Digital Influence Weekly - The Girl Scouts Secret Social Media Ingredient

by Digital Influencer, 5/6/2011 11:46:15 AM | with 0 comments
Make sure you’re properly dressed at all times because Google Maps Street View is moving in. Well, sort of. According to Mashable, one can send photos of the interior of a business to Google, which they will use to make a 360 view just as they would with Google Maps. Now you can stop being like the “Open, Open, Open” Lady and enter the stores.

And now, on with the "Digital Influence Weekly"…

So what is the Girl Scouts’ secret social media ingredient? It’s order and common sense.

The Girl Scouts began receiving a flurry of negative posts on Facebook when they became the focus of an article which pointed out that Girl Scout cookies use palm oil. (In case you are interested in their cookie making magic, you can get more information here.) So, as with any crisis situation, you want to control the flow of information as best as possible. They closed their open Facebook wall and then directed people to use the comments for specific posts. Here’s what they posted:

Girl Scouts Palm Oil Facebook response

Their actions have accomplished the following:

- Directed the conversation to an area of their choosing to better collect the public response and reduce outbursts on their Facebook wall;
- Demonstrated that they want to hear what is said in an orderly manner; and
- Established their ownership of the page by telling others they reserve the right to delete anything out of context or inappropriate and enforcing that measure.

This also forces supporters to converse with critics and weaken the voice of any unreasonable responses. For instance, the fact that someone would go onto the Girl Scouts’ Facebook page to be mean appears to overshadow what they are upset about in the first place. If you look through the responses, you’ll see many “I’m not a fan of using palm oil, but seriously people, you want to be mean to the Girl Scouts?” type of responses from their fans.

You will also notice that some people call it censorship when their posts are removed or limited to a certain area. To them I ask – If someone has a legitimate concern with your operations and it was posted as a message on a banner or with spray paint on your building, would you let it remain there? Of course not, and neither would the Girl Scouts.

When you have a grievance with any organization, please file it in the appropriate area, even in social networks. You are more likely to be heard if you know where they are listening.

Category: cookies, girls, scouts

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