Likeable Social Media Summary

“How can businesses craft meaningful, engaging, and profitable relationships with customers in the digital age?”

1. Listen Before You Speak

Social media is more than a platform to broadcast; it's a space for interaction. Effective businesses treat it as an opportunity to carefully listen to their audience. Companies often fixate on delivering messages but miss the treasure trove of customer feedback waiting to be heard.

By monitoring discussions, businesses can uncover what works well and what doesn’t. This effort is valuable for spotting potential challenges or opportunities early. In the past, gathering such customer data was costly and time-consuming. Now, a few clicks can reveal what customers really think. For example, an insurance company responding to a critique on Twitter can avoid a PR nightmare while showing they care about clients' concerns.

Listening isn't just damage control; it's a catalyst for innovation. IBM’s Listening for Leads program—where employees track social conversations to identify sales opportunities—shows how attentiveness can transform complaints into profit.

Examples

• IBM’s team finds leads by tracking customer frustrations online.
• A business addresses criticism on social media, turning a negative post into an opportunity to improve reputation.
• Automotive brands use mentions of car issues to offer targeted assistance.

2. You Can Find Anyone on Facebook

Facebook’s micro-targeting lets advertisers bypass traditional broad campaigns to directly reach the perfect audience. With tools to select traits like age, interests, and geography, it's possible to craft highly specific messages that click with customers.

Before Facebook ads, businesses had to gamble on mass media buys to hope someone noticed. Now, small businesses can use micro-targeting to find audiences who are already predisposed to engage. For example, a senior wellness clinic can create ads for users over 60 interested in health and fitness.

Micro-targeting also applies to ongoing customer engagement. When brands ask users to "like" their pages, they build a devoted following who sees regular updates. It’s a tactic not just for advertising but also maintaining direct dialogue with interested customers.

Examples

• A startup targets single young professionals in a specific city with tailored ads.
• Facebook campaigns only target users over 50 for travel perks.
• A company encourages page likes by offering early updates and discounts.

3. Make Engagement a Conversation

Unlike traditional ads, social media thrives on dialogue. Instead of speaking to an audience, brands need to speak with them. People don't want to be passive observers but active participants in meaningful exchanges.

Imagine a lecture versus a seminar: the latter fosters intimate engagement with shared discussions. On social media, impactful brands treat customer interactions the same way. When consumers share comments, especially complaints, respectful and transparent responses demonstrate true customer care.

Responding isn’t only for negative feedback, though. Playful reactions to positive comments humanize brands, showing customers there’s personality behind the corporate curtain. The warm, less formal tone resonates deeply, building trust and loyalty.

Examples

• A national chain replies empathetically to a negative post about delayed service.
• A small bakery thanks a happy customer, sharing their post on its profile.
• Clothing brands encourage debate over fashion trends to boost interactions.

4. Work Together, Win Together

Customer collaboration can redefine a business's offerings. Engagement enriches product lines, solves issues collectively, and strengthens bonds between brands and their audience.

When a discontinued Entenmann’s cake had a devoted fan lobbying for its return on Facebook, the company collaborated with fans through a poll. The overwhelming support for the product revival led to one of its top sellers. Glacéau’s Vitamin Water also sourced fan ideas online for its best-selling Connect flavor.

Customers who feel part of decision-making become brand advocates. Beyond products, this approach fosters innovation, lets companies take risks with audience-tested ideas, and builds goodwill that echoes across networks.

Examples

• Entenmann’s worked with fans to decide to reintroduce a discontinued dessert.
• Tech companies crowdsource app feature suggestions through polls.
• Fashion brands ask followers about color and design choices in future trends.

5. Stories Build Relationships

People are drawn to good stories. They’re universal tools for connecting emotionally and memorably across diverse audiences. Brands leverage stories to express not just what they offer but why they matter.

Dave Kerpen’s own baseball stadium wedding story grabbed attention and helped launch Likeable Media, partly because the narrative was relatable and inspiring. Sharing authentic stories humanizes companies while creating bonds with listeners.

Storytelling isn’t limited to the brand. Featuring customer stories adds authenticity and relatability. Stories also make businesses appear more approachable, giving customers easy avenues for interaction.

Examples

• Likeable Media’s baseball wedding story inspires and connects.
• A traffic law attorney blogs relatable courtroom tales to double his business leads.
• A local café highlights a customer’s story about how its coffee gave them energy for a marathon.

6. Social Media as a Seamless Extension

Effective social brands embed their social media strategy into every touchpoint of a customer’s journey. From ads to transactions, they remind customers to stay connected online, enticing visits and boosting loyalty.

Customers at Dave's Grill who saw Facebook advertisements, liked the page in exchange for a free appetizer, and received post-meal replies from the manager—this kind of holistic integration makes social presence seamless. These reminders also help bridge online and offline experiences, reinforcing brand engagement each step of the way.

Social channels also receive inputs from every organizational department. Marketing identifies trends, sales follow up on new leads, and customer service helps resolve issues in a connected cycle.

Examples

• Restaurants offer rewards for checking into locations via social apps.
• Retail stores print social handles on receipts and packaging.
• Research teams analyze online app reviews to refine development cycles.

7. Surprise Brings Smiles

Unexpected treats on social media create positive brand associations and loyalty. These small, joyous moments go a long way when users feel seen and treated uniquely.

Brands surprise customers in various ways. Best Buy’s team monitored tech tweets and offered advice casually but charitably, skipping the hard sell. Other companies like Cumberland Farms reward interactive fun, like offering fans free drinks if engagement goals are met.

Surprises don’t just attract attention; they deepen customer emotion toward brands. By breaking monotony, brands distinguish themselves as delightful companions in a crowded digital landscape.

Examples

• Cumberland Farms rewards customers who meet a Facebook challenge with free drinks.
• Twitter followers receive surprise tweets from Best Buy’s Twelpforce.
• A consultancy gifts a book to a random user tweeting about it, earning long-term partnership.

8. Foster Community and Dialogue

Online spaces thrive when people unite over passions, stories, and identities. Brands establishing communities around mutual love for products or ideas create loyal tribes.

Entenmann’s Banana Cake revival went viral because a community backed the campaign’s poll. Social spaces can also encourage deeper conversations. Relatable content fosters shared discussions and sparks growth through collaboration rather than individual efforts.

These efforts transform passive customers into active audiences who keep returning because they belong.

Examples

• Applebee’s shares behind-the-scenes recipe videos, sparking recipe-sharing discussions.
• A tech forum allows users to review launched products directly, feeding design feedback.
• Specialized Facebook groups form around curated industry-related discussions by niche brands.

9. Be Open, Be Human

Mistakes happen; owning them on social platforms shows integrity. A prompt, transparent response often impresses onlookers far more than defensive tactics.

When customers complain about bad experiences, apologizing genuinely reinforces customer respect. Businesses can't control errors entirely, but public apologies turn them into trust-building opportunities by showcasing accountability.

Your words show customers their perspective is valued, encouraging them either to forgive or offer constructive insights for repair.

Examples

• A restaurant apologizes honestly for a late delivery, offering to waive the customer’s next meal charge.
• Large corporations “pin” accidental announcements to emphasize accountability.
• Airliners resolve luggage misplacements by replying swiftly when contacted digitally.

Takeaways

1. Regularly monitor social channels using tools or dedicated staff to both address criticism and discover opportunities.
2. Invite your audience to join decisions about products, campaigns, and innovations—they’ll feel ownership and stay loyal.
3. Craft authentic narratives, embracing vulnerability and showcasing everyday team and customer wins on your pages.