“Uneasy is the head that wears the crown”- but Facebook still wears it.

Shakespeare’s quote from Henry IV , Part II “Uneasy is the head that wears the crown” seems eerily fitting with Facebook’s current predicament. In our current cyber age you are never more than an click away from reading about anything from Facebook’s plummeting share price or a sensationalist story revealing personal information, that would make the venerable George Orwell squirm in his grave.

Some of the stories are grounded in truth, however, on a day-to-day basis, this shouldn’t be a concern of anyone looking to harness Facebook’s business opportunities. Many business owners are still missing the vital elements of what Facebook can bring to an organisation. Facebook is the here and now, so lets look at how to gain the edge.

Facebook and ROI

A popular myth is that Facebook cannot be monitored in terms of a return and you cannot measure it’s results. Not true. There are various tools that can monitor the success of your current campaign, some of the best built within Facebook, and several ways to measure exactly how much of the products you have sold have come through Social Media. I’m not going to say too much about this in this particular blog, however, unless you have done your research, or spoke to any SEO Services Company worth their salt, do not believe the hype.

Beyond ROI

An unrivalled area that Facebook can offer businesses is instant customer service. At the minute I am currently going through an issue with my phone network provider, (must be professional and refrain from giving their name, sorry!) in which I have made numerous efforts to contact over the course of a two week period and not yet heard a whisper. For me, the tension is building. Obviously this is poor customer service which may be a factor in me eventually leaving and taking my little valued business elsewhere. My own issue could have been dealt with swiftly if the said provider had ever thought about a Facebook strategy relating to the words of “customer service”. Facebook gives the opportunity for a business to deal with customer’s problems instantaneously that is visual to everybody. A client of ours recently received a complaint on Facebook, that was answered and more to, and more importantly resolved within one solitary hour. This excellent customer service that resulted in a charity donation, as well as a shocked and happy customer, which every other person on the page could take note of. This is something that is beyond an investment, beyond a return and brand management at it’s finest. In an age where every single business we come across claims outstanding customer service, and only a very few deliver, what an outstanding example of how to quickly resolve a customers problem. Facebook allows for this speed and because of this the customers tension does not build up over the course of several weeks where they tell every single soul they encounter about why not to go anywhere near Company X, Y , Z (not me, obviously).

Your customers are talking about your products and services, whether you like it or not. Why not try to have some control of this and look to help and guide customers as soon as a problem arises. In terms of business, Facebook was built for Customer Service, and no amount of bad press will change this.