social media
A recent KLM campaign – giving out personal gifts at airports – led to one million Twitter impressions
A FEW BECOME MANY
How should operators use social media to move from a sales focus to a community-building approach, in order to drive success? Simon Bolton offers his advice
W
e have to assume that, in principle, health club operators would love to put a smile
on the faces of their members and connect with more customers. Step forward social media: an opportunity to build relationships and communicate directly with customers. Done well, it can enhance your reputation, build committed communities, allow you
to respond to customer issues in real time and lead to peer-to-peer recommendations – the best form of recommendation we can get. Yet social media represents a
double-edged sword for operators. Done badly, it can damage your brand through inappropriate content, a lack of customer empathy, and/or not responding in the right way at the right time.
David Carrol and the United Airlines
broken guitar escapade refl ects how bad news can travel fast in the age of social media. Canadian musician Carrol, who said his guitar was broken while in the airline’s custody, had no joy during months of negotiations with United. The airline’s refusal to pay compensation for his C$3,500 guitar resulted in him creating a music video about the experience that was posted onto YouTube. Millions of fellow travellers identifi ed with this experience – resulting in very bad press and a damaged brand reputation for United. Yet social media presents health
club and leisure centre operators with a unique opportunity to move away from a sales approach and towards a community-built focus. Operators need to understand how to maximise the power of the crowd in the search for greater success. They also need to understand the vital importance of recognising and rewarding customers. This article aims to encourage this
form of new thinking, and explain why it will ultimately lead to greater success.
Companies must identify loyal customers who will spread the word to their families and friends
62 Read Health Club Managemenwt online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
RECOGNISE & REWARD Successful companies focus on understanding customer needs, motivations, aspirations and tensions. However, this alone is no longer enough. Today’s customers are looking for instant gratifi cation. They expect to be recognised and rewarded for their loyalty and commitment to using your services and products.
june 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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