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A bagful of ideas: 03/31/07

March 31, 2007

From time to time, I’m going to share a mixed bag of ideas, marketing tips, brilliant writing and sometimes — something that just made me laugh out loud.  Here’s today’s offering:

This one had me laughing out loud: Kevin Dugan takes on an imaginary journey back in time.  But we take Twitter with us!

What would Jesus Twitter

This one had me wishing I had come up with that business idea: Dan Heath talks about the power of branding.  Even in personal ads!

Writing a more concrete online dating profile

This one had me nodding my head and thinking our clients need to read this: Matt Dickman shares some very valuable insights about user data collection via your web/blog.

Use it or lose me

Hope you found something in the bag to use!

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But what if the blogger is lying?

March 29, 2007

One of the ways that citizen marketers are really making themselves known is by sharing their consumer trials and triumphs with their blog readers.   

We experience, through them, how the company does or doesn’t respond.  We cheer on the wronged.  We boo the corporate villains…or herald them if they’re listening and respond to fix the problem.

Here are some of the recent ones I know.  And because I know these people…I know the stories they tell are true.

• Kohl’s
• Best Buy (this story has a happy ending!)
• Papa Johns
• Overstock.com (another happy ending!)

But I don’t know this blogger.  And I have no idea if her story is true.  But dang, it’s compelling. 

Etta’s mom tells the heart-tugging story of how her daughter Etta was invited to an American Girl store (by a friend) so they could get their dolls’ hair styled.  Etta brought a doll from Target and when it was her turn in line, was told by the stylist that her doll "wasn’t real" and she wouldn’t do her hair.  To make Etta’s experience even worse, some of the moms in line mocked her for bringing a non-AG doll to the store.

As I write this, there are 394 comments to her post.  Most of the commenters were brought to tears (you have to read the post…it really is incredibly well-written and heart breaking.)  Many of them were vowing to stop shopping there and several say that they’ve called the store and demanded action.

One commenter even posted a response she got to an e-mail she sent to AG corporate.  Google "American girl" Etta and you will be amazed at the number of articles, posts etc. that 12 days after the original post, are now telling the story. 

Here’s my question. What if she made up the story?  I am not suggesting for one minute that she did.  But, I am asking "what if?"

In 12 days.  Less than 1,200 words.  What damage has been done? 

How can/will AG recover?  For how long will they be called on to respond and apologize?  Will they have to train their staff on how to handle it when a customer brings it up?

We are behind the driver’s wheel of a very powerful medium.  Not everyone is going to be ethical.  Not everyone is going to care about anyone but themselves. Not everyone will be transparent about their motives.

How will we know?

Thanks to Brett Trout for sharing this story with me, thinking it would appeal to my fascination with branding.  As you can see, it did much more than that.

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Try this experiment on your employees

March 29, 2007

No lab coat required.

If you asked your peers/employees to tell you in a sentence what your company’s compelling reason for being was – what would they say?

If you are like most companies, they would burst out laughing.

And then odds are, every one of them would give you a different answer.

How can we expect our employees to deliver consistent quality and service/products that are aligned with the company’s core mission if they don’t know (and really know) not only WHAT it is, but WHAT it means, WHY it matters and HOW you make it real?

This isn’t just a marketing slogan of the month or rattling off a buzz word or two – this is taking the time to define the heart and soul of why you are in business – from your consumer’s point of view.

Try it. Come back and tell us about the experiment. 

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Turn things upside down: How to get your customers to talk about you

March 28, 2007

Want your customers to create some buzz for you?  Turn something upside down. 

We find comfort in conformity.  The "it always happens this way" comfort.  Which is exactly why we can’t stop ourselves from talking when someone flips things on us.

 

Phil Romano, the founder of Romano Concepts and Eatzi’s Market & Bakery, understood this. His place was always packed on Mondays and Tuesdays, which is normally a dead night for restaurants.

How’d he do it?

On a randomly chosen Monday or Tuesday, 200+ customers received a letter instead of a bill. The letter stated that because the restaurant’s mission was to make people feel like guests – it didn’t seem right to charge them for their food. Once a month, unannounced, this happened.

He comped meals one night a month, but he had a full house eight nights a month when all the other restaurants in town were empty. And, he got all of that word of mouth advertising for free!

What could you turn upside down?

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Microsoft takes on Apple’s iPhone with ZenZui

March 27, 2007

 Maybe this is why Apple and Steve Jobs announced the iPhone when they did….

Yesterday, Microsoft Corp. announced the launch of ZenZui, an independent company with the mission of transforming the way people engage, consume and interact with Web content through a revolutionary mobile user experience and information ecosystem. 

With ZenZui, your phone screen is a portal into your own customized Zoomspace, an information landscape of personalized, cached content that we call Tiles because they reflect your lifestyle. Using a single thumb, you fly in and out of your Zoomspace — two simple taps gets you directly to any Tile.

Read the official press release over at Virtual Generations.

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5 Keys to a Rock Solid Guarantee

March 27, 2007

If you’ve been following our very insightful conversation about whether or not you should offer a guarantee to your clients/customers, you might have decided it’s for you.

If so — here are 5 keys to a rock solid guarantee:

Only promise what you can deliver.  In the comments section David Reich tells the story of a client who wanted him to promise a Business Week cover. He wisely and ethically refused. 

Be straightforward. A guarantee that requires 3 paragraphs of disclaimers is going to be viewed accurately.  You don’t really intend to ever honor it.

No legalese. Use plain old English. 

Prep your staff. Make it very clear how you’d like your team to respond if a customer invokes the guarantee.  Give them the tools, the procedure and the permission to honor your promise.

No questions, no hesitation, no excuses.   Just do as you promised.  Apologize.  And ask for another chance.

No one pleases their clients 100% of the time.   Why not give your customers a way to express their discontent (better to tell you than 20 of their friends) and give you a chance to make it right?

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Perspective — the bright side of blogging

March 26, 2007

Ever since I read/blogged about what’s been going on with Kathy Sierra (Creating Passionate Users), I’ve had sort of a dull ache in my heart.  It just makes me sad.

But…as I tried to catch up on my blog reading — I was reminded that the abusive, hate-filled idiots that have threatened Kathy are the vast minority. 

The truth is…the blogosphere is filled with generosity, insights, fellowship and helping hands.  People go out of their way to turn the spotlight from themselves and instead showcase excellence in others. 

Just wanted to share a couple reminders that the vast majority of the blogging community is good, generous and still has things in perspective.  I don’t know about you, but I needed the reminder today.

Reminder One:

Mack Collier of The Viral Garden is celebrating his blog’s 1st anniversary today.  Mack is known far and wide for being a guy who goes out of his way to help every and any marketing  blogger make a splash.  Father of the infamous z-list and the Top 25 Marketing blogs – Mack sets the bar for community building.

Vintage Mack…he changed his blog’s banner to call attention to many of the bloggers that have been a part of his blog’s growth.

Reminder Two:

John Moore of Brand Autopsy has put together his own March Madness Bracket — featuring marketing blogs.  John took the opportunity to introduce 64 marketing blogs to his readers. Generous.  And fun.  Go download it and see if you agree with the match up’s results.

Thanks guys!  Your timing could not have been better!

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At what price?

March 26, 2007

I’ve always been amazed at the generosity of bloggers. Let’s face it, the average blogger invests an incredible amount of their time and talents to share their expertise — all for free.

Over time, a sense of community develops and the blogger, readers, lurkers and commenters all begin to feel as though they know each other.  That familiarity breeds friendships, new collaborations and more sharing.

Hard to find the downside in that. Until today.

I figured there had to be some petty jealousies and personality conflicts within the blogging community.   I get it — many of the A-Listers are considered celebrities in their own right.  And people love to take pot shots at celebrities.

But it never occurred to me it could go to the extreme that one of the most famous and popular bloggers Kathy Sierra is now experiencing.  Without re-telling her story — she’s (at least for now) shutting her blog down and canceling speaking engagements because she’s getting death threats. (Beware…some pretty disturbing language and images are included in her post.)

Read her story.  Add your voice to the outrage.  Leave her a message of support. 

And then let’s double our efforts to keep building a community we can be proud of.

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Should you offer a guarantee?

March 25, 2007

You probably already do, implicitedly. 

After all, if a customer is very unhappy with your service or product aren’t you going to do something — fix it, replace it, return it, repeat it, refund it– to make them happy?

Offering a guarantee is just merchandising and marketing your unspoken policy.  But, the difference between letting it just be assumed and using it as a marketing advantage can be notable.  Here are some of the advantages:

• It reassures the first time buyer that they have a safety net
• It sets the bar for your employees
• It gives you a platform to have a "here’s what we expect" conversation with your sub-contractors
• It clearly communicates your confidence in your product/service
• It allows you to define the terms of how you satisfy an unhappy client up front

You’re going to make it right anyway — so why not use it as a point of difference?

What experiences have you had with a guarantee — either as the customer or the company?  Do you have a nightmare to share?  Has it ever saved a customer relationship for you?

Flickr photo courtesy of mrshawn.

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Turning the goodie bag upside down!

March 25, 2007

We’ve been talking about giving quite a bit lately.

It shouldn’t surprise you at all that this focus on giving would be adopted by a conference focused on taking your blog to the next level by building stronger and more valuable relationships.

You give a little. You get a little. That’s the balance of a good relationship.

Unlike a typical conference where the speakers are the only ones who get to share, at SOBCon we’re turning that notion upside down.

Each and every participant is invited to bring something they’ve created – a book, a white paper, a podcast series, a visual tool – you name it for every single attendee and speaker. Imagine leaving the conference with a bag filled with knowledge, insights, laughter and inspiration. 

And even better; imagine every SOBCon attendee learning more about your blog and passion, and being touched by your work.

There are only a few rules:

• It has to be your original content.
• You must bring enough for everyone.
• You must be willing to give it away for free.

Register today so you can get a little. And get a lot!

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