Pulse Legacy Archive January / February 2013 | Page 24

conversations
not engagement. Hint: listen. Hint: find what people are interested in and talk about them, not you. That’s engagement.

P: You said that it is imperative for businesses today
to “build a community, not an audience.” What
advice can you give to spa owners and executives to
help them increase their influence to their social community?
B: Think about this: nearly no one who frequents spas thinks of
oneself as being in the spa community, any more than people
who drink Sprite think they are in the Sprite community. But if
you serve the wellness community, you can take a hint on
building some value. If you serve the [baby] boomer community
(over 50 years of age), you can help. There are many ways to
look at this and [build] prospects if you throw away the silly
notion that you’re the center of your client’s un iverse.

P: Given the number of social media sites (e.g.
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc), how do
you sift through these choices and direct your
resources to those that would yield the most impact
for your business?
B: This is my favorite question to answer. “Use the network that
best works to tell your story.” Hint: LinkedIn is a horrible place
to talk about spas. Pinterest? Perfect. Huge female population,
very visual setting, [and] with links that go back to your site. I’d
stop there, pretty much (well, that and email marketing).

P: Many marketers and business owners often gripe
about the lack of real measurement when it comes to

CLICK TO VIEW videos of
Brogan in past speaking
engagements.

WHAT’S THE RIGHT WAY
to handle negative comments
and reviews online? Click to
read Brogan’s advice.

22 PULSE

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January/February 2013

social media. How should one measure the effectiveness of a social media initiative?
B: Many marketers and business owners aren’t looking at the
right gauge. Measure revenue and subscribers. Who cares
how many “Likes” you have? My bank doesn’t accept “Likes”
as mortgage payment. I know. I’ve tried.

P: Today is your last tweet. What would that 140character look like?
B: “I drank what?”

P: How do you live the spa lifestyle?
B: I actually love spas. I meditate, get massages, visit hot
springs, etc. They’re so much a part of growth and health.

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Businesses That Are Doing Social Media Right
According to Brogan, these three businesses are good examples of
companies that understand and do social media right.
The Colonnade Hotel Boston Hotel is doing
lots of concierge-class services via social
networks.

@colonnade

JetBlue Airways is doing great work and are
really engaging their customer base online.

@JetBlue

Dogfish Head Brewery engages customer
collaboration with initiatives like online
story-sharing.

@DogfishBeer