Building Trust to Generate Leads: an Inbound Marketing Definition

What's your preferred method for generating leads? Does it involve building trust?

In this article, I explore how building trust leads to leads. It's why I believe strongly in inbound marketing:

Inbound Marketing Definition: Build Trust, Generate Leads

I welcome your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

Best,

C.B.

What Makes for Digital Marketing Success?

This is the first year since 2006 that Bathroom Blogfest didn't take place for a number of reasons, not least of which had to do with life happening (see 7 Customer Experience Insights from Charity: Water).
That said, I enjoyed re-reading 7 Digital Marketing Musings after Bathroom Blogfest 2012 and being reminded how valuable an opportunity it has been to experiment and collaborate on this project.

Which, ultimately, is what is at the heart of digitally infused social interactions.

Let me know what you've learned as a result of your digital marketing experiments. What made them successful?

Thanks for reading.

Best,

C.B.

How Inbound Marketing Benefits a Business

Curious how inbound marketing can benefit a business? Here are my thoughts:

Inbound Marketing Definition: Build Trust, Generate Leads

Thanks for reading!

Best,

C.B.

How To Get Found Online: 7 Steps

Thinking about how to get found online? This blog article titled 7 Steps To Get Found Online: It Matters As Never Before! may be just what you need...

I'd love to hear what you think!

Thanks for reading.

Best,

C.B.

Simple Marketing Now Update - 11/9/11

It's true! I've been terribly delinquent... Blame it on the freak 16 inches of snow during Halloween weekend which led to no power/Internet for a few days. And the intensity of Bathroom Blogfest 2012...

In any case, I need to update you on blogging goings on and Simple Marketing Now. Note that I am gradually shifting publication of major articles onto the Simple Marketing Now website. [In fact, you'll notice that, in addition to Content Talks Business blog articles, the Social Flooring Index and Flooring The Consumer articles I describe below all appear on SimpleMarketingNow.com.] I would love for you to follow me there when you are ready.

I mentioned Bathroom Blogfest 2012. Did you follow all of the activity? Here is the link to the final Bathroom Blogfest 2012 recap:  ~ 45 fantastic blog articles published. I hope you get to check them out if you haven't already.

In big news, I have updated the Social Flooring Index [last update was in April 2011]. One more article analyzing conversations will be ready tomorrow or so. In the meantime, check out the following:

• Social Flooring Index: Flooring Blogs November 2011
• Networked Blogs: Social Flooring Index November 2011
• Geography: Social Flooring Index November 2011

On the Content Talks Business Blog [I invite you to subscribe!], I've recently published the following articles you might be interested in:

• Sharing Online Marketing Advice with Columbia Business School
• How To Use LinkedIn: Backing Up Contacts
• Online Marketing Advice: How Not To Build Trust
• Bathroom Blogfest Twitter Chat: #kbtribechat
• Switch, Climbing Out, Social Media and Change: Bathroom Blogfest 2011

On Flooring The Consumer, the latest articles include:

• Hospitality, Trust and the Retail Experience
• Wow Your Customers, Starting with The Zappos Retail Experience
• Disney Times Square Retail Experience Reflects Modern Brand

That should definitely keep you busy!

As always, I welcome your feedback.

The Buying Process Starts With ZMOT

If you are as intrigued as I am with changing purchase patterns and the role that search plays in the buying process, you will enjoy reading Google's new ebook about  ZMOT, Winning the Zero Moment of Truth.

I consider the implications profound and recently wrote about them in Inbound Marketing and ZMOT: Perfect Together?

The article includes links to the ebook and related resources.

Would you let me know your take on the matter? What have you observed in your own behaviors? What about with your customers? How differently are they behaving?

Thanks for reading!

Best,

C.B.

Human Behavior & Marketing Response: 13 Choice Drivers To Consider

MarketingProfs events challenge my assumptions. In this case, Nancy Harhut's presentation about Tapping into Human Behavior to Increase Open, Read and Response Rates made me appreciate how much potential  online marketing holds as we get beyond mechanics and fully embrace human behavior.

Behavioral norms are at the core of our humanity; we are hardwired to behave in a certain way, particularly for decision making. They have even affected the
phenomenal success of social networks [see BJ Fogg's Persuasive Bathroom Epiphany: MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Mixer 09].

Furthermore, the average America sees approximately 5000 marketing messages per day; we're constantly bombarded with information. No wonder we look for shortcuts!

[Nancy referred to Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping, Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2011, Gerald Zaltman, How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market, Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, Robert Chaldini, Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition), Ellen Langer, The Power Of Mindful Learning, Robert Levine, The Power of Persuasion: How We're Bought and Sold.]

Here are Nancy Harhut's 13 choice drivers or automatic behaviors that people embrace. Imagine applying these to your business to improve the rate with which potential customers interact with and respond to your marketing....

1. People respect authority. They will scan to determine if they NEED to read. They will defer to people whom they perceive to be authority figures.

2. Humans are naturally curious. How might you stand out? [e.g., Imagine receiving a Coconut mailer for a medical conference in Hawaii. Bet you would remember that!]

3. Gatekeepers make very deliberate assumptions. They want to avoid blame. If it looks important, they will assume it is. If they make a decision once, they tend to fall into that pattern.

4. People look at who and where mail is from.

5. We’re inclined to touch things.  Interaction increases response rate/engagement.

6. Our eyes gravitate to certain words.  Eye magnet words: “Free”, announcing, new, finally, soon, introducing [used in high priority content real-estate], you, person’s name

7. No – really can mean ‘tell me more’.  People buy solutions to problems, so maybe the first contact didn’t connect. Try again.

8. Some responses are automatic.  For example, “compliance triggers” produce automatic yes.  Coupon or rather dashed line that surrounds coupon will lift readership by 23% regardless of value, telling people 'because' leads to compliance.  Easy, quick, improved will increase product sales.  LONG copy – trustworthy compared to short messages.

9. People are most interested in themselves.  We lose people when we focus too much on ourselves.  Give people something.  Help people fix a problem. Deliver good news.  Feel superior. Share something that you aren’t supposed to hear.

10. People make decisions for rational and emotional reasons.  You need to address both sides of argument.

11. Avoidance of pain.  More powerful motivator than achievement of pleasure.  Loss can be twice as powerful a motivator as gain.

12. People feel obligated. The principle of reciprocity – we like to pay in kind what someone does for us. We also want what we cannot have. Principle of scarcity: if it's scarce – we want it.

13. We do what people like us and people we like do. The Principle of Social Proof: we mirror other people’s actions. This is why testimonials are so effective, particularly if:

• They come from a person similar to the person we are trying to convince – horizontal influence
• Most convincing if the testimonial suggests. It starts where the prospect is and moves them along.
• If you don’t use someone like your prospect, use someone your prospect likes.

By the way, Nancy Harhut is Chief Creative Officer at The Wilde Agency.

This video of Nancy, despite the introduction in Portuguese, gives you a feel for some of the perspective Nancy offered us during this MarketingProfs B2B Forum presentation.


Thanks, Nancy, for a thought-provoking session!

How might you apply your awareness of these behaviors to your communications with customers? What about some of the direct mail or email communications you've received? Where you aware of responding in one of the ways described above? I know I'm going to be paying closer attention!

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The Network Is Your Customer By David Rogers

David Rogers, executive director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership at Columbia Business School in NYC, fits my description of a Renaissance Man. He's an accomplished marketer and teacher of branding, marketing and digital strategy at Columbia Business School. He's a renowned composer and musician, whose brilliant saxophone playing brings new levels of meaning to BRITE conferences.  He is also author of the newly released book The Network Is Your Customer: Five Strategies to Thrive in a Digital Age.

I caught up with David as he begins his book launch tour and asked him a few questions:

C.B.: David, congratulations on your new book!  How did the concept for The Network is Your Customer develop?

DR: The idea for the book came from looking at businesses which innovate digitally. And not all of these are Google, Facebook, or startup companies. They represent a wide range of industries and categories - consumer package goods, businesses involved in politics and philanthropy, and others.  All are making prudent, effective use of digital tools to connect with customers.

I reviewed hundreds of case studies and focused on those that demonstrated an understanding of the behavior of customers. You see, at the heart of successful business strategies is a profound desire to shape how the business adopts new technology primarily to connect with customers.  These are companies that fully embrace that they are in the business of serving customers.

C.B.: You highlight many companies in your book - businesses large and small, and in every industry—from consumer, to B2B, and nonprofits [see pages 17-18 of chapter 1]. What makes these businesses stand out?

They stand out for three reasons.

1. These are companies focused on pursuing a business objective and they are disciplined about their focus.

2. These companies are committed to adding value to customers; they spend a great deal of time worrying about how to benefit customers.

3. These companies all successfully pursued strategies that were rooted in one or more core behaviors [accessing, engaging, customizing, connecting, and collaborating] inherent to networked customers.

C.B.:  What are customer networks and why do they matter more than individual customers?

DR: I define customer networks on page 32 of The Network Is Your Customer:

A customer network is: the set of all current and potential cus­tomers of an organization, linked to the organization, and to each other, through a web of digital tools and interactions.

Why do customer networks matter? We now all of us have access to digital tools for communicating, interacting, and creating on a mass scale. This changes the relationships between individuals and with organizations.

Organizations used to be successful embracing a mass market model. They could communicate to, but not interact with, individual customers.  That has changed with digital tools; the key to success now is a customer network model where businesses listen to, interact with and create based on their network of connected individual customers who participate dynamically and enthusiastically.

C.B.:  David, you mentioned 5 strategies during BRITE '10 to truly thrive in this digital age that we live in. Would you describe those here?

DR:  Absolutely. These are strategies that not only create value, but also make for successful customer network business models. They are:

• The Access Strategy: the ability to actually connect to networks easily, flexibly, and effectively

• The Engage Strategy: the ability to find relevant and valuable content and experiences in networks

• The Customize Strategy: the ability to match or adapt those network experiences to unique customer needs

• The Connect Strategy: the ability to express oneself and communicate with other customers in networks

• The Collaborate Strategy: the ability to engage in purposeful action, with shared goals, in networks

I describe these five strategies in a recent blogpost titled Five Strategies for Business Growth in a World of Customer Networks and also include examples.

C.B.: How are those strategies relevant to business today?

DR: The key as I describe in Chapter 8 of The Network Is Your Customer is to really understand your own customer, your company and your objectives. Once you do, you can then map out strategies and figure out which is most appropriate for your business.

These strategies can be used to meet business objectives ranging from driving sales, to enhancing innovation, decreasing cost, gaining customer insights, or even building breakthrough products and services - once you truly understand customers, company and business objectives.

C.B.: This book seems an natural evolution of the work you've with the Columbia Business School Center on Global Brand Leadership and the BRITE conference which focuses on branding, innovation and technology. How will BRITE '11 further develop the customer network and these 5 business strategies?

DR: The launch event for "The Network Is Your Customer: 5 Strategies to Thrive in a Digital Age." took place on January 26th and consisted of a panel discussion with talented innovators who strategically engage with customer networks.  More specifically, Lisa Hsia from Bravo Digital Media, Frank Eliason from Citi, Carsten Wierwille from frog design and Russell Dubner from Edelman in New York joined me. Those conversations also previewed BRITE '11 where a great lineup of speakers will present their own stories about how they engage with customer networks.

C.B.: David, how do we find you?

DR:  Visit The Network Is Your Customer which includes reviews, a case study database as well as my blog. I encourage you to download a free chapter of my book, too.

Look for me on Twitter: David Rogers, and please do visit [and like] my Facebook page for updates on cases and videos. Or, send me an email and definitely look for me at the BRITE '11 conference which takes place March 2 and 3, 2011 in New York City [Note: more on that in a separate post].

CB: Thank you, David!

You'll also find an excerpt from The Network Is Your Customer on 800CEORead  and can listen to David discussing topics from his book in these video clips as he touches on:

• Social Media and the Ford Fiesta Movement
• The iPhone & Network Collaboration
• Two Key Questions for Customer Network Strategy
• How IBM Sells B2B Software with a Videogame
• Bees, Hives, and Customer Networks

I'm interested to hear from you. How are you noticing the shift to customer networks in your business and with the brands you interact with regularly?

Surfaces 2011 Workshop: Basics of Competitive Marketing

Surfaces/StonExpo 2011 is right around the corner - January 24 through 27 [if you include Education Day] to be exact.  Time, then, to share information with you courtesy of FloorDaily.net's Kemp Harr about the three hour workshop titled Basics of Competitive Marketing taking place on 1/24/11.

Here is his description of the interview which you can access by clicking on this link:

Highlights of Surfaces Seminar on Branding, Web Marketing and Operations Excellence

Paul Friederichsen, Christine Whittemore and Scott Perron discuss the highlights of their Competitive Marketing Seminar scheduled for Monday, January 24 from 1 to 4 pm at the Mandalay Bay in Vegas as part of Surfaces 2011 Education Series. Listen to the interview to hear about the three areas of expertise that will be discussed--branding, web marketing and retail operations strategy.

By the way, in the interview we refer to a survey that we invite workshop participants to take. If you'd like to add your perspective to it, you are most welcome! Although designed with Surfaces/StonExpo attendees in mind, it's also relevant to small and medium businesses regardless of industry. It's a 10 question survey and should only take a few minutes. Here is the link; just click on it.

Oh, and THANK YOU!

To put the 2011 Basics of Competitive Marketing workshop into perspective, it represents the second time that the three presenters - Paul Friederichsen, Scott Perron and I - have collaborated at Surfaces to address marketing.  We each have distinct areas of expertise which we weave together for our workshop participants - primarily small business owners, retailers and distributors in flooring and stone - so they can apply the knowledge to their own businesses.

From our first joint workshop, you might enjoy these posts:
Marketing in a Recession - September Update
Marketing In A Recession - Strategy Series
Connecting with Retail Consumers - Marketing Strategy Series

I hope you enjoy the interview. If you plan on attending Surfaces/StonExpo, let me know.  Perhaps you might even attend the workshop....

This link takes you to the Surfaces Schedule at a Glance. You will need to register to attend.

P.S.: In addition to this workshop, I have two other presentations scheduled... on social media/content marketing and marketing to women/retail experience.

Digital Visibility: The Reason Behind Content Marketing

In SEO Primer: Nurturing Your Online Digital Visibility, I touched on the importance of creating the most engaging, relevant, visibly and effective content online. However, I didn't fully explore the reason behind creating content marketing and developing a content strategy that aligns itself with your business objectives and strengthens your digital visibility.

This McGraw-Hill ad describes the reason perfectly.

Although more than 50 years old and developed for business publications, it succinctly captures why content marketing matters. As Content Marketing Today explains, it addresses the objections that most of our customers express. More specifically, that they...

* Don’t know who we are.
* Don’t know our company.
* Don't know our company’s product.
* Don’t know what our company stands for.
* Don’t know our company’s customers.
* Don’t know our company’s record.
* Don’t know our company’s reputation.

The last line reads: "Now, what was it you wanted to sell me?"

Rich, relevant content allows us to tell customers who we are and what we are about. We can tell the story behind how we can truly help customers in terms relevant to them. And placing it online where they go for researching products and services means we have a chance of being digitally visible and found online.

For example, if you are a retailer, your content - on your website, on Facebook, on your blog - allows you to share with potential customers how you got started in your business, why you care so much about your business, how you help your customers, who your employees are, how you are connected to your community... It allows you to address your customers' problems in terms that tells them you are paying attention to them.

These are rich, relevant stories that help you establish a level of trust that potential customers can believe in [BTW, make sure all of your stories are true or you will be sorry]. These are also living and dynamic stories that you update periodically with new details.  After all, your content marketing cannot be static. You can't just create it, publish it and abandon it for the next 10 years.  You need to keep it alive and fresh.

Ideally, you're also creating dynamic content via a blog.  Blogs are marvelous tools!  I believe every organization should have one to regularly update how you bring value to potential customers.

And, all of this BEFORE these customers realize they need you.  Content marketing allows you to start building a meaningful trust-based relationship with customers "before the salesman calls".

What do you think? How do you build trust with your customers before calling on them? How might you use content marketing to strengthen your digital visibility?

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Image courtesy of Content Marketing Today.

SEO Primer: Nurturing Your Online Digital Visibility

Being Found Online - aka Digital Visibility - Matters. So, What Do You Do?

As a result of blogging since 2006, building the Wear-Dated and Simple Marketing Now websites, discovering other markets and industries, and nurturing the process over time, I've been learning about Search Engine Optimization [SEO], and the importance of being found online. I refer to it as digital visibility and I share with you here my SEO primer.

Now, I'm no SEO expert. I am, though, a fierce practical marketer who wants to understand how all of these digital elements interact so that I can manage my digital assets and create the most engaging, relevant, visibly and effective content online whether for a website, a blog, a press release, LinkedIn or an old-fashioned article.

[See 10 Tips for Being Found & Connecting With Customers].

What amazes me, when I start exploring sites including big budget sophisticated-fancy sites, is discovering that they haven't adopted some of these best SEO practices.  I guess they'd rather rely on PPC [pay-per-click] to generate traffic?  Although, wouldn't the PPC be a lot more cost-effective if it were coordinated with better on page SEO?

Here it is: my practical & simple marketing perspective for improving digital visibility [aka my SEO primer].

1. Be sure to review each of your website pages, paying attention to your META data.

Here's how:
Click on View/Page Source [in FireFox]; View/Source [in Explorer] or right-click/View Page Source [in Chrome].
Use Crtl-F and type in "Meta". What do you see listed for keywords, title and description?

If you see nothing, you might want to do something about it.
If you see something, how unique is the information to each page on your website? How critically relevant to you are the keywords listed? How descriptive in your description?
If you see every keyword under the sun stuffed in that Meta keyword list, be worried. You will need to prioritize.

2. Review the content on each of your website pages.

Does the content on each page address the keywords that are unique to that page?
Is each page unique and rich with meaningful content?
Have you included header tags? What about alt tags for photos? Do they include keywords?
Have you considered the keyword density of your content? Or, how many times do you address your keyword in your content? For the important ones, you'd like to have a density of ~3%.
Is you content reader friendly? Does it answer your reader's questions?

3. Pay attention to your keywords.

I can't say enough about how important your keywords are. They define you. They characterize you. Not only will you use them on your website and to help guide any content you create online, but you'll also use them in the various profiles you create - on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. - so you can enhance your digital visibility.

Spend time identifying your keywords. The resources listed below offer guidelines.

4. Static vs. Dynamic Content

Remember that websites are mostly static.  Blogs, on the other hand, are dynamic [i.e., they update frequently]. Search engines love dynamic, high quality content. Furthermore, the more valuable your content - both on your blog and website - the more likely you will be to attract links from other sources, another important aspect of search engine optimization.

Several SEO related articles worth referring to:

SEO Basics
Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide
3 SEO Tips for the Ages
SEO Title Tag Formulas: How To Create High Performance Title Tags
How to Strengthen a Site via Title Tag Strategies
How to Find the Right Keywords for Your Content Marketing Efforts
Added 12/25/10: Links of Note: Metatags 101

I bet you're learning more about SEO.  What have you found most valuable and effective? Especially for driving business? What other resources would you add to the list?

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Photo Credit
le Marche - passeggiando in bicicletta originally uploaded by gigi62

The SIMPLE Marketing Now Framework

Simple and Simplify are mantras for me.  As I sift through details and information, looking to make meaning, I think of them to uncover what matters most and identify the simplest core idea with which to simplify and organize complexity.  For that reason, I created a Simple Marketing Now framework based on 'SIMPLE'.

I refer to it on my website. I describe it to you here.

SIMPLE stands for:

S = scope out the situation.

I = introspect

M = make a plan

P = perform the plan

L = look at the results

E = evaluate and re-scope

More specifically,

Scope out the situation refers to exploring the marketplace and assessing what I refer to as 'digital visibility': can you be found online?  Who are your customers? What are they looking for? What issues do they have? What are their conversations about? What other options do they have? What are your competitors doing?  What are you doing offline? How do offline and online integrate? This stage is about grounding yourself in what truly matters to your customers and listening to them. Because, if you want to connect with your customers, you want to understand their world and engage them in conversation as Lisa Petrilli explains in Why You Must Rethink Your Marketing.  The truth resides in the marketplace, not in our organization, not in our products, but rather with potential users. The more attention we pay to them, the better the insights and the greater the opportunity to successfully connect.

Introspect is how I characterize the analysis stage. Given the insights I've gathered while scoping out the situation, how does what I do add value to potential customers in my marketplace? What do I stand for? How do my strengths match up with the needs I've identified? What about my weaknesses and potential threats? How might I deal with those? How committed am I to customers? Simplifying plays an important role at this stage. So does honesty.

Make a plan addresses the need to develop objectives, goals, strategies and tactics that address the needs observed in the marketplace.  A plan takes into account what content you will need to create for which medium and how best to integrate your online and offline activities. It also identifies who does what when and how, what you plan to measure so you can determine whether you have met your goals.  It identifies a budget. Keep the plan simple and make it actionable. [You might also check out Minimalist Marketing: How a Marketing Plan Keeps Things Simple and Increases Your Profits.]

Perform the plan is just that, put into action the elements of the plan you have developed. Make sure you pay attention to details.

Look at results at regular intervals, both short-term and long-term.  What patterns emerge? Any surprises?

Evaluate and re-scope. Tweak, improve and add more relevance as you gain additional context and perspective so you can start the process over again.

Note how I group them together: Scope out and Introspect; Make a plan and Perform a plan; Look at results and Evaluate/Re-scope.

SIMPLE, right?

What do you think of the SIMPLE Marketing Now Framework? What would you add to it?

AOC2: Don't Be Myopic About Social Media!

Recently, I announced the third book in the The Age of Conversation (AOC) series. [See Press Release: Age of Conversation 3 Highlights Social Media Best Practices.]

All three books in the series feature chapters written by bloggers from around the world who share unique perspectives and valuable insights. 

The first Age of Conversation, published in 2007, included 103 bloggers from 24 states and 10 countries participated.  Age of Conversation 2: why don't they get it? came out in 2008. 237 bloggers from around the world contributed.

It's marvelous stuff.

You don't believe me?

Here are a few tastes:  my chapter from the first Age of Conversation, The Conversation Age Enabled and, in this post, my chapter from the second Age of Conversation (AOC2): why don't they get it? It was featured in the Business Model Evolution section.

I've also included an audio file I recorded of my chapter.

Business Model Evolution – Why People Don’t Get It

Don’t Be Myopic About Social Media!

By: C.B. Whittemore
FlooringTheConsumer.blogspot.com

Do you remember Theodore Levitt’s Marketing Myopia about defining something too narrowly? Move forward to today’s Age of Conversation, enabled by social media tools - like wikis, blogs, social networks, and RSS - that many define too narrowly.

Rather than embrace such tools to facilitate interaction, create conversations, enable collaboration and democratize knowledge, many shut their eyes/ears/brains. They become myopic forgetting how things were done – not that long ago – before email [remember memos and carbon copies?] and cell phones [vs. pay phones?]. Those tools radically changed how we conducted business. We became effective beyond a desk and outside an office. Our reach grew, our productivity increased.

Imagine going even farther, becoming more relevant to customers and end users, developing solutions once impossible. Imagine going from myopia to ever improving vision, by taking part in the Age of Conversation!

The Age of Conversation engages those interested in participating, transforming customers once antagonistic toward your sales efforts into advocates willing and eager to promote you and offer new input, serendipitous examples and unexpected suggestions. Social media becomes the means to bringing together those passionately interested, creating a community rather than an indifferent audience, quality over quantity, holding even greater potential for revolutionizing business and strengthening brands. So why don’t people get it?

Luckily, a few start experimenting. They highlight best practices in the industry, showcase passionate voices and invite new perspectives in. Before you know it, their efforts are no longer scoffed at, although skepticism remains. Although mass communication tools aren’t abandoned, you begin to see interest in developing conversations with consumers and customers. I consider this step 1.

Those too traditional in mindset to appreciate the difference between having a blog and engaging in the conversation continue not to get it. The larger the organization, the more entrenched in traditional communication approaches, the greater the resistance and the confusion.

However, the nimble ones, often with limited resources, take note. They take those concepts to another level, becoming personally invested in content quality, integrating efforts and demonstrating the joy inherent to better vision, to shedding myopia and seeing forever. I consider this step 2.

Conversations that had never before taken place happen, between neophytes and experts, unrelated specialists, end users and creators, all working together in the Age of Conversation to bring meaning and value to an otherwise old economy industry. They start to get it. I consider this the beginning.

Social Media Club North Jersey: 5/25/10 Customer Feedback Event

Have you marked your calendars? Have you purchased your tickets? I'm talking Social Media Club North Jersey on 5/25/10 for an event you do NOT want to miss! It's titled “I love you. I hate you. Customer feedback in a social world.” I'm leading the discussion about the dynamics of engaging with customers via social networks.

Here's a link to the press release: How To Manage Social Reputation.

Here are the nitty gritty details on Customer Feedback In a Social World:

+ Date: Tuesday May 25, 2010
+ Time: 8am to 10am
+ Location: Houlihan's in Secaucus

Most important, here is a link to the EventBrite site so you can register to attend “I love you. I hate you. Customer feedback in a social world.” Click on it! You might even still be eligible for the Early Bird special!

To get you thinking about customer feedback in a social world [and there have been some terrific articles circulating, most recently from AdAge re: Boeing and The Right Way to Make Your Social-Media Mea Culpa -hat tip to Toby Bloomberg], here's a link to How Do I? Deal With Negative Comments...

I bet you have other interesting ones to share that you've either experienced personally or encountered. Some that come to mind include [from BRITE '10] Dave Carroll and United Breaks Guitars and Nestle and, from Coverings '10, The Main House which dealt with negative traveler reviews thanks to a groundswell of fan support - hat tip to Veronika Miller at Modenus.

Will you be there? Click on this link to register.

I can't wait to see you!

Age of Conversation 3: It's Time To Get Busy!

Age of Conversation 3 Brings Together ~300 Authors To Benefit Make-A-Wish - #AOC3

For those of you intrigued about what the tools of social media enable - conversation - then look no further than Age of Conversation 3, the third crowd-sourced book in the series that I am honored to be a part of.

Perhaps you've been following our saga. The first Age of Conversation book was published in 2007, the work of 103 authors from around the world. Here is a link to my chapter, titled The Age of Conversation: The Conversation Age Enabled.

237 authors participated in the second Age of Conversation - They Just Don't Get It!

And, now, Age of Conversation 3: It's Time To Get Busy! with ~300 authors.

Our co-editors, Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan, have done it again: brought together contributing authors from around the world to provide perspective on this age of conversation, where technology tools enable relationship building and idea exchange.

As with the previous Age of Conversation books, all proceeds from the sale of AOC3 will go to charity. This year, it is the Make a Wish Foundation. Pretty exciting!

Be sure to check out the AOC website. The book will be available for sale soon, so check back regularly to buy your copy here!

Age of Conversation 3 is divided into the following topics:

• At the coalface
• Conversational branding
• Influence
• Getting to work
• Corporate conversations
• Measurement
• In the boardroom
• Pitching social media
• Innovation and execution
• Identities, friends and trusted strangers

My chapter appears in Innovation and Execution.

These are my fellow co-authors:

Adam Joseph, Priyanka Sachar, Mark Earls, Cory Coley-Christakos, Stefan Erschwendner, Paul Hebert, Jeff De Cagna, Thomas Clifford, Phil Gerbyshak, Jon Burg, Toby Bloomberg, Shambhu Neil Vineberg, Joseph Jaffe, Uwe Hook, Steve Roesler, Michael E. Rubin, anibal casso, Steve Woodruff, Steve Sponder, Becky Carroll, Tim Tyler, Chris Wilson, Beth Harte, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Dan Schawbel, Carol Bodensteiner, Trey Pennington, David Weinfeld, Dan Sitter, Vanessa DiMauro, Ed Brenegar, David Zinger, Brett T. T. Macfarlane, Efrain Mendicuti, Deb Brown, Brian Reich, Gaurav Mishra, Dennis Deery, C.B. Whittemore, Gordon Whitehead, Heather Rast, Cam Beck, Hajj E. Flemings, Joan Endicott, Cathryn Hrudicka, Jeroen Verkroost, Karen D. Swim, Christopher Morris, Joe Pulizzi, Leah Otto, Corentin Monot, Karalee Evans, Leigh Durst, David Berkowitz, Kevin Jessop, Lesley Lambert, Duane Brown, Peter Korchnak, Mark Price, Dustin Jacobsen, Piet Wulleman, Mike Maddaloni, Ernie Mosteller, Scott Townsend, Nick Burcher, Frank Stiefler, Steve Olenski, Rich Nadworny, John Rosen, Tim Jackson, Suzanne Hull, Len Kendall, Amber Naslund, Wayne Buckhanan, Mark McGuinness, Caroline Melberg, Andy Drish, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Claire Grinton, Angela Maiers, Paul Williams, Gary Cohen, Armando Alves, Sam Ismail, Gautam Ramdurai, B.J. Smith, Tamera Kremer, Eaon Pritchard, Brendan Tripp, Adelino de Almeida, Jacob Morgan, Casey Hibbard, Andy Hunter, Julian Cole, Debra Helwig, Anjali Ramachandran, Jye Smith, Drew McLellan, Craig Wilson, Karin Hermans, Emily Reed, David Petherick, Katie Harris, Gavin Heaton, Dennis Price, Mark Levy, George Jenkins, Doug Mitchell, Mark W. Schaefer, Helge Tenno, Douglas Hanna, Marshall Sponder, James Stevens, Ian Lurie, Ryan Hanser, Jenny Meade , Jeff Larche, Sacha Tueni and Katherine Maher, David Svet, Jessica Hagy, Simon Payn, Joanne Austin-Olsen, Mark Avnet, Stanley Johnson, Marilyn Pratt, Mark Hancock, Steve Kellogg, Michelle Beckham-Corbin, Michelle Chmielewski, Amy Mengel, Veronique Rabuteau, Peter Komendowski, Andrea Vascellari, Timothy L Johnson, Phil Osborne, Beth Wampler, Amy Jussel, Rick Liebling, Eric Brody, Arun Rajagopal, Dr Letitia Wright, Hugh de Winton, David Koopmans, Aki Spicer, Jeff Wallace, Don Frederiksen, Charles Sipe, Katie McIntyre, James G Lindberg & Sandra Renshaw, David Reich, Lynae Johnson, Jasmin Tragas, Deborah Chaddock Brown, Mike O'Toole, Jeanne Dininni, Iqbal Mohammed, Morriss M. Partee, Katie Chatfield, Jeff Cutler, Pete Jones, Riku Vassinen, Jeff Garrison, Kevin Dugan, Tiphereth Gloria, Mike Sansone, Lori Magno, Valerie Simon, Nettie Hartsock, Mark Goren, Peter Salvitti

Marvelously, two of the authors from Age of Conversation 2 — Gretel Going & Kate Fleming -- offered to help publish version 3 via their newly started publishing company called Channel V Books.

As Drew' explains: "They work with business thought leaders who need to publish books in order to promote themselves and their businesses, solidify their credibility and attract new opportunities—but don’t have the time (or desire) to learn and manage the intricacies of the publishing business in the process. Channel V Books bridges the gap between self-publishing and traditional publishing by offering the best of both worlds: the highest production quality, distribution channels, visibility, creative flexibility, ease and, most importantly, profitability. To learn more about Channel V Books, visit their website, or contact gretel@channelvmedia.com.

Thank you, Gretel and Kate, Drew and Gavin, and all of my fellow co-authors!

Meanwhile, please stay tuned for more information about Age of Conversation 3: It's Time To Get Busy! It will be available for sale very soon!

The Benefit of Facebook Fan Pages

Is your business on Facebook? Mine is. As a result, I'm finding Facebook becoming a really interesting environment, given the benefits that Facebook Fan Pages offer.

To put Facebook into perspective, consider a few of the statistics: 400 million active users and growing strong. As of October 2009, women outnumber men on Facebook, and it's no longer just the domain of college age users.

No surprise given how engaging, easy to use and sticky Facebook is. [Check out BJ Fogg's persuasive bathroom epiphany presentation for perspective on that!] In fact, that's what makes Facebook so effective an environment for connecting and interacting. For businesses, that means doing so with potential and existing customes. [Per BrandGlue's Jeff Widman who gave a enlightening presentation about the intricacies of Facebook, Facebook is best for strengthening ties with existing customers.]

Now, though, we have research about the benefits of Facebook Fan pages. More specifically, First-of-its-kind research: Facebook fan pages are effective marketing tool, with more detail in One Cafe Chain's Facebook Experiment. Facebook can increase sales, improve word-of-mouth marketing and strengthen customer loyalty particularly among those customers engaged in social networking sites according to the research. Intriguing, don't you think?

As with all social interactions, transparency and authenticity matter, as do truly offering value relevant to your audience consistently over time. Think meaningful, fresh content shared in a range of formats on a regular basis. Think product as well as promotional information. And don't forget to monitor and be ready to interact, acknowledge, welcome and respond.

Social media for retailers: Focus on Facebook offers additional perspective, including "validation that social media is a viable marketing strategy when we understand what our customers want and know which social media platforms they frequent." Increasingly, that platform is Facebook.

The best way, though, to benefit from Facebook and other social networking platforms is to "find out from your customers what they want... what social media sites they frequent...." and what they want. Then, deliver it to them where they are.

What benefits have you noticed as a result of your Facebook Fan page interactions? Which Facebook Fan page examples have you come across that do the best job interacting and connecting with fans?

PS: Another benefit: Facebook Fan pages are search engine searchable in real time....

Social Media: Fad or Revolution?

I believe in the Social Media Revolution. If you have any doubts, I recommend that you watch the video below titled "Social Media Revolution" created by the author of Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business, Erik Qualman.

I mention the video for two reasons.

1. We tried to show it during our Surfaces 2010 Marketing In A Recession 101 workshop on 2/1/10. Unfortunately, we lost the connection early on and had to keep moving with our presentation.

2. The data is intensely compelling.

Erik Qualman published Social Media Revolution on 8/11/2009. Keep that in mind when you read through the statistics from the video and watch the video.

Note the change in technology adoption rates. [BTW, Facebook is now up to over 400 million users.]

Think how these tools democratize access to information, enhance communication, facilitate interaction, and support education. [Read through the comments to Statistics Show Social Media Is Bigger Than You Think and you'll witness some of this in action.]

Here is the video: Social Media Revolution: Is social media a fad?
[Subscribers, click on this link to view Social Media Revolution: Is social media a fad? directly on YouTube.]

[Note: There's also a short 2.35 minute version of Social Media Revolution.]


You might want to check out Socialnomics - Social Media Blog and its page full of all kinds of videos and interviews.

Now, how might you be part of the Social Media Revolution?

Added 3/30/2010
Social Media ROI: Socialnomics
[In case you can't play the video, here is the YouTube link to Social Media ROI: Socialnomics.]


Added 5/12/10
Social Media 2 Refresh issued on 5/5/10 with updated statistics.
[Here is the link to YouTube for Social Media 2 Refresh.

How Do I Start With Social Media Guidelines?

Social Media Guidelines or Policy: How Do I Start?

You're ready to get started with social media marketing. You've gone through intense soul searching and decided that engaging with existing and potential customers and sharing valuable, relevant content with them on an ongoing basis is the way to go. An important next step, particularly for a corporate or business blog, is developing social media policy or guidelines.

An Overview of Social Media Guidelines & Policies

Why? Because they force you to think about scenarios and let you anticipate responses. They allow you to set expectations for behavior and interaction - not too dissimilar from the rules your parents established when you were a kid.

Social media policy and guidelines fall into two camps:
+ internal guidelines
+ external or comment policy

Internal social media guidelines mean that everyone in your organization will understand what can be discussed in a public forum and what can't, and how to behave in such a forum: transparently, responsibly and consistently.

They are particularly relevant to large organizations where many may engage in industry conversations. In my Solutia days, I had to review and renew the employee code of conduct on a yearly basis. Although social media wasn't specifically mentioned, I understood completely what the communication boundaries consisted of. If I had questions, I knew who to ask and I understood the consequences.

From an external perspective, it's important to let your readers know what to expect on your social media site: what kind of discussion will you encourage, how you handle comments [are they moderated?], what about product complaints or transactional issues, whether your response will be timely...

I equate this to welcoming someone into your home or store or classroom, offering an overview of where things are and explaining a few rules [i.e., please leave your shoes as the door; here is the lay of the land; please don't interact with the students...].

Crafting Social Media Guidelines

What I find helpful at this stage is absorbing how other organizations have approached social media guidelines and policy. Not all of what they include may be relevant to me, but their guidelines may remind me of a point I missed or encourage me to address an area I had glossed over.

Here, then, are resources/ideas relating to internal and external social media policies.

+ Diva Marketing's Toby Bloomberg has assembled a marvelous list of social media policy examples. These are real examples from real companies. Note the variety of approaches, but also the commonalities.

+ I love this Mashable article about 10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy. It includes a video clip of Barry Judge, CMO of Best Buy, explaining how increased transparency and trust provide value to customers. The means to this: the tools of social media. The post also includes a sample internal social media policy.

Some examples of social media comment policies:

+ Nuts About Southwest
+ Intel Blogs
+ Two I have written: Simple Marketing Blog and the Carpetology Blog

What would you add? Are there other examples you've come across? How did your social media guidelines help you anticipate certain scenarios?


Additional Information:
I wrote an article for the MProfs DailyFix titled "Which Comes First: the Policy or the Blog?" which refers to a few more examples.

Added 3/16/10: just came across PolicyTool for Social Media. If you give it a try, let me know what you think.

Added 5/31/10: How to Write a Social Media Policy from Inc.com.

Added 6/1/10: Policy guidelines For Mayo Clinic Employees

Added 2/2/11: Why You Need a Social Media Policy


Image credit: Wordle "How Do I" by C.B. Whittemore

Social Networking Update - Whittemore onTalkFloor Radio

Whittemore Discusses Social Networking on TalkFloor Radio

Many thanks to TalkFloor's Dave Foster who published a four part interview with me about Social Networking and the Social Flooring Index.

His description of the interview which aired in four parts in December 2009 reads:

Christine B. Whittemore, Chief Simplifier, Simple Marketing Now offers an update on the latest developments in social networking in the business sector and in the floor covering industry as she discusses Simple Marketing Now’s recently launched Social Flooring Index.

As usual, a conversation with Dave is great fun and covers lots of territory!

Here follow links to the individual segments with highlights of what we covered.

What Is Social Networking?

Part 1 aired on December 6, 2009 - 11 minutes

I contrast social networking to mass communication tools; the tools are Internet based and easy to use. They are about sharing and engaging rather than forcing one-way push messages onto readers and visitors. Best practices call for integrating your social networking into your overall business strategy.

Dave asked about the relevance of social media for a category like flooring - a subject that I address in How Do I Make Social Media Relevant To Categories Like Flooring? I see so many opportunities in flooring for building relationships with customers, for guiding them on how best to take care of their flooring products, etc. These social media marketing tools take us back to how business used to be done before mass communications. They allow us to connect with potential clients and share relevant and valuable information with those active in social networks. They also allow us to be digitally visible to those who seek information from a search window.

Benefits of Social Networking and Social Media Marketing

Part 2, aired on December 7, 2009 - 11.34 minutes

The beauty of social media marketing platforms [e.g., like a blog] is that they allow you to publish your own content and address a variety of topics of interest to your audience - your history, who your people are, how you add value, your community activities, etc. A potential customer who gets to know you through your social networking activities comes into your business pre-qualified and more likely to buy than one who walks in off the street. Why? because you've had the opportunity to develop a meaningful relationship and build trust, and you maintain that relationship beyond the initial transaction.

Taking part in social networking represents a long-term commitment to customers. It should be taken seriously and not delegated to interns or those without a full understanding of the business. Yes, it takes effort, but it enables you to interconnect all of your business activities, deliver on memorable customer service and make better use [i.e., repurpose] of what you create. Plan ahead and involve the rest of your organization.

Social Networking Success & The Social Flooring Index

Part 3, aired on December 8, 2009 - 11.40 minutes

To be successful with social networking, you should involve the rest of your organization [e.g., Zappos is very active on Twitter] and empower your employees to deliver on company objectives and delight customers.

Success requires a consistent effort, a willingness to communicate authentically in an approachable tone. You can certainly measure followers, fans, subscribers, but it's more than that. It's engaging in conversation with customers, responding to questions and referring to others. It's a way to demonstrate the value you offer and it's effective both with consumers as well as B2B customers.

The Social Flooring Index monitors the social state of the flooring industry. I describe how I got started. I've broken the index into three parts: Twitter, Facebook and blogs and it's a terrific starting point for learning more about social networking, noticing patterns, and observing best practices for those in flooring and outside the industry.

I explain that success with all of these social networking tools is based on sharing, providing value to your audience and engaging them in conversation.

The Social Flooring Index: A Resource for Social Networking Best Practices

Part 4, aired on December 9, 2009 - 11.06 minutes

The Social Flooring Index highlights a range of efforts in social networking. It also offers an overview on the industry and how participants are evolving their efforts over time. It takes several months to build momentum, find a rhythm that works and start to generate trust and credibility.

These are tools for building lifelong relationships with customers. Customers and consumers want more relevant and high-quality information, especially about flooring. Although your flooring customers aren't all actively engaged in social networks, more and more of them are - including our highly coveted woman consumer - and if they aren't, their friends and family members are ready to help them conduct digital searches.

The Index continues to evolve. I intend to further segment the blog segment to take into account the subjects addressed.

Finally, I touch on my two educational sessions at Surfaces 2010:

+ 3 hour workshop titled Marketing in a Recession 101 on Monday, February 1, 2010 from 9am to noon

+ 1 hour seminar titled Social Media 101 on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 from noon to 1pm.


Thanks again, Dave! I look forward to continuing the conversation about social networking and social media marketing.

I hope you get a chance to listen. I include examples and lots more detail and I'd love to hear your reactions.

Thank you!