Don’t Forget The Magic Words!
In the massive rush that is social media, it’s easy to forget your manners.
You know those crazy people who camp out in order to get into the Wal Mart, Best Buy, or ______ (fill in the blank with your favorite retail store here)? When the clock strikes and the doors open, people get bruised, shoved, trampled, injured, and the news cameras have their story for the evening broadcast.
It can be the same online, although there are probably fewer bruised hips and broken toes.
What did your parents teach you to say when that tray of hot, gooey chocolate chip cookies came out of the oven?
When my own kids were small, we had a rule: We didn’t allow the word “Gimme!” Instead, we taught our children to say, “May I please have a cookie?”
Followed by a heartfelt, if mumbled over a mouthful of cookie, “Thank you!”
There’s nothing more annoying than to have yet another “Gimme” request over Twitter, Facebook, or Email. Even blog post authors will sometimes forget their manners.
How many emails do you get every day — both mass and personal emails — that feel like they were written by a robot, for a robot? (Okay, some of your emails may have been generated by a robot, but your spam filter should be catching more of those…) Wouldn’t it change your attitude if you felt like the senders were aware of the value of your time? Don’t you wish every email that hit your inbox — not to mention all the other places you get pinged — were polite, appreciative of the time it was taking you to read and respond, and thanked you?
Here are a few more tips for incorporating the Magic Words into your social campaigns…
1. When sending out requests to clients to “Like Us on Facebook” or respond to a poll, you’ll see higher response rates if you ask nicely, and offer your sincere thanks. A tiny thank you gift (coupons, anyone?) would not go awry, either.
2. Did you just get a nice review in your Twitter stream? Be sure to monitor and catch those whenever possible, so that you can say thanks. Sure you have time. It only takes three letters and punctuation (Thx!)
3. Thank your employees. Do it publicly. Be regular about it. You’ll grow a tighter, more responsive, and happier team.
4. Use the magic words in your company newsletters when you invite your readers to fill out a survey.
5. Add a “Thank You!” message to your form response. When a web visitor converts, let them know you appreciate it.
Have a story you’d like to share about a time when you noticed the Magic Words being used (or forgotten) in online media? Leave us a comment and let us know!
And by the way, thanks for taking the time to drop in at Calvert Creative and chat with us. We think you ROCK!
