Each day is seems like more corporations/businesses are embracing social media and encouraging their employees to engage with customers. Less often, but becoming more prevalent, the CEO will also participate.
Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, was a recent guest on Startup Story Radio podcast. Half-way through the show, host Rob McNealystarted to talk about how Tony and his employees are active participants in the social media space. Turns out, Tony has been using Twitter for over a year for personal use and saw how great it was working to stay in touch and connect with his friends. He decided to try it out for Zappos.
Tony’s goal is “to create a brand and company that everyone is passionate about, including customers.” He is currently using Twitter to connect with customers at a deeper level and get ideas from them. Due to the 140 character limitation of the tool, he finds it to be a very quick, informal and efficient way to communicate because time is scarce for him (as with most CEOs). He also initially encouraged his employees to use Twitter not as a marketing tool, but to get to know each other. There are currently over 250 Zappos employees on Twitter.
Though Tony is not the first CEO I have heard of using social media to directly connect with customers, he is the first I have heard of using Twitter. I decided to follow the Zappos CEO to see what he talks about and how often he posts. Here’s what I have learned (other than his whereabouts):
- He gave a Zappos presentation a the SIMA Surf Summit in Cabo, San Lucas and is sharing the presentation on Slideshare
- Intel has created a wifi surfboard so surfers can surf the net while waiting for a wave
- Merrell brand shoes are now available through Zappos
- Did a “fill in the blank” contest on Mother’s day. Computer chose 2 people who responded to receive free shoes. Posted winners online. Contest lasted 10 minutes.
- Answered a question about overnight shipping from a customer.
- He found out about a DSW lawsuit against Zappos through a DSW press release, not legal. Posted 6 updates about lawsuit/press release night of and morning after discovery.
It seems to me like this is a pretty effective way for customers to feel like they are a part of the business. When was the last time you had a customer service question and the CEO provided the answer (not small business)?
Filed under: Podcasting in Business, Social Media | Tagged: Social Media, startup story radio, Twitter, Zappos
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