Let’s get straight to the point but firstly, we limit our topic today with this: Social Networks = Facebook and Twitter (mainly because I don’t quite get the rest). For many international beauty brands, you will see that there are many different accounts, all set up and managed locally in different countries. However, for high end luxury brands like Dior and Chanel, I only see them maintaining one. One for Facebook, one for Twitter. How do you feel about this trend? Do you think it works? Do you feel more closely connected with your favourite brand?

Surely, they are trying hard to reach out to customers – whether sincerely, or to keep up with the Joneses. From my experience with different brands on different social networking sites, I say there are pros and cons for sure. What are social networking for? Quite obviously, to interact. To reach out, to get ideas and feedbacks straight from the consumers. The first thing I notice is that, there are plenty of praises for certain products, and also plenty of complaints about poor customer service. I also observe some brands filtering the posts especially on Facebook, but I say, if you’re not prepared to deal with both good and bad, just go ahead and delete the account.

Another very popular question I see asked is the price of a certain product, especially when it is newly launched. I have seen replies such as: “Our prices vary so it is best for you to drop by and let our Beauty Advisors help you”. At that, I usually say good riddance. Not only was my question NOT answered, I was expected to go to the store personally to find out. Pfft! What is so secretive about prices? People ask because they are interested. If it is convenient for them to just walk into the store to check out the stuff, I’m pretty sure they won’t even bother asking on Facebook or Twitter.

I’ve also seen some brand’s Twitter account going dormant. The last tweet was more than a hundred days old. That is network fail. Then, there are Facebook pages that do not let people comment. They are only pages for the brand to post their stuff. I would probably refer those as Notice Boards. Given, there might be people misusing the opportunity to post links to their own blogs and such, but that is where management skills come in, eh? There is a lot of hardwork and dedication maintaining social network accounts and the people hired to do the job are important. They represent the brand’s voice, in a way.

These accounts and pages, in my humble opinion, are good if they are interactive. If there is no response to enquiries, they are merely Notice Boards. A rude PR can turn me off a certain brand. These Facebook pages and Twitter accounts can also do the same.

What about you? Do you think it makes any difference, whether or not your favourite brand has a Facebook page or a Twitter account? Would you feel differently about the brand if you had bad experiences online?

xoxo Lily

** By the way, there’s a mini Facebook giveaway at Chloe.Ash starting now, so go check it out!

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