Comments on: Yes, I AM Specialized. Do you care?

By: Social Marketing Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated. | Spaight Talk

Social Marketing Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated. | Spaight Talk — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:18:57 +0000

[...] have been for Specialized Bikes, had they not ignored my enthusiastic tweeting, but that’s a different story.) And Coa’s effort isn’t what I would classify as a “formal” ambassador [...]

By: Greg Friese

Greg Friese — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:01:57 +0000

I ride a loyal Trek bike rider. @TrekBikes follows me and has sent me an @ reply.

Live to Ride. Ride to Live.

By: Sue Spaight

Sue Spaight — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:09:35 +0000

Thanks, Jason. I totally agree. Specialized just keeps pumping out its tweets with blog posts from riders I couldn’t care less about, in spite of that fact that I have basically handed them instructions on how to interact more effectively with customers like me. Which, at this point, is just making me annoyed and mad and less happy about getting on my new bike every day. The thing that kills me is it is so EASY to do it right. If they had a running Twitter search, or Radian6, they could shut me up and make me a happy customer again in about three seconds flat. I’ll start following @BlatzLiquor, though I’m not likely to become a big customer

By: Jason Fleck

Jason Fleck — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:03:05 +0000

It’s like they say, doing it wrong is worse than not doing it at all. If these companies could only realize how much brand loyalty they could gain by interacting with their customers. @BlatzLiquor gets it…now I may have to go sample some free beer tomorrow night.

By: Sue Spaight

Sue Spaight — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:42:48 +0000

Thanks Jeff. I really appreciate the feedback. The “broadcasting” mentality reflects an old school approach – they are trying to treat Twitter and other social channels as if they were advertising media. At one major brand I know, the person responsible for social media is actually called “Director of Electronic Advertising and Direct Promotion”. While this is a holdover from pre-social media involvement, it is extremely telling, I think, of how too many brands are approaching it. Optimistically, that should change as brands get more experience and more insight. I hope.

By: Jeff Larche

Jeff Larche — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:05:00 +0000

I was just whining to a friend about this very problem. A brand we care about gets on Twitter and then does zilch. Well, worse than zilch. It broadcasts dumbly and refuses to realize the opportunity in conversations, and putting names and personalities behind their products / services.

Thanks for speaking for me, and, undoubtedly, many others!