PR Communications

Vendors Need To Ask Customers Where They Are In The Sales Relationship

Great post by Marcio Saito, "Men are from customerland, women are from vendorland", in which he discusses a recent Harvard Business Review blog article by Matt Dixon and Lara Ponomareff where they suggested customers don't want social relationships with vendors.

I was thinking about myself in the role of customer, especially as a Marketing Director for several companies over the years. If I have a relationship with a vendor that's successful I would want to spend more time getting to know the vendor especially if they were providing me with good marketing ROI. But if I'm unsure that I still want to do business with a vendor, the jury is still out, then I think it's better to keep them at arm's reach because I might have to find another vendor.

Maybe the issue here is that companies think they have made a sale and have a customer, when the customer believes they have just made a purchase instead of finding a vendor that fulfills all of their needs in a category.

If you think about your own relationships with vendors. There's a stage we all go through where we might buy from someone but they are still on trial.

Perhaps the mistake vendors make after making a sale is to assume they have gained a loyal customer. One way to find out is to ask the customer where you are in the stage of the relationship.





http://community.coffeebeantech.com/blogs/social-business/posts/men-are-from-customerland-women-are-from-vendorland

Replying To The Social Media Curmudgeon At Custom Media Day #cmday

There was a curmudgeon in the audience at yesterday's Custom Media Day in New York, one question he asked I liked was "all of this technology and social media is great, but should we be using it?"

My answer was yes because content marketing and social media is personal media. You, me and everyone one else who are connected via a desktop, laptop, smartphone and more can easily produce media to be shared with our friends, colleagues and family.

Rather than disconnecting us from society social media and content marketing connects us in ways most of us probably have not been connected for a generation. In this fast paced world of private homes, cars, and movement for a better job, its easy to lose connection with your hometown and family. Social media and social networks like Facebook make it easier to remain in touch.

My family moved from Boston to Greensboro, NC six months ago, both my wife, Karin, and I believe that the transition to moving to another town has been easier because of our connections to friends and family via social media.

I've made a number of moves in my life, UK to Fresno, CA, Fresno to Bay area, Bay area to Seattle, Seattle to Boston, MA, and Boston to Greensboro, NC. One of the easier moves for me was the move from Seattle to Boston, I returned to Seattle several times within the first six months and as a result I did not have the same sense of homesickness or loss I usually get when I make a big move. Loss of culture, connections with friends is always tough, and anything that makes that transition is to be celebrated.

For this latest move to Greensboro, Karin and I both agree having social media, and Facebook especially for Karin has enabled us to keep in touch with friends.

The curmudgeon asked another question at the conference, "Isn't all of this technology going away, why bother?" I believe he was questioning the value of the new technology, and so I didn't like this question as much as I did his first.

To me to ask that question is like asking, "isn't letter writing going away, or why use the telephone, isn't it just a fad?" The latest technology has always seemed strange and alien to contemporary citizens when living in the time of early adoption, but new technologies for communication are just that methods for communicating. Asking if social media is valuable is like asking is communicating with people valuable? 

Social media doesn't replace the personal connection or the in-person meeting, but it does make it easier to keep in touch, and share my life and the lives of my friends, family and even colleagues much more easily, and I think that's a good thing.

Social media and personal publishing is a new way of communicating. I was reflecting that social media actually takes us back in time to when we all lived closer together, we may have less stuff, fewer distractions and more reasons to rely on one another.

Starting in the 1950's the modern world gave us more prosperity, and wealth at least in the developed world, but that modern life also cost us connection and closeness with family. TV connected us because we had a shared experience, but that shared experience was not of our own making, rather the Madmen of New York and Movie and TV producers of Hollywood made experiences for us that they observed to be what we wanted.

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying everything about that process was bad, I think we did and do want some of those experiences, but I think people in such a culture have less chance to submit what is important to us personally, where in the past we only shaped media through our buying habits and focus groups. Today, the method for making media is much more real, more personal because we get to decide what's right for us, and even make our own media (as well as influence by buying).

Planning For Content Collaboration

Spent the day at the Custom Content Day in New York. My company, Pace Communications is a member of the Custom Content Council, and they were one of the sponsors for the event. Much of the content at the conference was about social media, though we also talked a lot about content strategy.

I've been thinking a lot about content strategy lately, especially as it relates to content distribution across large enterprises. A number of models were mentioned, typically the hub model. I found it interesting that a number of people are creating content with one content creation team for several content types and purposes. It's been my experience in large companies that different teams want to create content independently because the reason for their content creation is different than other groups in the company.

I've often seen hub and spoke models, but sometimes little collaboration between departments. However, I think there is way to improve that collaboration.

Planning is the key to better collaboration.

Using The Right Word - Fall Or Autumn?

I just noticed the use of the word “autumn,” in a magazine and mentioned to my colleagues that was strange because that’s not common usage for an American-English, but “fall,” is. My colleagues suggested that it is okay to use autumn.  Being American-British and raised in the UK we used autumn to describe the falling leaf season.

However, I’m now wondering if there are regional differences in the U.S. I spent 11 years on the West Coast in California and Washington State in Seattle, and I’d say the majority of people would use the word “fall.” But thinking about my recent time in Boston (6 years) people were certainly familiar with the word “autumn,” and would use it.

Is my journey down to North Carolina helping me to discover the regional differences between West and East coasters? I don’t think west coasters would use the word autumn, but would use fall. What are your thoughts?

#aug9 Event At The Burren In Somerville

I'm organizing a tweet up for Monday August 9th in Somerville/Boston at the Burren at 6:00pm. We might also go for ice cream after wards in Arlington. I will write up the eventbrite shortly, but mark your calendars for the meet up.

Hashtag for the event is #aug9.

Update: Here's the registration page and details for the #aug9 tweet up..

Video Idea For Marketing Travel Locations

Great fun video showing an opening scene from Star Wars on a subway.

The video gave me an idea, if you run a travel related service, or market a location, take a familiar very well known historical feature, or a scene from a movie related to your location, and shoot video scenes around the country where you want to target your audience, and then release the video.

Don't forget to ask for permission to shoot the scenes from the local authorities and inform them what you are doing.

(via ScottMonty)

Greensboro, North Carolina's Red Oak On Social Media For Brewing Beer

Great event last night for the 5th GSO tweet up at the Rioja Wine Bar, not only did we have a good turn out for the audience, but Devin Singley from Red Oak Brewery, a micro brewery based here in Greensboro, NC, did a great job of explaining how he runs social media for his company. Here's how one attendee summed up Devin:

@ashleybailey76 @redoakbrew is witty and has Jedi-mind tricks...lol! #gso5

Only three months on the job Devin's passion for Red Oak and social media is helping get results, attendance at the weekly Brewery tours has increased, and Red Oak's interaction and social media followers have increased compared to their main North Carolina competitors.

Devin described how he got the job at Red Oak, the eccentricities of his work place, a company dedicated to brewing true Bavarian lager, and how he is using Facebook and Twitter while on the road as a salesman/social media guy for Red Oak.

His strategy is to focus on three tactics, 1. Inform - Give people facts and tell them what's happening. 2. Excite - Give people a sense of ownership 3. Respond - By responding you can produce results. There has to be a "ghost in the machine."

Greensboro is Red Oak's first marketplace, so the area is saturated in terms of customers being aware of the brand. Red Oak is focuses on Charlotte and the Triangle region here in NC. Red Oak runs pint nights in those areas, where Red Oak sales people give away free glasses. Devin uses social media to describe the event, and feature people who won glasses.

Last night was a great night for audience participation and questions:

@TheBeanCast Man! I'm totally grilling @redoakbrew .. Gotta shut up and let other folks ask a question.

Red Oak has a Bavarian brew master from Germany dedicated to brewing the purest lager here in Greensboro, NC, and the brewery was built with German equipment and German brew construction people came over to set up the new brewery.

@brandonpierce Dear @redoakbrew - we want to see a day in the life of a brewmaster! Tell the Red Oak overlords!

Devin even described all of the additional benefits you can get from using Red Oak beer:

@KennedyPittman You can wash your hair and soak your feet with @redoakbrew #themoreyouknow #gso5

Devin started his career in library science, and his claim to fame is that he is probably the only certified librarian and certified beer salesman in the state of North Carolina!

A great night was had by all, super location at the Rioja Wine bar on Battleground (thanks Jake for accommodating the group!) and Devin Singley did a super job of entertaining the crowd and sharing his passion for Red Oak brewery and social media. 

Thanks also to everyone who attended and my colleague Rebecca Cochran for inviting Devin.

@devinwithani, @robainbinder, @brandonpierce, @dhatfield, @brandonpierce, @TheBeanCast, @WilliamsKim, @StoryofMe, @KennedyPittman, @gsossa, @cochrancreates, @ashleybailey76,

Magazine Deployment On eReaders & Tablets Set To Grow

Several colleagues at my company Pace Communications and I have developed an infographic showing the number of magazines published on the Nook, Kindle, iPad and Sony Ereader. The numbers are rather telling; 141 magazines on the iPad, while only 63 on the Kindle, even after 2-3 years of the Kindle being sold.

On big takeaway I have from these numbers is that we are still very much in the infancy of the industry, and while its fast growing, there's a lot of opportunity for magazine publishers, interactive designers, and art directors to make a splash on the various platforms.

Degrading A Magazine's Brand By Publishing On An E Ink eReader

I asked a question in relation to eReader today and started a back channel conversation with an industry colleague, the colleague suggested that publishing a magazine can degrade the brand experience of certain magazines. I asked the Twitter community whether that was true, and received the following answers:

@soxgal Not necessarily. If the market demand is for e ink platforms, shouldn't brands go to the market? 

@ryananderson No, but I don't think it's a particularly strong strategic move, either.

@robertcollins If done poorly or just re-imaging the same content digitally it can diminish the brand. If done well, it can dramatically enhance.

My thoughts are that it all depends on your audience, if you have an audience that uses a Nook, Kindle or Sony eReader and doesn't have an iPad, then if they purchase your print magazine, you want to have that magazine available on the devices the customer uses. Now if they are not there, then it makes sense not to put the magazine on that device.

This makes me wonder if an iPad would ever degrade the brand experiences of any magazine readers?

I'd don't think so, but I also think that the iPad is a different sort of device, one that enables people to interact and use in new and interesting ways. And so the brand experience of an iPad will be different from even a print magazine.

Greensboro Social Media Club’s 1st Event August 2nd

I'm going to be one of the first speakers for the Greensboro Social Media Club on August 2nd along with Nathan Gilliatt from Social Target and Alicia Miller from Pace Communications. I'm helping to organize the Social Media Club here in Greensboro and focusing on locations. Though this time our President Ken Pittman found the location and I asked the speakers!

Nathan Gilliatt is the leading analyst on social media monitoring in the world. I'm afraid I'd have to even knock off Forrester from this mantel. Nathan gets the prize because he only focuses on Social Media Monitoring and that's all he has been doing for the last few years.

Alicia Miller is a colleague at my company Pace and has been working on a big blog series project for the Pace blog 18 writers are writing 20 different blog posts on the top 20 magazines in the U.S. Alicia will be describing the project.

Join us at Tex and Shirley’s in Greensboro on August 2nd at 6:00pm where we will discuss corporate social media and social media monitoring.