Tony Hsieh Interview by Cliff Michaels (Part 2: Tips on Social Media)

For an insightful peek behind the entrepreneurial mind of Tony Hsieh, see Part 1 of 2 with Tony & Cliff 

Tony’s Top Tips for Social Media

Cliff: As soft-spoken as you are, you have a unique ability to inspire people. Let’s rap a little about social media and how it plays a role in building customers, driving brand loyalty, and developing happy employees. Last I heard, your Twitter following was reaching epic numbers. What’s the Ballpark?

Tony: According to my assistant Liz Gregersen, we’re at 1,858,439 (as of Nov. 1, 2011).

Cliff: (grabbing iPhone) Make it 1,858,440. So if I added in Facebook, we’re clearly pushing 2 million. That’s huge! What’s you’re approach to the social-media scene?

Tony: I’ve talked a lot in the past about how we’ve used Twitter at Zappos for building more personal connections with employees and customers, but it’s helped me grow personally too. For me, it boils down to 4 things:

1. Transparency & Values: Twitter constantly reminds me of who I want to be, and what I want Zappos to stand for.

2. Reframing Reality: Twitter encourages me to search for ways to view reality in a funnier or more positive way.

3. Helping Others: Twitter helps me think about how to make a positive impact on other people’s lives.

4. Gratitude: Twitter helps me notice and appreciate the little things in life. The great thing about these 4 principles is that they not only lead me to a happier life, they spill over to what we want the Zappos brand and business to be about — delivering happiness — whether it’s through customer service or company culture.

Cliff: Your followers tweet about the Zappos core values every day. This should remind entrepreneurs that a smart public-relations campaign should focus as much on people and principles as it does selling products or services.

Tony: Right. I’ve used this example: If you were on a show, and there was a permanent public record of everything you do or say, how would you act differently? Would you be friendlier? Would you be less negative and less judgmental? If you were always on camera, then everything you did would shape your personal and business brand.

Cliff: You have an interesting perspective on how Tweets create a painting over time. Can you share that?

Tony: A lot of marketers are initially mystified by limitations of 140 characters per tweet, but that can actually help a company build a brand. Here’s the analogy: Think of each tweet as a dot on a piece of paper. Any single dot or tweet by itself can be meaningless. But over time, with a lot of tweets, there are enough dots for your followers to connect. In the aggregate, the dots paint a picture of you, your company, and your brand.

Cliff: Were you comfortable with Twitter from the start?

Tony: When I first joined Twitter, I felt a bit uncomfortable publicly announcing what I was doing and thinking. But because radical transparency was part of the Twitter culture, I gave it a try. It was consistent with Zappos Core Value #6: “Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication.”

Cliff: What’s the best part about Twitter for you and Zappos?

Tony: The instant feedback loop. Within 5 minutes of sending out a tweet, you can find out whether people enjoyed or appreciated what you had to say. When I first started using Twitter, I used to just tweet about what I was doing. Most of my tweets were very “me-focused”, because the question Twitter asks is, “What are you doing right now?” But with time, I learned to share tweets that garner far more responses. With most tweets, I try to do at least one of three things:

1. Cause my followers to smile with something funny

2. Inspire my followers with an inspirational idea or quote

3. Enrich my followers’ perspectives with a link to an interesting article or video

In other words, I’ve become a lot less “me-focused.” I ask myself, “What can I tweet about that enriches someone else’s life?”

Cliff: Thinking about how we can enrich someone else’s life in a me-centric environment is great advice. Thanks again for pearls of wisdom Tony. It’s always a genuine pleasure learning from you. Keep delivering happiness!

For an insightful peek behind the entrepreneurial mind of Tony Hsieh, see Part 1 of 2 with Tony & Cliff