 off!

No one would do that, even if they thought it. Because among us social media dwellers, there is a common understanding that, as humans, we are flawed. We allow each other our idiosyncrasies, our small triumphs (however false). In doing so, it has bred a generally happy and positive atmosphere on social media.

Enter the brands

Unlike how humans on Facebook forgive other humans for their fakery, they will not forgive companies for cover ups. To have the privilege of speaking to people on a very direct, informal level, brands need to up the integrity stakes. If ever it were important for a brand to be ‘human’ it is now and it is in this space.

If your old friend Jennifer from school tweets about her ‘blissful weekend’ while you know for a fact her marriage is on the rocks, it isn’t seen as untrue. People can pretend everything is fine when it might not be, but brands simply cannot.

Had a fight with a friend? It might sting for a few weeks but if it’s a friendship worth saving you’ll forgive and forget. Find a roach in your favourite burger from the brand you’ve been patronising for years? You’ll probably never go back.

As soon as there is obligation, there is very little mercy. As consumers we are always bemoaning our fate as the victim of giant brands and of being dictated to by the media and celebrities. But what if we looked at the rest of the world with our social media attitudes?

Kim Kardashian was married for 72 days. When she announced her divorce, she asked that the public give her and her family space to come to terms with the emotional upheaval. The public and paparazzi ignored her and continue to hound her and speculate about her misfortune – most often derisively. And the reason they and we do it could simply be because she SOLD us her wedding. The E! Entertainment special was sold for millions of dollars and Kardashian was paid to be a bride by various other suppliers. If we had bought into the brand by watching the show and buying the magazines with her pictures in them, we feel slighted by the divorce. We demand to know. It’s our right. Because just like Nestle couldn’t cover up the orang-utan debacle, the Kim Kardashian brand can’t pretend it’s ok either.

The moral of the story is, if you’re a brand in this space, be honest and open and ready to admit your mistakes. Don’t ignore us and don’t cover up. Your refreshing openness will be received gladly and you may even start working towards the holy grail of branding on social media: that of making friends of your fans and followers.

UPDATE: Emily beat Trendwatching.com to the post – they’ve just identified being ‘flawsome‘ as a trend for brands in 2012.

By Louis Nel 

The lava lamp shines blue against the short arms of T-rex. What a lovely card. I was spoiled on my birthday. My mouse pad bears the proud Facebook moniker and my office looks out onto a fountain where birds come for their daily bath and I sometimes sit and eat spaghetti bolognaise. Life’s good.

That’s called free writing. The very first lesson learned at Tiffany Markman’s Cape Town Copywriting Course on 16 November 2011. It’s an exercise designed to clear your mind and beat writer’s block. The aim is to write for 3 minutes. About anything. It doesn’t matter. Just write. I had to cut my piece short, as it would have filled an entire page. Three minutes is longer than you think.

This was just the first of many handy tips and lessons learned on that day. Tiffany is a prolific copywriter, editor, proof-reader and writing skills trainer. She is also a five-times published author. And she’s got fantastic one-liners.

Here are just a few valuable lessons I learned at her workshop:

Know your reader

Most of us are bombarded with about 3,500 commercial messages a day. Therefore it’s important to make yours stick out like a sore thumb. Apply the ‘What’s in it for me?’ rule when writing marketing or advertising copy. Know exactly who your reader is and what will appeal to him/her the strongest. Readers are always on the lookout for relevance. Words like ‘I’ and ‘we’ will immediately turn your readers’ eyes away. Focus on them with words like ‘you’.

Keep it short and tight like a mini skirt – a Tiffanyism

Write clearly. Don’t use jargon or scientific phrases. It’s boring! Cut out all the unnecessary words – more often than not these are adjectives. It’s much easier to write a long piece of copy than it is to carefully choose a few words that are the right ones. Less is more, but most importantly, don’t write something that you’d feel stupid saying.

POWER

Preparation is key when it comes to effective copywriting. Ask yourself questions like: What is the actual product or service I’m selling? What will it do for the customer? What are the most important features and benefits? Can I include testimonials from satisfied customers?

Organise. Put together all the information gathered from your prep work and write down short essential points.

Write your copy. And when it comes to headlines, remember these no-nos: Long words. Headlines that are more than 7 words. Commas and semi-colons. Inconsistent case.

Edit your work with the mindset of an evil dictator. Show no mercy. Every word must add value to the entire message. If it doesn’t, give it the chop.

Review when the iron is cold. Read your copy after you’ve left it for a few hours – preferably days. You’ll be detached from your work and more objective.

There is so much more to learn about effective copywriting. I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface. So many different variations are out there too – web copywriting, print copywriting, etc. What this workshop has given me is a solid base from which to explore and become better at writing. Check out Tiffany Markman’s website for more information, tips and courses. I highly recommend it.

Article by Jo Duxbury

What was interesting was the lack of basic ‘how Twitter works’ knowledge amongst both the client and their creative agency.

There are lots of Twitter-for-beginners articles out there so we’re not going to churn out another one here. But the section of our strategy that was best received was the part about followers and who to follow.

__________

A quick Twitter 101 in case you’re a newbie to the platform:

Twitter’s a social medium that lets you post updates for all the world to see. (You can also protect your tweets if you don’t want them to be public, but few people do this.) People subscribe to your updates (these are your followers) and you can subscribe to other peoples’ (you become one of their followers). On all public Twitter accounts, anyone can see who you are following, and who follows you. How people – and brands – use Twitter varies tremendously, from Tweeting what’s for lunch and sharing content to product news and customer service updates. We work with brands who want to use Twitter to supplement their marketing – to build awareness, interact with (and learn from) customers, and promote their products.

__________

So back to the follow / following topic…

The brand we are working with is about to launch their Twitter account for the first time. Part of doing this is designing a pretty background, writing a snappy bio, and – of course – generating good content that people will want to share (retweet). But this is not a case of ‘build it and they will come’. Brands need to build up an audience, and there are a few ways we recommend they do this:

1.       Find people to follow.

Why? Because these people are a great source of information and content for you to retweet and share. If you follow people that represent your target market (so no, you shouldn’t just be following celebs, other brands and journalists), you can get some great insights by asking them questions or, more likely, just observing what they talk about.

Next time you run a competition on your Facebook page, website or other platform, include a ‘Twitter handle’ field in your entry form – and then go follow them. They’ve already interacted with your brand.

Time your following well. When you first follow someone on Twitter, it’s likely that they’ll get a notification about it. Many people will then go and check out your profile, and then decide whether to follow you back or not (see next section for more on follow-backs). So it’s vital that you have interesting content in your Twitter stream.

If you are setting up your Twitter account for the first time, do NOT follow influential journalists and bloggers until you have some substance in your stream. You want to capitalise on that initial highly-likely-to-check-you-out-and-follow-you moment.

2.       Follow (some of) your followers back.

Do you have a follow-back policy? Some Twitter users automatically follow you back if you follow them. I screeched with excitement when I got a notification telling me that Stephen Fry was following me on Twitter – until I checked his profile and saw I was one of several hundred thousand (sob).

Auto-follow-backs are a little dangerous: do you really want to follow LA porn stars or Russian mail-order brides? (Who am I to judge?!) Remember that whoever you follow can send you a direct message (DM) – and Twitter users are more likely to click a dodgy (read: virus-ridden) link in a DM. Make sure you know the sender.

We advise clients to spend a little time running through their new followers list and manually following the legit ones back. It’s hard enough to keep an eye on your Twitter stream without having to filter out spam too. There’s absolutely no obligation to follow someone because they’ve followed you. Be selective and follow a manageable number of people who add value to your stream.

3.       Promote your account

(We’re not talking about promoted tweets here – that’s a whole other subject :)

If you’re already using another social media platform like Facebook, announce your new Twitter account on your Facebook page and that should get you some new followers. But remember that some people prefer one social medium over the other, so your Facebook fans might be quite happy with engaging with you on there only. And whatever you do, do NOT auto-publish content from Facebook to Twitter, or vice versa, unless you really want to irritate your fans and followers.

You can also attract followers by adding a Twitter icon to the rest of your marketing collateral (with your account name if it’s not obvious), including your website and other online properties and ATL and BTL campaigns.

Tons of followers are all very well, but…

The the ultimate way to grow an impressive, valuable list of followers is to populate your feed with excellent, shareable content (you need a strategy for this) AND to interact often, authentically and effectively with everyone. More about that next time…

Article by Louis Nel

Having to deal with suppliers and other service providers on a daily basis can sometimes be bad for your health. Some get it right and others… well, you wonder how they’re even doing business. Customer service can make or break any company. Big or small. It’s really not rocket science. Here’s what keeps me going back for more:

Friendliness

Have you ever wondered why some businesses employ customer service people who absolutely refuse to smile? It blows my mind. You’re practically the face of the company. Do you really want your business to be known as grumpy central? Friendly staff relaxes your mood and just makes the entire experience a pleasant one.

Remember these tips the next time you take a telephone call from a client: smile before you pick it up and sound pleased or excited to hear from him/her.

Competence

This might just be the most important key to good customer service. Knowing your product. Sure, being in customer service means that you get a million questions daily. But if you really know your product, inside and out, you’ll earn the respect of your client. Even that terribly fussy one who’s so difficult to please sometimes.

Helpfulness

Please don’t make me feel like my request means the end of your world? Being helpful without a frown will make you a champion in the eyes of your clients. And take initiative. Anticipate what your client might need before he/she even asks. Make useful suggestions and never make your client feel like you’re just blindly taking orders. Go that extra mile!

Speed

If you need to reply to a client via telephone or email, don’t let them wait too long. A client might just take his/her business elsewhere if no one replies. If you’re out of the office, in meetings, or terribly busy, try to keep your customer in the loop. Apologise for the delay and reassure them that you are dealing with their business.

Honesty

Don’t say that the car has 4X4 capabilities when you’re selling a Citi Golf. Lying to a customer can get you into heaps of trouble. Don’t even be afraid to say: “Sorry, but I don’t think that we have an offering that could assist you.” You might lose a sale, but you’ll gain the respect of the client.

Communication

It’s extremely irritating to chase someone constantly regarding the status of a job or a project. Keep your client in the loop. Reassure him/her that everything is in safe hands (hopefully it is) and give them frequent updates.

Efficiency

You’ll reach customer service nirvana when you get the job done quickly, effectively and without your client having to crack the whip behind you. It really means a great deal to be able to leave a supplier to it and just knowing that the job will get done. And on time.

A consumer’s decision to “unlike” a company has surprisingly little impact on the perceived likelihood that they will buy from that company in the future. In total, 63% of consumers said they were as likely or more likely to purchase something from a company after ending their Facebook relationship. Another 18% said they only “unlike” a company if they never bought anything in the first place.

It seems the correlation between “unliking” a company and continuing to do business with that company is tenuous at best. So while Facebook remains a viable channel for interactive marketing, companies probably shouldn’t place undue emphasis on how many times they are “liked.” Rather, the emphasis should be on fostering an engaged community of FANS who like you enough to amplify your brand within their circle of Facebook friends.

Article by Emily Veitch

A lot of people believe that having some form of social media channel for their brand is better than having none at all. Which is pretty much the same as saying it’s better to have a blank print ad with your logo on it in a magazine than not having a print ad at all. If you’re not going to manage your page or account properly, there’s no point in taking up the space.

But what we have noticed recently is that brands are confusing the idea of keeping their social media channels active and chatty with getting everyone from their team to upload content. There’s nothing wrong with having a core group of (trained) brand ambassadors working together on populating the channels. It’s when the platforms become a ‘free for all’ in the work place that problems start creeping in:

Inconsistency of language

Using words and terminology that are typical of the brand is very important. The brand might not say ‘awesome’, but Shelley from Events does. If she is uploading content for that day, she may well use the word. Educating your staff or colleagues about your brand’s unique tone and manner, including the kind of words it would and wouldn’t use, is vital.

Error

Sadly, not everyone’s attention to detail is exact – especially when they’re uploading content from their phones. Errors, even on social media, reflect badly on the brand. Make it policy to spellcheck every post. It’s also an idea to keep a list of commonly misspelled words somewhere where it is visible to everyone.

Customer relations

If everyone in your office or team is responsible for communicating on social media, you could face a number of issues with customer relations. For example, if there are many moderators, chances are customers could get more than one, opposing responses to their questions. Responding to direct queries or complaints should be the task of one, trained individual.

Schizophrenia

On Twitter, communication is conversation. That means that the brand not only tweets its own material, but responds to other tweets. If many people are tweeting on the brand’s behalf, a rather schizophrenic personality will develop. For example, Jenny might retweet all newsworthy tweets with intelligent edits to them, but Sarah might ‘lol’ at jokes and crass humour. Ensure there is a clear and simple guide to what the brand should comment on, who the brand should follow and what content the brand should generate.

Absenteeism

Being on social media is a commitment.  Make sure that everyone who is posting content to your channels recognises the responsibility they have been given. If people take it in turns to post and moderate, ensure they all understand that they need to be active on their channels. Nothing is worse than having a brand tweet at you all day long one day and then remain as silent as the grave the next.

We will always advocate having, at maximum, three people to manage social media channels. However, we’re becoming more and more aware that this simply isn’t realistic for some brands. So we’re currently creating processes that will help big brand teams overcome these problems. While we’re not sure that the processes will eradicate all glitches, we’re hoping that they will make our clients’ lives easier.

We also hope, of course, that when applied, the processes will ensure the brand communicates well in the social media space. Watch this space for the verdict.

There has been a lot of speculation since Google launched its social media network, Google+, in June. Will it be the next Myspace? A Facebook killer? You might find it rather annoying: yet another social network to maintain. But about 26 million people think it’s the bee’s knees.

Many brands have been contemplating the future value of Facebook and the impact Google+ might have on their brand pages. I’ve done a bit of reading and am of the opinion that brands on Facebook have nothing to worry about. Here’s why…

Majority rule

In the marketing world, experts know to fish where the fish are. Google+ reached 25 million users in less than one month after its launch – the fastest of any social network – but Facebook still stands at a mammoth 750 million users. Google+ has seen its growth rate decline after the initial launch frenzy. This means that it might take a good couple of years to catch up. The force is definitely strong with the Book.

Male consumers do not rule the galaxy

It makes me feel slightly traitorous to say this, but men do not have all the buying power. At the moment, there are over 2.5 x as many male users on G+ than female (see graphic below). If this trend continues, it might only be worth a certain kind of (manly) brand finding relevance on G+.

Total population on Google+

Graphic source: Plus Weekly

I wonder what the ‘Other’ segment is. Aliens?

Facebook’s gender segments are more evenly balanced. This allows for a wider variety of brands to engage with users and have their products be front-of-mind – whether its telescopic effect mascara or braai tongs with flashlight attachments.

South Africa is still an insignificant planet

After having done some G+ stalking, I’ve found that most of the big social media players in South Africa have an average of about 75 people in their circles and don’t really post all that often. The numbers are a lot higher for their American counterparts. Judging by the map below (illustrating total users by country), it doesn’t come as a surprise. The highest numbers of Google+ users reside in North America and India.

Graphic source

Conclusion: Stay parked

So what does this mean for brands in South Africa? Stay on Facebook for now. Although Google+ might have really cool advantages, the old ‘Like’ button mothership still has one huge advantage over G+. Numbers. I’m sure that Google will eventually reach astronomical user totals, but it might take a while to overtake Facebook. And with Mr. Zuckerberg having his finger firmly on the pulse (see graphic below), we’re bound to witness a good social media war. It should be interesting to see which comes up with what innovation next.

Graphic source: Plus Weekly

Read about the latest developments on the social media war at Mashable.