Using Social Media to Amplify Your Reputation

Xtreme Lashes launched its social media campaign on July 13, 2009, as of today, we have 10,666 Facebook fans and 26,311 views on our primary YouTube Video. We post several post on our Facebook page per week with an average of 40 responses per post. It seems that no matter the subject, all discussions go back to two primary comments:

1. I love Xtreme Lashes or
2. Where can I get Xtreme Lashes?

In a B2B market, where we train licensed health and beauty professional in the art of eyelash extensions, our Facebook channel has turned into a meeting place to connect Xtreme Lash Stylists with eager , “ready to book an appointment” end-consumers.

From a sales and prospecting standpoint – we are able to handle common objections raised during the sales process.

Q: Will anyone actually get these done?
A: Check out our Facebook page, we have over 10,000 fans and most are end-consumers. Click on ANY post and read the comments, everybody loves Xtreme Lashes. And YES, they DO and will get this done; many of our Lash Stylists have created careers around Xtreme Lashes Eyelash Extensions.

Q: What is difference between Xtreme Lashes and other eyelash extension companies?
A: Check out our Facebook page, we have over 10,000 fans that adore us. We must be doing something right. Read their comments and judge for yourself.

Social media has changed the direction of marketing altogether. Companies and brands can no longer make empty marketing claims or false promises, the consumer will always speak the truth – good or bad. Marketing is no longer in the hands of the company; it is in the hands of the consumer. The best way to sum up the impact of social media is complete transparency. With that said, social media is NOT for everyone, only companies that have a strong and loyal client base will reap the most value from a social media campaign. Companies who are lacking in customer support, have disgruntled clients, or quality issues – will only amplify their negative brand image.

As a company that has always been focused on providing legendary support, quality products and education – we have nothing to hide, so social media has been extremely valuable for us. Even when we do receive the occasional “negative” comment, we do not censor it, but rather we address it immediately. The great thing is that often times, by the time that we see a negative comment, many of our own clients have already responded to it in force. Our clients have become our PR department!

In the world of discerning and informed consumers and a general distrust towards corporations - consumers trust other consumers more than they trust corporations. Social media is simply a platform that allows the consumers to speak their minds and talk to each other openly and honestly.

On a micro scale, companies should play out the following scenario before launching a social media campaign: gather a random sampling of your clients and put them in a room. What would the general feeling towards your company be? If, you feel the response would be positive, then launch a social media campaign now. If it is negative, work on making the brand image positive first and right your wrongs, then go launch a social media campaign.

Effective PR speaks to an audience directly. Press Releases are a thing of the past, replaced by social media sites and blogs. In the past, companies would create a press release and cross their fingers, hoping to get picked up by a magazine, a website or other media outlet. Often times, only content hungry blogs would pick it up, “copy and paste” the release into their site with limited to zero views. Again, each of our Facebook page posts receives at LEAST 40 comments. The number of people who comment is only a small indicator of the actual number of people who read the content - most people do not leave comments.

Social media will not necessarily change consumer attitude – it will only AMPLIFY the current attitude towards your brand. Your reputation is no longer dictated by internal Marketing and PR departments, your company’s reputation is the sum total of the consumer’s feeling towards your company. Social media will only validate and authenticate your reputation – good or bad.