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Five Ways TurboTax can use Social Media to Avoid a Nightmare

February 5, 2011 By Todd 2 Comments

In case you haven’t heard it, TurboTax found itself in the middle of a nightmare this week due to a “processing error” pertaining to tax refunds that were to be deposited. My friend Cheryl Phillips has documented the story from the beginning to the present time.

It seems that customers are angry. Understandably, and the TurboTax social media channels were of little help. In fact, a quick scan of the Facebook page shows no mention of the “processing error” by the TurboTax social media team. The same is true with their Twitter account. No mentions.

So, what could or should have TurboTax done. I offer five different things they could have done to avoid, or help avoid, this nightmare.

1. Admit the mistake

There seems to be some confusion about who’s fault it was. Customers don’t want to hear that. They want someone to take responsibility. Big companies seems to respond to errors like politicians do, deny or hide it. Unfortunately, or fortunately, social media calls for, and sometimes demands, companies to be more transparent. When you give customers a voice, they will use it. TurboTax’s Facebook page is filled with angry customers expression their frustrations.

Screenshot of TurboTax's Facebook Page

2. Issue official statements on all social media channels

Some folks follow Twitter, some Facebook and others are on YouTube. Offer an official statement. Why be silent? That’s just what big companies do (see above). Go ahead, get that statement crafted, get it out through your channels. Also, if you can, beat the backlash. Get that message out before anyone knows about it and the “news” goes viral. Find ways to be creative about the message.

TurboTax Twitter

3. Respond to individuals

In a situation like this, you may never be able to respond to everyone who tweets or leaves messages on Facebook, however, you can respond to some of them. It makes the company seem be personal, caring. It helps us customers to simmer down if we believe we are actually being heard. Explain the situation, help offer a solution and never try to downplay the problem.

4. Offer Solutions and Compensate

Companies rarely like to compensate, however, when there will always be a consequence to an error. It’s better to go ahead and offer solutions. If you have determined that a fee should not be made due to an error, go ahead and state it publicly on your social media channels. If a refund needs to be issued, make a statement. You may need to be general by having the customer to contact the company, etc., but make sure those affected know that there is compensation.

5. Cultivate your community.

This one takes time and is not reactionary. There are issues that delay responses that are outlined above such as legal reviews, etc. However, if TurboTax, or any other company, takes the time to cultivate a vibrant, helpful community, the “crowd,” as it is, becomes agents for your company keeping others abreast of information. They can offer solutions to other customers or simply verify that there is a problem. On TurboTax’s Facebook page, several people actually took up for the company and alerted others customers to some glitches with the IRS system.

The bottom line is that TurboTax may not even be at fault here. I am sure there is a big debate behind the scenes. Nevertheless, their customers choose them unlike they choose the IRS or any bank they are using to process the direct deposits. It is imperative that they respond responsibly because customers will make choices about them in the future. With social media, we, as businesses, can show customers that we listen, we care and we speak the language that millions of people are speaking now.

Other Social Media/Customer Service Examples

What customer service experiences have you had? How did you use social media to engage customers?

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: customer serivce, Social Media, TurboTax

Three steps to telecast a high school football game using social media

September 17, 2010 By Todd Leave a Comment

I have been away from my hometown, Batesville (AR), for about ten years, fifteen really. I haven’t been around to keep up with the football team as such. While I was a way, they hired a coach who has completely turned our program around that lead, ultimately, to a state championship just a few years ago.

So, as you can image, football has become a really big deal in Batesville. Their stadium has artificial turf, renovated bleachers and a cool new scoreboard. Nice!

Now that I am living closer, but still not in Batesville, I can see a little more about how Pioneer football is doing. I have friends on Facebook than keep me up-to-date.

Our hometown newspaper, the Batesville Daily Guard, has created web telecasts that allow us Pioneer alum from far, or not so far, away to watch our beloved Pioneers.

Here is how they did it in three steps.

First, set up a Ustream account.

The fine folks at the Batesville Guard set up a Ustream account to stream the action live at their website.

Two, Find willing participants.

Enter two former Pioneer football players who are also fathers of players, mix a little passion, and stir with some enthusiasm and you get a laid back, no ESPN-expectation-approach that is great for this kind of webcast. Former classmates of mine, Ronald Richardson and Jasson Sturgeon call the action. Further, they follow up on with Facebook and text message to include viewer participation. It is totally a social media networking effort!

Three, find someone willing to sponsor to pay for equipment and fees.

As I said, the platform is handled by the Batesville Daily Guard, but a few key players have stepped in to help sponsor the telecast. What a great way to serve the community and get your message out there. In fact, they actually show commercials at strategic moments during the game, however, the commercials do not come to often.

So, I salute the Batesville Daily Guard, my friends Ronald Richardson and Jasson Sturgeon and the community of Batesville for bring Pioneer football to those not able to attend!

Filed Under: Social Media, Uncategorized, Videos Tagged With: Social Media, streaming, ustream, video

Painting a Message

August 15, 2010 By Todd 1 Comment

Sometimes, a story has to be painted. Often, a message has to be told in another way. I love words, and I write, but sometimes, words are not enough to convey the message in the best way. That is why we have art. There are those that paint, draw, sculpt, write and play music and more. We, as a society, are blessed for it.

As a business owner, there may be times when we need a little more than a tagline to get our message across. We come up with elevator pitches to help, and we might turn to someone like Samantha Hartley to come up with an audio logo. These are alternative ways to convey our message, and they are well worth looking in to.

Another way to paint a message is through videos. Studies have shown that people are more “hooked” by watching videos on websites. Videos are powerful tools, and you don’t have to limit yourself to making a video to put on T.V. Videos can be used online at your website, on Youtube, and Facebook. In fact, Old Spice did a video/social media campaign earlier this summer that was very successful.

Now, take a truly inspiring story, and make a video about it, and you have a very powerful message. In the 1992 Summer Olympics, Derek Redmond was running in a 400 meter semifinals heat, and he was the favorite to win the race and race for the gold. However, something happened. Redmond tore a hamstring muscle and collapsed to the track half way through the race.

What happened next startled and inspired the rest of the world that day in Barcelona, Spain. Redmond got to his feet, and he continued the race hobbling around on one leg. With a little over 100 meters left, his father joined him and helped him finish, way behind the others, the heat race.

The story has been told, but the video below tells the story and in a more profound way while reminding us of a message we all need to hear.

The next time you think about your marketing message, and how you are going to communicate the message, think about the use of videos. You don’t have to purchase expensive commercial time on T.V., you can upload it online and share it with as many people as possible.

If you need some help getting a video for your company, feel free to contact us.

Photo Credit: 303db

Filed Under: Marketing, Videos Tagged With: Facebook, marketing, message, old spice, Samantha Hartley, Social Media, videos, youtube

Three Ways to Use Videos on Your Website

July 25, 2010 By Todd 1 Comment

The ability to embed videos into your website has created a totally different dynamic. Websites can become much more entertaining and hold the attention of readers longer than with articles. Youtube, the video sharing website, changed everything. All a user has to do is upload their video, and they can instantly share the video on their website, Facebook, Myspace or any other social networking website.

Small businesses can take advantage of videos. As a result, as a business owner, you can produce a video which can get the kind of viewership that rivals what you would get by putting a commercial on TV at a fraction of the cost.

The following is three ways that a small business owner can use videos on their website and more.

Promotion

Have you ever gone to a website that had a video telling more about their product? This is an example of putting a promo video on your website. Unfortunately, those websites could do so much more! I am always at a loss for why a company who has a well done video on their website would not upload the video to sharing websites such as Youtube.

Do you have a commercial? With the power of the web, you can upload your video to Youtube and instantaneously share the video in as a commercial. Google has a platform through their advertising program or you can contact an individual website you would like to advertise on and offer to pay for space.

Training

Web based training is become very popular among publishers. How to videos can be very beneficial, and anytime you put the videos on Youtube you can get more traffic as people decide to check out your website for more information. If you are a chiropractor, you can produce a video on stretching and upload it to Youtube and your website. Tell you audience to go to your website for more information and clearly put your website address.

Other people have started video podcasts. Shama Kabani has a video podcast where she offers tips to her audience in a short two minute or less clip. The videos are entertaining complete with a cute tune and animation. Others, such as Kathleen Sullivan, offers video tutorials for her clients on how to use the tools she empowers them with.

Virtual Tours

Are you a real estate agent of do you need to show your facilities. This can be accomplished fairly easy also. Take a video and upload the video as a virtual tour. It is the best way to show around a facility to your potential customers. Customers can get an up-close view of the facility before they ever show up.

Other businesses can do a sample demonstration of select products. Imagine you are trying to increase sales of a menu item at your restaurant. Customers can’t smell your item, but they can see and imagine tasting the item! Make a video demonstrating the product, post it on your website, and share, share, share!

Videos are a great way to continue to market your product online. I am amazed how many people don’t think about videos.

Best–It is absolutely best to hire somebody to do your professional videos. A video is so much better when it is shot professionally. If you need somebody to shoot videos for your website, etc., give us a call. We have added video production to our line of products and services.

Good–For the quicker, more candid shot videos, buy a flip camera from a major retailer. You still may need video editing software, but go ahead and get videos made! If you need someone to edit the videos, let us know as we can take care of that too. Some animation or graphics may be exactly what a video needs to look a hundred times better.

Admit it, you watch both videos didn’t you?

We offer video production for the web. Give us a call so we can produce a professional quality video for your company today!

Let the power of videos transform your online marketing today!

Filed Under: Videos Tagged With: commercials, marketing, promotion, Social Media, tutorials, videos, youtube

Five Strategies for Your Use of Facebook

July 12, 2010 By Todd 1 Comment

Driving to my church homegroup last night, I saw a business sign which read, “Follow us on Facebook.” The first question that came to my mind was, “Why?”

“Why should I follow you on Facebook?”

Scott Beale / Laughing Squid http://laughingsquid.com/

I am a little bit of a sucker for following Facebook fan pages, probably because I have set up a few and know how hard it can be to get fans. I do try to be a little discerning, but the fan page is for a friend, etc., I usually follow. However, many people are harder to convince. People’s time is a commodity we should never take for granted, even on Facebook.

Therefore, what kind of strategy do you have in place for your Facebook fan page? Is your goal to get a certain amount of followers? Once you get your followers, then what will you do?

Many companies set up the Facebook account without any idea what they will use it for. After all, there are over 400 million people on Facebook.

1. Give something away

If you sell products, you might have a contest for fans to win something. You got great products, right? Everyone who “likes” your page can be entered in to a drawing for a free “fill in the blank.” It worked well for a client of mine who increased her fans to well over 800 fans just by giving something away.

2. Post links to your blog posts

You do blog don’t you? Post the links to each individual blog post to your Facebook fan page. A blog that offers advice or gives an “insider’s” view to your business has great value for customers. Make sure your fans know about your blog!

3. Post links to your website

This is self explanatory. If your website is built around a blog, then #2 should work just fine. Offer some kind of special at your website and promote it on your Facebook page. The goal is, after all, to get people to your website to buy your product or become a member of your community.

4. Post contact info

Do not neglect this! Post a way for folks to contact you. It is a customer service issue. It can be sending them to your contact page at your website or posting an email address or phone number. This is especially true if you do not have a website. People need to know hours and other info too.

5. Interact

When someone posts on your wall, respond! This is the unique strategy of social media, interaction with fans/customers. You can offer fans a chance to win something by posting on the wall, etc., but whatever you do, get your fans to interact. And, then, join the discussion! Facebook is a communication medium, and communication is a two-way street!

I hope this helps those of you trying to establish a Facebook page. Having a Facebook fan page is an active process. I hope you’re ready!

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: blog, Facebook, Social Media, social media marketing, strategy

Follow Friday

April 15, 2010 By Todd 4 Comments

Chris Brogan challenged many of us to handle Follow Friday different on twitter, and so I have decided to do just that. With his suggestion, I have created a post mentioning my Follow Friday folks telling a little bit why someone should follow them.

Arkansite.com

You will have to bear with me here as I have a variety of interests that range from professional wrestling, to sports, to social media, to web design and many others.

@kaseyjohns–Casey is a talented website designer from San Marcos, TX and he handles promotions and the website for the Austin Turfcats, an arena football team. I actually got to meet him when he came to North Little Rock with his team to play the Arkansas Diamonds where I was working. Check out the Tufcats’ website.

@slims_conway–Did I forget to tell you? I like food! Slims has pretty good chicken in Conway, AR where I live. They actually have several locations, so you can find one near you at their website. I also like that they use social media.

@Strombolis1–Quite possibly the best stromboli on the planet! Well, at least in Conway, AR. I visited there on Wednesday and immediately realized that I had sinned (it has to be a sin to eat their food because it so good!). I had some of their garlic knots, and oh they were so good! If you are in Conway, check them out. Oh yeah, and they are on Facebook too.

@Arkansite–Meet Shelli Russell. She has started MySaline.com and Arkansite.com. She has created these community-based, hyper-local sites in Central Arkansas utilizing Ning.com. She does a great job of keeping up with the events and happenings going on in her neighborhood. She is also a good neighbor lending her support to charitable causes.

So, there you have it. These are my picks for Follow Friday on twitter. Check these guys and gals out and follow them, because they are worth the follow!

Happy tweeting.

Filed Under: Follow Friday, Twitter Tagged With: Follow Friday, Social Media, twitter

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