Let's Face It You Never Had Control

Working on a new client project. This client had no social media presence. They are a B2C/B2B Home Service Provider. B2B because they can also service commercial properties. The consumer target is upper middle class and above. 

I do not get the email alerts when a new follow is on Twitter. Someone I connected with is young and while fits the demographic (or knows many people who do) had something in her bio that offended my client. She is a minor TV Personality and Model who called herself a hooker and a bitch. She isn't a hooker but she calls herself one because she thinks it is cool and funny. Twitter is filled with porn stars, pimps, bitches, ho's, niggaz, racists, mafiasos,  crazies, gangstas, etc. I have a rule anyone posting unsavory content in my own feed or a clients I unfollow. I can block them but this won't stop them from tweeting about me or my client. I just don't want to see their tweets in the feed.

I got an email that my client didn't want a 'prostitute' in their network. And they are allowed to ask this and so I blocked this account. Then I felt it a good time to explain they have no real control. I have no control. Accept it. It is actually a good thing usually.

Name the brand they all have customers they don't want to know for real. I can list quite a few scary hashtags on Twitter with crazy content. I have no control and my client and brands have no control over what is said. We never have.

I can't stop this person from creating new accounts to follow my client. Same on Facebook. Everyone who knows me, knows that Mashable banned me from commenting on articles I felt were poorly written or deceiving. I have 4 personal twitter accounts. I can create more. I still comment. They blocked just my @SkyPulseMedia . They can't stop me or anyone. I slam them on Twitter all the time. They can not stop me. So they ignore me. And I don't blame them.

But this is good. The enemy you know is easier to deal with than the enemy you don't. The person I blocked for my client has no reason to say anything bad or become a 'terrorist' like I am towards Mashable. But if you wronged someone they can and often will. It happens. People go Delta Skelta.

But I also explained that before Social Media real damage was done in private. People complained, lied, even slandered and still do behind brand's backs. In places they can never see. Doing real damage. They still do. Most human communication is not visible to brands. 

But isn't it great that now there are platforms for these people to rant and tweet on? You might cringe thinking 'But they have networks of people who will see it'. But they always did off line. But now we can know the threat. We can fix the brand image. We can engage. And we can even convert angry people into brand ambassadors. 

Having no control of what is said via Social can be a good thing. Most people want to feel good about your brand. Imagine being able to fix issues with 80% of your upset customers when before they just stewed and complained and you never knew?

The problem with Twitter and Twitter Apps/Platforms

This has been bugging me a long time. There is no desktop nor Mobile App that gives me everything I need. I am not sure why. Bizarrely the same company will have differing tools between mobile and desktop.

For example: I can retweet using the Twitter Mobile App and add a comment. I can not do this on the desktop. Why?

Hootsuite doesn't auto shorten at all. Why?

Using Twitter's Twitpic shows me how many people viewed a photo. Ow.ly from Hootsuite does not. Why?

I can add custom streams on Hootsuite but not Twitter. Why?

How come I can not get basic analytics showing me number of Retweets and mentions per week and month from either? Why? 

I need a special report from Hootsuite to show link clicks  and Twitter offers nothing here? Why?

The auto-fill for my network connections work in Hootsuite desktop but not Mobile App? Twitter desktop gives me some but not all. Why?

How come none of the photo uploaders give me an easy way to mass delete or manage all the photos that have been uploaded to them? Why?

Twitter does not have a tool for Tweet scheduling? Why?

What I see is a bunch of useful tools that are only half complete. Tools that require me to use other tools from different brands all for the same purpose of using Twitter. Why should I have to patch together my use of this service using 6 or 7 different tools?

Granted it is better in totality than Facebook. We all know Facebook insights to be very weak and not accurate or in effect more rosy than they really are. And you can't listen on Facebook like you can with Twitter. So why isn't Twitter realizing how much more powerful their tool can be than Facebook, especially for marketers if they make it easier for us to use and manage? If they want to monetize they had better start doing this soon because it threatens their business. Trust me I see the sponsored Tweets in Hootsuite and this is not going to make them a lot of money long term.

But they could easily have their photo and video sharing hosted on a YouTube/Flickr style platform that allows easy management and offer another place to host ads. They could complete their tool set for marketers. Facebook is a passive platform. Twitter is active. Big difference. They should take advantage of this.

Asking the Right Questions

Do you have a marketing consultant or agency working with you now? If not do you get approached by any? How many pitch their services without talking about your business? How many don't ask questions about your goals? How many don't do a simple Google to look at your online and possibly your offline marketing efforts?

I get a lot of emails from agencies that offer free E-Books and Webinars to showcase what they do. I sign up because I want to see what the competition is doing. Too often the content is "We will do this for you" without asking if "This" is right for your business. Or they showcase a case study but no proof anything worked. Or have the wrong perspective. Often to make what they do look rosy and attracting.

When looking for Marketing and Advertising help and advice the biggest red flag is when your potential vendor doesn't focus on your needs and your results. They should ask you more questions than they do 'Selling you stuff'. When they say 'What is your budget' before they review your business and ask questions about goals, they really mean 'How much money of yours is for the taking'.

I get this stuff representing a client all the time. Whether daily deals, advertising opportunities, promotional events, they never ask me what my client's goals are. They never ask me what I am looking for. They want to know the budget for something not budgeted. They want something beyond my clients current resources (did they not use the Google?). I know they mean well. But really what I see is they are pushing the sales pitch so they can sell, close the deal, make themselves money.

This is a service business. My service is helping you make money. My service is helping you maximize that based on your available resources. 

It could be training your staff how to use social media more effectively. It could me figuring out the best types and outlets for paid media. It could be improving your customer service or brand image. 

My service to you...is not me making money. 

I am supposed to make money only by helping you grow, sell, improve. If I am not doing that I should be fired. And you should look at all marketing agencies and media vendors that way.

Did your agency or consultant ask you the right questions?