Social networks represent an invaluable tool for interfacing with customers and responding to complaints, but the true value of the online revolution lies in the opportunity to recast your brand as customer-friendly. Through clever YouTube videos and grassroots Facebook and Twitter campaigns, you can establish your brand as the "cool kid" on the block, treating customers as cultural allies rather than paid patrons. Implement a proactive social media strategy that assures customers will come knocking not because they want to expose your product’s failures but because they are confident your brand and representatives will act in their best interest:
- Implement metrics for assessing how your core audience behaves within social media
- Begin campaigns within those networks not occupied by your competitors to assure your message properly resonates
- Redefine the goals of marketing, assuring customer action, rather than mere awareness, is prioritized in the success calculation
- Involve the marketing team in the customer service process to promote synergy between the branding efforts and the first line of response