It's MacWorld fever in San Francisco. I think their new Macbook, the MacBook Air, is beautiful, but everytime I hear the new name, I hear MacBook "Error." For me, and many others, the announcement fell flat. Today I want to address the biggest MacBook Error: the thinness of their conversation in the social media realm.
Yes, I know they are on top of the world, but there are voices from the blogosphere that point to cracks in the MacBrand base; early adopters and super fans feel left out. As Apple becomes more of a consumer brand, more mainstream users will purchase Macs. This means more complaints, stretching the ardent fans-and customer service-thin; no longer will every negative Apple post be bombarded with super users flaming the blogger. To address this, Apple will need to stop pushing products and messages at its community. Instead, they will need to become more engaged with their community.
Steve, are you listening? Here are some of my top tips for Apple on refreshing their Social Media efforts to revive the Fan Base:
- Stop trying to silence your superfans!
- Whether suing super-fan bloggers or threatening children, Apple has a horrible strategy towards online communities. Lighten up! Repeated actions like these will really put off you most passionate audiences.
- Beautiful Ads and Demos, set them free!
- Sharing is Caring. Let the videos into the wild by allowing them to be embedded into other sites and shared. Just by sending a link back to the page is tres 1.0. Do this with Steve's keynote, too.
- MacBook Air: Behind the Scenes
- For movie buffs, the "Extra Features" on a DVD are one more reason to buy. Same goes for tech geeks. Show us the behind the scenes of the MacBook Air. Intimate video chats with the Hardware Design team. Live podcasts (with call-in) featuring the User Experience team.
- Too hardcore? Ok, open up developers' blogs!
- Like a shepherd herding the flock...
- A Community Manager could address the worries early adopters are having re the MacBook Air. They can also hit up the Green bloggers upset about Apple's lack of true environmental concern, or just common users P.O.-ed about Leopard's constant crashes. Go and address those posts head on. Cut the messaging and speak to them like people.
- Open up a dialog
- Apple currently has a web-based form for feedback, but it feels like you are sending it out into a void. Make it a community, like Dell, where users can submit suggestions/concerns and then vote on the ideas. Yes, there is a forum, but it relies heavily on super fans...and forums are SOOOOO 1.0.
- Customers also need to know that they are taken seriously. Close the feedback loop. Let them know the status of their suggestions.
- I'm Streaming of a Live MacWorld
- Ok, it may be a little far fetched, but I want a cam to be following someone through the MacWorld experience, like a fly on the wall. Bonus points if that fly is STEVE JOBS!
I love all my Apple products, but I've been a little upset since upgrading Leopard. No longer can I play music on Front Row through my Airport Express. I filled out a comment form and have not received any sort of follow-up. I've dropped so much money on my desktop, laptop, keyboard, Airport, Airport Express, and I deserve some sort of acknowledgment.
What do you think? Is Apple heading towards Dell Hell or are they on the right track? What suggestions would you give Apple on reinvigorating their fan base?
Recommended Reading
- "Apple's Social Media Efforts Need to Ripen"
- "Dell Hell Freezes Over: A Great Example of Turning Lemons into Lemonade"
- "3sday's 3Q's in 3 Min: Mario Sundar, LinkedIn"
- "PR to Enterprise: Beam Me Up"
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