This is the sixth in a series about Social Networks and Social Networking.

Having the granddaughter for the weekend required planning entertainment for a 2 year old.  I went to Google, typed in Petting Zoos, and found several close by.  One sounded attractive until I began reading the comments:

I went to this farm with my two small children and it felt like I was being shuttled like cattle with all the waiting in lines.  It was very expensive and not at all worth the money.  I would not do this again…

And

… Staff was not friendly at all, didn’t matter the age or the position. They have a catapillar ride in the childrens area, that we waited to get on for 30 mins and then were told it was closed…The food stand was dirty, flies everywhere touching every food container, plate napkin everything!! NASTY!! Trash barrells were over filled. And this is all in the food area!! .

These comments focused my thinking about what is out there on the Internet and social media, are firms aware of it, and how do they/should they respond.

Mchelle Conlin and Douglas MacMilan, writing in Business Week (Web 2.0: Managing Corporate Reputations) talk about large companies (GE, IBM, Intel).  Kermit Pattison in the New York Times (Managing an Online Reputation) talks about retailers and consumer vendors.  Neither article provided specific directions, especially if the posting(s) are anonymous as they might be on Yelp or other reviewing locations.

Here are my suggestions for the Chief Marketing Officer.

1. Establish a corporate policy and procedure that details how social media comments will be addressed.  This should link to:
   1. Updated employee training, for both current employees and new hires, on social networking “rules of the road.”
   2. An updated corporate Code of Conduct policy.
   3. The updated corporate Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).  The AUP should include guidance about Internet use, Social Media, and expectations as to protecting the brand and reputation of the firm.
   4. Clear communication to all employees, stating that the firm is monitoring social media as part of its investment in building and maintaining the brand and reputation.
2. Establish a monitoring system that examines all the social media; blogs, twitter, YouTube, etc. for mentions of your brands and employees.  A somewhat dated list of reputational tools is here.  A powerful inexpensive way to start is by using Google Alerts.
3. Have the gathered information reviewed on a daily basis each morning and critical ones, both positive and negative, presented to you immediately.
4. Personally review each critical post.  Comments that are being posted can be picked up and explode in hours.  Reviewing the reports on a weekly basis, and/or delegating this task to staff invites delays and potential long-term issues.
5. Act as per the policy and procedure.  The key is to respond quickly so that readers will know that you are aware and responsive.  Generally speaking, responses will fall into a few categories, depending upon the nature of the comment.

As part of the monitoring system, establish metrics to track trends and events.  This could be managed by the Customer Satisfaction team/organization, who can involve the entire company in making changes.

It is clear that we now live in a different rapidly changing environment.  As I mentioned earlier, the economic power has shifted to the consumer. The agile Marketing department now includes the customer service function, as every customer touch point has the potential for a positive or negative reaction.  Having established and implemented policies and procedures, dealing with social network comments in a measured way provides the best path for dealing with the changing world.

Regarding the entertainment for the 2 year old, we fell back on a tried and true social networking tool.  Grandma talked with another Grandmother, who gave us excellent guidance…, a low cost pleasant location that met everyone’s needs.

What if the buyers of your product or services can’t talk with other Grandmothers, and are basing their purchasing decisions solely on social media comments?  Are you prepared to deal with today’s environment?

RHM 8/4/2009