Missed Opportunity
The names have been left out to protect the not so innocent. Seriously, the point of this post and similar ones I will do in the future is to provide you with some real life examples that you will hopefully learn from and use to make decisions on how you will use social media tools. This way you will end up in my posts where I do name names because you are doing it right.
It all started last month when we began to plan a pre-holiday Tweetup in Frederick. We had the date and time, but were unsure of a location for lunch. At one point someone mentioned a downtown restaurant that also happens to be on Twitter. Using their handle in several tweets I expected them to reach out and offer to hold tables for us or at least RSVP for the event that is going to be in their own restaurant. Now I want to point out that this Tweetup was not a last minute planned affair. We had sent out the invite at least 3 weeks before the date and I know it was tweeted at least 2 times a week. My point here is the restaurant should have seen the tweets in their Mentions area of Twitter within this timeframe.
The person that organized the Tweetup called the restaurant to reserve a table for our group of 15. When we got to the restaurant they had us at 2 different tables which made it almost impossible to communicate with everyone without disturbing other diners. Overall it was just a bad experience and we are not likely to return their for a future Tweetup. Will we all as individuals return to the restaurant? Most likely we all will. It’s a favorite in town with good food whose main flaw is they aren’t using Twitter as effectively as they could.
What could have happened instead was the restaurant that we mentioned and went to for the Tweeetup, could have seen our mentions and responded. Even if they didn’t fully understand what a Tweetup was, they could have responded with a question and how they could help, it would have gone a long way. At the very least they could have set up tables where we would have been able to talk with each other more easily. The restaurant could have alerted the hostess, so she didn’t seem so confused when we walked in and said we were there for the Tweetup. We weren’t looking for free food or special treatment, just an invitation would have been welcomed.
If you are going to use a social media tool, you have to be ready for 2-way communication, not just another place to post your promotions. You need to be prepared when people include your company in the conversation and be willing to jump in and see how you can help or answer questions. Yes, it can be overwhelming for small business, but be willing to reach out to say hi and ask questions if necessary. People on Twitter are very friendly and helpful especially if they love your business. They are happy to receive your news and promotions, but if someone reaches out to you, be prepared to respond. Silence is not your best option in social media.
The takeaway here is that social media is a useful means of communication, but remember it is now a world of 2-way communication and if someone reaches out to you, you need to be willing to answer and offer assistance. Quite frankly, if you are not ready to do that you may want to think twice if you are ready for social media without a little training and/or guidance.
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Comments
Great points. I wasn’t able to attend that particular Tweetup but followed the planning and aftermath thru Twitter. I agree it is a missed opportunity for the restaurant, especially with such a large group. Someone definitely let the ball drop in their organization on the chance to impress.
I, too, was surprised at the lack of response from the venue. This was a good lesson. Most of my lessons are learned the hard way: *I’m* the one making the mistakes! But this was a great passive learning experience – if you’re going to participate in SM, do it! It’s not enough just to have an account and occasionally post, or to post only about “me, me, me.” Be useful! Be helpful! You’ll be repaid in spades!