Why do you have to go to Weibo to snort every product?

#本文为人人都是产品经理 produced by the Original Incentive Program.

We can often see such news as "XX collapse" on Weibo, and many users may be accustomed to it, but have you ever wondered why information about a product "collapsed" can quickly trigger heated discussions on Weibo? And when the product really encounters a crash scene and therefore rushes to the hot search, how can the product use this opportunity to do a good job in marketing?

On April 8, the news that "xuexin network collapsed" rushed to the weibo hot search.

For a time, not only the students who were worried about the examination and research were extremely anxious, rushing into Weibo to spit bitter water, but also the people who ate melons from all walks of life also played with the terrier message, making the discussion on Weibo particularly warm.

In fact, for the collapse of websites and APPS, although the public does not say that they are accustomed to it, they are not strange.

After all, 365 days a year, there will be cloudy, cold and warm. A product continues to run for several years, if there are only one or two crash problems, it is also a mistake of a wise man, which can be understood and forgiven.

Even the head product will inevitably collapse.

For example, in the near future, 10 days ago, the computer version of WeChat malfunctioned, but also set off a heated discussion on Weibo.

Interestingly, even WeChat, a product that occupies almost every mobile phone that enters the internet, has a very high frequency of use, and is social-centric, will make a statement on Weibo when it fails.

Far more than WeChat, in recent years, Weibo has long become a famous "mourning holy land".

Taobao, B station and other platforms, when there is a failure, have been on Weibo hot search many times.

There are even too many platforms that have collapsed collectively and poured into the scene of "mourning" on Weibo, which is unprecedented for a time.

Don't look at "mourning" is not a good thing, if you want to do "mourning" for each product, it is not a simple thing.

First, mourning is not something that anyone can do

From the perspective of the melon-eating masses, "reporting the funeral" is just to vent dissatisfaction and watch a hilarity.

But from the perspective of the product side, this is not a trivial matter:

When the product fails and cannot be contacted with the user through the information channels within the product, how can you establish a connection with the user as soon as possible, explain the situation, alleviate dissatisfaction, and notify the user as soon as the product is repaired.

This means finding ways to connect with most users outside of the product.

Steve Haier, Coca-Cola's operations officer, once said, "If one day I have nothing, but as long as I have the Coca-Cola brand, I can redevelop another Coca-Cola company that is the same." ”

If this happened today, the first thing he should do would be to immediately post a message on public social media: "Coca-Cola needs your support!" ”

Of course, the channel for his first message should be the international version of Weibo - Twitter.

Whether it is Twitter or Weibo, the reason why they can take on such a heavy responsibility, I have to say that some of their own characteristics are unique for "mourning".

1. Openness

1) Free flow of information

When the product fails and cannot be logged in, whether it is the official publicity of the product or the discussion caused by the hot discussion among users, in the final analysis, it is based on the free flow of information.

For example, there will be other users, on social media outside of Weibo, discussing the collapse of a product:

You are handling matters related to the examination and research, and as a result, the xuexin network collapsed, and you and your classmates spat bitterly in WeChat, complaining that the xuexin network was unreliable.

No matter how intense your discussions are, how many sentences of dialogue you discuss, the information you discuss, only you know each other.

It will not be included on other platforms, and it will not complain with weChat between two other students, resulting in geometrical mutual influence.

Even if you are discussing in the WeChat group, seeing the information, and participating in the dialogue, there are only a few dozen or hundreds of people, and the magnitude and speed of dissemination are limited.

However, in Weibo, the official speech, the mutual discussion between bloggers, under the same topic, there is an opportunity to trigger the superposition effect, cause more people to express their views, and spread the information rapidly.

As long as the quality of the information itself is sufficient, the effect of the rapid spread of Weibo will be known to more people as soon as possible.

2) High coverage

If you are a veteran netizen for more than ten years, I think you should know that in the past there was another mourning shrine: Tieba.

But whereever a website collapses and which online game cannot log in, users will pour into Tieba in large numbers to understand the situation and complain about the server.

Because Tieba, to a certain extent, also has similar characteristics to Weibo.

But today, Tieba is no longer the holy place of mourning.

The number of active users of Tieba has changed with the times, and it is not as good as before.

Even if it can be informed, but if no one pays attention to it or discusses it, this information will not be solved.

Of course, even if it is Weibo, there must be some people who do not read.

However, first, the online and offline secondary transmission triggered by Weibo can cover groups far beyond Weibo users themselves.

Second, in the sudden situation of crash, it can cover most users, which is already the optimal solution.

3) Convenient and low cost

Since it comes to the post bar, I have to mention the forum.

In particular, the NGA forum at that time, as the exclusive forum for World of Warcraft gamers, had a high coverage rate among target users, and it also undertook the heavy responsibility of "mourning" at that time.

When encountering the problem that the account cannot be logged in, the player will rush to the NGA forum to see if the server has collapsed, and then spit bitter water together.

This is undoubtedly an effective way to build an additional platform for effective communication with users in addition to the product.

But looking at it today, this is undoubtedly an extremely luxurious thing.

NGA's past prosperity has its time, type, and market limitations. If the type of product itself is not suitable, or the user stickiness of the product is not high, even if the platform is built, no one cares.

Those products with high user stickiness, generally within the product, already have effective and fast information publicity and communication channels.

Although, product failure crashes are almost always encountered by anyone. Taobao can't escape, WeChat can't escape, and Station B can't escape.

However, for a product, it is not a problem that has to be faced every day.

If it is for the possibility of the product crashing one day, building an additional communication channel is tantamount to seeking the near and far and diverting users.

Not only is the gain more than worth the loss, but it is also extremely laborious.

2. Temporality

1) Instantly

For a product, especially a product with a certain user base, the few minutes after the product crash may be the most crowded.

When the TV series saw the last episode, why couldn't it be opened?

Just filled in the application information, why can't I enter the next page?

Limited time spike baby, how can the point payment not respond?

If they cannot get a reasonable explanation and response for a short time, the dissatisfaction will naturally ferment quickly.

On Weibo, you can achieve the effect of quickly establishing contact.

Especially at present, Weibo has hung up the impression of "mourning holy land", and this immediacy will be more significant.

After a commonly used software can not log in, anxious people may rush to Weibo for the first time to see if the official has any words and see what others evaluate. So as to distinguish whether it is their own personal use problems or the failure of the product itself.

2) Continuous

In addition to this part of the users who are using the product and are logging in to the product, there must be many users who are hindsighted.

During the period when the product crashes, they can log in at any time and use it at any time. Their timing is uncertain and may be concentrated during a peak usage period or randomly distributed throughout the day.

But when they encounter login and usage problems, they need an explanation and a commitment.

For these hindsighted, randomly distributed users, the continuity of the information on Weibo can also play a good role in informing them.

If it is a large product, the news of the crash is on the hot search, everyone is hotly discussed, and the user can naturally see it.

Even for small products, when the collapse occurs, there are fewer people to discuss, and not many people to see official news. But these statements and discussions can also continue to hang there for later people to understand the situation.

3. Bidirectionality

1) Communication function

While publicizing it, posing a cold posture is naturally not a good choice.

Users who are dissatisfied because of the collapse of the product need to vent and comfort.

On Weibo, a good two-way communication function also allows the product side to have the opportunity to further appease users.

Not only is it easy to post an apology statement, but also to continue to communicate with some users in the comments, or to explain the situation below other people's Microblogs.

This can not only alleviate the excessive emotions of individual users, avoid the expansion of problems, but also establish a considerate user image for the product.

Moreover, not limited to communication, to help individual users solve the special needs of the crash, to collect user feedback after the crash treatment, can also be done on Weibo.

Second, crisis is also an opportunity

System failure, for the product, is naturally a crisis.

If it is not handled properly, it will bring no small loss.

Most immediately, users will have doubts about the credibility of the product. This is especially true for products that have experienced more than two crashes.

For deep users, this disappointment is even stronger.

I am talking to foreigners, the translation software can't be opened, will the user simply download another one?

If the shared bicycle that is ridden every day after work cannot be opened, is it possible for the user to try to change to another home?

When the product crashes, it is also the time for users to try to compete, and we naturally don't want to see it.

But if the collapse has happened and become an established fact, sighing is useless.

How to try to save users from the crash is the most important consideration.

Every collapse is an opportunity given by God.

1. Gather extra attention

Product collapse, as a slightly negative topic, is easy to trigger discussion, easy to play terrier.

In the process, it is only natural to attract more attention than in the past.

As long as the official wording is appropriate, well-guided, and the frequency of crashes is not too high, the crash itself can operate as a hot marketing event.

For example, Mango TV, when the APP collapses, with the help of appropriate spoilers, creates an atmosphere of "curiosity but not seeing". Not only was it not damaged by the collapse, but it also pulled a vote of melon-eating masses into the pit.

2. Deep contact with users

Some products, because of their own attribute problems, usually lack the opportunity to communicate with users.

For example, tool products, users need to pick up and use, when not needed will not look at a glance.

Perhaps only when there is a malfunction, everyone goes to Weibo to watch and eat melons, and there will be such a short exchange with the official.

This is an extremely rare opportunity to intersect with users outside of using the product.

If you take advantage of the opportunity of collapse, some users can get rid of the view that the product is only used as a tool, and produce emotional communication and cognition.

3. Compensation is famous

After the apology, it is time to talk about compensation.

If you only think of compensation as an additional cost, it is a loss.

But compensation in the event of a crash is actually a rare opportunity to make your welfare famous.

On weekdays, operators are trying to create opportunities to make up 100 kinds of festivals, interact with users, and let users receive benefits. This natural welfare opportunity must, of course, be grasped.

For example, Station B, after the crash, gives all users 1 day of large membership.

This compensation is reasonable and interesting.

Not only can users who have suffered losses feel compensated, but also can pull others to prostitute, which can play a role in saving silent users and pulling new users.

4. Make a crash plan

Of course, all of the above is based on the fact that the collapse has already occurred. It is not recommended to take the initiative to engage in collapse and play negative marketing. Don't test the user's bottom line, be careful that one day you will play yourself out.

But because of this, it is very necessary to establish a collapse emergency plan.

After all, no one can guarantee that they will not collapse this year.

Instead of panicking in the middle of the night after the collapse, pondering a set of stumbling apologies, it is better to prepare a set of copywriting in advance, discuss and save the user's compensation, and plan ahead.

As the old saying goes, opportunities are left to those who are prepared.

It can come in handy when the day is needed.

Third, write at the end

It is not an easy task to become a "holy place of mourning".

If you want to meet the characteristics mentioned in the article at the same time, in China, except for Weibo, almost no one can do it.

This is why whenever a product crashes, everyone rushes to Weibo for the first time.

If one day, Weibo itself collapsed. Enthusiastic users and melon-eating masses, where to go to party?

The various platforms are scattered and may not be able to scale up.

I think that when Weibo comes back to life, I will report my funeral to myself:

Put "Weibo collapsed" and hung up the headlines of Weibo's hot search.

#专栏作家 #

Everyone is a product manager columnist, an internet marketer, and a psychological counselor. He is good at consumer behavior, text communication, marketing and other fields.

This article was originally published by everyone who is a product manager, and reproduction without permission is prohibited.

This article is produced by Everyone is a product manager, the Original Incentive Program.

The title image is from Pexels and is based on the CC0 protocol