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Swim In The Social Pool
Top firms don't just dip a toe in social media. They take meaningful leaps. Investors Business Daily writer, Sonja Carberry, shares top tips from companies like Lithium Technologies on how to avoid a painful belly-flop and perfect your entry into social media.
Ride the waves. A way to tap into what your consumers are saying? Create an online community where they can vent. After pioneering a popular online community for gamers in 1997, Lithium Technologies' founders started developing consumer support sites for market leaders such as Best Buy (BBY) and AT&T (T).
Locate those lifeguards. Firms might be listening, but they don't run the groups. Lithium's communities are designed to be self-policed by superusers. These are knowledgeable consumers who gravitate to such sites because they're interested in leading helpful communities. The fact they're not employees gives superusers added credibility as they answer questions and solve problems. Say a disgruntled consumer arrives at the site with a misguided complaint. "Superusers will come to the company's defense," Dholakia said. "What we see a lot of times is they will turn those detractors into fans."