Cut the Snark, and 4 More Social-Media Tips
By Jackson Lewis on Jun. 21, 2017CHICAGO -- Let’s take a break from Amazon for a minute and talk about Wendy’s. That’s right, Wendy’s.
The quick-service burger chain has made headlines recently for its snarky social-media strategy. First, there was the troll the chain handled with hilarious surety, schooling a heckler and putting him in his place. Then there was the record-busting #NuggsForCarter saga that scored a teenager chicken nuggets for a year—and earned a record for the most retweets ever. And now one of the restaurant chain's locations has gone viral trading barbs with a water and tea bottler. With the Wendy’s example in mind, some chains have decided that online snark and sass are the best ways to attract followers on social media.
But snark is not a reliable strategy, according to information social-media strategist Sprout Social recently shared with Forbes. Think of Wendy’s as the celebrity of social-media strategy. It stumbled onto the personality jackpot, and it’s working for the chain. But for the rest of the mere online mortals, they’ll probably have to play it safe and stick to the basics to see a sustainable online following.
Here are tips from Sprout Social on avoiding the social-media hype and handling interactions with customers the right way …
1. Honesty is the best policy
People expect a certain amount of consistency from the social-media accounts of companies people buy things from. Yes, 72% of people want brands on social media to be funny, but only 33% want brands to be snarky. Snark was the least sought-after quality.
Honesty won out as the most wanted quality of a brand’s social-media presence per 86% of respondents. Friendly was a close second, followed by helpful.
2. Keep politics on brand
It’s no secret that America’s political climate is hyperpartisan. These days it seems like every company, from Pepsi to Starbucks, is taking a stand on something.
But just because other successful brands are doing it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. A full 71% of consumers think it’s annoying when brands talk politics. On the other hand, 83% of people are looking for personality from brands on Facebook, and 48% look for that personality on YouTube.
One way to balance these consumer demands is to choose an issue that reflects the brand and its values. Forbes uses outdoor goods retailer Patagonia and its environmental advocacy as an example. It seems perfectly natural for a company promoting outdoor activity to encourage customers to defend public lands. But if brands try to discuss more complicated political issues that may not fit with the brand, customers will probably find it annoying.
3. The customer is always right
Eight in 10 consumers think it’s “cool” when brands answer their questions online, and it’s important that brands engage with fans, whether it’s responding to a complaint or recognizing a compliment. The action on social media that prompts most customers to make purchases is being responsive.
Most brands fail to live up to this standard, as only 12% of social messages that require a brand response actually get one. Above all, it’s a question of reliability. If a brand can’t be relied on to respond directly to a customer online, how can it be relied on to treat them well in-store?
4. Give consumers a little something
Behind being responsive, the online actions that spur the most customer purchases are offering promotions and providing educational content. This is not to say that brands should start showering their Facebook and Twitter pages with nothing but promotions. Plenty of posts need to show personality, but sprinkling social-media pages with news about discounts or special events can help draw in customers.
5. Breaking up is hard
The most common consumer reaction to irritating brand behaviors on social media is to unfollow a brand, said 51% of survey respondents. The second most common response, at 27%, is to mark the posted content as spam or block the account.
These numbers indicate that social-media followers can transition from fans to haters very quickly, so it’s important that brands find the voice that speaks to fans and stick to it.