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Austin Employers- Are You Cutting Off Your Tounge by Laying Off Your Word of Mouth Marketers?

26 January 2009 | social-media | 1 Comment

get_outThe simple answer is yes.

Recent layoffs in Austin of Social Media Pros (entire departments) present a huge problem for reputation- the buzz on the street is how inhuman your brand really is (and was all along)- Austin, we have a problem.

Let’s grab some perspective.

You’ve gone above and beyond in creating a word of mouth strategy, and you’ve employed those that evangelize you, your company- your brand.   Through their networking and connections,you’ve engaged many, and shared their positive sentiments about the brand at hand. Referrals are happening even while you sleep- those small endorsements of your product or service related back to your word of mouth marketer. Your social media marketer has done the hard work of making your brand human, relatable, and trustworthy- the equivalent of a relationship.

You’re fired because we need to save money.

Obviously you’re not firing them because they were bad at their job.  So, what are you in turn communicating to those who listened to your social media marketer, shared with your marketer, and believed your marketer about your brand and culture?  You essentially told the world that listened that your marketer was mistaken, because whether you like it or not, your marketer was your human connection to thousands of faces that have connected to your brand via your marketer- it’s now costing you in more than sales and potential consumers, it’s costing you in reputation- you now have a PR crisis.

There’s a much smarter way of handling this situation.

If you are going to lay off, you need a strategy from day one, when you first engage social media.  This person is the face of your brand and whether you like it or not, you must plan for the day when you must part with that face, and how you will go about it- your social media marketer has given you their credibility, the least you can do is give them a reason to still love you when they’re gone besides a “non-compete.”  In fact, your non-compete isn’t going to fly here, and barring that they didn’t fail in their position, you’re going to need a severance package that is fitting of today’s economy, time for them to move on to the next opportunity, and you should be willing to allow them to move companies without fear of competition- the reality is,  your brand didn’t build their credibility, it’s the other way around.

So before you just haphazardly take on social media, plan for the worst- divorce is never good on the kids, so get a plan to end the relationship that wins.

We have a plan, do you?

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1 Comment for this entry

  • Heather Strout
    January 26th, 2009 on 1:24 pm

    Ben, thanks for the timely post. I hope the right people read and learn from it.

    Do you read Tom Humbarger’s blog? I think you’d find it valuable. He’s a thoughtful writer who won’t waste your time. This is one of my favorites: http://tinyurl.com/822ojp

    Heather Strout | @hjstrout

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