A Social Media Mistake: A Case Study of Online Customer Service

Social Media Misstep: A Case Study

In this relatively new age of social media marketing, so many businesses are finding their way. Some have catapulted their businesses into overnight successes, while others are plodding along trying to figure things out and then there are those who are still on the sideline. Nevertheless, it seems daily there are new case studies of both social media best practices and worst practices.

Recently, here in Minnesota, those of us in the PR and social media space witnessed a faux pas that reminded us of the power of online marketing. A Minneapolis-based, family owned, liquor and cheese shop, ran into a buzz saw of online public opinion that left customers irate and the company stuck on mute. This store, which claims to be the largest of its kind in the midwest, has been a one-stop shop destination for the biggest selections of wines, cheeses and beer.

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Tags: Beer, cheese shop, customer service, Facebook, Gary Vaynerchuk, liquor, Minneapolis, Minnesota, PR, public relations, social media, The Thank You Economy, Twitter, Wine Library TV

Joe Buck Echoes Father, Jack Buck Famous World Series Call

“We’ll See You Tomorrow Night!”

Last night in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, FOX sportscaster Joe Buck echoed the famous 1991 World Series Game 6 call of his late father, Jack Buck, saying, “we’ll see you tomorrow night.” This after David Freese hit a walk off home run to put the St. Louis Cardinals over the Texas Rangers, 10-9, and tie the series at 3-games a piece. Those words are also a storied part of Minnesota sports history as the late Jack Buck made his famous call after Kirby Puckett’s walk off home run in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series to beat the Atlanta Braves and force a Game 7. A So, it won’t come as a surprise to learn that after the Freese home run, many Minnesota sports enthusiasts began discussing and debating the call.

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Tags: 1991 World Series game 6, al michaels famous call, Dave Schwartz, do you believe in miracles, down goes frazier, ethics, game 6 2011 world series, George Foreman, Joe Buck copies Jack Buck call, joe buck public tribute, mark rosen, Miracle on Ice, sports moments, Twitter, we'll see you tomorrow night

6 Reasons Why Twitter Will Outlast Facebook

I’m not really one for prognostication, especially where it concerns this frenetic digital world, but I made a prediction the other day that raised the eyebrow of a friend and it’s this:  Twitter will outlast Facebook. Now, for all of you who are Facebook addicts who find it impossible to unplug from your “FB” network of friends, fans and likes, not to fear. I’m not necessarily saying Twitter is better than Facebook. in my opinion there will always be a Facebook-like app out there that connects people, it’s just that it may be called something else like, oh say, Google Plus.

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Tags: Facebook, Minneapolis PR agencies, Minneapolis public relations, online marketing, storyteller, Twin Cities PR agencies, Twin Cities public relations, Twitter

Escaping Technology for a Simpler Life - Some day

I have a confession. There are days that all the technology, “geo” this and, IM that, cloud servers, followers, fans and FourSquare check-ins gets to be too much. We regularly speak with people to help them better understand the virtues of these technologies as they relate to PR and marketing, but every so often I’d like to make like “Alexander” (the character in the children’s book who had the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day) and move to Australia. Except, that really wouldn’t be leaving any of this behind, it would simply be the same thing in a different place.

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Tags: Alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad day, Australia, Facebook, Foursquare, Marketing, PR, social media revolution, Twitter

Favorite Social Media Tools

If you are like me, there are days when I feel completely overwhelmed at the amount of social media “content” that traverses the internet on any given day. I am not a self-proclaimed expert by any means but I feel like never have we experienced a time where there is more content at your disposal to become more proficient at whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.  I have come to the realization, however, that despite my appetite for learning, you can’t consume it all, you can’t know it all and you can’t apply it all. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is your social media strategy.

So, from time to time,  I will share with you my favorite finds that I stumble upon in my research that I hope will enlighten you on a topic or two.  I love to share when I find something I think is terrific!

If there is one social media community I am continually amazed by it’s Twitter!  I have come across so many fantastic Twitter tools but FOLLOWERWONK stands out in particular to me. By entering the keywords of any topic you are interested in, Twitterwonk will aggregate a population of Twitter users who have the same key words built into their Twitter profile.  A great way to connect with your targeted audience.   Very cool!

More and more, we are encouraging our clients to delve deeper into the world of Facebook contests and sweepstakes.  Like every brand trying to grow their fan base, we have found sweepstakes and contests as great enablers for helping grow their audience.  A favorite recent find for helping create contests is an online form builder called WUFOO.  They help you create contact forms, online surveys, and invitations so you can collect the data, registrations and online payments you need without writing a single line of code. Love it!

Finally, we have recently spent more time understanding what the BRIGHTCOVE video platform is all about. In case you are not familiar with Brightcove, they are a video platform provider that allows you to upload your videos, choose a player template, and publish your videos easily directly on your website.  I spent some time on their webinar and found the system to be extremely intuitive, flexible and affordable.  My favorite part of the platform is your videos are embedded directly on your website and the viewer does not have to leave your site to view on YouTube.  The social sharing functions are excellent as well.   We will be initiating our 30-day trial next week!

Let me know if you have a chance to check these services out.  I would love to know what you think!

Tags: Brightcove, contests, Facebook, Followerwonk, on-line form builder, sweepstakes, Twitter, video platform, Wufoo, YouTube

Teamwork and Leadership… are YOU invested?

Last Friday, we at StoryTeller did something that had never been done before, we had an off-site team building get together facilitated by an Executive Leadership coach.  The purpose… to get everyone in the organization on the same page, to make sure our efforts and actions are aligned with our desired outcomes, to make sure all understand the vision of the company and to have some fun.  I think we can all agree that we walked away with so much more.

From a leadership perspective, the meeting allowed the opportunity for everyone to be “heard”.  We practice listening everyday with our clients using tools like “Twitter” but do we really take the time all the time to listen to ourselves?  It is by listening to each other that we can gain the insights that will help us co-create an office environment that will potentially make us “show up” differently every day.

We were able to identify and articulate the type of qualities we want the StoryTeller culture to have, and equally as important, what we want our customers to experience with us each and every time we partner together.

To our wonderful StoryTeller team… we thank you for “showing up” to this meeting and for not being afraid to share all of you.  The possibilities are endless.

To our extremely dynamic facilitator, Diane RIng from Ring Results, you know we couldn’t have done this without you.  Thank you for making us reach outside of our comfort zone.

To our faithful customers in which this meeting was truly all about you, we thank you for your consistent belief in us and we look forward to sharing with you some of the great takeaways of our day.

There is no doubt that the greatest investment you can make is in your people.

Tags: culture, customer experience, facilitator, Good Business, investment in people, Ring Results, team, Twitter, vision

Are You Trustworthy?

Who do you trust? Do you trust the personal injury attorney selling his services on t.v.? Do you trust the special advertising section in your favorite magazine? Do you trust that the newspaper is giving you unbiased information? Do you trust that the television news reporter has the “facts straight” in his report? Do you trust strangers? Do you trust the timeshare sales person? Do you trust the print ad with the fine print? Do you trust the deal that’s just too good to be true? Do you trust your mechanic? Do you trust a commissioned sales rep? What makes someone trustworthy and what makes someone completely untrustworthy? Now think about your company’s presence in social media. Are you trustworthy?

Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.

Tags: agency, Ed Heil, Facebook, fundraising videos, Minneapolis, PR, storyteller, transparency, Trust, Twin Cities, Twitter

Business Etiquette on Facebook: Know Your Friends!

Could it be that the rules of engagement around social media are not yet defined?  I am quite confident that the recent social media “oops” I witnessed the other day is not an anomaly, and yes I think the landscape of social media political correctness will eventually sort itself out.

Here’s the background… For many months  I have had multiple meetings and conversations with a local non-profit (which will remain nameless)  suggesting possibilities for PR ideas around an upcoming event.  Just a few days ago, they had told me they were in the final stages of creating their vision for the video and would get back to me.  Little did I know that “their vision” meant going to a competitor!  So you can imagine my surprise when I read their Facebook update from the other day which was touting their excitement over wrapping up their video shoot for their pending event.

When you make an update whether it’s on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or any other social media community, please know you should conduct yourself in the same manner in which you would have a live conversation.  The conversation should be authentic, respectful and follow the same rules of etiquette as all other  conversations.  So to you “ABC non profit”, please know that as a professional rooted in the social media industry, that yes I do read your updates regularly so that as I consultant I am intimately aware of what is going on with your organization.  I would have even taken “Minnesota Nice” as a blow off rather than the blatant disregard of my time found worded on my Facebook feed.

Tags: Facebook, Linkedin, non profit, PR, Twitter

Holiday Surprise and Delight at Target

Lately I can’t seem to get a certain song out of my head. Until a few days ago I didn’t know the name of it, who sang it or if it was even a real song. All I knew was that it was in a Target commercial and it was darn catchy.

Does this sound familiar?

Last weekend I took to Twitter asking if anyone knew if this was a real song or just a jingle. One of my followers told me it was an actual song and that Target would let you download it for free. I was ecstatic - the mystery of the “is it a song, is it not a song” had been solved, and I got to keep my $.99 from iTunes!

In marketing they call it “Surprise and Delight.” Surprise is giving your customers an unexpected value that exceeds expectations and delight is the emotional outcome of that surprise. In my case, I was surprised that Target had foreseen my need and was letting people download their entire Christmas Gig collection (14 songs!) for free and delighted that I was able to expand my holiday play list.

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Tags: Good Business, holiday playlist, Marketing, PR, surprise and delight, Target, Twitter

Mark Zuckerberg 2010 Person of the Year Validates Social Media

In case you missed the “big announcement” this morning on The Today Show, Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg is Time Magazine’s 2010 Person of the Year. Way to go, Mark even if the movie, “Social Network,” made you look less than sterling.

Nevertheless, when I heard the announcement this morning I was not surprised, but felt, in a way, legitimized. If you’ve been in the social media space for a while you may share my sentiments. For the last couple years or so we’ve been talking to our clients and prospects about social media including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. During that time, I’ve seen people look at me with great interest and also those with that grin that says, “you’re ‘B.S.ing’ me, aren’t you?” Over and over we towed the line and explained to anyone who would listen that a complete and total shift in communications is occurring right before our eyes. Even those who fell in line with us still questioned that basic belief.

So, today when Matt Lauer referred to the 26-year old Zuckerberg as an innovator who’s changed the way we communicate and when Richard Stengel of Time said Facebook is “effecting human nature like we’ve never seen,” I smiled. Just a little. Actually, it was more of a smirk, and then I began to wonder, what will the world of social media look like a year from now?

Tags: 2010, Bloomington, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Matt Lauer, Minneapolis, Person of the Year, Richard Stengel, storyteller, Time Magazine, Twitter, YouTube