Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

getfreepublicity — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:23:45 -0000

Interesting article. All the points were good but I especially like the fact that you advise being truthful about your company & product.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

Chris Glennon — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:12:40 -0000

Great post. The next step is to aggregate all this marketing material (both internal to the company and external social media) and post it where the products are listed (online retailers, blog posts, advertisement, etc.). Now the company, brand and product would have true transparency where the customers demand it the most, the point of sale. As a side effect posting this material at the point of sale would also engage and increase customer interaction, leading to increased sales. Good for everyone.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

Robert W. Dempsey — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:36:53 -0000

Thanks for the great article Sharlyn. The greatest benefit a company can gain by increasing transparency is a greater connection with their customers. The benefits of this are huge. Happy customers = talkative customers (via social media channels) = more customers. I was turned on to Zappos by a large number of people I know on Twitter talking about how great they were. When I needed a new pair of shoes I thought of trying them first, even though I was a bit hesitant. I was assured that I could send back the shoes if I didn't want them no questions asked. I made the purchase and never sent them back as I got what I wanted. If Zappos has not been as transparent as they were they wouldn't have the following they do and they wouldn't have the customers they do. Every day we are seeing greater examples that transparency, when done right, can be the right and best way to go.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

drewbennet — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:57:00 -0000

I think one of the best ways for a business to be transparent is to measure it and publish it in a scientific and reliable way. Measurement is the foundation of improvement and trust is earned through clarity and visibility. We measure customer satisfaction on websites which is the essential bell weather to understanding that often difficult to understand attitudinal or experience based aspect of a site visit. What did you think? How did the site meet your needs? Will you come back, recommend the site and critically will you forge a relationship with the company (transact)? These are the critical questions to consider as you buildup a solid knowledge of what is important to your customers - married with what they do and you have the first steps in building the customer centric measurement system. The last part of course is letting your community know how you are doing, publish your score. Some of our customers do this on a regular basis and having the barometer present on consistent basis allows your customers to know you care, are willing to show how you are doing and that you are working toward continuous improvement.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

drewbennet — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:56:34 -0000

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

Karli — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:11:35 -0000

This is a very informative blog and very true. Let's face it, if you are speaking to someone who does not seem to know what they are talking about, chances are you are going to take your business elsewhere.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

perry maughmer — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:56:34 -0000

Sharlyn,
You make some very astute points in this post but I wondered if you find the fact that we have to discuss these points as somewhat ironic?
It is clear that 4 of the 5 points you listed are things should be common sense yet we do have to talk about them as if they are traits/skills we need to develop.
When did we move away from these? The first four points you make can be linked to focusing on oneself and not working to establish a sense of community (point #5). As I have always said, the foundation of business is relationships and your post backs that up.
Thanks for sharing.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

dondewsnap — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:04:43 -0000

Sharlyn,

Thanks for a most edifying overview of transparency. The downside of transparency, of course, is that it demands consistent continuity. In other words, it can't just be a "marketing strategy" but must be ingrained in the company ethic, or it will slip back into the usual former non-transparency when its overburdened lone enthusiast tires in his zeal.

Facing the facts honestly, quality-oriented companies are naturally transparent, and your suggestions can help them improve that transparency. Companies to whom quality is less important than sales figures will not understand the concept, much less see how it could apply to them.

That's why there is always room at the top.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

Business Coaching — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:25:43 -0000

Thanks for the great list! Its would be a tough switch for the "massive secretive compaines" to embrace transparency, but I think with the popularity of social media today, lets all hope those days of keeping mum about everything will be over soon!

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

Jeremy Campbell — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:36:06 -0000

Very practical and useful information. Being transparent and authentic is getting more important as we move into a world that values accountability, and seeks trust.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

KarenSwim — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:24:01 -0000

Sharlyn, excellent job of distilling this down to the key elements of transparency. I see many companies shying away from social media because transparency is confused with voyeurism. Your first point and example is such a great truth for us all to keep in mind. You don't have to be transparent about everything in your life, but share what you know openly and honestly.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

Wonderbra — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:43:40 -0000

Excellent post. What a valuable information. Really helpful post for the newbies.I found a lot of worthy informations from this post. Thanks a bunch for sharing such an innovative and interesting post with us. Keep blogging.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

Liz — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:39:09 -0000

Thank you Sharlyn and thank you Mashable for this article! I recently had a very difficult conversation with an employer who asked me "What is transparency and what can we do?" This is the answer I've been looking for!

These guidelines aren't just a good idea for businesses but for anyone who wishes to protect their image while participating in social media.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

Dao Alderman — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:26:17 -0000

The social media has made the world so much smaller as touching out to strangers, building the bridge of communication, establishing an entry level of business contacts with people. But sometimes it becomes overwell and feels too mechanically. Easy come easy go. The social media is over flood with information, which one has to spend too much time to select out the pertaining information to be able to enjoy its convenience.

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

chaux_cedric — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:17:30 -0000

Transparency, community , timely and responsivness for business on social media sounds similar to #CSR

Re: 5 Ways to Make Your Business More Transparent

mime — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:47:28 -0000

now all i care about is google WAVE