The Viral Power of Social Media

In doing some research for a presentation on Social Media Marketing this evening, I ran across this story which highlights the importance of customer service and the viral power of social media.

In August 2009, blogger Heather Armstrong, who boasts over a million followers on Twitter was miffed about a shabby customer experience and tweeted about it.  Although the company, Whirlpool, responded within hours, the damage had been done–Armstrong’s real-time feedback about her company experience spread quickly through her network and beyond. (Read the Full Story Here)

I suspect this story will find it’s way into the text books as an example of what not to do in providing customer service. It is a marketers nightmare. Literally tens of millions of people have or will have been exposed to this incident and in the back of their mind they will note to beware when buying a Maytag washer.

A company that learns to harness the power of social media can use this same viral exposure to their benefit. Customers don’t just talk about the bad, but them make recommendations about the good. Additionally, when things go wrong, if you are responsive to a customer’s needs, you can strengthen customer loyalty and create positive viral feedback in the social media realm.