If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times:

"Sticking feathers up your butt doesn't make you a chicken."

Social media is enormously powerful for making connections, building relationships, and telling the story you want to tell.... as long as that story has a basis in reality.

Cathy Nesbit, Social Media Director at Harry Robinson Buick GMC in Ft. Smith, AR, is my guest this week on the Get Ya Some Radio Show. She says that it doesn't do you a bit of good to post pictures of happy customers and employees on one hand and treat everyone like dirt on the other.

You just can't fake it. Creating an engaging online community starts with creating an engaging offline community. If you'll treat your employees with kindness, love, and respect, then that's the way they'll treat your customers who, in return, will respond the same way.

It's just a big feedback loop.

And make no mistake, your customers hold all the cards. In the modern transparency economy, one bad online review can cripple your business.  

Cathy says the best defense against bad reviews is a good offense generating positive reviews and a culture, from the top down, from the GM to the janitor, that wants every single customer to truly have a great experience.

And tell their friends on social media!

Connect with Cathy Nesbit