At IMS09 with Brian Solis

I came to Boston knowing that I was going to meet amazing social media folks and learn some amazing things. What I didn’t know is that I would also develop amazing friendships that I will carry long past the 2 day summit. And that really is the interesting thing isn’t it. We spent 2 days talking about social media and how people are people are using it to exist and participate in conversations where their customers are. We heard case studies, talked with thought leaders, and a lot of authors as it turns out and at the end of the day it all came down to one thing for me.

Social media is a tool that helps you develop deeper relationships with your customers and prospects. The relationship is truly what it is all about as has been true for the last 100 years. I really loved Shiv Singhs modification of Peter F. Drucker’s quote ”The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.” Shiv said, ” The purpose of business is to create a customer that creates a customer.”  That doesn’t happen if you don’t have a relationship.

“The difference is that social media makes the distance between you and your customers nill”, stated brilliantly by Tim Walker. Why? Because you can easily SEE what they are saying, WHEN they are saying it, WHERE they are saying it and WHO they are saying it to.  Marketers in the 50’s would’ve gone biserk over this type of information. And knowing what is being said about your brand is critical. But the most important thing is WHAT you do next.

There was a lot of talk about listening at the summit. And I agree with the speakers if you aren’t listening you are an idiot. It’s too easy to not be doing it. The question is when do you engage?

Are people complaining about your brand? A simple How Can I Help You can go a long way, “the first thing to do is answer the phone and say how can I help you” from David Alston. Chris Brogan and Julien Smith’s 3 A’s that they define in Trust Agents are a great way to manage complaints. “Acknowledge, Apologize and Act.” This really goes into the authenticity theory. Actually care that people had a bad experience and FIX IT! It’s amazing how fixing someone’s problem will deepen your relationship with them. If you can’t fix it, be honest about it.

Are people raving about your brand? “Always say thank you when someone praises your brand online.” Another great thought from David Alston.

This really is simple stuff. It’s not rocket surgery as Chris said. But we all know that it does sound really simple but in practice it can get really complicated…really quick. Questions like how do you get buy in? How do you assemble your team? What do you do when you make a mistake? There were great insights into this as well. I’ll cover some of the tips on that in my next post!

Thank you to all of the presenters who really are game changers and some of the most down to earth, genuine people I’ve met. And of course to Justin Levy and Chris Brogan who gave us the opportunity to connect. And the real magic happened with the attendees who connected over a few drinks and forged friendships.

If you missed it go to slideshare and search for IMS09. Most of the presentations are there.