Relevant Engagement

Listen Up C-Suite

As Peter Drucker said, the only two functions of any organization:

innovation and

marketing

Regardless of how innovative a company is, how committed the employees are, and competent the top management is, unless the company connects with the customer, success will be elusive.

Top management should constantly evaluate their strategic decision in the context of customer feedback - what do the customers’ value and how can the customers help the company in co-creating value.

Price Ceiling

The "Good Enough" age is upon us.  What you price for your product and service is up to how well you follow some simple tenets:

1. Make your product or service easy to use
2. Make your product or service accessible
3. Most importantly, make sure it satisfies the needs of your customer

Do you follow these?

Key To Success With Social Media

I have my ideas....

I just wanted to see how much traffic a good headline within the social media eco-system could generate.  I'll be checking my stats tonight to see what happened.

Thanks for coming.

Trust - How Do You Get There

Trust is a difficult thing to build with friends let alone consumers.

So how do you get there?

1. Awareness
2. Preference/Consideration (Transparent and Authentic - you have to be open to sharing - warts and all)
3. Retention and Loyalty (Consistency builds TRUST which becomes the ultimate company/shareholder reward)

Of course a lot of work has to go into such a simple formula.  I guarantee you'll be hitting head on corporate conventional wisdom that is steeped in years of passive agreement. 

Give Until You Smile

A close friend of mine is the spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.  She sent a touching note and a request.  If you can.....give something of yourself (time, an ear or a donation).

From Jenne'

I’m sitting here trying to think of the best story I can tell you about The Breast Cancer 3 Day.  Should I tell you about the little boy in Cleveland who, after closing ceremonies, gave me a baggie full of pennies and nickels from his piggy bank because he wanted to “do something to help mommy”?  Should I tell you about the two friends in Boston who met on event  last year when they were both walking for their moms and who both walked this year as survivors because they each were diagnosed within months of walking?  Should I tell you about Jen Hoffmann whom I adore, who spoke so triumphantly at camp last November in Arizona and then lost her battle in March?  Should I tell you about Jackie or Martha or Linda or Becky or the hundreds of others I’ve met who are battling  a killer with grace and humor and determination and sheer power of will?

 
I don’t know.  All I know is I need you to care.  I need  you to care about this cause and I need you to dig deep.
 
It seems like every story in the news is about the state of the economy.  But statistics like “one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer” and “a woman is diagnosed every three minutes” and “every 13 minutes a woman dies from breast cancer” make me bold.  Bold enough to continue to walk hundreds of miles and bold enough to ask you to donate to this cause.
 
Many of you have given in the past – I thank you.  And I ask you to do it again. 
 
I’m halfway through my season with The 3 Day.  I’ve got 8 walks to go.  In addition to my responsibilities as spokesperson for the event, I’ve committed to raising at least $2300 toward the cause.  If you want or need more information about The 3 Day, just visit the website at www.the3day.org

Thank you for your help.
 
Love,
Jenne
 
Click here to visit my personal page and donate.

Big & Stupid

Dinosaurs died because they were big AND dumb (and maybe a meteor - verdict is still out on that issue).

Newspapers are reminding me A LOT of the mighty dinosaur.

I can't believe a report I just read.....

Just some juicy stats:

1. 51% of the newspaper publishers in the United States believe they can charge successfully for access to their interactive content, according to a survey released today. The other 49% of publishers either fear that pay walls will fail or just aren’t sure.
2. 68% of the publishers responding to the survey said they thought readers who objected to paying for content would have a difficult time replacing the information they get from newspaper websites, 52% of polled readers said it would be either “very easy” or “somewhat easy” to do so.
3. 77% are seeking to “capture new revenue opportunities" OF THAT GROUP, 71% said their objective is “preserving print circulation.”

I'd go on but I have a life and cannot sit and torment myself over the fatuousness of the newspaper industry. 

Do you know who is next?  Local TV stations.......

You Can't Argue Against "Friction"

Seth Godin published a blog entry entitled Friction. 

As a premise you can't argue the main point: the perceived cost of engaging a customer alters a marketers thinking and actions when deploying certain marketing strategies (mail versus email).  He cites as an example his purchase of shaving cream on drugstore.com that had an opt-out feature for future communications only to later be pinged with a coupon for diapers.  Diapers he doesn't need today but expects to use later in life as an incontinent adult.  Two issues he points out: the opt-out strategy and lack of segmentation are signs of a client that isn't taking into consideration the real cost of their marketing actions.

FYI Seth, snail mail has the same issues - in fact - I've never asked for a single piece of junk mail AND i never look at any of it AND brands that spam me the old fashioned way annoy me and lose my business.  The difference in the comparison, mail, has far fewer opportunities to measure consumer engagement with the most obvious exception of sales (redemption of the coupon).

That said, I like the premise.  Free isn't free.  Think before you act.  Look before you leap.

Cluetrain a Dreamy Reality

I read an article about social media and the new currency of relationships with consumers. 

The article referenced a book, The Emergence of The Relationship Economy: The New Order of Things to Come, that book described by Amazon is as follows: This book provides the knowledge, tools and suggested skills necessary to succeed in The Relationship Economy. 21 influential factors are identified and discussed throughout the book. You will be able to absorb and apply this wisdom to drive success moving forward. The factors include time, knowledge, technology, economic, cultural, media, gender, age, and relationship capital to name just a view. Also included is a foreword by Doc Searls, author of "The Cluetrain Manifesto." You can't afford to miss this book?

So, what's your beef Geoff? 

There is no Kindle version available on Amazon!  A book available by authors that I read, listen to, follow their preachings, practice what they preach, etc. et al. ...........  and the book isn't available as an electronic version??????????

Am I missing something?

Gen X: Finally.........Credit for Something

As a Gen Xer I sometimes feel like an invisible generation - Boomers and Gen Y usually occupy the headlines depending on the subject matter.  Lately most news seems to be focused on Health Care or Social Media - neither seem to be a topic that Gen X can participate at a meaningful level....until now.

Recently, Forrester released a study that revealed that despite the hype, it's not Gen Y that's getting business to adopt collaborative technology. Gen X, those who are 30-43, are the ones leading the charge for social computing.

It's about persuasion and station within the corporation.  Usage alone does not create a large enough tide to raise all boats. The real impact was how effective employees are at getting new concepts to be accepted. 22% of Gen X said they felt they have the "clout in their organization" necessary to introduce new technology, while only 13% of those under 29 said the same.

So, I'm feeling a little better today.  :)

Reputation Management - Don't Listen At Your Own Peril

As we enter into the world of consumer controlled world one thing we as marketers need to add to our arsenal of tools is a social monitoring tool that pays attention to the dialogue that is occurring.

Now, most think of using these tools to help tap into dialogues: positive or negative about your brand.  Another unfortunate side benefit is to police your own employees.

Domino's knows to well how important it is....