Quick Tip: How to Navigate Complaints and Negativity on the Social Web
The Truth about Complaints
Unless the person appears to be crazy, always see complaints via the social web as an opportunity to deepen the relationship. Most people who complain do so because on some level they care and they want to be heard.
How to Handle Legitimate Complaints
The key is to reach out one-on-one, thank them, listen… really listen, acknowledge, learn, identify mutual commonality, provide additional information which might provide clarification and thank them again.
In doing so, you stand a chance to either neutralize the discontent or, even better, establish a relationship which could convert the individual to a promoter. I’ve had experiences were the individual issuing the complaint added a retracting comment. Additionally, once you’ve cleared the air, you can also provide a follow-up comment or post which clarifies any misunderstandings and reinforces your position.
Listening is perhaps the most powerful communication tool.
Add comment July 27, 2009
How the Text-Obsessed “Distracted” Generation Will Become the Engaged Generation for Associations
We already know that ASAE’s 2006 Decision to Join study showed the younger generations value social networking at a higher level than previous generations. In addition, it appears the younger generations remain to see a strong need for associations.
Since I have two boys under age 10, let’s dive a little bit deeper into what one might be tempted to label as Generation D, the distracted generation.
The main source of distraction in the eyes of parents is kids texting endlessly. Just in the past month, here is my top 3 list of strangest places I’ve seen kids texting:
1) A girl texting while riding a bike down the street, one hand texting on the phone the other on the handle bar.
2) A girl texting will riding the hang glider ride spinning round-and-round up-and-down at a summer festival midway.
3) Two kids texting each other while sitting side-by-side.
While I can understand the temptation to label this new generation as distracted, I choose to label them differently… very socially focused. This is excellent news for associations, especially as we drive our social media strategy into more of a convergent pipeline and straight into the iPhones and smartphones of the future.
Social engagement is what creates the cohesive social investment which has kept our associations running throughout time and will continue to help us build even stronger futures. The only thing that has changed is the medium/s in which we operate. Smoke signals, the printed word, the telegraph, the telephone, the radio, the tv and now the social web sphere.
While the iPhone dominates the U.S. market right now, the other phone makers are frantically developing comparable platforms which will ultimately enable the development of applications for multiple platforms. In the meantime, the iPhone is the best bet for application experimentation. Why not get started today? SM
Ready to join your future already in progress, but not quite sure where to start? Visit www.socialfrequency.net
Add comment July 23, 2009
Quick Tips and Ideas – The Role of Market Research and Data Analysis in Recession-Proofing Your Association
Develop “X-Ray” Vision through Market Research and Data Analysis
Gather and maintain a 360 degree view of the direct and indirect opportunities and threats to your association by observing, measuring and monitoring trends and developments through market research and data analysis.
Here are some actionable ideas to consider:
- Get into your member’s environment and shadow them regularly to see the world through their eyes and observe the spoken and unspoken behavioral truths.
- Conduct regular quarterly omnibus surveys with members to identify/track trends and developments.
- Monitor and track the social web regularly to identify trends, influencers, perspectives and groundswell.
- Establish a “Membership Advisory Panel”.
- Conduct one-on-one interviews employing the same questions until you begin to see patterns in responses.
- Create an opportunity for meaningful participation through decision-based all member surveys… not forgetting to report the eventual data-driven action which is taken.
- Conferences are a great gathering point for all types of members and a great place to conduct focus groups at minimal cost.
- Conduct interviews with your conference exhibitors to explore additional insight into your member audiences.
Thoughts, questions or additions? Share your comment below or contact me directly at stuart@socialfrequency.net.
Add comment July 19, 2009
5 Reasons Twitter Gives Associations Much to Tweet About
Simply put, imagination and the desire to connect on some level are the forces which have fueled the social web. Though it’s been around for years, Twitter has exploded this year because of the convergence between creative users and industrious leveragers.
If your association is looking for a little boost in imagination in determining how to best utilize Twitter, here are 5 ways to give your association something to tweet about:
1) Tracking Trends in Real Time – A couple of months ago a situation arose in an association I am familiar with regarding a situation in which it was known that a groundswell of stakeholder opinion would arise as a very well pubilicized event was about to take place. There was plenty of concern as to how members would react once event publicity reached fever pitch. The association needed to very quickly gauge qualitatively and quantitatively the impact of this publicized event to determine the best response strategy.
Twitter became a primary resource as brief 140 character or less reviews began to spread like wild fire. Through a couple of well-monitored keywords on Twitter, the association was able to determine with a fair amount of conclusivity that opinions within the stakeholder community was divided right down the middle, trending toward a higher degree of positivity for those who had witnessed the publicized event and more intense negativity for those who had only learned of the event through secondhand information.
Given the quick timing and ease of use, Twitter is a great tool for monitoring fast-breaking trends.
2) Service-Based Strategies – Tracking conversations that arise regarding your association’s brand or related products/services is an easy way to execute some outbound member/prospective member service. Twitter is the quickest and easiest way to issue a public complaint about a bad experience. It used to be when you had a bad experience, the first thing you would want to do is find someone to tell all about the injustice. Today, all you need to do is log into Twitter and let it fly in 140 characters or less.
While this my be a troubling scenario should you find your association in the cross-hairs of this form of “drive-by tweet”, consider this… If the individual had a bad experience and told the next 10 people they crossed paths with there isn’t much you can do to rectify the situation. However, when someone vents a complaint via Twitter, you have the ability to pick up on it fast and reach out to turn the situation around.
Who should be responsible for monitoring Twitter for keywords relating to your association brand? Why not everyone based on their area of immediate responsibility and expertise. The key is to support such behavior, by example, from the top down. With some simple “rules of engagement” in place, you can empower your team to make the difference. Would it be any different if your staff was on-site at your association’s big conference and they saw someone struggling? Would you want your staff to keep their distance or move in to provide some appropriate help?
3) Harvesting Followers – Every follower is potentially a real and meaningful connection. If a Twitter user has jumped on board as a follower, make it a point to reach out @apersonallevel at least once. Take a few moments to review their list of most recent posts to get a little better idea what they are all about. Determine how you can make the most relevant connection.
4) Sweet Retweets - Once you have made a connection with followers, be sure to ask if they would be willing to participate as a “retweeter” in the future when your association is tweeting important posts. When they retweet, their network of followers will see the post as well. The exponential power of Twitter in reaching large masses of people becomes clearer when you consider the power of retweeting.
5) The Human Touch – When setting up your association’s Twitter presence, remember this… to make a personal connection requires two human beings connecting. Personality definitely counts and can only be achieved when your Twitter presence is comprised of identifiable people as opposed to a general @ACME Association identity.
When engaging in mass messaging via Twitter, default to the person who is your official spokesperson in the first place. If your highest ranking officer is willing to undergo media training to handle an assortment of print, radio or TV interviews, why not add in Twaining (Twitter training).
You can easily retain your brand acronym while Twittering at the human level. Simply create a standard convention, such as @ACMEPresident or @ACMEstaff_John or @ACMEstaff_Jane. Refer back to #2 for additional strategies on how to overcome @ACME Association syndrome. SM
3 comments July 9, 2009
What Corporate Interactive Marketers and Agencies can Learn from Associations When it Comes to Building a Social Brand
I must confess that I love to monitor big corporate marketing and advertising agency blogs and eNewsletters. Why? First and foremost, because I learn allot. Second, as a curious spectator of the struggles they are facing in adapting to a social interactive world in which it is no longer possible to control the “massography” in the same way they once maintained a dominant control over the traditional uni-directional mass media world.
True behavioral marketing moves well beyond consumer action deeper into the social and emotional psychology which motivates and forms a relationship between consumer and product/brand. More about the ”cause” , less about the “effect”.
As it turns out, social media has shown that consumers are actually pretty smart and savy when it comes to sniffing out mass media plots and gimmicks of days gone by. Consumers want authenticity and human connections… they want to feel empowered, connected and heard… something that has been at the fabric of associations as long as like-minded people have found value in coming together to associate. As the Irish Proverb goes, “Two makes the road shorter”.
When it comes to social media, I ask the corporate marketers and ad executives a simple question:
“Have you hugged your association executive today?… we feel your pain and think our traditional member-centric models of engagement can help. Share in our proud tradition of relationship-based brand expertise. After all, “member-centric” means we are run by members, for members. A sense of investment and ownership is a powerful force when it comes to consumer loyalty. Associations aren’t simply a brand, we are truly a relationship-driven brand family”
To my fellow association executives out there, there are bigger and bolder blue skies ahead as we begin to set our sights and social media strategies on the evolutionary application of our user-centric business models. In doing so, we vastly expand our sphere of participation, information-exchange, networking and, ultimately, influence. Let’s also understand that control remains as much an illusion to us as it does to our for-profit counterparts.
Coming Soon… 5 Reasons Twitter Gives Associations Much to Tweet About
Add comment June 30, 2009
My Thanks to SCSAE Annual Meeting Attendees and Leadership
I want to send out a special hello and expression of gratitude to the attendees of the 2009 South Carolina Society of Association Executives (SCSAE) Annual Conference as well as the leadership and staff of SCSAE, especially Executive Director Keely Yates. It was truly an honor to be in the presence of such a talented and devoted group of association professionals.
I also want to commend the Isle of Palms Wild Dunes Resort just outside of Charleston, South Carolina for providing such a wonderful and vibrant environment for SCSAE’s Annual Conference.
During this week’s conference, I had the opportunity to co-present a general session and CEO breakout session covering the development of volunteer and participation strategies, building upon key findings from ASAE and the Center for Association Leadership’s Decision to Volunteer study.
I also want to personally thank my experienced and knowledgeable co-presenter, Ron McNally, CAE, ASAE and the Center’s Chief Community & Volunteer Relations Officer.
In addition to the covering the key findings and implications of Decision to Volunteer, we also explored a framework for how to institutionalize a volunteer and participation strategy, focusing on volunteer activity audits, volunteer profiling/data management, recruitment techniques, volunteer placement, recognition and establishing a leadership pipeline.
We also discussed how “Social Media is Like Volunteerism on Steroids” emphasizing the importance of participant engagement, conversations, relationship-building and understanding that it’s okay to “lose control” with the proper goals and “rules of engagement”. To SCSAE Immediate Past President David Herndon’s delight, we also considered how the science of chemistry provides an analogy for how social media will strengthen our association’s sphere.
To the attendees reading this post, I invite you to comment below or follow-up with me directly if you have any more questions or observations to share. Beyond that, I truly hope our paths will cross again as we continue to build a strong future for associations.
Add comment June 16, 2009
How Social Media Broadens the Association Sphere and Transforms the “Nature” of our Future
With the announcement of the Google Wave, the internet’s newest and next “big thing”, many associations still continue to ponder whether or not social media threatens the very fabric of their existence.
My answer would be an emphatic ”absolutely not”. As our associations move rapidly to join our future… already in progress… the opportunity presented by social media for associations is just the opposite of threat.
Whereas the traditional “social sphere” of associations has been nestled within the physical core of actively involved members who like to get on airplanes and fly thousands of miles a year to get connected, social media will continue to expand and broaden our “social sphere” if we chose to reach out, engage and replace our tall ivory walls with a more transparent and porous material.
In other words, the tide of social media shifts our social sphere in a good way because the challenge of connecting and creating cohesion within our association’s broader professional community is now shared. Our job is to shed our illusion of control, celebrate those who are connecting outside our walls, reach out, be present, listen carefully, connect, build relationships and cultivate the type of powerful social capital which will draw those in the broader social sphere into the “nucleus” of the association.
Always remember, people complain because they care and simply want to be heard. There is immense and transforming power when you listen, engage, establish the conversation and watch the relationship grow.
Think of chemistry and how an atom is formed by a strong nucleus (the association) with electrons (traditionally loyal members) that are bound to the nucleus by “electromagnetic force”. An atom can be positively charged (progressive) or negatively charged (change averse). The social web is sending new types of atoms into the larger sphere within which associations have traditionally operated creating the opportunity of atoms joining together to form new and powerful elements. Elements are the building blocks of “nature” itself.
Let’s be very clear, people connect with the social web not because they want to be isolated and enjoy hearing themselves speak, but rather they are attempting to fulfill the basic human need to connect to something larger.
It is essential that we transform and expand our thinking in knowing that social media strategy is a relationship-building and engagement strategy which should be driven by the mission and goals of the association. In addition to serving members we are now in the position to reach farther in connecting with and serving a larger sphere of participants and influencers… all of which are prospective electrons moving toward that electromagnetic force which will ultimately draw them toward the nucleus. Staff at all levels, with basic rules of engagement, have the opportunity to monitor, listen and make these connections.
Further, think of non-member social web participants and influencers in your space as “surrogates” who care and want to be heard. The bar is not as high as one might think in creating relationships that will move these individuals into the role of promoter and prospective member.
Remember, control is an illusion and the next time a discussion of social media turns to fear and threat, you can now tell the group to not worry because it’s positively “elemental”.
You may now be excused to connect with your former high school chemistry teacher on Facebook to thank them for making you suffer.
1 comment June 4, 2009
The Role of the Emotional Value Proposition in Cultivating Member Loyalty and Activism
If there was one thing an association marketing team must do is put the general principles of behavioral economics into practice at all levels of strategy, tactics and relationships.Satisfy a member’s intellectual need and they may hang on for a little longer. Cultivate a humanizing emotional connection between the member and your association and you might have them as a loyal member and promoter for life… or as long as they still like what they do for a living.
To me, great marketing is about making a human connection at a personal level which results in a sense of belonging. Doing so can be achieved through direct interactions or by indirect emotive multi-sensory storytelling. An example of the first would include traditional one-to-one networking or the considerable opportunities presented by online networking-based social media. An example of the second would be a powerful story told via a fusion of messaging, sight and/or sound, such as a documentary video.
At a primitive level, member loyalty is rooted in a two-way sense of caring, I care about the association because I perceive through my experiences that the association cares about me, not just as a professional but most importantly as a human being.
As human beings, when we care about something we also tend to become protective of its interest. For associations, this translates into voluntary activist behavior which serves to either promote the association or defend it against detractors. Keep thinking the value and potential of making personalized human connections via social media and suddenly Twitter will start to make allot of sense.
Don’t think any of this is true? Try the following questions during your next focus group or one-on-one interview, sit forward and listen carefully to the responses:
- How does it “feel” to be a member of this profession?
- How does it “feel” when you are practicing this profession on any given day?
- How does it “feel” to be a member of this association?
- How does it “feel” to be at this conference?
- When you interact with members, how does it make you “feel”?
- When you interact with association staff, how does it make you “feel”?
- When you interact with leaders of this association, how does it make you “feel”?
- How does it “feel”… you get the idea.
One additional bonus note, behavioral economics not only applies to the role of emotional psychology in the decision-making process of members but also the actions of board leaders, senior management, internal departments, colleagues, direct reports, indirect reports, external stakeholders, media, the general public, neighbors, relatives, husbands, wives, children and even the DMV. In other words, any member of the human race.
In closing, here are two of my favorite guiding quotes when it comes to the emotional complexity of human decision making as it relates to marketing or any endeavor:
“I don’t care how much you know until I know how much you care.” Unknown
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Add comment May 7, 2009
Social Media’s Impact on the Lifetime Value of Non-Members and Lapsed Members
For years, associations have been contemplating and calculating the lifetime value of a member. In other words, the measure of the tangible value of a member who maintains her membership over a period of time minus the cost of servicing that membership.
As we continue to move rapidly through the not-so-new frontier of the social web, we need to also look at another important lifetime value measure… that is the lifetime value of non-members and lapsed members. The truth is we should have been looking at this particular measure even before the arrival of the social web years ago.
Why you might ask? First, because word-of-mouth marketing has been around since the dawn of spoken language. An individual need not be a paying member, or customer, to create or detract value from your association.
If favorable impressions about your association resides within the hearts and minds of non-members and lapsed members alike, there is always a higher likelihood that they would have favorable perspectives to share with their friends and colleagues that may influence tangible behavior. Likewise, if unfavorable thoughts about your association occupy that expanse between the skull and the chest cavity of lapsed members and non-members, then there is an even higher likelihood that word-of-mouth communication will take place… the brand of communication that keeps association executives up at night.
Enter, stage right, the social web. Given the expansive reach of communication and interaction offered to virtually anyone with a computer and Internet connection, the sphere of influence impacting our association’s subject-matter has grown well beyond the walls of membership. As such, the traditional notions of value creation has moved well beyond the tangible contributions of loyal members into the intangible, yet influential sphere of the social web.
Members are no longer the only game in town when it comes to value creation and influence. While members are the cherished core of our associations, we must expand our perspective and reach and engage the many influencers and, yes, detractors that are out there talking either directly or indirectly about our associations. Remember, legitimate detractors most often complain because they care enough to participate and want to be heard. With that said, be careful to not confuse reasonable detractors with incoherent crazies.
There is also the layer of lurking participants who may not be out there creating content, but are certainly tuning in.
Your association’s social media strategy should factor in the tangible and intangible value of those lapsed members and non-members who are both visible and active out on the social web. Even more, if you make the right connection you stand to gain even more than the value-generating relationship, conversation and content… you might actually win them back or bring them on board for the very first time as members as well as their followers.
By now, I’m sure some of you have already asked the inevitable question… “Sounds great, but how do you measure the lifetime value of lapsed members and non-members?”. The answer depends on your association’s defined measures for success relating to social media strategy. It’s not always immediate dollars as social media is relationship and conversation-based marketing by its very nature. Put another way, it’s like planting seeds to fertile soil which you nurture and cultivate.
However, there are measures including:
- Web analytics, links, demographics, ratings, Technorati ranking of content sources, qualitative comment analysis, content timing and more..
COMPARED to:
- Membership growth, inbound web traffic, conference registration, product sales and much more.
Another way to measure offline value creation would be to develop benchmark snapshots of membership and customer geography (city, county, state, region, country) and track increasing/decreasing trends over time. While the social web is universal, we all have a geographic point of origin which is our physical social sphere.
Don’t forget that you can actively track re-captured members. Further, you can create “customer” records in your AMS for key social web influencers/participants and run periodic anlaysis to see who has joined.
There’s still the good old-fashioned means of asking new members and customers how they first learned about your association. Beyond the generic social media sources (such as Twitter, Facebook, etc) to specific blogs or other social communities run by key influencers.
The most important consideration is to be creative, experimental and open-minded as you fight off the temptation to become paralyzed by the illusion of perfection.
Add comment May 5, 2009
