Working With Social Media, an opportunity to LISTEN

Robin Grant of the agency, “We Are Social“, which started in June 2008 wrote an article showcasing Best Buys (their client) new focus on social media. In this article it contains a fantastic video which I think every communication professional should watch.

It addresses the challenges Best Buy has had to face with competitors such as Wal-Mart and Amazon and quotes,

“Transparency is one of the most powerful societal trends that is coming our way… Showing people what is good and not so good about you builds trust” Barry Judge – Best Buy’s Chief Marketing Officer

I have heard it time and time again in regards to working with social media, BE HUMAN, BE TRANSPARENT, LISTEN & BE WILLING TO ACT ON YOUR CUSTOMER FEEDBACK. Following these simple, yet powerful concepts will be winging you well on your way in social network circles.

One of the most interesting comments however was made by Ted Shelton who is currently the CEO of The Conversation Group. He said this, which was in response to the question about the size of the team that is working with Best Buy. Ted points out something very worthy of note when he says,

“Best Buy with $40 billion in annual revenue is one of the biggest retailers in the world. So it would be no surprise to you to learn that they have LOTS of help. I am happy to say that since 2007 the team here at The Conversation Group has been working closely with Best Buy. That having been said, the amount of work that they have done themselves, grass roots internal people getting great stuff done, should not be underestimated. In our view this is really the ONLY way to succeed — as an agency we try to serve as a catalyst for internal champions to make real change happen. I would be happy to discuss further with you.”

Here is the video, I hope it enlightens you as much as it did me!

About the Author:  Rob Johnson is a freelance web developer who has a passion for online marketing. He is an Addy Award winner and currently teaches a New Media Strategies class at BYU-Idaho.