Will’s Social Media Tip for Businesses: Make sure your staff knows what is going on!

Social Media

No matter what social media technology platform you choose, make sure you tell your employees. There is nothing more frustrating then having an employee stare blankly back at your customer when they try to claim a discount or reward through social media.

I have noticed that a lot of businesses are attempting new types of social media. I applaud them for this. I like to see businesses grab a hold of the latest ways to communicating with the public. But, I’ve also noticed that some companies are forgetting to tell their employees about what new technology they have in place.

For example, I visited the Chilli’s in St. Augustine, Fla., for a nice family dinner. I decided to check-in with Foursquare to see if there were any discounts. Sure enough, I would receive free chips and salsa for my check-in.

I then ran into an issue. The waitress knew noting about the Foursquare coupon. Surely she must had thought I was trying to pull something over on her. To her credit she asked to “borrow” my phone to show the manager. After several minutes the manager returned my phone explaining that the staff didn’t know about the Foursquare coupon, but I would recieve my free chips and salsa.

This is an example of a company trying to stay up with the latest social media buzz, but failing to complete all of the necessary steps for success. Had Chilli’s waited before launching the Foursquare campaign and trained their staff, customers might not receive blank stares from Chilli’s waitstaff.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe that Chill’s Foursquare campaign is a failure. I think it needs to be tweaked a bit. For starters, Chilli’s could display the Foursquare information somewhere that employees can see it. Maybe send out an information package to the managers and waitstaff.

An example of good complete company interaction with the latest buzz would be Crispers. The local St. Augustine Crispers runs a Foursquare coupon for a free drink on the first check-in. On every table there is a Foursquare ad telling customers about the coupon and how to redeem it. The cashier viewed the check-in and gave me the free drink without even batting an eye. This is an example where everyone in the company understands what is happening, even if it is the latest buzz.

Staying up with the latest buzz will not be successful if the individuals responsible for interacting with the customer doesn’t know what is going on. Don’t rush into a new social media platform until you evaluate the technology, plan how to implement the program, and inform your staff.

Profit from Geo-Social Media

Marketing, Social Media, Technology, , ,

Geo-social media is any social media service that includes your whereabouts with the social blurb.  Facebook places, Foursquare, Scvngr are some of the geo-social media outlets right now.

I use Foursquare because the students of Flagler College use it.  Being the director of the Web and New Media Services department, I need to make an attempt to understand what social media services the students are using.

Foursquare is neat.  Why?  It’s neat because I get free stuff and in this economy, free stuff rocks.  For example, when I was in Vegas, I got free drinks by showing that I checked in at the casino.  The other night I received free chips and salsa from Chili’s by showing my waitress that I checked in at Chili’s.

Now, I will tell you that Foursquare isn’t known everywhere.  At Chili’s the waitress had no clue what Foursquare was and thought I was trying to pull one over on her.  Luckily, she got the manager who knew what was going on.  Free chips my way baby.  Did I mention that I love free stuff?

Following the hash

Social Media,

The title of this blog may sound funny if you don’t know what a hash “#” mark is.  A hash mark is used in Twitter to link a tweet to a specific topic, place, thing or event.   Using the hash mark allows someone to keep up with the whole conversation that’s taking place within the Twitterverse.

There are several hash marks, such as #highered, that I follow.  The amount of individuals posting useful content is amazing.  You can use a hash mark to follow almost any subject.  For example, my friend at Flagler College likes to follow #glee.

Example of #glee hash
Glee Hash - Twitter post by Carrie Chowske

How hash marks are used depends on the type of conversation being generated around the topic.  With the #glee hash, you’ll see the conversation become alive when Glee is on.  #glee brings everyone together, talking about this one subject as it’s happening.

I challenge you to look up your favorite topic being listed with a hash mark and follow along.  You’ll understand why Twitter is probably the best social media tool right now.