What We Do Trumps What We Say Every Time.

A few days ago I watched the awesome Scott Stratten at Blog World NYC remind me of that truth when he talked about misfires companies have with Social Media and customer service.  Ironically, his words perfectly fit my experience last week with Delta Airlines.  I love it when life imitates art.

We all love a good #fail story, right?  There’s just something about a “train wreck” that you can’t look away.  Airlines are an easy target, I’ll grant you, and why is that? Because they fail their customers so often and so catastrophically.  The experience on both my outbound and inbound flights from LAX to JFK is a prime example.

Before my flight, I called Delta Customer Service to make sure they offered AC power and WiFi on board.  I was told “yes” to both.  Once I boarded the plane, imagine my surprise to find no AC power.  Noted in the “fine print” of the vomit-bag magazine I learned that, oh, the AC power is only available in 1st class!  Bummer, I didn’t bring my extension cord.  And the WiFi?  It was $17.95 and slower than dial-up circa 1998.

I tweeted and Facebooked my reaction.  I have yet to get a reply.  Customer Service unplugged.

My return flight was even better and it’s actually what prompted this post.  While we were sitting on the tarmac stuffed into our seats like sardines, after paying $25 for each checked bag, apparently it’s now customary to play an unimaginative, corporate-sponsored video from the Chairman of the Board of Delta.  We were literally a captive audience.  In the video, he’s welcoming me with his corporate smile, talking about his “world-class team” and how wonderful it is to fly on Delta.  Meanwhile, I feel about as welcome as a turd in a swimming pool.

Mr. Chairman, it’s up to me whether or not it’s wonderful to fly on Delta.  I was shocked at how little leg room there was in coach.  I’m not a tall person and there was less than 2″ between my knees and the seat in front.  Imagine what it was like for the guy next to me who was easily 6’4″.  His legs were so cramped he could barely move, traveling 6 hours from JFK to LAX at 9:00 pm.

The service was non-existent.  They came by one time with beverages.  Now, I have to admit that I don’t fly across country that often so maybe things have changed a lot.  Maybe people are more tolerable now.  Maybe we’ve been abused for so long that inferior customer service feels acceptable.  It was so bad that I didn’t even bother tweeting.  The energy I’d invested in my earlier tweet was squandered.  My dissatisfaction grew into apathy.

I doesn’t matter how many times you say you’re awesome if your customers have an experience telling them otherwise.

One thing that never changes is how we feel when we receive stellar customer service. We remember it because we felt something uniquely positive.  Stellar customer service establishes and nurtures trust.  It’s remarkable and we keep coming back for more.

Customer response is measured in seconds.  You must be responsive.  If you want to be on Social, then you have to commit to being on Social.  The fact that Delta never responded to me opened the door for further reaction.  Customers just want to know you’re out there caring about them.  What Delta did trumped what Delta said.

Don’t try to have a Social presence without being present!

33% of Americans follow brands/companies on Facebook & Twitter.  That number has doubled in past 2 years.  In Social customer service, you don’t make the rules, the customer does.  It’s about the customer and how they want to contact you.  Are you there….listening?

Don’t be unplugged. Have you ever thought about Saturdays?  Saturday is a dangerous day for dealership Social Media.  Don’t make the mistake of tuning out Social just when your customers have the most time to respond.

The numbers are in (thanks to Tom Webster): 47% of American consumers in 2012 say Social networks influence their buying decisions. That’s doubled from 24% in 2011.  It’s fascinating to see 29% of online Americans check Twitter several times daily. That’s an 11% increase year-over-year.

Social Media is real-time evidence of your store’s mission statement.  Is what you’re saying in tandem with what you’re doing?

Your Turn: Have you had a negative customer review lately?  How did you respond?  How did they respond?

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com 

What We Do Trumps What We Say Every Time.

A few days ago I watched the awesome Scott Stratten at Blog World NYC remind me of that truth when he talked about misfires companies have with Social Media and customer service.  Ironically, his words perfectly fit my experience last week with Delta Airlines.  I love it when life imitates art.

We all love a good #fail story, right?  There’s just something about a “train wreck” that you can’t look away.  Airlines are an easy target, I’ll grant you, and why is that? Because they fail their customers so often and so catastrophically.  The experience on both my outbound and inbound flights from LAX to JFK is a prime example.

Before my flight, I called Delta Customer Service to make sure they offered AC power and WiFi on board.  I was told “yes” to both.  Once I boarded the plane, imagine my surprise to find no AC power.  Noted in the “fine print” of the vomit-bag magazine I learned that, oh, the AC power is only available in 1st class!  Bummer, I didn’t bring my extension cord.  And the WiFi?  It was $17.95 and slower than dial-up circa 1998.

I tweeted and Facebooked my reaction.  I have yet to get a reply.  Customer Service unplugged.

My return flight was even better and it’s actually what prompted this post.  While we were sitting on the tarmac stuffed into our seats like sardines, after paying $25 for each checked bag, apparently it’s now customary to play an unimaginative, corporate-sponsored video from the Chairman of the Board of Delta.  We were literally a captive audience.  In the video, he’s welcoming me with his corporate smile, talking about his “world-class team” and how wonderful it is to fly on Delta.  Meanwhile, I feel about as welcome as a turd in a swimming pool.

Mr. Chairman, it’s up to me whether or not it’s wonderful to fly on Delta.  I was shocked at how little leg room there was in coach.  I’m not a tall person and there was less than 2″ between my knees and the seat in front.  Imagine what it was like for the guy next to me who was easily 6’4″.  His legs were so cramped he could barely move, traveling 6 hours from JFK to LAX at 9:00 pm.

The service was non-existent.  They came by one time with beverages.  Now, I have to admit that I don’t fly across country that often so maybe things have changed a lot.  Maybe people are more tolerable now.  Maybe we’ve been abused for so long that inferior customer service feels acceptable.  It was so bad that I didn’t even bother tweeting.  The energy I’d invested in my earlier tweet was squandered.  My dissatisfaction grew into apathy.

I doesn’t matter how many times you say you’re awesome if your customers have an experience telling them otherwise.

One thing that never changes is how we feel when we receive stellar customer service. We remember it because we felt something uniquely positive.  Stellar customer service establishes and nurtures trust.  It’s remarkable and we keep coming back for more.

Customer response is measured in seconds.  You must be responsive.  If you want to be on Social, then you have to commit to being on Social.  The fact that Delta never responded to me opened the door for further reaction.  Customers just want to know you’re out there caring about them.  What Delta did trumped what Delta said.

Don’t try to have a Social presence without being present!

33% of Americans follow brands/companies on Facebook & Twitter.  That number has doubled in past 2 years.  In Social customer service, you don’t make the rules, the customer does.  It’s about the customer and how they want to contact you.  Are you there….listening?

Don’t be unplugged. Have you ever thought about Saturdays?  Saturday is a dangerous day for dealership Social Media.  Don’t make the mistake of tuning out Social just when your customers have the most time to respond.

The numbers are in (thanks to Tom Webster): 47% of American consumers in 2012 say Social networks influence their buying decisions. That’s doubled from 24% in 2011.  It’s fascinating to see 29% of online Americans check Twitter several times daily. That’s an 11% increase year-over-year.

Social Media is real-time evidence of your store’s mission statement.  Is what you’re saying in tandem with what you’re doing?

Your Turn: Have you had a negative customer review lately?  How did you respond?  How did they respond?

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com 

“Change before you have to.” ~Jack Welch

What a day it was.  I was having a nice Wednesday morning: clearing email, writing my next blog post and getting ready for the Facebook Marketing Conference in NYC.  I set up Livestream and within moments I realized I was “not in Kansas anymore”.

To say these changes to Facebook Business Pages are monumental is an understatement.  Whether you felt it or not, there was a Facebook “off the Richter Scale” earthquake yesterday and it means life as we know it has changed forever.

One main theme rose above all else for me during the conference: engagement is what drives Facebook success and awesome content is how you do that.  Before I make my point however, here are some of the highlights that are key to dealers and their community managers:

1. Timeline for Pages deadline is March 30th. You can preview and publish now if you want to but you’ll need to work out your Page’s marketing strategy before you do that. Read on.
2. Cover Photo. This new image located at the top of the Timeline offers you a great chance to include some strong, creative branding on your page. However, your new Cover cannot contain:
•    Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download at our website”.
•    Contact information such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section.
•    References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features.
•    Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”.
(See, I told you it was rocking our world!)
3. Death of the Landing Page. For years now I’ve been preaching about greeting your visitors right with a Welcome Page. Good News! Those of you who didn’t do it are off the hook. Bad News? In the past you could set a landing tab for your page (Welcome page, Fan Gate) to attract attention, grow the fan base and collect contact info (leads) for follow up. Well, you can forget that now because there is no such thing as a landing tab anymore.
4. Premium on Facebook. This new ad offering includes the Reach Generator tool that enables you to select your most engaging Page posts to be featured as a premium ad. You also get Offers, a new way to advertise your specials. Premium allows you to distribute the ad 4 ways: 1) the Facebook homepage to the right of the News Feed, 2) in the News Feed on desktop, 3) in the News Feed on mobile, and 4) in the logged-off experience.  Facebook says it could maximize reach to 75% of your fans and double engagement. We’ll see.
5. Real-Time Insights. You can now access data and metrics for engagement on your Page in real-time. This gives you the ability to quickly supplement a campaign with paid media or additional posts to capitalize on post performance and maximize audience reach.
6. Pinned Posts. You’ll be able to “pin” a post to the top of the timeline which is a great way to spotlight important marketing content and drive awareness and engagement with any people visiting the Page. A pinned post can stay pinned for up to seven days.

There are a lot more changes, enhancements and new features so be sure to stay informed.

Content marketing is now your most important tool in Facebook marketing. With the loss of landing tabs, you’re going to be forced to consistently supply your fans with quality content.  If you’re a regular reader of this blog (of course you are!), you know that I talk a lot about creating internal processes inside the store to foster awareness with your customer.  Now more than ever, you’ll need the content collaboration and contributions from your employees.  They are on the front lines talking with your customer. They are your insurance policy on engagement.

The lasting effect of all these new Facebook marketing changes will reveal itself in the weeks/months to come.  Get a jump on your competitor and make the necessary moves now.  If you don’t have a dedicated person to handle Social Media, grow your own NOW.  If you have one, make sure they are trained and ready to go.  The only thing constant is change. Take action, build your fan base and engage them with content that communicates who you are and what your store stands for.

Your Turn: How will you handle these massive new Facebook marketing changes?

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com
 

“Change before you have to.” ~Jack Welch

What a day it was.  I was having a nice Wednesday morning: clearing email, writing my next blog post and getting ready for the Facebook Marketing Conference in NYC.  I set up Livestream and within moments I realized I was “not in Kansas anymore”.

To say these changes to Facebook Business Pages are monumental is an understatement.  Whether you felt it or not, there was a Facebook “off the Richter Scale” earthquake yesterday and it means life as we know it has changed forever.

One main theme rose above all else for me during the conference: engagement is what drives Facebook success and awesome content is how you do that.  Before I make my point however, here are some of the highlights that are key to dealers and their community managers:

1. Timeline for Pages deadline is March 30th. You can preview and publish now if you want to but you’ll need to work out your Page’s marketing strategy before you do that. Read on.
2. Cover Photo. This new image located at the top of the Timeline offers you a great chance to include some strong, creative branding on your page. However, your new Cover cannot contain:
•    Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download at our website”.
•    Contact information such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section.
•    References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features.
•    Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”.
(See, I told you it was rocking our world!)
3. Death of the Landing Page. For years now I’ve been preaching about greeting your visitors right with a Welcome Page. Good News! Those of you who didn’t do it are off the hook. Bad News? In the past you could set a landing tab for your page (Welcome page, Fan Gate) to attract attention, grow the fan base and collect contact info (leads) for follow up. Well, you can forget that now because there is no such thing as a landing tab anymore.
4. Premium on Facebook. This new ad offering includes the Reach Generator tool that enables you to select your most engaging Page posts to be featured as a premium ad. You also get Offers, a new way to advertise your specials. Premium allows you to distribute the ad 4 ways: 1) the Facebook homepage to the right of the News Feed, 2) in the News Feed on desktop, 3) in the News Feed on mobile, and 4) in the logged-off experience.  Facebook says it could maximize reach to 75% of your fans and double engagement. We’ll see.
5. Real-Time Insights. You can now access data and metrics for engagement on your Page in real-time. This gives you the ability to quickly supplement a campaign with paid media or additional posts to capitalize on post performance and maximize audience reach.
6. Pinned Posts. You’ll be able to “pin” a post to the top of the timeline which is a great way to spotlight important marketing content and drive awareness and engagement with any people visiting the Page. A pinned post can stay pinned for up to seven days.

There are a lot more changes, enhancements and new features so be sure to stay informed.

Content marketing is now your most important tool in Facebook marketing. With the loss of landing tabs, you’re going to be forced to consistently supply your fans with quality content.  If you’re a regular reader of this blog (of course you are!), you know that I talk a lot about creating internal processes inside the store to foster awareness with your customer.  Now more than ever, you’ll need the content collaboration and contributions from your employees.  They are on the front lines talking with your customer. They are your insurance policy on engagement.

The lasting effect of all these new Facebook marketing changes will reveal itself in the weeks/months to come.  Get a jump on your competitor and make the necessary moves now.  If you don’t have a dedicated person to handle Social Media, grow your own NOW.  If you have one, make sure they are trained and ready to go.  The only thing constant is change. Take action, build your fan base and engage them with content that communicates who you are and what your store stands for.

Your Turn: How will you handle these massive new Facebook marketing changes?

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com
 

If you’re a car salesperson, you need Social Media. You need an online network just like you do your customer list. You need referrals through word-of-mouth because you know those relationships are the most profitable.  Getting started may seem overwhelming because you most likely view Facebook as something your “kids do for fun”.  Well, it’s a lot more than that–you can generate leads online.  That’s right: You can sell cars on Social Media!

It’s not surprise that Social Media will consume your greatest asset: Time.  However, having been on the line myself, we all know there’s downtime during the day that you can put to better use. Here’s a pretty remarkable reason to start:

You @ 200 contacts

Those 200 @ 200 contacts = 40,000 prospects

You can easily build your Facebook up to 200 contacts.  Your 200 contacts have 200 contacts so that means you have the potential of reaching 40,000 prospects on Facebook.  40,000 people that may need a car or know someone who needs a car and they know you.  So it’s time to get started on Social Media.  If you follow these 5 steps, you’ll build your network in no time at all.  Soon you’ll be engaging and attracting potential customers and selling cars.

1.  Create Your Profile. If you already have a Facebook profile then you’re one step ahead. If not, simply sign up for Facebook and walk through the simple steps to create your profile. Keep in mind that you’re now a car sales professional on Facebook so act accordingly.  You can share info about yourself but always keep in mind that you’re presenting a brand called YOU.

2.  Set Your Goals. Who do you want to attract? What do you want to say them? Where do your customers live and work? When will you post content? How will you execute your goals? One of your goals could be to get 200 contacts in a week.  Use the “Find Friends” app on Facebook to look for people you know.  Start asking your customers if they’re on Facebook and put out a friend request to them. Make sure you mention they “like” the store’s Facebook page too!

3.  Create Content. Content is what you post on your Facebook wall to engage your customer.  My motto is “Share or Solve…Don’t Shill” Shill means pitch.  You want your content to be three things: Relevant, Recent and Local.  You can search 1000′s of blogs out there that deliver great information all the time.  You can share video testimonials.  You can share your store’s content.  It’s ok to post this week’s ad but remember to share or solve 80% of the time and “sell” 20% of the time.

4.  Execute Your Plan. Make every attempt to post 2-3 times per day.  This may sound like a lot at first but once you get the rhythm going it will become second nature.  You want to post regularly because Facebook’s algorithms are set to constantly facilitate engagement.  If you don’t engage, your posts will not appear on others’ walls and you won’t maintain those relationships.

5.  Analyze Your Results. It’s essential to monitor your success.  You want to see which content is getting the best reactions from your network. You can do this easily in the beginning by just reviewing daily what your results were.  Once you get a larger Social network you’ll need monitoring tools.  There are a bunch of free Social Media monitoring tools out there that will help you measure your results.

The best way to get started is to try.  After you’ve put together your plan, jump in!  It’s not enough to “dip your toe in” so make the commitment to yourself and your future customers.  Social Media is not instant gratification.  It takes time like all business relationships so be patient and don’t forget to have fun!

Are you a car salesperson who uses Social Media to sell cars? I’d love to hear your feedback.

Kathi Kruse
Automotive Social Media Coaching & Training

www.krusecontrolinc.com

If you’re a car salesperson, you need Social Media. You need an online network just like you do your customer list. You need referrals through word-of-mouth because you know those relationships are the most profitable.  Getting started may seem overwhelming because you most likely view Facebook as something your “kids do for fun”.  Well, it’s a lot more than that–you can generate leads online.  That’s right: You can sell cars on Social Media!

It’s not surprise that Social Media will consume your greatest asset: Time.  However, having been on the line myself, we all know there’s downtime during the day that you can put to better use. Here’s a pretty remarkable reason to start:

You @ 200 contacts

Those 200 @ 200 contacts = 40,000 prospects

You can easily build your Facebook up to 200 contacts.  Your 200 contacts have 200 contacts so that means you have the potential of reaching 40,000 prospects on Facebook.  40,000 people that may need a car or know someone who needs a car and they know you.  So it’s time to get started on Social Media.  If you follow these 5 steps, you’ll build your network in no time at all.  Soon you’ll be engaging and attracting potential customers and selling cars.

1.  Create Your Profile. If you already have a Facebook profile then you’re one step ahead. If not, simply sign up for Facebook and walk through the simple steps to create your profile. Keep in mind that you’re now a car sales professional on Facebook so act accordingly.  You can share info about yourself but always keep in mind that you’re presenting a brand called YOU.

2.  Set Your Goals. Who do you want to attract? What do you want to say them? Where do your customers live and work? When will you post content? How will you execute your goals? One of your goals could be to get 200 contacts in a week.  Use the “Find Friends” app on Facebook to look for people you know.  Start asking your customers if they’re on Facebook and put out a friend request to them. Make sure you mention they “like” the store’s Facebook page too!

3.  Create Content. Content is what you post on your Facebook wall to engage your customer.  My motto is “Share or Solve…Don’t Shill” Shill means pitch.  You want your content to be three things: Relevant, Recent and Local.  You can search 1000′s of blogs out there that deliver great information all the time.  You can share video testimonials.  You can share your store’s content.  It’s ok to post this week’s ad but remember to share or solve 80% of the time and “sell” 20% of the time.

4.  Execute Your Plan. Make every attempt to post 2-3 times per day.  This may sound like a lot at first but once you get the rhythm going it will become second nature.  You want to post regularly because Facebook’s algorithms are set to constantly facilitate engagement.  If you don’t engage, your posts will not appear on others’ walls and you won’t maintain those relationships.

5.  Analyze Your Results. It’s essential to monitor your success.  You want to see which content is getting the best reactions from your network. You can do this easily in the beginning by just reviewing daily what your results were.  Once you get a larger Social network you’ll need monitoring tools.  There are a bunch of free Social Media monitoring tools out there that will help you measure your results.

The best way to get started is to try.  After you’ve put together your plan, jump in!  It’s not enough to “dip your toe in” so make the commitment to yourself and your future customers.  Social Media is not instant gratification.  It takes time like all business relationships so be patient and don’t forget to have fun!

Are you a car salesperson who uses Social Media to sell cars? I’d love to hear your feedback.

Kathi Kruse
Automotive Social Media Coaching & Training

www.krusecontrolinc.com