Learning Social Media Engagement from CMO of Converse « Khanderao's Tech Exploration Blog

Mashable published an interview of George Cottril CMO of Converse with an interesting title:

How Convese become the Biggest Little Sneaker Brand on Facebook

http://mashable.com/2011/05/04/converse-facebook/

Here are some quotes and tips:

The first suggestion  of Converse CMO was when he encountered 8million fans on Facebook he decided to be a passive listener by "doing nothing". Its difficult for any marketer to "let it go". To implement this advise, one has to accept the paradigm shift required in customer enagagement on Social media. He outlined his philosophy: "Our philosophy in social media has been to bring our voice to the medium, which includes acting like a good party guest — we bring something to the table, and we listen more than we talk." This is  the same advise stressed by Groundswell authors, Charlen Li and Josh Bernoff. It is important to be listener on social media sites that trying to intercept and shape conversations.

One has to understand the pscycology of consusmers. The fans of any brand want to know about product and like offers but it is important to have  an emotional connection . George mentioned that his team is trying to be a good host for that connection for their brand. He emphasised the "two way communication aspect of the social media"

He emphasised trust, genuine tone, and respect are important aspect in social media engagement with the consumers.