Boise businesses are building relationships with their customers using Twitter, Facebook and other social websites | Boise, Garden City, Mountain Home | Idaho Statesman
More Treasure Valley businesses are using social media to develop and serve customers, find services and products, and hire workers.
When Grant Petersen Jr., CEO of Bronco Motors, needed a new cleaning service for his Treasure Valley dealerships in March, he sent a direct message on Twitter.com to Andrew Allsbury of Pro Power Clean, asking for a bid.
Both men had followed each other for a short time on Twitter, a communication network that lets recipients choose the individuals and companies they connect with. The two had never met in person.
”Tweets“ on Twitter are casual and short — 140 characters. Allsbury said he didn’t even realize until the direct message that he had been following the top man at Bronco Motors, one of Idaho’s largest car dealers.
”We ended up landing the account about 15 days later,“ Allsbury said. ”That was a big one for us.“
Both Petersen and Allsbury said they use Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to interact with clients, give tips, respond to comments about their companies, post videos and talk about events at their businesses and more.
Petersen said he once checked his Twitter account from his Boise office and found a man tweeting as he was going to Bronco Motors in Nampa to trade a sports car in for a family-friendly vehicle.
”Then he keeps on tweeting while he’s looking for a car, asking the public what they think,“ Petersen said.
Petersen jumped into the conversation and helped sell the man a car through tweeting back and forth. The man then tweeted about his experience as he drove away.
”That kind of made me go, ‘huh.’ There are some people, and this is the way they choose to communicate and have a relationship,“ Petersen said.
He has advised people who tweeted for help with car problems. The company also touts events at the dealerships such as a recent job fair and car show, and good things it is involved with, such as donations to local organizations.
”This really does work,“ Petersen said.
Some users say the trend is just getting started but concede it is quickly evolving.
More than one-third of companies use social media to promote their organizations, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,500 employers nationwide between May 18 and June 3. It found that 25 percent of them also use social media to connect with clients and find new business, while 21 percent recruit and research potential workers.
”We’re only seeing the very beginning of how companies and industries can use social media to reach their customer base,“ said Christine Wilcox, a communications director for Albertsons who teaches classes in social media at the Boise State Professional Development Center. ”So I don’t think any companies are really using it to the full potential, because right now, ‘full potential’ is a moving target.“
Wilcox and other users say businesses that do well at social media don’t do hard-sell promotions. They cultivate relationships by responding to customers and potential customers and being personal and real.
”I’ve had a lot of local businesses follow and DM (direct message) me on Twitter — once. And then it goes away, and I never see anything more from them,“ Wilcox said. ”So I think as a whole, we’re still in take-off mode in our area in comparison with other areas of the country.“
Wilcox said some local businesses are hitting niche targets well, including Boise Fry Co. and the Boise Co-op. Both companies engage with their customers on Twitter, responding quickly when customers tweet about eating or shopping at their businesses. They also let followers know about upcoming specials and events on Facebook and Twitter.
On Tuesday, Boise Fry Co. tweeted about its monthly nonprofit fundraiser: ”Part of the proceeds tonight go to benefit Treasure Valley Community Television. Come, eat, and support!“
Boise Co-op also tweets from its wine and beer tastings and food classes, such as this tweet from Wednesday: ”I’m enjoying a ‘rawsome’ experience at the Co-op’s Raw Foods for Winter class tonight. Try not to hate me.“
Still, social media can be confusing and time-consuming, especially for smaller business owners. Some public relations firms offer management services to help with the overload.
George Seybold, president of Seybold Scientific in Kuna, launched Leap Social in April, a public relations firm focused on social media marketing. The firm posts on Twitter and Facebook for dozens of clients nationwide.
He said the key is listening to the businesses and their customers to provide content of value that is engaging and builds loyalty.
”We started out with small businesses, and it’s migrated to medium businesses all over the nation,“ he said.
Allsbury says he believes planning and training with a consultant is good, but for direct contact, there’s no substitute for someone who has a stake in the business.
”People pay attention when they know who you are,“ Allsbury said. ”When I get generic industry info over Twitter, I don’t think it’s very effective for these businesses. You have to have somebody who knows the business and cares about the business not only on a Monday, but on a Saturday.“
Wilcox said someone outside the company may not be equipped to respond to customer questions.
”If you already have an established way to manage customer calls, e-mails and issues, consider how you can fold social media responses into their processes,“ Wilcox said. ”Be authentic, be transparent, and be real. Your customers are tweeting about you themselves, they aren’t having someone else do it for them who is more eloquent.“
Sandra Forester: 377-6464