Thank goodness I’m included in the “aside” portion.

More importantly, I agree with you. I told attendees at G2E (a global gaming expo) the same. The question isn’t “what if they say bad things about your property?”, but rather “do you want to be part of the conversation when they do?”

Social media doesn’t attract negativity. Actions do. So most companies would want to steer clear of communication that skews in that direction.

As someone who enters controversial or emotional topics for educational purposes, I anticipate a certain amount of negativity from time to time, even though I work at remaining reasonably objective and avoid name calling (shame the action, not the people). So it does happen.

In those cases, it’s just like the world outside of social media. How one handles negative comments makes all the difference — and several times, I’ve made new friends out of people who disagreed with me on the front end, whether on my blog or off my blog.

All my best,
Rich

Either way you slice it – people are talking about brands, both positively and negatively. But before a brand engages with their audience, they need to have their issues resolved. Otherwise, they simply amplify issues that already exist.

So if your customer service sucks, and you get into social media to mitigate your customer service, you will fall flat on your face.

But if your customer service is top notch, and your customers are raving fans, and then you into social media … you’ll do really well.

We are at the industrial revolution of marketing, media and communication. Some companies will continue to ignore and deafen themselves from the reality of social media. Those companies will fail, and fail slow and hard. By comparison, companies who listen to their consumers and truly care about their consumers’ needs, they will succeed and land on top of the revolution. The revolution is to stop fu**ing people over.

Social media is more than branding, it’s more than business, it’s more than marketing. It’s people. It’s being yourself. It’s being accessible to people who actually give a sh*t about your brand (even if they say bad things).

Good entry. So good, it got me fired up.

Thanks!
~Joe

I’ve always made the point that social media doesn’t MAKE people talk about your product in a more negative way. You’re just more AWARE of it going on.