Day 3 of SXSW Interactive kicked off with a panel on Advocates vs. Agitators, with digital marketers Alice Wilson (Southwest), Jamie Barbour (Chevy), and Meg Baer (Oracle) providing insight on their strategies while engaging with either. Shareen Pathak (Brands Editor, Digiday) moderated, and we pulled some key learnings out for you below.
“We’re not prioritizing our community members based on Klout score, we’re trying to get to people that need help then and there.” – Alice Wilson
Southwest is putting a big focus on, “prioritizing our influential customers, not just influencers in the social space,” and ensuring it is building its brand community around these advocating customers. Wilson qualifies these brand advocates as everything from loyalty members, to frequently engaged guests.
“As a brand, I don’t have to respond, I have advocates that do that for me” – Jamie Barbour
This was the golden sentence of the session. Chevy lovers will go into battle defending the brand against agitators and detractors on a daily basis. As a brand, letting brand advocates come to your defense is the most authentic way to turn a negativity around. Barbour said their advocate go to great lengths to try and change the minds of agitators in their community, from using the Chevy taglines to posting photos of their own vehicles.
“Customer service is the DNA of our brand. We have a brand commitment to customer service and we didn’t feel like we were living up to that promise.” – Alice Wilson
Wilson spoke to the various silos that social has operated under in the past, and the challenges face when looking to build a truly social company. Southwest had typically used social media in three main ways:
- Marketing: Driving transactions and customer acquisition
- Communications: Deliver on brand voice, drive brand equity, use as a resource in times of crisis, capitalize on owned and earned channels
- Social: Provide warmth and quick resolution to help prevent detractors, encourage those helping spread brand message
Calling social the, “heartbeat of the airline,” Alice and her team are now focused on expanding their staff to help the airline better scale-up their capacity for responses, response times, and community building. This shift means Social Care will truly become the pulse of the brand, ensuring all company channels operate with a direct line to its customers, and a better understanding of what both advocates and agitators are looking for from the brand.
“The more you know about the people who care about your brand, the better job you can do delivering on that relationship” – Meg Baer
All weekend, speakers have encouraged brands to use big data as a tool to build long-term relationships with their customers through experiences and conversation, not just the short-term sales. Barbour echoed this sentiment, saying, “People want to know that you’re listening to them.” With customer-centric brands like Southwest and Chevrolet, brand advocates are at the center of their strategy, both to amplify and defend the brands they love.
Who’s Tweeting?:
