Two days ago, I wrote about Selecting a New Hosting Company. I mentioned how close I was from going with 6Sync and because of my unfamiliarity with R1soft and how it does backups, that I decided to go with Linode.
The next day, Mario from 6Sync posted a comment to my entry and contacted me via Twitter offering to talk about my specific requirements. We exchanged a couple of tweets and even though it was 3AM in the morning he called me. (I offered to schedule a call at a more convenient time).
Our conversation lasted about 20 minutes and Mario was very helpful not only with explaining how their backup works, but also providing me with a couple of recommendations to increase performance and security of my server.
Mario offered me a trial account, so I could test drive the backup system and determine if it would meet my needs. I accepted his offer and will be able to investigate this further over the weekend.
What strikes me about this exchange is that a small company like 6Sync is exploiting Social Media. They are proactively monitoring ongoing conversations for the purpose of helping and clarifying information that may be missing or incomplete, resulting in negatively influencing people to avoid their offers.
This example serves as a very powerful tactic that businesses can and should be used to take care of customers and potential customers by monitoring the stories being produced. But monitoring is just the first step. Don’t just listen, join and participate in the conversations for the purpose of helping your customers and your own interests.
Where have you seen the practical application of the Power of Social Media?