In this age of Twitter, Facebook and countless citizen blogs, it’s never been easier for consumers to publicly name and shame companies that they believe fall short of the mark. In fact, 46% of consumers say they have used social media platforms to call out a brand for bad behavior or poor service. Their approach may be as simple as a directive tweet or it may take the form of an all-out awareness campaign. Either way, brands are seeing no option but to take notice.
This heightened level of accountability means that consumers actually hold some level of power over brands, which provides an excellent opportunity for passionate watchdogs to use their voices for good. All that’s left is to find the perfect outlet to amplify your message.
SiriusXM’s Serious Misstep
Even big name celebs take to social media to stage protests and make statements. After SiriusXM announced that it was going to give Steve Bannon a show on Patriot—a conservative station on SiriusXM—a number of well-known public figures pulled their programs and staged a boycott of the subscription radio service.
Bannon is a controversial figure recently linked to the rise of Donald Trump during the last U.S. presidential election. He also supported Roy Moore, who was accused of sexual misconduct and courting underage girls. Needless to say, many people were upset by the controversial decision to let him host a show. Singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge summed up her decision to pull her program, Melissa’s Basement, by tweeting, “I will fight for anyone’s right to free speech. I will not be a part of amplifying or normalizing hate speech.”
This shows that social media is a go-to tool for activism and awareness. Companies have to address complaints when they are suddenly thrust into the public eye on Twitter or elsewhere.
Or do they? What happens if your campaign falls flat?
Best Buy Bust
After having a poor customer service experience at Best Buy, blogger Liz Green wrote about why customer complaints filed through social media should always be addressed. Her decision to not speak out on Twitter came from a realization that other online complaints often received responses but no resolutions.
So why didn’t the electronics retailer pay heed to the voice of its customers? Maybe they weren’t loud enough. Or maybe they should have shown a more united front.
If you want companies to pay attention, you need something that screams: We’re not going anywhere. A domain like BadCustomerService.SUCKS could have elevated the campaign from a mutter to an exclamation, as well as becoming a platform for other customers to connect over similar service slights.
Microsoft’s Mishap
Some companies are actively receptive to consumer complaints. They address issues with honesty, integrity and sometimes a bit of self-deprecating humor. Others, like Microsoft, throw conflict resolution to the wind.
The tech company was accused of deleting Windows 10 Insider feedback that it doesn’t like. Wow. Instead of addressing the issues that users were bringing up, they allegedly make them disappear without a trace (or so they thought).
If you want to take a stand against brands who censor consumers, you’ll need to choose an outlet that’s permanent and beyond the reach of their delete key. A .SUCKS domain like Microsoft.Sucks could remind them that feedback isn’t going anywhere, no matter what their marketing teams seem to believe.
The Takeaway
When using social media and the web, consumers have more power than ever. Take advantage of the tools at your disposal to make sure your message is amplified enough to catch a company’s attention. Don’t let your energy go to waste when trying to raise social awareness. Be loud, make a statement, connect with like-minded users or just reinforce the importance of satisfying customer service. Whatever you decide, go big with .SUCKS.
NotBeingHeard.Sucks, so make sure you have the right domain name for the right cause.
Photo Credits: Shutterstock / GaudiLab, Flickr / Michael Vadon, Shutterstock / Paolo Bona