Power of the Almighty Blog: Part III

Last week, in part II of the Power of the Almighty Blog, I questioned whether or not the power of one voice could stand up against a large company with endless resources…

With the growing popularity of social media & the focus shifting from appealing to the masses to focusing on the “individual” – you and I now have a voice that can’t be stifled. It’s no longer about strength in numbers. It’s about empowering the individual & making authentic connections with others who have similar interests, values & beliefs. Social media has changed the rules of engagement and it’s forced a lot of bullies off their soapbox. Online reputation is critical. It can quickly leverage a brand’s image. Or it has the power to send it down in flames – all with a few blog posts, forum discussions & emails.

Within 24 hours of my initial post, I received a handful of comments and links to other blogs that carry some weight in the financial services sector. The day following my post, I sent a “dissatisfied customer” email to a select group of board members associated with this financial institution. (I must say, this company doesn’t make customer service an easy thing to seek out. But with a little digging using my search skillz, I was able to track down the contact information.) 48 hours later, my account had been rectified. Fast turn around!

Word spreads fast with these fabulous vehicles called blogs. I’m willing to bet some big wigs got word of my grumblings & saw the beginnings of a domino effect. And rather than ignore it, hoping it would just go away, they did the smart thing – acknowledged the situation and took the necessary steps to fix it.

You can’t underestimate the power of a blog.