You love it. You hate it. You can’t live without it.
For marketers and PR experts, feedback has always been an animal you approach with equal amounts of awe and respect. After all, the will of the people has flooded the phone lines of many a company and derailed the well-laid plans of marketers with sure-thing products.
And that was before the consumer could give you the old Caesar thumbs up or down with a few taps on their keyboard or mobile.
Today, your target audience has the expectation that they can tweet, yelp, update their status, blog/vlog their opinions to everyone listening, and critique your brand on any number of specialty sites. It’s instant and out there for everyone to see. Which means you need to be out there looking and participating.
The only question is: How are you going to handle the many faces of feedback that you’ll encounter?
Pop Culture Reference: The Groupies from Almost Famous
They love you. They think everything you do is art. Frankly, they just want to be in the same room partying with you.
These are your brand loyalists of the highest order. Every brand has them. Good thing too – you’ll need them.
Now is it just a crush or hero worship? Are you really worthy of the pedestal they’ve plopped you on?
Who knows? The important thing is that they are there for you – so make use of them. Treat them like the in-crowd, as they will reward that recognition a hundred times over.
Pop Culture Reference: Benny Blanco from Carlito’s Way
Sometime long ago, they were fan enough to test your brand. They may have even belonged in the category above.
Then something happened – a slight or accidental indifference. Whether you did something or not, they felt wronged. Now, the whole world is going to hear about the injustice.
Unless you’ve somehow found a magical incantation for keeping everyone happy all the time, this will be a challenge your brand should be prepared to meet. Frankly, it’s also an opportunity.
Push comes to shove, this person wants to like you. So make sure that you let them know that (A) they are being heard and (B) their opinion will influence the future of the product. Don’t make promises you can’t keep or feed them a line.
Instead, be honest and transparent. It’s the surest route back to the love fest you once enjoyed.
Pop Culture Reference: That cockadoodie-crazy Misery lady.
This person’s relationship with your brand is … complex.
Maybe they were spurned and didn’t get the response they felt was deserved. Or perhaps they’re just living in an isolated cabin somewhere and don’t have very much human interaction at all.
Either way, they have some pretty bad and sometimes R-rated things to say. You just have to decide the level of seriousness it warrants.
Some might claim that the level of their negativity comes from feeling a bit more removed and anonymous online. Personally, I think that’s a copout. You may get a visceral, gut reaction from them. But underneath the jabs and F-bombs, there may be a legitimate point.
So sift through the rubble and see if there is anything left to salvage.
Any of these faces look familiar to you? Take a moment to share your tales of social media glory or agony in the comments below.
Gary S
