On my personal account I went out and looked for followers and found people to follow. But on the business account, where I am representing the corporate face of my company, I’ve let it evolve naturally. @carphoneware does not yet have thousands of followers but those that do follow stay and listen. People seek out our presence and write directly to us knowing that they are talking to the company and often asking direct questions about support, policy, etc. Because I’m careful to put my profile up followers know there’s someone accountable and listening.

However, many many people also know that @carphoneware is also supported by superb customer service support by @guyatcarphone. This accoount is managed by Guy Stephens, my online help manager, and this has the personal touch. He’s an identity, someone people can correspond to, who’s free to say ‘looks like we’ve made a mistake. I’ll look into it’ which would be inappropriate from the corporate and less personal account of @carphoneware.

So I truly believe that each and every individual has a voice through social media. It’s not all about being a VIP, having tens of thousands of followers, being an ‘influencer’. It’s about taking the trouble to listen, really caring about what you hear, doing something about it and valuing each person for the fact that they gave you a chance to make a difference.