Social media lets you listen to your customers
I’m working on a media release (honest!), but came across this blog post from James Dickey, reporting on one of the presentations made at Blogwell on January 22, 2009. Eight organizations (Procter & Gamble, Home Depot, the Mayo Clinic, the US Coast Guard, H&R Block, Sharpie, Walmart, and Allstate) presented case studies on their use of social media in a single afternoon in Chicago.
I would have loved to attend, but Chicago’s a long way to go for an afternoon, and given the uncertainties of winter travel from YVR, I decided to live vicariously and hope the presentations were filmed for future consumption
I really like the goal-oriented approach outlined by Stan Joosten, Director of Holistic Consumer Communications for Proctor & Gamble. It’s a classic example of strategy-in-action, as opposed to a tactics-based approach to communications.
His presentation focused on three key points:
- know your brand
- empower your brand fans
- replace or augment market research.
Organizations that have been around as long as P&G have been on the branding treadmill for decades now. They’ve devoted incredible human and monetary resources to creating and promoting their brands. In fact, P&G became the US’s largest advertiser in 2005. Imagine having revenues of $4.61 billion, let alone that kind of money to spend on advertising – it’s rather mind-boggling.
Regardless of where you land on the PR versus advertising spectrum though, it’s important to recognize that traditional advertising accomplishes none of the goals Joosten has outlined. I will contend that all market research is skewed, in one way or another – and I don’t think you need to be a statistical expert to know that instinctively. I’ve done market research myself on a couple of occasions, on the phone and in person. After less than 10 hours you start to realize there’s a particular type of person who consents to participate – with or without inducements – in focus groups and surveys. (They tend to be the same sort of people who hold doors open and who still say ‘excuse me’ before pushing past people at the grocery store.) But all the folks who refuse to answer surveys and are unwilling to be part of focus groups still use soap, wash their clothes, clean their bathtubs – and make purchasing decisions each and every day.
So in order to know your brand, you have to listen not only to the branding experts who’ve created the brand and listed what they hope its attributes will be, you have to listen – and be willing to hear – what your brand really is.
That can sometimes be a painful experience when you’re in a highly competitive market. The former market leader in radios probably doesn’t want to hear the cellphones it’s poured millions into creating and marketing are considered clunky, ugly, expensive, and totally unhip – but when it ends up a distant third in the cellphone manufacturing market, not listening to the message would be a big mistake – as would failing to do some course correction so it can compete on at least one front.
But of the three goals Joosten outlined, perhaps the most revolutionary – and the most necessary – is the middle one: empower your brand fans. People listen to other people. They listen especially hard to other people they trust. Whether those people are mainstream media (who can at least be trusted to be familiar with the competition), media 2.0 (the bloggers who rarely have anything to gain by waxing enthusiastic about the products they like), or Mrs. McGillicuddy down the block who has three boys all in soccer and has a deeply vested interest in getting grass stains out of clothing, doesn’t matter. And by empowering your brand champions, you can exponentially increase the audience you reach.
How do you empower them? Connect with them. Ask for feedback. Make it easy for them to get in touch with you. Use social media as well as more traditional forms of communication. Think of Twitter, Facebook, and your corporate blog as other versions of the toll-free phone line, and be every bit as human and as genuine in your interactions via social media as your customer service reps are trained to be. And then reap the corporate rewards (including the savings in market research and advertising spend!).
Three Metro Vancouver events you shouldn’t miss
Three upcoming events Metro Vancouver entrepreneurs (with a 2/3 emphasis on females, that sounds about right, doesn’t it, sisters?) should consider attending.
First, there’s the Canadian Women in Communications Social Media Event on Wednesday, February 11, 2009, from 5-8PM. Details and links here on the Outsmarts blog. I’m looking forward to the presentations by Telus on their bloggers and from CBC on how to create an affordable podcast. Here’s hoping they mean ‘affordable’ and ‘acceptable quality.’
Next is Northern Voice 09, Vancouver’s social media and blogging ‘unconference’ on February 19 and 20, 2009. The event is pretty much sold out, but if you’re struggling with either the concept or the benefits of implementing a social media strategy, you can still win a ticket to the conference by posting a comment here (with links to the conference itself). There are (at least) two great things about Northern Voice: the fact that it’s held on a Friday and Saturday so it means losing only one work day, and the fact that it has continued to provide content for the newbie as well as the social media evangelist.
Third (and this one too sells out quickly – I have yet to register myself but I’m going to get on it right away), is the Dare to Thrive! Women in Business conference put on by Valley Womens Network, Friday, March 27, 2009. Well worth the drive to Coquitlam. I managed to miss this last year and have regretted it ever since – I’ve heard nothing but good things about the calibre of speakers and the appropriateness of topics. Looking at the seminar lineup this year, I’m already biting my nails trying to figure out how I can attend Mhairi Petrovic‘s ‘How to Use Social Media Effectively for Business’ at the same time as Isabelle Mercier of LeapZone‘s ‘Branding from the Inside Out.’ Cloning’s not an option – the world can’t take two of me. Perhaps they’ll be in adjoining rooms and I can run back and forth from one to the other. Or perhaps I’ll take a video camera and record one for my first adventure in vlogging.
Looking forward to meeting some of you there, and to saying hello to others who are presenting, including Fiona Walsh.
How can I resist? Bring on the Canadian marketing gurus
It’s so refreshing to encounter some Canadian marketing gurus with moxy.
There is Outsmarts, our strategic partner, of course.
But now, apparently, there’s a guy in Ottawa of whom I’d never heard, Andy Nulman (are you sure that isn’t a made-up name, BTW?).
But I’m intrigued by him for at least four reasons:
- his use of a viral marketing campaign that seems to be working;
- the fact that I came across his offer of a free copy of his latest book, Pow! Profiting from the Power of Surprise on Bob Ledrew’s blog (and Bob has to be one of the best, most genuine self promoters I’ve never met but have often heard on CBC Radio and read on his blog – an always-uneasy line for a PR person to walk but one he walks very well);
- the great title – because it makes a lot of sense – punchy works; and
- because it’s time we started talking about marketing at home, instead of listening to the incessant bleating of those whose immediate market is 10 times our own. There are regional/societal differences in how to market to different groups – it would be nice to know how to market to Canadians rather than Americans.
Drapes herself in largish Canadian flag and stalks off. I would very much like to read your book, Andy. 
A new era of oratorial splendour and hyper-literacy
We have entered an age, towards the end of the first decade of the 21st Century, of what I refer to as hyper-literacy.
Technology-enabled, we are able to do things at blindingly fast speed that would once have taken hours, if not days, of work to assemble and collate. Read more »
Making sense of – and with – social media
There’s a great article in Business Week‘s Managing section by Rebecca Reisner, entitled ‘Comcast’s Twitter Man.’
Frank Eliason, tweeting as @comcast cares, has often been cited as a model of how corporations can use social media. Reading the article, I understand why – Eliason ‘gets it’ – he knows Twitter is a tool he’s added to his arsenal. And he’s not saying it’s the only tool in his toolbox.
Despite the acclaim, Eliason stresses that Twitter is not a replacement for phone and e-mail help. “This is just one way people have gotten to know us,” says Eliason. “It’s a little more personal. More back-and-forth discussions, and it’s less formal. And it gives immediacy to interactions.”
It’s another way to listen, learn, problem solve, and retain customers. Comcast will still be answering its phones, responding to email and snail mail, updating its web site, and doing all the things successful businesses have always done.
I’ve created a substantial body of links here on using Twitter for business – check them out if you’re interested. You’ll also find some non-Twitter links. Still fascinating, though.
Update: another Business Week article on how various CEOs are using Twitter, this one by Douglas MacMillan.
NV09 for NeoLuddites Contest Entrant: Kirsten Chursinoff
Kirsten Chursinoff’s photo, My palette, from her flickr set, her blog, and her web site all made me want to blog (and tweet) about her. And so I have.
Listen to her talking to NxNW’s Sheila MacKay while watching her Art Gallery slideshow. (RealAudio – scroll down or do a search on Chursinoff to get there faster).
Happy Friday, all.
Monty Pythoning Facebook
Not really Monty Python, of course, but closer to Mr. Cleese than to Mr. Bean, thankfully.
Or watch it later.
The social media neoLuddite contest: win a ticket to Northern Voice 09
Multi-tasking IS overrated (and more than a little dangerous, especially when driving). Still, after amazing folks in chat years ago by being able to conduct four text conversations simultaneously, I still do it. (Note: this does not mean just because I have two ears that I can listen to two different conversations at the same time. Nor do I approve of those wacky TV stations that seem to have disappeared – remember the ones that were streaming two to four different video streams on a single screen?)
This morning I was monitoring email, Twittering, participating in a great Marketing Profs webinar with David Meerman Scott, Lose Control of your Marketing: The NEW New Rule of Marketing & PR, and making breakfast when the Tweet came in: registration for Northern Voice ’09 is now open.
I’ve blogged about Northern Voice 07 and 08 here, and here, and – erm – again here. So naturally I’m going this year.
But it occurred to me while registering that the best way to persuade potential clients of the real value of social media would be to show them what it’s all about rather than just trying to tell them. So guess what – I bought two tickets, and you now have the opportunity to win the other one. While the monetary value is a mere $60, and the investment of your time a single Friday (February 20) and Saturday (February 21), the educational, networking, and inspirational value of attending a conference like this is – well – priceless, in my never humble opinion. To quote those credit card company ads [funny that I can never remember whether they're MasterCard or Visa ads, isn't it? I'm telling you, in any PR vs advertising contest, PR just keeps on ticking and ticking and ticking. ].
This is my contest, so I’m afraid I’ll be making the rules.
Here they are:
- You must be 35 or older to enter.
- You must be an entrepreneur. Solopreneur is fine.
- You must be truly bewildered by social media, but eager to learn.
- You must enter the contest by posting a comment on this blog post, with either a link to your own blog (if you have one) OR your email address. (There’s neoLuddite and then there’s Stone Age – if you don’t have an email address and don’t know how to access the Internet from even the public library, you’re not quite ready for social media).
- Your comment should include some details on what you hope to learn about social media and why you think social media can help you with your business endeavours.
- Your contest-entry comment must be registered on this blog post by midnight, PST, January 31, 2009.
- You must be a Northern Voice/blogging/social media conference newbie. If you’ve attended a seminar on social media (blogging, podcasting, Twittering, LinkedIn, etc.) lasting less than a day, you’re still eligible.
- The winner will be required to answer a simple skill-testing question designed to showcase his/her ability to use Google. Or a dictionary.
That’s it, except for a few other logistical notes:
This offer does not include transportation (either from out of town or local although I’m willing to consider carpooling – we can discuss this), accommodation, or socialization at NV09 itself. I’ll be attending a full range of seminars and presentations and trying to schedule some 1:1s with folks both local and out of town. Happy to say hello, but no guarantees and no escort service, nor will I be providing the usual ‘comfort and care’ services of a PR professional to a client or providing advice on which seminars you should attend.
Ticket transfer will be accomplished electronically. (In other words, I’ll add your name and email address to the list of attendees once you’ve been selected.)
Queries regarding conference content and location should be directed to the NV09 organizers, who have put together a great FAQ.
Winner will be announced by noon PST on Tuesday, February 3, 2009 on this blog post.
Can’t wait to read your entries!
21st Century public relations
I wouldn’t say this was the world’s best video, but it does make a few good points.
1. Writing well is the single most important foundation skill for PR practitioners.
2. Knowing your client’s business (which includes knowing what’s going on in your client’s industry and in the business world in general) is the single greatest value add you get when you hire a PR firm or public relations professional.
3. Love the line about needing a ‘spine or a backbone to tell clients what they need to hear.’ This is about managing expectations: ‘tell them some things that they may not want to hear.’ Read more »
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