What social media marketers can learn from Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant was in the news this week. It would be more appropriate to say, perhaps, that the basketball star was in hot water this week. Even more unfortunate for Durant is that the NBA season ended three months ago, meaning it was an off-court issue that brought his name to light. Social media marketers should learn from his mistake.

Durant is an elite professional basketball player who maintains a robust social media presence. It was this social media activity that got him into trouble. Durant openly ridiculed his former team and coach in a pair of now viral tweets. Mistake aside, what he represents is what many businesses strive to be: elite in their field while maintaining a social media personality that is personable, but also works to back your brand. So, with brand in mind, what can social media marketers learn from Durant?

Durant believes strongly in using social media to connect with the community around him. In his case, Durant likes the unique opportunity social media presents that affords him the ability to connect with basketball fans. Whereas Durant is after a connection with fans, social media marketers should be using it to connect with their customers. Social media gurus Hootsuite lists just seven reasons why this is important on their blog and there are countless more.

There’s also a lesson to be learned as an extension of the takeaway above. Sure, Durant loves to connect with fans but where he went wrong was using Twitter to voice negative opinions. For social media marketers interacting with customers negativity is also an avenue that can get your business into trouble. The lesson; definitely keep your content positive.

There will inevitably be some negativity, though – we’re all humans and no company’s marketing is ever consistently perfect even with unlimited resources (case and point Pepsi and Kendall Jenner). Sometimes, you can just get it wrong. What we learn from this also is that social media marketing is like a double-edged sword. It’s ability to reach and engage with customers is awesome, but it also empowers those customers. Giving them the same platform to voice their complaints and questions.

Perhaps avoid the Durant approach of going on the attack and go on the defensive. As Social Media Examiner points out, always respond to complaints publicly, but keep the conversation with that person in private.

There are many lessons that translate from the sports world into the world of business. Elite athletes are growing in their reach at such rates that social media marketers can start to see lessons. Take the ways in which they are operating, learn accordingly and sprinkle that knowledge into your business’ social media presence. Then boom: it’s a slam dunk.