Valeria Maltoni’s ConversationAgent article disguises some good social media tips in a cryptic dialogue of top companies and their trump card: their reputation.

From “7 Social Media Behaviors That Won’t Win You Customers,” it says as we all know by now, setting up accounts on Twitter and Facebook is only the first step; a real conversation, a dialogue, must follow, and it can often create havoc when the company’s reputation is on the line. While some of her advice is solid: having a coordinated social media effort, being prepared to address potential issues in real time her other remarks are self-contradictory:  don’t push messages at specific users, but don’t be “all over the place.” She claims “all customers want is a great transaction […, so] put shopping carts everywhere” – is this the interactivity that social customers want nowadays? I don’t believe so. Her meta-speak touches on the importance of online brand reputation, but the advice is clouded in a verbose haze of abstractions.

The SSN Take: Cut to the chase – be professional on social media and interact with your customers.

Sam Hartman, March 13, 2010

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