Don't turn the microphone off
Tip #1: Don't turn the microphone off
In January, Ford announced on its FordBoldMoves.com website that they had made their last entry into the "Community Buzz" section of the website. The postings there had given people visibility into the inner workings of Ford, carrying comments from executive management and other people working there.
The comments posted to the last thread were almost universally in favor of keeping the dialogue open, as commenters pleaded with the site's administrators to keep the conversation going. Instead, we saw the depth of Ford's commitment to online dialogue, and it didn't seem to get out of the shallow end.
Now, the Bold Moves site is no longer a compelling focal point for online discussion about Ford and its cars, and Ford is apparently rethinking its marketing strategy.
One wonders what might have been if Ford kept things rolling. What will now happen to all the people who accepted Ford's invitation to talk about its business?
Ford isn't the only marketer to reap ill will from taking the microphone away from its enthusiasts. Marketing guru Seth Godin (he of the Purple Cow) was on the receiving end of a flurry of negativity when he turned off comments on his blog.
Tip #2: Show, don't tell
Increasingly, cynical customers have had it up to here with empty promises. They don't simply want to be told about how you'll use their feedback and constructive criticism. They want to see it in action. True listening also involves showing people that you're taking them and their input seriously.
My favorite example of how to do this comes from my client, Accuquote. On their blog, they opened up a thread for customers to voice their concerns about customer service, and in every instance, they told people exactly what they were doing to improve when they were presented with a suggestion. It's this commitment to action above words that gets people to engage meaningfully.
Tip #3: Avoid unnecessarily restrictive ground rules
This blog post neatly sums up why placing restrictions on dialog can hinder efforts to engage customers. While it's important to keep comments reasonably on-topic and free from things like hate speech, customers don't like to feel as if they're being censored or like their comments will never see the light of day.
When GM was confronted with the notion of a submitted video that called the Chevy Tahoe's gas guzzling into question, rather than censor the commentary, it embraced it. And people gave them credit for it, since it demonstrated authenticity and a willingness to accept customer comments as a part of the agenda.
Ground rules should always encourage dialog rather than try to restrict it, and GM's approach is the yardstick by which other social media campaigns will be measured.