As we monitor our client’s social media channels every day, we often engage with followers and fans on Twitter and Facebook. Although it may seem daunting to answer dozens of questions everyday (especially when it’s the same thing over and over), we have to keep in mind that the follower or fan on the other end is definitely paying attention. I usually engage with brands, organizations, companies, artists, etc. on a day to day basis. For example if I’m at a concert, I’ll make sure to include the hashtag and artists’ handle, if I’m trying out a new product, I’ll use the brand’s handle and tweet a photo, and if I’m eating at a restaurant, you bet I’ll be tweeting a shout out to the Chef if the meal was delicious.
I recently went on my first work trip to Laguna, California where we stayed at the beautiful St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort. When we first got there, I took a photo of the pool and grounds, and tweeted “We’re definitely not in Boston anymore.” Immediately, the person who monitors the handle, reached out to me and welcomed me to the hotel.
At first, I didn’t think too much of it because I think one of the basic responsibilities of having a Twitter handle is engaging with followers. The next day, I took another photo of my run around the grounds, and again the person who monitors the hotel’s handle reached out to me, and this time they asked me how my stay was going. Now, I know what you’re thinking – it’s not that hard to ask how my stay was – but to me, it meant a lot that someone was reaching out to me directly.
On the second to last day of our stay, as I was heading up to my room, I saw a note under my door that someone wanted to send me a complimentary bottle of champagne. At first I’m thinking umm who? When I got the bottle, it had a hand written note from the General Manager of the hotel, welcoming me and asking me to reach out if I needed anything during my stay. I was immediately impressed that they went one step further to acknowledge me as a “special guest.” It may not cost them that much, but it meant a great deal to me. Sometimes by taking the extra 30 seconds to learn about someone or reaching out to a loyal fan – you may end of with a lifelong customer. If I ever travel back to Laguna, California, the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort is certainly going to get my business.
