Interview with Social Media Expert Michael Fraietta, Chief Listener at Filtrbox

With social media having a huge impact on brand marketing and online reputation, I thought it would be a good opportunity to ask Michael Fraiette, the Community Manager and Chieft Listener at Filterbox,  a few questions that I’m sure are on the minds of anyone looking to start a social media strategy.

1.  What are some of the biggest challenges when dealing with negative reviews?

Well, I’d say the biggest challenge is to win the customer back, but I do not believe that is extremely difficult.  If you are honest and genuinely try to help them out, they will respect you for listening and trying.

2.  What tactics do you recommend when trying to remove negative reviews from the search results?

I personally believe that you would NOT try to remove the post no matter where it is.  You are what is said about you, you must embrace the review and answer it or send it to the appropriate department of your company if necessary.  You will get caught removing reviews…it’s not worth it.

3.  Does a social media strategy for a fortune 500 company differ from a small mom and pop shop?

Absolutely.  If you are a huge company that has 1500 posts about a day, it would be very difficult to address every reply, positive or negative.   I would recommend tracking these posts and see what is working or not working and perhaps make a decision based on those results.  For example, if you are a car company and you hear thousands of request for a feature you don’t have, maybe you should send it to product development.  As far as a mom and pop shop, you should respond to every negative OR positive result  you see.  Address the negative, answer it yourself or forward it to someone who can handle it.  As far as positive, thank the customer for their review or positive comment.  ReTweet it!

4.  What type of information do you recommend clients make public and what should be kept confidential?

That greatly depends on the company and the industry.  I personally think you should make the public feel like they are apart of the company.  An example would be videos of your executives explaining new products or features.  This not only gives your company personality, it keeps the customer involved and excited.

5.  With the recent announcement of Google’s real-time search results, how will this effect social media monitoring?

6.  What capabilities and functionality should a social media monitoring tool have?

I’m all about #real-time, so real-time alerts is a must for me.  Extensive coverage is also essential.  Other capabilities I would look for are advanced analytics, team collaboration abilities, branding capability and a user-friendly interface.

Author Bio

Michael Fraietta is the Community Manager and Chief Listener for the social media monitoring company, FilterBox.

Follow Michael on Twitter: @MichaelFraietta