Engaging with social networks = United Breaks Guitars

Anybody that follows trends on social networks has probably heard of Dave Carroll and his YouTube video about United Airlines and their treatment of his guitar.  Yes, it is an interesting story that demonstrates the power of social networks (and the fact that YouTube viewers appreciate a really good video), but there are some real lessons to be learned as well.

If you have not seen it - then have a look below. Within a week of it being uploaded it had more than three million hits and the mainstream media had picked it up - CNN, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, CBS, and many other print and electronic outlets.

So what ..?  It is very interesting to note how some org's still just seem to ignore social networks and the opportunities that they present to engage in conversation with their customers.  Talking to a colleague this afternoon reminded me of this and it prompted me to say something about it.

The first message to take away is that people (customers) are talking about you, whether you like it or not.  Organisations may as well join the conversation and start to have a dialogue with their customers  - is it really such a novel idea?  Yes it is scary, especially when you are not in control, but there are many positives than negatives.

Brad Shaw from Home Depot sums very succinctly in his Businessweek article the lessons that they learned engaging with social networks:

• You can’t control the conversation
• Be authentic
• It’s about people
• Your people need hands-on expertise in what customers care about
• Be patient and flexible

The second thought to ponder on is this:  " no customer is statistically insignificant" any longer - every customer matters and has the potential to influence.  It can be argued that they have more power to influence than you do.  On that basis, would you not want to engage with a customer/potential customer that wields more influence than you do?

I cannot claim ownership of this concept - I borrowed it from Dave Carroll himself after I attended an event where he was speaking. You may wonder what exactly this means?  Let him explain it himself, it is worth the watch - he leaves you with a number of interesting soundbites and thoughts and at the end, he explains exactly just exactly how statistically insignificant customers can be.