OK, you are sitting at a coffee shop and noticed your battery on your laptop is very low. You look around and there is only one power outlet in the entire lobby available to plug in and two people are already using it. Yes, I know, what kinda coffee shop only provides one outlet for it patrons to use?
So now, you think, Ah-Ha- I need to Tweet that! Seems like the thing to do..right? Right!
Well, “Taa-Daa!”…what would be your reaction towards the coffee shop if they @replied to your Tweet telling you something like..’this is a Coffee Shop and we are in business to sell coffee. We have adequate power outlets to do our business…’. And ,as you know, when you see the infamous “…” it means…OH Wait, there is more… which the coffee went on to say in a second tweet,(Taa-Daa!)…’Maybe you should put your PC up, and relax and enjoy your cup of coffee’.
Your reaction is going to probably be to ask yourself..’aah, Where is that Un-Follow Button, again?’ Unfortunately, the trillions of others who just so happened to follow this thread on Twitter are also looking to unfollow the coffee shop, or at the very least, not be very interested in going to the coffee shop after seeing this altercation. Where does that put the Coffee Shop’s image on line? Taa-Daa—in the toilet.
UnMarketing Rules
there are a large number of businesses who produce ‘Taa-Daa’ type of responses to the chatter they get about their business online. This is a huge #FAIL.
The above incident was just one of many example Scott Stratten , author of the New book ‘UnMarketing’, recently gave in his presentation to the Dallas Social Media Club. His UnMarketing approach to business marketing is very enlightening and straight forward. His message is..many businesses simple do not understand the damage a ‘Taa-Daa’ remark can have to their relationship building..yes, social media is based on building relationships.
I am sure most of the population of Twitterville has received a ‘Taa-Daa’ reply to a few of their post on Twitter or Facebook. I have received quiet a few ‘Taa-Daa’ replies from misguided individuals and businesses in the Golf industry which just proves many of the old school marketers in the golf industry still do not get that old school marketing is dead. Relationship building has taken the place of most methods of marketing and social media is taking the marketing world by the throat.
The damage received from taking a defensive approach to something posted Twitter is irreversible. So, take it easy out here in La-La-land. There is business to be made through effective relationship building.