Danny Brown

podcaster - author - creator

Insights

Saving Face When Your Company?s Doors Are Blown Off

If you’ve been watching the social stream the past week or so, you’ll have seen a slew of examples where a company has received a bit of a black eye in social media.

From social media darlings JetBlue to Air Canada and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, it’s been a bit of a wake-up call for businesses that may have avoided social smackdowns so far.

And these are just the tip of the iceberg – Valeria Maltoni has a great post about the topic today, and how businesses need to stop with the bad planning and get into the mindset that you’re only one experience away from a social shit-storm.

So how can you prepare? How can you be ready for every single negative voice about your business? How can you take what’s being said and turn that into a positive?

Well, you can pop along to the #Kaizenblog chat on Twitter this Friday, August 13, at 12:00 noon eastern, where I’ll be co-hosting the chat with both Valeria and Elli St. George Godfrey on this very topic.

We’ll be looking at some of the things that have happened; how they’ve been dealt with (good and bad); what could have been done better; and how your business can use social media effectively and openly to repair the damage when the doors get blown off your business.

It should be a timely and eventful chat, and I’d love to see you over there. If you’re on Twitter, you can take part by following the #Kaizenblog hashtag and share your examples and ideas. Who knows, we might even help some of the companies currently struggling with their response…

See you there?

Creative Commons License photo credit: lejoe

Social Media for Good ? The #CitizenGulf Project

One of the greatest aspects of social media is how it’s been adapted to helping charitable causes and non-profits.

From reacting to the Haiti disaster to raising funds for a kids school in Tanzania, social media continues to show just how much we can make a change where before we may have thought there was nothing we could do.

A perfect example of this is the CitizenGulf project, which my friend Geoff is a part of.

Social Media #CitizenGulf project

Organized by a mix of business owners, cause marketers and social good causes, the CitizenGulf project aims to help fishing families affected by the recent BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf Coast.

As the clean-up for the mess continues and red tape and legal issues hold up some of the aid packages, CitizenGulf wants to help make a difference now. The great thing about the project is that it takes very little from us to get involved, yet it can make a huge difference to those affected.

This includes the fishing families whose livelihoods have been destroyed; locals affected by how the economy has been hit by the spill; and wildlife left to fend for themselves without our aid.

And with hurricane season fast approaching this area, the need for our help is clear.

So how can you help?

There are a ton of events planned around the U.S. to benefit the area, and you can find these locations here. If your city isn’t on there yet but you want to help, you can contact the CitizenGulf team to organize your own event.

You can also donate to organizations recommended by CitizenGulf, if you prefer that.

The oil spill in the Gulf is one of the biggest ecological and corporate disasters in the U.S in recent times. CitizenGulf wants to give us an easy way we can help the locals and the landscape.

Seems a pretty straightforward decision, no?

Draw a Tree, Get Cool Stuff

Over at Bonsai Interactive, we made an art video on how to draw a bonsai tree, but we’re not sure of the results. So… we want you to show us the way.

Draw your interpretation of a bonsai tree (either yourself or with friends) and then upload to the Bonsai Interactive Facebook page wall (and hey, feel free to give us a quick Like while you’re over there if you haven’t already).

The best will get a cool little bonsai package sent to them. We’ll also upload to our Bonsai album so you can tag you and your friends if it’s a joint collaboration! We’ll choose our favourite next Friday at noon eastern. So, watch our video then get drawing.

Bonsai!!!

Consider This

If I have to ask you twice to explain what you do, your elevator pitch needs work.

If I give up on your phone tree, your communication options aren’t good enough.

If I Google you and you’re not on the first page, you’re not getting my attention.

If I don’t understand your FAQ’s, your product or service is being lost.

If I get lost on your website, you’re closing the door in my face.

We live in a world of quick questions and faster results. We have a tidal wave of information that no other generation has ever had access to. We are keepers of the keys to every business.

If you make us work when all we want to do is buy, you’ve failed. And we’re not good at giving second chances. Not in these times.

So.

Are you considering this? And what would you add?