When Mark Zuckerbergs annual challengewas learning Mandarin,it was still fun and games.
Now that his 2018 goal is simply fixing Facebook, not so much.
Its fair to say 2018 has been a horrible year for the social data pipe.
But lets park the schadenfreude for a moment.
While Facebook weathers their PR storm, these troubles could engulf any businessmaybe even yours.
So what can be done to avoid getting caught up in something similar?
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
Brands are typically introspective.
So, how would you know or recognize when your own brand is becoming dissonant?
you better look for the signals.
Clearly acknowledging the evident problem, and responding to it, was far from Facebooks natural instinct.
Your company cannot fix its perception problem unless it first accepts it.
To do so, you must fight your default urge to deny that there may be an issue.
When a mess has been made, you’re gonna wanna own it.
Only then can it be cleaned up properly.
Customers like it when brands admit they have screwed up.
Doing so validates their own perceptions, and suggests work has begun to improve delivery quality.
If you need proof, just look at Dominos.
A therapeutic moment of internal introspection which prompted a transformation in product quality.
Youd be hard pressed to find a better brand turnaround than this.
You risk customers conveying frustrations with the company through other available channels, like social media.
But companies often find that their marketing channels become sounding boards for consumer disgust.
Even worse, this all takes place in public.
Reach salvation, instead, by implementing a stakeholder feedback mechanism, through a channel that you own.
A perfect example of this?
What you see on highways every day.
Logistics companies whose trucks wear Hows my driving?
This is, of course, much more difficult to achieve for digital businesses.
However, you still have to find your digital Hows my driving?
so that succeed.Using a separate brand-controlled domain allows you to move away from reactionary damage control.
Avoid social screwing
Most companies lack such a feedback mechanism.
Will we ever see Mark Zuckerberg become a trustworthy public figure again?
Will the backlash stop?
At Vox Populi, Christina is responsible for day-to-day leadership and general management of the company.
Under her management, Vox Populi has consistently achieved year-over-year revenue, profitability, client and associate growth.
