Social media and user engagement

21/06/10 posted by Annie

On Wednesday, a fashion label called LOFT used its Facebook Page to promote its new silk cargo pants, by posting photos of what they look like on a tall, blonde professional model. What the brand probably wasn't expecting was the backlash from their fans - many of whom complained the pants would look unflattering on "real sized" women. Happily, after a polite request to post images of different body types wearing the pants, LOFT posted a number of photos featuring their very own staff in the pants. The response was great. One fan wrote:

"Thanks so much for doing this! I have always been impressed with the way you handle your FB page! The photos are great and provide a way for women of all shapes and sizes see how something they might not consider could work for them. Keep up the good work!"

Although some fans still thought the pants were ugly, many of them were gratified to see their calls had been answered. As Mashable remarks, this is a great example of a large company driving customer satisfaction and loyalty with social media. And perhaps now LOFT will be able to tailor their future products according to the sentiments of their actual customers. For business owners, this story is a classic reminder of why success does not automatically follow social media usage. The whole point is for businesses to have a constant and real presence for their customers to connect with - anything less might even be negative for a business, if customers start to think of you as unresponsive or uninterested in feedback.

Back-tracking a little, this story is similar to the commendable use of social media by big international airlines during the volcano plume of last month. Many large companies cheered up hundreds of stranded and distressed passengers, by communicating with them in real time over social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. This sort of activity by big businesses is slowly becoming an expected norm, thanks to stories like these. So whether your business is a smaller fashion brand, or a multi-national airline company, it's becoming increasingly important to get your social media presence in check.