We bid farewell to School of WOM 2011 yesterday. The third day had many great takeaways particularly in community management and WOM ethics. Here’s the rundown:
Workshop – Community Management Principles: Consumer Engagement through Building Communities Online
Presented by Suzanne Marlatt, Community Manager and Jennie Averbook, Digital Strategist, both from Edelman
Community management is critical to any brand that wants to engage the public through digital embassies such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs and the like. But this new form of brand to consumer relations isn’t straightforward and requires diligent planning. Before delving into community management, Suzanne and Jennie recommended a digital property audit. Examine where you already are and where your audience is. Listen, listen, listen, then execute. You don’t want to put a lot of effort into a platform that isn’t conducive to your audience.
Once you know where to be, you need to figure out who to be. Developing a brand voice that is consistent with your company and customer culture drives the authenticity of your presence.
“Review twice. Publish once.” – Suzanne Marlatt
Day to day community management is comprised of a lot of content production, community interaction, customer service and constant listening. Procedures and best practices change often, so a fair amount of studying is also required. Several resources were suggested…
Blogs: All Facebook, All Twitter, About Foursquare, OneForty.com
Social user search: Regator, Twibes, WeFollow, Listorious
Search/Analytics: 48ers, BackType, Snapbird, SocialMention
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Session – McDonald’s Secret Sauce of Social Customer Service
Presented by Salena Scardina, Director of Social Media, and Kim Musgrave, Manager of Social Media, both of McDonald’s
McDonald’s has a robust Twitter presence that is used to show the brand’s personality through relevant content and to solve customer problems. The team of three internal tweeters manages customer complaints by keeping close attention to what is said about McDonald’s and their products.
Taking it Offline
Like any major brand, McDonald’s receives a solid amount of customer complaints via Twitter. I really loved how they handled these situations. From what I could tell, there were three steps:
1. Reply quickly and sincerely.
2. Make the conversation personal.
3. Send a handwritten snail mail apology/coupon.
This method often turns a complainer into an advocate. There are ancillary benefits as well. Several of their interactions have led to positive blog posts by prominent bloggers, extending the reach of a single interaction to thousands.
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Keynote – Consumer Privacy – What you Need to Know from the FTC
Presented by C. Steven Baker, Director of the Midwest Regional Office, FTC
WOMMA was built on ethics. School of WOM was ended by a great update from the FTC. The one overriding theme was encapsulated by a great quote from Richard Sears:
“Honest is the best policy. I know because I’ve tried both.”
Before the infamous Sears Catalog, Richard Sears was a bit of a snake oil salesman, albeit a fairly unsuccessful one. When he went straight, it was the birth of an empire.
Mr. Baker hinted at a few new laws that may hit the books in the coming years:
1. A Federal Data Breach Law
2. Do Not Track Legislation
3. An FTC Proposed Framework for Privacy
To stay up to date on everything FTC, read Tony DiResta’s blog, DiResta-the-Law.
