Can Facebook be your Customer Service answer?

The numbers say yes!  In a Q2 2014 survey, 67% of brands that had questions posted to their Facebook wall, responded to them.  That's a pretty strong figure for customer interaction, which shows the true power of social media and how successful Brands leverage it for full customer interaction.

There is always a "but" in this equation, and in this case during that same period, 87% of the Brands examined did not have their Facebook walls open for comments.  In other words, these Brands failed to recognize the word SOCIAL in its overall strategy.  We're now in an interactive world folks, transparency in your Brand is necessary in order to create trust - open up man!

So what industries excel at Customer Service interaction on social media platforms...the Airlines!  Yes, those lovely companies that now charge you for that man-purse or laptop case, are the best at social response.

So what does this mean to you?  Open up the lines, answer those questions and create a relationship with your customers!

For more on this article Read Here

The modern Storyteller - YouTube!

Storytelling.  We all do it, heck we've all heard a tall tale or two hundred - and in my family that is one holiday meal!  So, what does that mean in the times of instant gratification and social media?

Our Facebook and Twitter feeds - along with every other social outlet - are full of videos that our friends, family, co-workers, etc. have posted at one point or another.  The bottom line is that people post videos and pictures for three core reasons:

1.  To amaze and entertain our friends
2.  To reveal aspects of our true selves to our network in order to build stronger relationships
3.  To help people by providing meaningful information and insight

Now think about it, who hasn't posted some crazy video of some person doing a stunt gone horribly wrong?  I am a consistent poster of articles and videos that relate to organ donation, or of positive affirmations.  And, who didn't receive some sort of political video/joke/picture during last years elections?

Great, you've nailed exactly why I post something on a personal level, so what does that mean for my brand?  It goes back to the first word in this post - Storytelling.  We are social creatures, and social media, particularly YouTube and Facebook, allow us to share the stories that Uncle Jack told us from back in the day, but utilizing visuals and acoustics to enhance the social experience.

Brands have been making TV ads for years, which is great for the Super Bowl, but otherwise you end up taking a shotgun to an archery contest.  Social Media allows a Brand to fine-tune its message on a personal level - by bonding with the recipient through those core reasons.  Creating a Brand Story that relates your product/service/mission/values to the individual promotes not only the Brand, but the social aspect that we all have to share.  You may have 100,000 twitter followers, but release a YouTube video that grabs your audience on a personal level, and that tweet may explode to Millions of people - and potential customers.

Read more on how to create a Storytelling experience with your Brand videos

Honoring - and helping - a Hero

Today I wanted to talk to you about heroes.  We all have heroes in our lives - ballplayers, action figures, parents, etc. - however it's sometimes goes without saying that there are everyday heroes out there, especially those who protect us in the military.  Now, we all know that Cristina Zakis, my living donor, is my personal angel on Earth, but there is one other that I want to recognize, and request your help about.

SPC Justin Lansford was severely injured in an IED attack on April 23rd in Afganistan.  Yes, another Wounded Warrior, big deal right?  Well, not exactly.  Justin was injured coming to the aid of his fellow soldiers engaged in a firefight.  He was getting out of the Humvee when the IED went off, flipping the vehicle onto his legs, where he lost not only his leg - but almost his life.  Today, he's at Walter Reed, still fighting for his life, but is on the upswing which is good.

The compelling part of this story is the outpouring of help from the Gwinnett County community, and the unbelievable power of prayer which has helped the family and Justin get through this ordeal.  Justin is the nephew of a friend of mine, and to watch a family go through the agony of this is hard at times, but a community effort to assist this family really shows the goodness of our souls as human beings.

I ask that you all visit Justin's Facebook site, and continue to send positive thoughts and prayers his way.  And remember, Captain America is not just a comic book character, he is the epitome of every Soldier and Wounded Warrior that fights for our freedom every day.  Pray for our troops.

Facebook an Organ Donation Sponsor!

So Mark Zuckerberg, the guru of social media and founder of the Facebook (yes, that's what it was called originally folks) has taken on a new challenge - that of increasing the awareness and availability of organ donations.

Organ donation saves lives, as it did mine, as it did with Mark's friend Steve Jobs, who had a liver transplant from a deceased donor.  This transplant extended Jobs' life, and think of the things we may not have had if he wasn't given that gift of life - the iPad, iPhone 4, etc.  Okay, so maybe a reach, but I do admire what Zuckerberg is doing - utilizing his social platform as a way to save lives.  You've seen some of my other posts where social media has helped save people through organ donation, but Facebook is taking this to an entirely different level.

Anyway, I encourage you all to look at adding Organ Donor to your Facebook pages, and if you aren't registered as an organ donor at your local DMV, please do so - be it through Facebook's interface (very cool!) or with your DMV.

Read the article and let me know your thoughts on this.  Organ donation does save lives, and in the process will redefine yours.

Thanks for listening, and Donate Life.

Chris

Do you + ?

So Google is launching a re-designed Google+ to compete with some of Facebook's Timeline features.  So my question is this - is Google+ a useful tool for you, or is it just another site to keep track of?

I admit, we're not on Google+ yet, but as far as SEO goes, I think it's a must, especially when building a brand following or marketing a new product.  However, Google is re-designing merely months after launching this platform, so are they just putting lipstick on a pig or what?  I'd like your opinions on if Google+ is a relevant medium for marketing and branding.  Here's the article on the re-design:


http://mashable.com/2012/04/11/google-plus-redesign/