I have recently been asked to speak at a number of events in Europe about harnessing and embracing the influence of social media. Being a regular attendee at many events myself, I know how difficult it can be to remember all that’s been said from the variety of speakers over one or two days. With this in mind I decided to focus on some topline, common sense easy wins for tapping into the power of the consumer-generated media space. Simple ideas that the audience can take away and act on without too much fuss – hence the title “Tips and Tricks for Embracing CGM.”

Learn to Listen
Everything you need to know about your brand and improving it exists in CGM; it’s the ultimate cheat-sheet if you like. A study we did last year showed that the most common feedback/posting activity amongst ‘speakers’ online was providing email feedback to a company. Chances are, these are the people who will be talking about you in CGM and they are likely to be talking about whatever it is they emailed you in the first place. They’re providing you a big clue!

Respond!
Social media is social! It’s a two-way conversation, not like some other marketing disciplines that are very much one-way (think direct mail, advertising etc). If people are contacting you, respond to them appropriately. Your response has the ability to potentially diffuse any negative sentiment or fan further the flames of brand advocacy.

Use Video
Every single product you have should have a product demonstration video. Why? Because video is the ultimate viral tool and you have the ability to control the content. If your video taps into the nub of an issue, chances are it will go viral and ultimately move up in organic search results. Think how important this latter point is if your video is in response to a potentially damaging issue to your brand.

Exploit your website
What were the ‘speakers’ I mentioned in point one most likely to click on first when searching for info on the web about a specific product/brand? Answer = the company website. Again, this provides you with a rare element of control in CGM - helping to seed/shape messages that are distributed virally in CGM. Brand websites have high levels of trust in the eyes of consumers who are eager to hear your side of the story, particularly when it comes to damaging issues. Get your FAQs front and center, try a corporate blog, keep the website fresh and dynamic.

Allow participation
Again, think of the fact that social media is social. It’s about interaction. Tap into the willingness of consumers to get involved. An excellent illustration of this is Barack Obama’s website. See how many calls to action there are in the menu options – ‘donate now’, ‘make calls’, ‘register to vote’, volunteer’ etc. The politicians are doing it to great effect and so can you!

Don’t afraid to be personal
Common sense tells you there tends to be more warmth or less hostility to people rather than corporations. Have a more personal way of looking at interaction and information on your site. After all, social media is….you should know it by now!

Be honest, transparent and authentic
I know this sounds a bit management consultancy but it’s true. Don’t spin! Disseminating info itself creates goodwill – simply give out information and hope the advocates spin it themselves. Don’t put energy into influencing the debate – just get the product and customer service right. If the brand messes up, admit it and resolve the problem. Brands that listen to negative comments and make changes as a result often get more kudos.

Consider what is viral about your product
The top search results for Nestle on Google in the UK read like a horror story of anti-Nestle sentiment. The story in the US is different. Two of the leading organic search results are about recipes. Nestle has tapped into what is viral about their brand (their ingredients are used in baking) to great effect. It might not be obvious, but people use your product/service in some way in their daily lives, so there has to be a viral element somewhere.