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The web has changed the way we communicate, presenting brands the ability to reach a worldwide range of people in ways never before possible. Businesses, both large and small, can harness the power of the web to not only reach more people than ever before, but they can also extend the user experience by encouraging people to interact with their brand – making the brand more available to their audience.
Sounds good, but why does this matter? Why is this important? …Read more »
I recently tripped over a former high school classmate on Twitter. His user name looked really familiar so I checked his profile to see if it was, in fact, the person I was thinking of. After following his profile to his personal website, I found the proof I was looking for: a photo confirming my suspicions.
Cool! It’s always neat to run into tweeps you actually know outside of the twittersphere.
So after poking around his site, I find he’s also running a little side business with its own website. Being the curious cat (see: nosey) that I am, I checked out this side project. What I found was a one looooooooong page of a website making all sorts of extravagant claims and looking like an all around scam.
BUT.
Since I knew this person from a number of years ago, I found myself thinking, “Yeah, this might be something I would actually buy.” Full stop. What’s going on here? I’m presented with a totally unprofessional site that just screams “Nigerian email scam”, yet I am seriously considering opening up the wallet. Wow.
How much more do you believe the statement you’re reading when you trust (or in my case, vaguely know) the source? How much value does the source inherently bring to the table?
Your grandma makes her cookies from scratch. If Big Box Corporate Cookie Manufacturing Co. advertises their cookies are made from scratch, just like your grandma’s, would you believe them? Note: if your grandma is lead chef at Big Box Corporate Cookie Manufacturing Co., then my analogy fails. Oh well, I guess that’s how the cookie crumbles! (Oh come on, the joke wasn’t that bad…)
Moving right along: customer reviews and peer testimonials are immensely powerful forces in the purchasing process. Similar to the situation with my acquaintance and I, people will trust another person, even if a complete stranger, more readily than advertising (though advertising does have its place).
Think back to the last time you bought something online. Go ahead, I’ll wait. OK, did you read customer reviews before buying the item? Or did you at least Google it before buying? How much did your research sway your final decision? I’d be willing to bet it factored in quite a bit.
What people say about your brand experience is not easily ignored by others, and should be highly valued (pssst: you need to be paying attention to what your customers are saying, because they’re saying it whether you’re listening or not). It’s up to you to listen, interact or even facilitate the conversation on your own website by offering a rating or comment system for your product.
“But what if a customer posts something negative on my site? Won’t that diminish my product?” Not necessarily. Instead of seeing this as a liability, see it as an opportunity to interact and ultimately provide great customer service. If other users see you reply to a specific concern and address the issue head on (“I know you are, but what am I?” is not a valid response), it only increases your value to the customer and you gain a little bit more of their trust. Conversely, if you ignore the problem or, even worse, censor it, what message will you be sending? I’ll give you a hint: it starts with “B” and ends with “ad”.
The RSA Interactive team recently presented, “Hands on Social Media” during the South Dakota Telecommunications Association’s (SDTA) annual meeting in Deadwood, SD.
Our focus was to demonstrate the use of various social tools and spaces – Google Reader, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and iGoogle – as well as show our audience how to integrate these social spaces and streamline their online efforts for both business and personal use. Though most of the presentation was “hands-on,” here are a few takeaways: …Read more »
Despite the mass of “What Is LinkedIn?” articles out there on the web, LinkedIn still remains a mystery to many. The main question seems to be “why is it useful?” And that’s not surprising. Our free time is limited, and we hardly want to spend hours on yet another website that offers little value.
The value of a website can be measured by what we each get out of our time spent on that website. So for some people LinkedIn will be a waste of time. For others, it will be the most valuable website they ever used. So how can you find value in it?
LinkedIn is a professional networking destination. If Twitter is the cocktail party and Facebook business casual, LinkedIn is the business suit (h/t @paulchaney). Here are a few brief reasons …Read more »
Definition: Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to post updates (called Tweets) as often as they want (and limited to 140 characters). When you follow other people on Twitter, you see their tweets. When they follow you, they see your tweets.
According to the Twitter website, ‘Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?’
Relatively new to the ‘twittersphere’, my first reaction to this question ( just as the video ‘Trouble with Twitters’ comically conveys) was a simple answer: ‘Does anyone care?’…
Previously I wrote about understanding social media, and explained how it is equalizing global communication and interaction, with specific consequences for business. I want to expand on this idea a bit and talk specifically about ‘marketing‘ on the social web.
Social web?
Yeah, that’s my term du jour. I’ve been slap-fighting a little bit with the whole concept of “social media,” and the fact that this commonly-used phrase just doesn’t work as a definition. It’s too broad; misleading, even. “Social web” is broad as well, certainly, but more specific in scope. It’s made up of spaces across the internet where people can interact with one another – we’re all familiar with some of the more popular technologies that facilitate this communication. The point is that conversations are happening here.
What’s that got to do with business and marketing?
Quite a bit, potentially. A business that approaches the social web the right way can benefit greatly, while providing value for their customers or prospects. Vague enough for you? …Read more »
Social media introduces a new paradigm of increased grassroots involvement in politics. Everyday people are finding their voice and influencing the conversation in Washington D.C.
So, the word is out. Social media is happening. More businesses and individuals are getting involved everyday. It’s real. It’s now. And, just like all potential marketing mediums, it’s about to get really competitive.
With the exception of the last few years, NOW is the best time to hop on the social media bandwagon and get interactive. South Dakota businesses and industries, along with the vast majority of other regional mid-west businesses, have yet to tap this vital marketing, PR and customer service resource – giving you the advantage.
As my final comment on the South Dakota Tourism Conference -I saw fantastic potential for 2009. The mainstay will be to continue building our tourism network of friends via social networks on the internet. Here are a few testimonials on how the State of South Dakota is using different partner programs to promote opportunity for all tourism-based businesses in South Dakota:
