“Sometimes, if your company have a lot of weaknesses, social media will make them more evident. Are you ready to change everything is needed?”
Until a couple of years ago, companies could choose to be online, if they wanted to have a website and whether they wanted to be on social media or not. Some medium-sized companies that were reckless with their clients had the chance to hide their weaknesses and still serve their customers normally. The internet was an opportunity to grow and expand, and whoever didn’t have the structure to invest in it could just stay away from the web and keep doing business normally.

Nowadays, companies are vulnerable and it is not a matter of choosing to be online or not: we have no choice. Consumers are doing online reviews, sharing pictures of your products, opinions, complaints, and requests. Companies have no chance to say no anymore; they are naked in front of a huge audience.

There is no room for false communication either because people don’t treat companies as huge anonymous and branded corporations to be worshipped. People relate to brands and companies as if they were another person. Who wants to talk to that annoying smartass that only goes on and on about himself? That thinks they know better than anyone else? That’s right, nobody wants to talk to that kind of person – or that kind of company. Consumers are skeptical, and you need to prove to them that you deserve their attention.

Companies with artificial speech, talking only about products and positioning themselves as the best thing ever, all without ever admitting their faults, are basically just annoying, and nobody buys that anymore. Businesses are not entities, but groups of people commanded by people with qualities and flaws, making mistakes and evolving, always changing and hoping for the best. Entrepreneurs need to understand how to engage in an online conversation with interesting topics instead of talking at people from some unreachable spot.

Social media basics are nothing more than starting a small conversation with a stranger in an elevator: you need to be interesting, create a connection and give the person the chance to ask questions and talk back to you. Can you imagine how odd it would be to go into an elevator and have a random person start to say: “I am the best! I have premium products! I am the best choice in the market! My quality rocks!”. This is social and nothing more, and the only change is that instead of an elevator, you have the internet.

Are you ready for social? Ready or not, it is here already, with no room for false statements and for hiding in the shadows. If you are making mistakes, they will be brought to light and you need to fix them – and not by trying to shut up the complainers and pretending that nothing is happening. Haters will always be haters, but you need to be able to distinguish what deserves your special attention.

If you don’t want to lie to your clients, stop lying to yourself: start catching up right now with all the points that need to be fixed in your business, including your social media presence, and let the communicators and new generation speak for you.

Silvia Oshiro
Marketing Communications Manager
& BRains Co-Founder