Making a hash of customer dialog

I just saw a story in MediaPost this morning about how McDonalds optimistically introduced a twitter hashtag (#McDstories) and invited its customers to talk about how wonderful their McD experiences were.  As the story points out, they should not have been surprised that there were some very unpleasant stories posted, mainly having to do with incidents of food poisoning.  In fact, you should avoid reading the tweets close to mealtime.


I suppose there are two possible lessons from this cautionary tale.  One, of course, is don't do that.  Don't hand your brand over to your customers and assume that they will be kind to it.  Other people do not love your brand like you do.  To you, it is a precious child.  However, to at least some your customers, the brand will seem an uncaring behemoth that has royally messed up.

The second lesson, though, is more optimistic.  If you want to engage with your customers about your brand, do it in a true dialog.  That means engaging people in settings where you can have a real conversation, answering their complaints and concerns responsibly, with a human voice. Twitter, as we have just seen, is a street-corner soap box where the loudest, grossest, or funniest voice is amplified at the touch of a button.  Other settings (your own branded community, or even Facebook) offer you a much more confined space and greater opportunity for conversation.

The bottom line? It makes sense to listen to your customers' gripes; after all, they will be sharing these stories with others, even if you don't hand them the megaphone.  Just do it in a setting where you can provide real help, correct misunderstandings, and nurture relationships.