If your company is using social media to interact with your customers, you presumably want to know what those customers think.  You WANT them to tell you how you’re doing, what they like (and what they don’t), and what they wish you would do more (or less).

But in order to maximize the use of any feedback you receive, you have to be able to ACT on it — and that means knowing WHOM to share that feedback with.

For example, Bigelow Tea is beginning to experiment with the microblogging service Twitter. In addition to driving attention toward some of Bigelow’s blog posts, Twitter has also enabled tea drinkers to let the company know what their favorite flavors are, how and when they drink their favorite teas, and what information (like caffeine and health benefits) they’d like to know more about.

All of which is great to know, but if the right people AT Bigelow don’t find out about this information, it would simply go to waste.

So as your company starts interacting with your customers via social media sites, make sure part of that process includes a gathering and reporting of any useful information to the departments that can actually make use of this information. Without that step, you might have a pleasant conversation, but it won’t lead to an improved experience for your customers or an improved bottom line.

When someone engages with your company or brand in a social media setting like MySpace, Twitter or YouTube, they often choose to become your “friend.” In social media terms, a “friend” is the same thing as a subscriber — it’s a person who’s interested enough in what you’re doing that they actually choose to receive future messages from you. They actively LIKE (or at least they don’t actively DISLIKE) your brand, and they want to know more about it.

Yet, unlike subscribers, friends are more valuable in quality, not in quantity.

Why?

Because the number of friends you have in the world of social media says a lot of about your ability to deliver valuable information to the people who actually want it. In layman’s terms, having too many “friends” can give discerning visitors the impression that you’re using a two-way medium as a one-way bullhorn — and they get that enough on TV, radio, billboards, magazines…

So, instead of seeking to befriend (or, in Twitter parlance, to be “followed by”) as many people as possible, you should be selective about whom you include in your social messaging. Take the extra effort to find people that are already talking about your company / products / services / industry. THOSE people are already interested in what you do, and they’re far more likely to listen to you, respond to your questions, offer you valuable feedback and take legitimate action.

And wouldn’t you rather have a dedicated, passionate following than just another bloated mailing list?

Photo by vividBreeze.

When things are going well for your company, being “social” in social media is easy. But as soon as a company or an industry experiences trouble — from an economic hiccup to a full PR disaster — it can be tempting to bar the gates and limit all public information so you can better control the message.

Guess what? That rarely helps — and, in these days of instant commentary, it can even make things worse.

Now that the public expects companies to be social, they also expect those companies to be more transparent (read: honest). After all, if they’re engaging you in a one-on-one dialogue, they (subconsciously, at least) begin to feel as though they deserve straight answers during times of crisis. (And don’t they?)

When things start looking gloomy, resist the urge to bunker down and cut off all outside communications. Instead, use the trust and goodwill you’ve built through your social media channels to keep your loyal customers (and critics) in the loop on the situation — and, more importantly, what you’re doing to fix it.

Once the cloud passes, your loyalists will feel as though they’ve weathered the storm with you — and they’ll be even more excited to tell others about what you’re doing right.

Photo by Chad Johnson.

One of the benefits your company enjoys with social media is the opportunity to engage directly with your audience / customers / critics / competitors.  But WHO is doing that engaging on YOUR behalf?

Some companies empower their executives to speak their own minds, in their own words (for example, the Bigelow Tea Blog often features posts from Bigelow’s President and other department heads, along with daily information about tea).

Sometimes a company designates specific employees, often within the communications or marketing departments, to become the “official” voice of the company’s social media accounts (check out Frank Eliason, who operates Comcast’s account on Twitter and, in doing so, has become one of company’s trusted public faces).

Whichever choice you make, consistency is the key.  Your customers will enjoy engaging your brand far more when they understand who, exactly, they’re talking to — and they feel even better when they know they’re dealing with a “real person” like themselves, who’s as comfortable talking about company policy as they are discussing football, lunch breaks or rush hour.

Remember: “social” media involves actual people and real conversations.  Don’t be afraid to be real.

(Photo by djfoobarmatt.)

A recent study by Cone finds that 93% of Americans believe companies should have a presence in social media.  85% believe that companies should not only have a presence but they should interact as well, and 56% of American consumers feel stronger about a company — and better served — when they can interact with that company in a social media environment.  See all of the results here, and thanks to C.C. Chapman for the heads up here.

Join us to ask the who, what, where, and when of social media for business!