Twittering is a two-way street
In my last post, I touched on the importance of participating in Twitter and all of Social Media.
To be effective, you have to listen, respond and retweet. You have to join the discussion. Because if you don’t join the discussion, there can be consequences. Here’s an example:
I read an article – now nearly a month old – in USA Today about a woman in Portland who rode her bike up to a drive-through of a local burger chain, Burgerville, and was denied service. This upset the woman because Portland is a very bike-friendly town. And Burgerville has a reputation for being eco-friendly.
When I first read this, I thought it was a story I had heard before. Of course she was denied service. It’s a drive-through. It’s a safety issue. Should be end of story, right?
But no, not in the era of Twitter.
The bike-riding woman went home (I’m hoping she didn’t Tweet-and-ride, if so that’s a subject for another blog post) and posted a rather emotional comment about the experience, much to the detriment of Burgerville. Seems that word got around quickly. Very quickly.
The next day, the company apologized.
Very shortly thereafter, Burgerville revised its policies and is starting new bicycle-friendly drive-through lanes in its locations. Bravo. Score one for the power of Social Media. And three points for Burgerville for stepping up and doing the right thing.
Is your company monitoring what is being said about your brand online – and are you ready to respond proportionally and appropriately?
There are consequences for having an inactive or ineffective Social Media strategy. If your company wants to protect its reputation and the value of its brands, employees and business relationships, you need a Social Media plan. Today would be a good day to start working on that plan.
Contributor: Jennifer Umali
