Episode 8 - UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

Focus on Customer Service Podcast

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, chances are that someone in your social media feeds has been talking about Ultimate Fighting Championship – better known as UFC. With more than 17 million Facebook fans and 2.6 million followers on both Twitter and Instagram, the mixed martial arts event company has become a global social media powerhouse. On fight nights, social media explodes with commentary from celebrities and regular fans alike, especially when UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey fights. Shanda Maloney was also a fan of UFC before she joined the organization. She is responsible for global marketing strategy; social media content, growth and engagement; paid media strategy; sponsorship integration; and customer service. She oversees 60+ official UFC social media channels – including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Vine – and also keeps an eye on more than 600 UFC athlete accounts. Shanda somehow found the time to speak with me and Dan Moriarty for Episode 8 of the Focus on Customer Service Podcast. Some of the most quotable moments of this episode include: “We love to show the personality behind our brand, and the fans really enjoy that.” “[Negative feedback can be] a big learning point for us, and I think that’s going to create a much better customer service experience.” “Don’t be afraid to jump into the conversation – look for people who are talking about you and not at you.” “This is the best place to get word-of-mouth understanding of what the fans or the customers are saying, how they feel about your product or brand.” “Find a way to make it right because that moment is going to be incredibly memorable for that fan or that customer.” Here are the highlights of Episode 8 and where to find them: 1:19 How Shanda ended up working at UFC 2:28 How does UFC manage its huge social media presence while still making time to engage with fans? 3:47 How does UFC differentiate between fan engagement and true customer service inquiries? 5:42 How does Shanda help manage the athletes’ social media accounts? 6:40 Shanda talks about one of Twitter’s favorite trending topics, fighter Ronda Rousey 8:25 UFC’s strategy of focusing on influencers 9:45 How Shanda and her team prepare for fight nights 11:20 How UFC learns from negative feedback 13:59 Shanda shares one of her most memorable social media interactions with fans 16:00 The advice Shanda has for companies trying to have amazing customer service on social media. We are always looking for great brands to be featured on the Focus on Customer Service Podcast. If you have experienced awesome customer service on social media, please tweet us using the hashtag #FOCS and we will try to get that brand on the podcast.