It’s Good for Your Business – To be a “Social Valet”

A topic we are discussing in my Social Media Class this week touches on our (people’s) use of Social Media as a personal communications tool to get a particular business’s attention.  I think most of us can relate or think of a time when we have had a complaint, with which we tried to communicate traditionally to get it resolved, and we were not satisfied with the outcomes. One for me that comes to my mind, is when I had difficulties in the past, communicating with one of the Indian Casino’s in Southern California. 

The Casino often hosts live music and concerts and I was visiting there to see one of my favorite older 70’s bands- “The Tower of Power.” My girlfriend and I decided to use the valet parking, and we proceeded to pull up to a south side entrance where there was an awning, and it looked like casino personnel were waiting to help us. Turns out the valet reception area (not clearly marked) was on the east side of the casino, and we were rudely told by a security guard to move our car because “that was not reserved for our parking.” 

Some months later I had decided to write them a letter by snail mail (U.S. mail), relating my experience at the casino and how I was disappointed with the valet service. It had been raining heavily that day and we ended up parking over 50 yards from the valet entrance, with no awning or anyone there from the casino to greet us. We ended up having to walk to the side entrance doors, getting soaking-wet by the time we reached the desk to request the valet.    

I sent the complaint letter to them as part of a research project for my CSUSM Services-Marketing class; the professor wanted to prove a point that most businesses do not provide adequate services marketing.  He suggested that many of us (students) would not hear back or receive responses to our customer/business complaints. My lesson was learned disappointingly as I did not hear at all from the casino regarding my parking complaint during my concert visit. 

Had I thought to utilize social media by making a customer review on Yelp (http://bit.ly/efx48B) or another social site, I might have received a response and some more attention – if not gained some support from other casino visitors who have had similar experiences.

I decided to visit the social review website Yelp today, and I looked up this casino to see what complaints may have been registered there in recent months.  It sounds like the casino has done some renovations recently; with some happy customers sounding very pleased with their new décor and aesthetics, and others not so pleased with the rise in consumer costs and perceived lower gambling payouts.   

But here is the lesson. I also noticed the casino management is active on Yelp; where I observed that casino personnel are responding to some of the complaints from the most disgruntled customers. Apparently there is someone there who is paying attention and responding to social media.  Acting as a “Social Valet” if you will - Probably a wise management choice to make, don’t you think?

What about Social Media - Is it Business or Personal?

My Social Media Class is starting out with a discussion and our own personal review of what’s out there for Social Media Tools (SM); what we think might be the best for our personal use, and what we think would be the best for business use or promotions.

There are many – hundreds – of social media sites or tools that are available online, some are more obscure than others, such as Orkut (bit.ly/2iheLU) which is a social site operated by Google. And some are very popular as you may very well know such as with Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Some sites are very useful collaboration tools for sharing and manipulating documents online (like Evernote, Stixy or Google Docs http://bit.ly/I6Ipx6 ), while some are more useful for communicating between two or more people across distances (Like Yahoo Instant Messenger or MSN/Outlook - which has just been combined with the Skype communications website earlier this year). These messenger tools can also be used with video feeds so you can see the person(s) with whom you’re talking too.  All these web tools as well as many more can be used both personally and/or professionally for your business.

Another site you may be familiar with is “YouTube” which is used both personally as well as professionally. It has become almost like another television network (online), where both professional business, as well as an amateur video enthusiast can create content for an audience.   A popular website often used by professionals in a very personal manner is called "LinkedIn." When my social marketing student-team developed a brand awareness campaign (during my first social media class) highlighting a small microbrewery in San Marcos, Ca. (Stumblefoot Brewery); my analysis and contribution profiled how LinkedIn could be used by Stumblefoot to attract sales leads for soliciting wholesale accounts at restaurants, hotels and other hospitality or  beverage outlets. 

I have to admit my exposure to a lot of these SM tools has just begun – although I am familiar with some of the most popular social media websites, I am still a novice and a late adopter to most of them. I am going to be creating my first Facebook Page as I take my 2^nd course on Social Media; because I now know it can become a crucial tool for the development of my career in the not so distant future.   

I think most of the social media sites online can be utilized for both your business and for personal or professional use. But it will be those businesses that can find and utilize the most relevant or key social media tools - the tools which are important to their target customers - who will be the most successful with using social media for promoting their brand and increasing their profits.  

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to My Marketing Career

First off I want to say “Hello Out There” and Thank You” to all those curious people who may find my personal chronicles of starting a new career in Marketing, Public Relations, and Social Communications an interesting read.  My first goals for this blog is to highlight and discuss some of my current educational endeavors, possible career aspirations, and the expected success or trials and tribulations of doing a new job search in the Marketing field, for which I am about to embark on over these coming months.

For the first few months of this blog – my writings will be concentrated mostly on a Social Media Marketing class that I am currently taking at my local community college.  I am taking this class to solidify my knowledge and skills for creating social marketing campaigns and other types of business promotions, using only those Social Media Tools which are appropriate for any particular business/business need /or industry. 

In my efforts to be a little creative and witty with my Marketing Blog Title, I chose to use a word play from the 1962 Hit Broadway Musical and motion picture called “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” – entitling my blog  - “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to My Marketing Career.” I also chose a background cartoon illustration of the Roman Coliseum depicting people doing business in a marketplace.