by Nattana Johnson, owner, MGC
Whatever the reasons for his delay, Bill Gates is now part of the social media conversation. He talked to the morning show last week about how he wants to reach out to listen to the public about his foundation and is tracking the comments to do so. http://bit.ly/8XUQeR.
We know that most of us will never attain the following that Bill Gates has. Nevertheless, we need to listen to our customers, and learn from them. In today’s fast-moving techno-world it’s critical to respond quickly to praise or criticism. If you wait until you have something “impressive” to say, you’ll miss the boat. You need to set the foundation now, start the conversation, create a network, and establish relationships… so when the moment comes, you can jump into Twitter or Facebook and respond.
Remember the Domino’s incident when the two employees decided to add a little “extra” to the pizza and post it on YouTube. It took Domino’s two days to respond and many critics said that was far too long. Today you need to respond in minutes. Social media is the most efficient, most effective way to do that.
Look at the Haiti support efforts – talk about a way to get national response. Sure, for weeks we have seen it on TV and heard it on radio, but without the online efforts and the continual reminder for all of us to band together and offer support, via Facebook and Twitter efforts, there wouldn’t be nearly the dollar volume pouring into those disaster-stricken lives.
It’s a new time and new opportunities, not just for big names like Bill Gates, but also for the rest of us. Like we’ve said before, there’s no good reason to wait. Social media is here to stay, and it has become critical for business communications. So get on board, develop your blog, your Facebook page, your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. Get connected and use this marketing media for what it is – a dramatic reach and impact that we have not had in the past. It’s available to everyone who invests a little time and effort.
