Is “Like” a measure of engagement?

Observation:  Today’s Research Brief inspires us to ask a worthwhile question.  Just because you have lots of “Likes,” is your Facebook page successful?  Click here to see the story.

Implications:   I don’t know about you, but I’ve looked over the shoulder at several folks surfing Facebook and I’ve asked the same question.  And I confess to some of the behaviors myself.  Maybe someone sees a page because on of their friends has liked it, so they land on the page, are amused for a moment, and then click “Like” on the way out.  Was the campaign that elicited this response viral?  Absolutely.  But so is a quickly passing cold sore.  That doesn’t mean it will have a long-term effect on the user’s life, nor on the company involved.

It’s just as important with social and other forms of digital that you measure the right things.  Are you customers truly engaged?  How do you know? Are sales (or other desired responses) increasing in response to your messaging effort?  How do you know?  Where have you placed the thermostat?  You can get “re-pins” on Pinterest or “likes” on Facebook simply by sharing a picture of a horse with a hoof coming out of its head that you created with Photoshop.  That doesn’t make it effective social marketing.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

A primer on harnessing social media

Observation:  Today’s McKinsey newsletter focuses on social media and marketing, and specifically, taking the mystery out of the medium.  It is a long but worthwhile read, and you can click here to get started.

Implications:   The most important aspect of this article is offered early... That social media might still seem ambiguous to many company owners or CEOs, but it has become too big to ignore.  (As the newsletter puts it, if the population of Facebook were a country unto itself, it would be the third largest country on the planet behind China and India.)

Just as important, McKinsey is working to link the consumer’s behaviors and buying process to illustrate which touch-points might be influenced by social media.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

UPDATE: Tips on Pinterest

Observation:   I’ve written some posts involving Pinterest before (see “Very Pinteresting” from 4/2/12), but this morning’s Marketing Daily features a story with some tips about how newcomers (including businesses) can become acquainted with it quickly, and share their business via the site.  Click here to see the story.

Implications:   Again, Word-of-Mouth can be an important aspect of your overall messaging.  Marketers need to consider the distinctions between the media resources that are paid, owned and earned.  Your paid media might include television, radio, newspaper, outdoor, digital display, and SEO/SEM.  The media you own might include your corporate report, brochures, point-of-purchase, a direct mail, SMS or email list—and of course, the new granddaddy of them all—your website. 

The media you earn includes the things people say about you, your company, your product or your service.  If you are invited to be a guest on a talk show as an expert in your field, that’s earned media exposure.  If someone talks you up on Facebook, that’s earned media.  If someone “Pins” an image and/or recipe they found on your website, that’s earned media.

A marketing budget should include consideration to each of the three messaging weapons:  Media that is paid, owned, and earned.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Are consumers talking about you behind your back (but in clear view, online)?

Observation:   Over the past few years, I’ve had dozens of conversations about the increasing influence of consumers in a transaction… before, during and after the purchase.  Today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune features a story about the extent to which consumers are using their technology tools to manage their consumer relationships.  Click here to see the story.

Implications:   Never has the consumer’s Word of Mouth been so loudly and immediately amplified into the marketing message as it is today.  It might be impossible to control what people are saying about your company, product or service on Facebook or Twitter… you still have tremendous control over the experience someone enjoys when they do business with you.

When a customers walks into your business (whether on foot, online or over the phone), assume they have the power to broadcast their experience to the world.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Daily deal fatigue

A story in today’s USA Today suggests that the novelty of daily deal emails and website has begun to wear.  Click here to see the story.

Implications:  The barriers to entry are very low for anyone who wants to start a site that offers coupons for cheap goods.  You likely offer coupons on your own website, and send out email blasts or text messages to a database of your own past customers.

It was only a matter of time until the space became very crowded.  It’s important to focus on ways that you can distinguish your offer from the thousands of others that are in the marketplace.  And make sure you’re targeting people who might be likely to repeat the purchase—and at better margins—after your introductory offer has been enjoyed.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Technology tactics you're likely to see at retail during the holidays

Retailers are likely to increase their use of social networking, customer activation via mobile device, and other emerging tactics during the holiday selling season of 2011.   That’s the essence of this blog post from Connected.  Click to link.

Implications:    There's nothing terribly new or dramatic about this list.  But this variety of technology tools illustrates just how sophisticated the consumer has become… and how eager retailers are to respond to this emerging buyer paradigm.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Google makes its move in mobile

This week, Google announced that it will buy the mobile phone side of Motorola for $12.5 billion.  See a story about the move from today’s New York Times by clicking here.

Implications:    Google knows just how widespread the use of smartphones has become, and just how pervasive the use of mobile technology is likely to be in the future.  Do you?

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

The end of anonymity: Little is secret on the social web

Today’s New York Times featured a story about the way social networking can relieve its users of their privacy.  Click here to see the story.

Implications:  With all the recent publicity given to sexting or sharing all-too-graphic photos by text message, people MUST be getting the message that all forms of electronic communication leave a traceable digital fingerprint.  Still, one sees plenty of party shots on Facebook or other social sites… just as available to a potential employer as it might be to your party friends.

What do you think?  Will people become more cautious or private in their online communications?  Or will we simply become a more candid society?  And in what ways might that influence the way you communicate with your customers and prospects?

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Smart phone trends

A story from Nielsen Wire shows current ownership trends for smart phone operating systems.  Click here to see the brief story.

Implications:  Android and Apple seem to be in firm control of the smart phone market for now.  It is worth noting that roughly 3 in 4 Android or Apple owners report having downloaded an App in the past thirty days.  So it’s not just the novelty of the device we’re talking about here… but the utility.

 Is your business set-up to deliver through these preferred channels of contact?  Is doing so right for the kinds of target consumers you serve?

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Leveraging the voice of your most passionate customers

A story in today’s Marketing Daily reminds us that the best way to gain new customers is often to harness the power of today’s best customers.  Click here to read the story.    

Implications:  This story happens to be about boating, but the principle applies to almost any category of business.  Consumers believe other consumers (people who have experience with a product or service they’re thinking about buying). 

Does your company have passionate fans?  Who are they?  How can you harness their favorable remarks to bring other prospects into your business?

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Opening the (social) conversation

Recently, there was a very telling story the New York Times which explained how some teachers are using social media to expand on classroom conversations.  (That’s right… using Facebook and text messaging in the same place where the practice was banned not long ago!)  Click here to see the story.

Implications:  Think of social media as a place where people dare speak-up… a place where they can raise their hand and share a thought, without having to stand-up in front of a lot of people.

That very simple take-away from this NY Times article might be worth gold to a company that is looking for ways of gaining input from their consumers.  One often sees marketers use social media as just another way for their company to reach-out to consumers.  Too few are using this valuable platform as a means of letting consumers reach back.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Consumer-designed products, services... companies?

This site has offered several posts on the topic of Social Media, and at least one article that specifically focused on the use of social networks as one element of consumer research [2/14/11]. Today’s USA Today gives us another story about this practice. Click here to see the story.

Implications: The world has faced a great deal of uncertainty this year (again), with another unique blend of natural disasters, global conflict, energy costs, and a still young economic recovery.

But in this digital age, it has never been as easy—nor as important—to understand your customers true needs and desires, and how your product, service and company can best fit into their lives.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

From aggravated to aggregated: This platform helps keep your status updates targeted and relevant

I’ve long restricted my LinkedIn profile to my professional life… and then chat-up my personal interests on Facebook, which I reserved for personal relationships. (I don’t think my colleagues and business associates want to see my vacation photos, and my friends aren’t all that interested in the latest qualitative research discovery I’ve made!)

Some people have more than one Facebook account—one for their personal life, and one for their professional endeavors—and the same goes for their presence on LinkedIn and other social sites.

In another story from Springwise.com this week, a company called Whoopaa helps users separate work from pleasure in more convenient way… aggregating information into categories and helping users “post” to the pertinent social, professional, or family connections in their life. Click here to see the story.

Implications: It is amazing how far the consumer trend toward personal archiving has come. We’re being bombarded with so many messages—even from our friends—that we must use artificial aids to sort them into categories of interest.

If your company, product, or service were going to be sorted into a compartment of the consumer’s life, where would they put you? If they were inclined to recommend you, would they tell their family, friends, co-workers… or all of the above?

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Social media or traditional advertising?

Last week, there was a story from Marketing Daily—citing research from ForeSee Results—suggesting that social media doesn’t work as well email, search, or traditional advertising in driving people to a company’s website. I only bring it up because I noticed that it was one of the most-read stories of the week, according to the story rankings offered by MD. I find that a bit scary. To find out why, read the story by clicking on this link, and then join me back here to finish this conversation.

Implications: I’m not going to come to the defense of social media, here. Rather, I’m going to indict the way too many companies are using it. I walked into a fast-food restaurant last week, and there were all kinds of signs asking me to “Friend” the place. First of all, you don’t “friend” anymore, you “Like.” Second of all, why should I? What’s in it for me, other than the chance to be spammed on Facebook with your special of the day? I don’t want to eat at your restaurant every day, and I don’t want to hear from you constantly via Facebook anymore than I want to receive your emails at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The folks who came up with the Pepsi Refresh campaign will tell you social media works just fine, thank you. Not because of what they did with social media, alone. But because of the way they have woven their social media, website and traditional advertising together in a logical, effective way: Motivate through traditional media and social, and then activate through social and website.

To me, the MD story and the ForeSee Results simply reinforce the idea that an integrated approach is better than using all of your resources as if they were pawns in different chess games.

How many different campaigns are you running? Is there one campaign for your legacy media, another for your website, and something different still for your social media efforts? Certainly, each of these weapons could represent a different tactic… but are they supporting a unified strategy for your company?

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Blogs become an increasing point of influence

Colleague and friend Kim Willoughby passed this tidbit along this morning: An Online Media Daily story that suggests the influence of blogs is increasing, particularly where health and beauty purchasing is concerned. Click here to see the full story.

Implications: Consumers read blogs for a lot of reasons: To gain useful insights, information or ideas, to compare opinions, or to get advice, to name just a few. If your company has a blog that fulfills one or more of these needs, your chances for success are pretty strong.

A blog that serves people stands a much better chance of success than a blog that serves a product. What are your people (customers, prospect, users) interested in? What are they doing when they use your product or service? What are the top common denominators that might create a bond between significant numbers of your constituents? If you can find--or build--blogs that speak to those interests, your customers will have you right where they want you.

Should a restaurant blog be about your menu... or should it instead offer ideas to make a "date night" something to remember? Tips about where to find a good babysitter?

Should a blog for an insurance company be about coverage and deductibles... or should it instead offer ideas about how to reduce risk of accident or injury around the house?

If you understand the deeper benefits that make someone want to own your product or service, you will also understand which topics might be good focal points for your site.

Mike Anderson

Safety complaints likely to be public knowledge soon

Consumer complaints received by the Consumer Product Safety Commission will be available for review on the web, barring any successful blockage from opponents of the service. That’s according to a story from the Washington Post. (Click here to read the full article.)

Implications: Even if political interest groups and/or manufacturers can delay the implementation of this new transparency, they will not stave-off transparency in an Internet world. Emboldened consumers are more vocal than ever, and talking through more channels than ever (think Angie’s List, Yelp, and the like).

Going forward, perhaps the desire to be “first to market” with a product innovation will be balanced by the need to conduct further safety and reliability research… instead of assuming the risk of a product not fully tested.

Mike Anderson

My opinion: How to not run a loyalty program

I keep a folder in my personal email account called “Bad Business.” It is the place I deposit examples of what I believe to be really poorly executed email marketing. This is not faceless spam that comes from some nameless hacker, mind you… the folder holds examples of email marketing that I believe could be doing more harm than good. Now, I don’t like to single-out or pick on any company in particular, but a recent sequence of messages I’ve received from Best Buy simply offers too many good teaching moments. I can’t resist. Can you spot the missteps that lead to the risk of losing a loyal customer?

Back on October 29th, I received an email from Best Buy Reward Zone that included the following text:

“We are writing to let you know that Best Buy has changed the way it manages opt-out preferences. Going forward, opting out of either Reward Zone or Best Buy marketing communications will result in being removed from both marketing lists. In order to honor your request to receive Reward Zone program e-mails containing special offers, invitations to events and account updates, you have been opted-in to receiving Best Buy marketing communications generally.”

In other words, Best Buy was letting me know that they were going to start using my email address the way they wanted to, not the way I wanted them to. Within a few days, I had already received several sales messages that struck me as abuse-of-access, so I opted-out of the program they had shoved me into. The notice I got back said, “It could take up to ten days” to stop receiving emails. (Funny, when I change the auto-response setting in Outlook, it happens the moment I click on, “OK.” Best Buy sells a lot of tech equipment, and they even have their own Geek Squad; they should be able to figure this out much more quickly than ten days… like, NOW.)

Anyway, the opt-out was not successful. I continued to receive emails (I wanted to see how long this foolishness would go on). But it wasn’t just the number of unwanted advances that was stunning to me… it was the nature of the messages. I received coupons for movie tickets (to shows that had no appeal to me), tacos and pizza (Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, you are complicit in this insanity), and other offers that had little or nothing to do with Best Buy’s knowledge of what kind of things I might spend on! (I’ve received at least ten smartphone offers, even though I purchased one just weeks before the spamming started.)

After too many unwelcome and irrelevant advances, I added the company to my spam list this morning. Best Buy, I’ve opted-out of my relationship with you... whether you like it or not.

Implications: If your marketing efforts include an email component… go back through this story to spot the mistakes Best Buy may have made (in my humble opinion), and see if your company could be at risk of making some of the same missteps.

“Opt-in” is short for giving people the option of participating. A company cannot “opt me in.” That’s my decision. Ask your customers for permission, and sell them on why it’s a good idea to receive communication from your company.

“Opt-out” means knock it off! “No,” means “no.” Consumers are not so stupid to think that a “stop sending me email” command is delivered by pony express and could thus take ten days to arrive.

If I give you access, give me respect. You knew my age and interest, based on information I had given you and transactions I had completed with you in the past. Don’t send tickets to a teenage-appeal suspense movie to a fifty year-old guy. That’s just common sense.

Smart email policy is not dictated by your company. It is decided by your customers.

[Note: The New York Times offered a story about Best Buy’s current state of operations in their December 17th edition. Click here to see it, and see whether there are more learning opportunities within.]

Mike Anderson

Who owns your brand, really?

Two articles of similar nature crossed paths on my laptop yesterday, and I’ve been thinking about the collision ever since. The first was a very simple newsletter from Media Post: Engage Moms. The essence of the story was that when you target “moms,” you shouldn’t focus simply on reaching them as an audience; you should consider everyone they touch as your audience too… and make your message/offer engaging enough for them to pass it along. (Click here to see the complete posting.)

The other piece that captured my thinking was an interview with Chuck Brymer, CEO at DDB, which I found on MeetTheBoss.tv. Watch the edited version below (pre-roll required, and a free membership to MeetTheBoss.tv is required for the full interview version).

Implications: Back in 1980, Reis and Trout authored “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind,” asserting that marketing does not take place in radio, television or newspaper, but in the mind of the consumer. They were right… and now we can add a plethora of digital tools to the list of media where marketing does not take place. (Positioning still takes place in the consumer’s mind… it’s just that we now access those minds using dozens of tools which did not exist back in 1980.)

So, perhaps the notion that companies own their brands is outdated. If “brands” are nothing more than the identity of a product, perhaps companies own products, but consumers own the brands. That’s important to think about, since many consumers also own their own media companies (including email, blogs, and social networking pages). Is your traditional media messaging designed in a way that inspires adoption, virility, and positive commentary by (consumers) the owners of your brand?

Are you inviting feedback from customers in a way that it can be captured and used? (I’m thinking survey results, and testimony in a wide variety of formats, including email, voice or video.)

Are you rewarding customers who tell a friend? (Not just “liking” you on Facebook, but becoming your product, service or company evangelist!) What kind of rewards might profitably spark that kind of behavior?

Mike Anderson

Beware: Big brother (and your teachers) could be watching

A story in yesterday’s New York Times had me smiling… and reflecting back to my classroom days, both as a student and as a professor’s resource. The article had to do with the use of interactive clickers in the classroom, both as a learning tool, and as a device that measures attendance and engagement. Click here to read the story.

Implications: If you stop and think about it, wireless devices such as smart phones are relatively new… but that newness will be quite temporary. As mobile digital devices find their way in to more and more veins of society, they will quickly become even more commonplace.

Don’t think of mobile technology as a new advertising medium, alone; think of it as a way of measuring attendance and engagement. Or in the case of a commercial enterprise, perhaps these devices should be used in helping you measure attention, engagement and relevance. After all, you do not enjoy the luxury of a professor who can require kids to show up for your message… you must rely on the consumer’s feedback to determine whether the consumer thought it might be worth their time, interest and money.

Again, a web site or mobile community is a society unto itself.

Mike Anderson

An owner’s manual on an i-Pad… and it comes with a free car

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve written a few posts that explore how comfortable consumers are with technology, and why businesses should be thinking about how to engage their customers on whatever the (customer) preferred platform might be. This morning, colleague and friend Matt Sunshine shared an article that builds on the conversation; he found it in today’s USA Today, and it talks about the mode of delivery for the owners manual in a Hyundai Equus. Click here to read the story.

Implications: When some company principals think about technology, they picture a world that has become more complex. Hyundai has figured out how to use technology… to make life simpler.

Mike Anderson