5 Ways Businesses Can Use Social Media as a Tool for Progress

Riley Gibson is the CEO and co-founder of Napkin Labs, a startup that helps companies discover insights from their fans, followers and customers. Follow Riley on Twitter or check out the company blog.

It seems like everyone talks about the value of social media, but very few businesses take full advantage of it. Think about how you use social media in your personal life ? to ask for recommendations or advice from friends, to share photos and moments from your life, and to stay in touch. Very few people act as if they?re automated social media bots. So why do companies?

There?s huge potential for companies to get real on social media, but that means asking customers potentially tough questions: What should the company do next? How should the company improve its products or services? It?s scary, uncharted territory for many, but it?s much more efficient to tap social media than to agonize over expensive surveys and focus groups. Most don?t realize that the most valuable ?focus group? is the community that chooses to opt in over social media. These friends, fans and followers want to see you succeed (and have a hand in helping you accomplish success).

Here are the biggest missteps when it comes to using social media as a tool for progress, plus some advice on how to overcome them.

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1. Companies Don?t Ask for New Ideas Over Social Media.

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Customers love having the opportunity to influence the direction of companies, but they?re unlikely to provide valuable ideas without being prompted first. Companies need to start by proactively posting or tweeting questions that ask for customers? thoughts on specific product ideas, marketing strategies, or anything else relevant. And when people answer you, dig deeper! Turn any initial feedback you get into a conversation, and try to create something real from the dialogue.

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2. Companies Use Social Media for Self-Serving Information.

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Since it?s usually the marketing department that controls a company?s social media activity, it?s not surprising that the majority of information companies share over social media is about their own products or services. The problem is that promotional tweets and Facebook posts don?t generate useful conversations with fans. It?s not all about you! Instead, companies should post fun contests, polls, and questions to let their customers know they value their opinion, and that they have a personality.

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3. Companies Are Strapped for Time and Labor.

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Most companies believe they?d be better at social media conversations with customers if they had more people or time to work on it. While this is probably true, the misstep in this situation is neglecting to realize that effective social media engagement doesn?t have to take a lot of time to be effective. In most cases, those managing social channels just need a bit of direction and focus. Often, just getting together with the marketing, product development or customer service departments can help you set a course that?s both manageable and worth the time and effort.

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4. Companies Receive Overwhelmingly Positive Feedback on Social Media.

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When I speak with companies about the feedback they get from customers over social media, most are overjoyed by the amount of positive comments they receive. Sure, knowing what you?re doing right can be helpful, but companies need more than positive feedback to help drive progress. For more useful feedback, companies should post and tweet questions that are relevant to specific areas the business explores. Feedback in response to the question ?What new watch designs should we offer?? will be more valuable than compliments on how sweet your watch bands and face designs already are.

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5. Companies Receive Feedback, Then Nothing Happens.

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Usually the people who monitor social media channels within a company aren?t the same people who make decisions about the direction of the company. This means that many valuable ideas that come in through social channels are never even considered. To fully take advantage of social media as a tool for progress, a system needs to be put in place to make sure the ideas coming from customers over Facebook and Twitter are passed along to the appropriate decision-makers. Communication is essential in order that feedback can actually cause change. Also, once customers realize their ideas are being turned into reality, they?ll be more likely to contribute new ideas again.

The good news about social media is that it?s prime real estate for trying out new things and talking to your customers all at once in a way that?s never been possible before.

Ever find yourself violating any of these social media faux pas? What have you done to make your communities more vibrant channels for capturing ideas?

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, ra2studio.

Illustrations by Dana Zemack. To see more of Dana?s stick figure comics, check out her Tumblr and follow her on Twitter.

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/01/17/business-social-media-progress/

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