Brands are spending too much time viewing social media as a risk management exercise and are missing out on lucrative opportunities to engage with their audience, according to social media expert William Buist (pictured below).

Buist claims social media give businesses an opportunity to develop new strategies and new ways of being in touch with customers – and those who engage effectively will get significant feedback.

But ultimately, the brand’s approach to social media will be largely determined by whether they view it as a risk or as an opportunity, he says.

"It’s not enough to appear when a problem has arisen, make apologetic noises and leave,” says Buist, “because the consumers see it purely as a means of correcting the current issue rather than correcting the underlying problem or listening to the consumer’s voice over a period of time.”

Founder of The Societal-Web.com, Buist adds: “Brands that encourage their customers to talk to them have long been seen as more robust and stable than those that bury their heads in the sand, but in the social media world that means being around consistently, all of the time.

“That doesn’t mean firing off short comments without thought, but having a well practiced, well rehearsed, experienced group of people interacting on behalf of your business with all of the social media sources for conversations about what you do," explains Buist.

For time-strapped businesses, this may sound labour-intensive, but Buist claims much of this can be automated, and brands can monitor when a conversation starts and respond accordingly. In some cases, brands may choose to start the conversation themselves.

"When people see your willingness to interact and deliver a consistent and persistent message about what you do, then social media can be really leveraged heavily for you rather than being a potential weapon for those few customers who do feel dissatisfied with what you’ve done.

“You cannot please all of your customers all of the time and so don’t try to.

“There will be complaints and there will be comments that are negative, but in reality they’re just part of the picture about the brand that’s painted.

“It’s not what they say that matters but how you react to it," adds Buist – managing director of Abelard Management Services, which specialises in developments in the Societal Web.

William Buist