Customer Service and the Social Web: A Cautionary Tale

I’m actually a nice person. I try to be helpful. I add value and I am often compassionate. I’m also an excellent customer since I network and provide word-of-mouth referrals. Most of the time. Things have been difficult this last week, what with the funeral, getting the 16 year old back to school and catching up with work after having been out of town. The garden is choked with weeds, the house so scary that I had been debating hiring one of those emergency cleaning crews that come in after a major catastrophe. The pressure has been intense. I worked most of ...

Rev Up Your Social Media Engine – Ford’s Scott Monty to Drive Sept. 4 Workshop at WGTE Public Media

Whether you’re already a social media maven or don’t know a poke from a tweet, you’ll be a more effective online spokesperson for your organization after attending this year’s Professional Development Workshop. Scott Monty, global digital and multimedia communications manager for Ford Motor Co., Detroit, is an expert on corporate use of social media who also writes on the topic for The Social Media Marketing Blog at www.scottmonty.com. In his talk, he will review guidelines and lessons that companies of any size can use as they enter the world of social media. Make your reservations now for the Northwest Ohio Chapter’s annual ...

Early morning thoughts about social media marketing, PR and strong coffee…

Monday, March 30, 2009. This A.M. started as a study in contrast. My first email was from a friend and colleague who is critical of my passion for social media and declared herself “not interested in all that social media stuff”. This is the same person who wonders why she is struggling to attract new clients.

In the next moment, as I read my Facebook messages, I learned of a new shareable media database available for Twitter users. This free resource allows you to follow and sort media by beat, location, name or media outlet. MediaOnTwitter is populated by Twitter users, vetted by editors and FREE to the entire community. Developed by Sara Evans (@prsarahevans) and partners (known on Twitter as @skydiver, @melissahourigan and @edunigan), the MediaOnTwitter wiki can only help the public relations community by making it easy to follow and communicate with journalists using Twitter. Great example of innovation in our industry—one that will benefit all of us.

Next I stumbled upon a blog post written by Jennifer Willbur, a PR pro some 10 years younger than I, who cautions her colleagues not to become “PR Geezers”, saying the time to learn to use social media effectively is now. She makes the point that her reader may be comfortably employed right now by a company who is considering social media involvement but not making it a priority. How long will it be, she wonders, before the competition gains traction using social media marketing? Where will her reader be then? She closes by reminding us that none of us can afford complacency or fear of the new and unknown. Things are different now, which means WE have to be different. If we don’t make learning social media a priority right now, we’re going to be left behind.

I agree with her.

So where do you stand? Are you interested in learning about social media for your business? Wondering what that even means? Wondering where to start?

Start by attending the first Social Media Breakfast Toledo, which will give you an overview of social media and social media marketing and offer you a chance to network with other business people. The event is scheduled for April 3rd from 7:30-9:30 AM at the Elks Lodge 53 on Holland-Sylvania Rd in Toledo. Tickets are $10 (payable by cash at the door) and advance registration is required because seating is limited. Register online here.

We hope to see you there. We hope you make learning about social media a priority for your business too.