David Kerpen’s book, Likeable Social Media: How to Delight your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and be Generally Amazing on Facebook (& Other Social Networks, conveys how truly important social media has become. Discussing his trip to Las Vegas in June of 2010, he uses a personal anecdote regarding an issue with the Aria hotel and the response he received from a competing hotel, the Rio, explaining how the Rio “used social media to listen and to be responsive, showing a little empathy to the right person at the right time” (Kerpen, p. 1-2). This type of response serves to clearly indicate the driving power of social media, and works to show how a little bit of corporate accountability, the right message, and the appropriate use of social media works to boost both the business and the reputation of a corporation, while allowing it to stand out well above the rest.
Bank of America, one of the most well-known banks in America, would be able to profit from Kerpen’s story of the Rio hotel in Las Vegas. This particular banking entity and mortgage provider does have a Facebook page, and does have a Twitter account, yet it is unable to effectively use social media in order to gain a better reputation or work to draw more customers to utilize their services through these means. In order to be able to use social media effectively, Bank of America needs simply to pay attention to the good and bad aspects of their company, work to change them where needed, and utilize communication methods more effectively. As most individuals know, it’s a hassle to go into a Bank of America branch to get anything done. The bankers are often rude, lacking the most basic social skills, and are more likely than not to walk out, even if they have an individual in front of them, if it hits their lunch time. In contrast, when calling into their call centers, the representatives are polite, friendly, and exceedingly helpful, often going above and beyond in order to get an issue resolved. In order to utilize social media effectively, if Bank of America were to take just five of their call center representatives per shift and place them on social media, not only could their entire corporate image turn around, but the likelihood of gaining more customers as a result of these interactions would increase.
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In addition, through providing helpful information via social media to their followers, such as information on what needs to be done by the individual before they attempt to apply for a mortgage, the satisfaction rate of transactions such as these could double or even triple. Information is easy to find, it is true, but when a company takes the time to provide that information to their clientele without the clientele needing to ask, they have a win-win situation on their hands, and will end up in stories more like those positive encounters told by Kerpen in his latest work.
- Kerpen, Dave. Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (& Other Social Networks). New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
