Becoming One With the Customer

In almost every pr class I take, the overlying lesson (well, one of many) is the power of word-of-mouth. Companies cannot only present their product, they have to truly sell it in order to create buzz. That way, Jimmy can post on his Twitter how much he loves a product. Then, Suzie, a follower of Jimmy's, will retweet it because she feels the same way. Sally follows Suzie and is intrigued by this new product both Jimmy and Suzie love, so she buys it for herself.

So, now that an overall lesson of word-of-mouth is stated, we all realize how much this can spread. This also means if one person has a bad experience with customer service, the world will know. And, being the insane "Newsies" fan that I am, I had to attach a link to a song from the movie musical. Enjoy!

Getting back on topic, part of Chapter 1 in "Measure What Matters" by Katie Delahye Paine talks about engaging individually with the customer. In this section, she mentions how customers are more willing to trust other customers rather than the business, in other words, word-of-mouth is more powerful than advertisements. The specific section I'm referring to is titled "Social media isn't about media, it's about the community in which you do business." The title intrigued me because I had never thought of it in that way.

Sure, I knew to appear as human as possible so the consumers can feel the business is easily accessible. Especially when launching a new product, engaging the community through social media is a top priority. If the community is engaged, the media will create a story around the buzz. The top priority for companies should be listening and responding to customers. That way, the company can better serve the customer, which will add to the longevity of the company.