Just last week I had the opportunity to sit down with a number of university students to talk about branding strategies in general. We explored the current campaigns, both successful and those that are not, whether it is through social media or conventional media – it was an interesting discussion and here are their 4 perceptions on social media:
Perception #1: Big Companies Do Not Need Social Media
Interestingly all of them think that social media isn’t necessary for big companies, simply because they are already well known. However, they do see social media as a necessity for small businesses to establish a wider presence among the consumer market and the reason they say so is because they see that…
Perception #2: Social Media is All About Promotion
The students felt that social media is their world – for them to connect, stay in touch and have fun. Brands come on simply to advertise and to promote their products.
Perception #3: It’s Not Necessary to Have Social Media if You’ve Good Customer Service
Upon bringing up social media tools as a customer service platform, they thought it can indeed be a great addition but follows to indicate that there is no need for it if your business already have good customer service through phone calls or e-mails.
Perception #4: Viral Videos Can Be ‘IT’ But May Not Convert
They love viral videos and they will share them without a doubt. Will they buy the product? Not necessarily. This goes the same for any other social media promotional campaigns e.g. contests, apps and etc.
Having Seen the Perceptions Above, Could Marketers Be Wrong?
Being a believer of social media myself, I was shocked to hear their thoughts but at the same time, they made perfect sense simply because there has to be a reason why the perception towards social media is as such.
Are brands / businesses doing it wrong on social media? What could be the cause of such perception towards social media? What do you think?
It’s interesting to see how businesses scurry to take on social media without much thoughts or a strategy. Are you one of them?
Just last weekend I went to a restaurant with a bunch of friends for lunch. It is situated in a bungalow, well furnished and a pretty nice place to chat.
Putting that aside, what caught my attention was the menu, or rather, what’s inside the menu. No, not the selection of the food, not the price, but this:
It has a Facebook badge on the menu that says: Join Us On Facebook. I thought to myself that this is a good way to build a fan base or even an avenue for customers to give comments or feedback.
I began to look for the URL of the Facebook page – but found nothing except the domain name as seen to the left. Well, that isn’t too bad – I immediately looked up the site and guess what? It has no reference to the Facebook page either.
Now at this point of time I was rather determined to search for the missing URL but since it was a lunch gathering, I temporarily put the quest aside..
..until I got home. I went to Facebook and did a search and here’s what I got:
I was shocked. They DO NOT have a Facebook page at all. The only result that matched was “Jarrod Rawlins” which isn’t them and just random Facebook places that have not been claimed by the restaurant themselves.
Join Us On Facebook? But You’re Nowhere to be Seen!
Here are 2 quick lessons / reminder from this case:
#1: Putting a Facebook Logo Ain’t Cool / Impressive if it Does Not Work
Don’t / Never be inclined to put a Facebook / Twitter logo on your promotional materials if you do not even have it setup and maintained. If you do have one, make sure you have the URL or the Twitter handle to go along with it. Remember, it does not work like a button when it is printed so the URL is a must!
Additional tip: Stay away from http://www.facebook.com/pages/urlthatcannotberemembered12345.php – which is a default URL assigned to your page when you create one. You can actually get a pretty URL for Facebook here for a more memorable URL.
#2: Know What is it Supposed to Do
Know what you want to achieve with social media platforms. Directing customers to a blank Facebook page or an inactive Twitter account is counter productive. Offer discounts, offer exclusive updates, opportunities for customers to leave their thoughts on their last visit, maybe allow customers to redesign your menu or even just a thank you note – give value to your customers and they’ll be back for more!
Are you making the same mistakes? Have you seen similar mistakes by businesses? I would love to hear your experiences :)
Every business on this planet is fighting for attention, trying to sell a product or service to the consumers and sometimes it just backfires despite your effort. So why market your product? Don’t bother producing promotional campaigns – you’re wasting your money and here’s why:
#1: Consumers Don’t Care About You
And they really don’t. In the eyes of the consumers, you’re just ANOTHER product / brand. Yes, you may be the best among all but think about it – your competitors are shouting the very same message and this will result in a long, and perhaps an unfavorable journey for your business, simply because it will take time for the consumers to consider your message, evaluate and compare them with your competitors.
#2: Consumers Are Surrounded With Marketing Campaigns (and Gimmicks)
You can look at the outcome from two perspectives:
1. Consumers today are better decision makers – they tend to research and ask around for opinions before purchasing.
2. Consumers today had it enough with marketing campaigns – they simply avoid you (see short video here).
Neither outcome favors you as an marketer, especially when your business is new – budget constrains and lacking in credibility.
#3: Consumers Want Solutions
“Enough of selling! How about giving me a solution to my problem instead?”
Today’s consumers had it tough. Not only they have to put up with marketing spams, they have their own problems to attend to as well and all they want is a solution to their problems. If your marketing campaign only talks about your product, give it up – consumers won’t buy-in.
Going Beyond Marketing – to Creating an Experience
Instead of talking, why not try listening to understand what is it that the consumer wants rather than assuming? While it may be difficult to reach out to consumers before, social media platforms have made it easy today. Focus on creating an experience with the consumers instead of pushing the product to the consumer and you’ll see the difference as below:
The lines in grey illustrates the processes involved in the conventional consumer purchasing funnel and the one in red shows how powerful a bond / relationship with the consumer can be. It builds confidence among the consumers allowing them to jump into purchase – more powerful than conventional marketing efforts.
It Takes Time
I’m no way suggesting that this method is a shortcut to success. It takes time to build a bond with the consumers but its effect may be greater than conventional marketing efforts and social media makes it possible. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are great tools to approach the consumers because they are already on it. Approach them like how you would to approach a friend without being pitchy.
5 Things to remember when approaching consumers on social media:
1. You’re there to offer a solution to their pain.
2. You’re there to build relationships.
3. You’re there to give value.
4. You’re there to ultimately convert them into advocates.
5. You’re there to listen.
It’s time to do away with conventional marketing and let the ‘human’ do the job. Let people drive your business, not products.
What are your thoughts on conventional marketing vs social media marketing? Does the buying power solely rests on the consumers themselves now?
The more I dive deeper into social media, the more I see how different is marketing today compared to before with the usage of various social media tools and platforms. The conventional way of ‘mass marketing’ or ‘mass advertising’ don’t seem to work that effectively anymore and even some small business owners are beginning to explore this new ‘thing’ called social media.
Before we go further, there’s this VERY interesting video on YouTube that you HAVE TO watch:
Interesting huh? With those thoughts on your mind, here are the 5 reasons why social media marketing contradicts conventional marketing methods:
#1: Conventional Marketing Says TALK. Social Media Marketing Says LISTEN.
Just like the video above, conventional marketing does all the talking and they’ll just go on and on to promote their products and brand just like how this sentence will go on and on without any punctuations and you’ll have to read the entire sentence in one breath and yet it still does not end because they’ll want you to buy and if you don’t they’ll keep talking and talking.
In other words, it’s just a ONE way relationship. Consumers today respond better to conversations. Remember, a conversation is TWO way. Before you click that “update” button, think – will YOU as a consumer respond to a post / update / tweet like that? How does that reflect you as a business? Is it too pitchy? Are you giving an opportunity for your followers to respond?
#2: Conventional Marketing Says KEEP. Social Media Marketing Says SHARE.
Content used to be exclusive. My research is mine. My video is mine. My article is mine. My statements are mine. Can’t blame them though, there isn’t any content sharing platform back then. However, such content were considered as trade secrets and even employees are not told of it.
Today, social media marketing is all about sharing. It is about getting as many people to share the message as possible. Call to actions are no longer limited to “Enter Your Email to Win Prizes” but to “Share This With As Many Friends As Possible to Win”. Companies are even creating content solely for sharing purposes – through SEO (you want to share your content), viral videos, contests and more!
#3: Conventional Marketing Says SELL. Social Media Marketing Says GIVE.
Conventional marketing focuses on the money. You have to pay if you want something from me. Makes sense, right? However in social media marketing, it’s all about giving, and believing in the philosophy of ‘givers gain’. Giving does not necessarily mean money, but VALUE. This can be done through information, service, support and even conversations to keep that relationship with your consumers alive.
#4: MONEY Determines Conventional Marketing. ENGAGEMENT Determines Social Media Marketing.
The rich becomes richer and the poor poorer in conventional marketing. Big corporations have millions of dollars every year to put up huge marketing campaigns with their brand plastered on every wall, ceiling, car and walkways, so much so that it feels as though they dropped a bomb in a city and yes, they do get the word out rather effectively – with a lot of money.
Not so on social media platforms. Money helps, but it does not necessarily produce results. The engagement and relationship speaks louder on social media. Think about it – what is it that really makes a content viral? The content? Or the consumers? The consumers make it happen. Yes, you can purchase fans and followers but that is equivalent of hiring a delivery boy to hand out your flyers and that does not go very well on social media.
#5: Conventional Marketing Says QUANTITY. Social Media Marketing Says QUALITY.
Now this is an interesting one. Many have spoken on this before and I, too have written an article about quality isn’t exactly everything on social media networks(yes, I believe quantity matters, too!). However when it comes to conventional marketing, quantity ALWAYS matters. Think about it: the number of flyers, brochures, airtime, commercial spots, newspaper advertisements, coupons to giveaway, buntings, billboards… you get the drift.
Social media marketing on the other hand, aims for quality. Quality articles that educates, quality fans and followers that become your brand advocates, quality updates to drive conversations and quality conversations to build relationships.
Moving Forward
Recently I met with a potential client that just could not comprehend why would people blog to share personal / company information, update their status so that others would know what they’re up to and ‘check-in’ so that people could stalk them. He knows he needs to ‘do’ social media but just can’t get the reason why are people so into it.
Having looked at all that, it is clear that social media marketing really DOES NOT make sense to a conventional marketer. If you’ve been wondering why is it so difficult to convince an “experienced” marketer in your company (or client) to adopt social media methods, it is because it does not make sense to them.
It’s sharing time! Are there any other areas that conventional marketing efforts contradicts social media marketing? Do leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
I’ve been on #TweetDiner (a weekly chat on Twitter) for about a month now and it has been really awesome thus far! Met a number of great people and have definitely learnt quite a bit from fellow diners. If you do not know how it works, we have a topic every week and we’ve been talking about LinkedIn last month and today we started on the series of Blogging (click here to see what’s coming up next).
While discussing about Blogs, there was a mini discussion about the differences between a Blog and a Website. How different is a Blog from a Website? Should every business Blog? Is a Blog a Website?
A quick ‘define’ function on Google tells us that:
A blog is a personal website on which an individual records opinion, links to other sites, etc. on a regular basis.
A website is a location connected to the Internet that maintains one or more pages on the World Wide Web.
What does this mean?
To me, this means that Blogs are merely a subset of a Website, in which a Website encompasses everything on the Internet – from Blogs, Forums, Social Networking Sites, Search Engines, Shopping Carts and etc. In other words, Blogs, Forums and Social Networking Sites are merely functions to a Website.
Blogs
Blogs in general operates as a Content Management System (CMS). If you were one of those that had a GeoCities site years ago, you were technically already “blogging” back then. The term ‘Blog’ only came into being when people started keeping online (or web) journals (or logs) on different Websites. Having said that, it is no wonder a Blog allows you to create, manage and publish contents so easily – just like what a CMS does.
Websites
Here comes the tricky part. True, traditional websites are built to have static information on what we call HTML. Content updating was a tiresome task and requires technical skills to do so which is why web designers earn up to RM10,000 (about USD3,000) back then for a simple HTML website. As technology grew, people found a way to update content the easier (and cheaper) way – through CMS.
As you can see, that is an unfair comparison. Websites encompasses (and can be a combination) of everything which is naturally more superior to Blogs.
Should / Can A Company Use a Blog as their Website?
PLEASE DO. An ordinary user may only look at WordPress as a publishing (i.e. Blog) tool. Did you know that that very same blogging tool you have holds great power (sorry, couldn’t resist that one)?
Let’s take a look at some examples of companies using WordPress as their Website, both old and new:
Interesting, no?
Some of these sites don’t even look like a Blog! How do we know it is WordPress? Simple. Simply right click on any Website and select “View Page Source”. You’ll be presented with a whole bunch of codes somewhat like below:
Some sites choose to rename the path to something else but if you’re familiar with the codes WordPress uses, you may be able to spot which is and which is not :)
3 Reasons Why You Want to Use WordPress As Your Website
#1: It’s Easy To Get Started
Head over to www.WordPress.org and you’ll know what I mean. Installing WordPress is as easy 1-2-3, within 5 minutes! It’s all about downloading the file, uploading it to your web host, put in your details and that’s about it. There’s even a VERY detailed guide to guide you on it. You’ll no longer need a web developer to do the job.
#2: It’s Easy to Manage
With WordPress as your CMS, you can now add your company’s content to it just like how you’re blogging. If you’re not ready to roll out periodic updates, play with the ‘Pages’ and put up the necessities – “About Us”, “Contact Us”, “Our Services” and etc.
#3: It’s Easy to Grow
Getting tired of your Website? Change the theme simply by downloading a new one, adding new functionalities with WordPress Plugins, Widgets and more! If you didn’t know, there are Plugins for inventory management, shopping cart, community membership and a whole lot more.
What are your thoughts on using WordPress as a corporate site? Have you used WordPress for other purposes other than blogging?
A few days ago I posted an article about how we’ve move away from the ‘E’ to the ‘Social’ era and it is interesting to note how far have we came since those days. I’m definitely happy to have witnessed the beginning of the Internet, the glorious days of Netscape Navigator (it was THE web browser, if you didn’t know), the rise of ICQ and the list goes on.
Looking back at those times, there are 5 lessons we can actually learn from to be applied in today’s ‘social’ world.
Lesson #1: Only The Fools Rush In
I personally know of someone that bought many domain names during the dot-com boom at a hefty price. He was convinced that they’re going to sell because he saw the potential of the internet. Some of these domain names were pretty good (and we’ve seen how people have been making big bucks of it) so he held on to them, just waiting for the right time.. until today – and it’s still there.
It is no longer a time where the number of accounts / websites you have make you look good. In fact, it hardly even matters anymore. It is all about having the right tools to do the right job. Don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against securing long-tail-keyworded domain names, unique Twitter handles or Facebook usernames but the question is: does that help you in achieving your goals or will it merely pull you down? Understand where your target audience is and focus in making that work for you and your customers.
Lesson #2: It’s Just Not a Numbers Game
Now, you may be thinking that it is still a numbers game as metrics such as number of unique visitors, click throughs, retweets and shares are important in measuring ROI on social media. That’s true, to a certain extent. However, most businesses today are looking towards the level of engagement you have on social media.
In other words, you may have 1,000 page views per day but if you’re unable to receive any kind of response (e.g. retweets, shares or comments), it still does not justify anything. Same goes to the number of followers or the number of fans on your Facebook page. It’s the level of engagement that counts and the number is secondary. Focus on building relationships with your customers by catching up with them every once in awhile.
Lesson #3: The Stakes are Higher
Gone were the days that you can simply start a business website, ignore the customers and yet make sales. With social networks kicking in, the news can travel within literally a click of a button. Social media has empowered customers to be more vocal and open with their thoughts, which can be both advantageous and detrimental to your business.
Which side do you want to be on? I’d prefer the former. If you’re like me, you would definitely want to listen to what the customers have to say and get them talking positively about you.
Lesson #4: It is No Longer About You
Your website looks impressive. You’ve utilized text, images and videos effectively and you have stated all your strengths and abilities to the very best – in fact, you look like an expert, second to none in the industry. What’s your social presence / credibility? Zero. You can talk about yourself all that you want on your website, Facebook and Twitter accounts but customers do not care. Rather, they’ll run away on sight.
Customers have become the focal point in every brand / business that is online. What good is your expertise if there’s nobody to share it with? Use your expertise to provide value to the network and you’ll be amazed with what you’ll receive in the long run. If you’re a consultant, blogs and webinars may be a good platform. If you’re in retail, Twitter and Facebook may help you get your products out faster than you would think, especially if you make it share-worthy, minus the sales pitch.See @geekbabe’s experience with Pretzel Crisps!
Lesson #5: Sharing is Caring
I don’t know about you but it would seem that most business websites were a little stingy in the past. There was nothing about sharing except Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V and every website kept it’s information to their own. You also end up signing up with tons of websites because they all require you to sign up with them.
While that seemed common back then, it is a whole new world today. Businesses are asking for their content to be shared by putting up share widgets, asking for likes and retweets, RSS allows content to be taken and published elsewhere, even account creation is minimized as many websites now integrate social media logins / verifications through Facebook and Twitter. Businesses see the importance of establishing a presence online today and having a website today becomes a necessity rather than a want.
Is your content shareable? If not, it’s time to make the change!
What in the World is Happening?
This is the social era and much have changed since the ‘E’ days. Businesses are becoming more transparent in their processes and knowledge simply because they realize the importance of providing value to their customers. When will the Social era end? Not soon – because being social is what humans do best. We are made to be social and this may just be the beginning of something bigger.
What have you learnt from the ‘E’ era? What other differences can you spot with today’s Social era? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
Just about 3 days ago I had an appointment with a potential client at a Starbucks outlet in town. Being one that frequents Starbucks quite often especially for discussions, I walked into this particular outlet without any expectations – already with a drink in mind.
I opened the door, stepped into the outlet and the baristas on duty turned and welcomed me. Nothing special here, most Starbucks outlets do that. It’s also a common sight in many cafes around the area.
I continued walking to the counter into the queue and something caught my attention. The barista introduced herself to the customer in front of me, got the customer’s name and began conversing with the customer by name. She eventually wrote the customer’s name on the cup and have been addressing the customer by name ever since.
I was impressed. Even after I got my drink I stood to observe just a little longer and all the baristas were doing the same – something totally different from the other outlets I’ve been to.
What’s the deal over here?
I can’t help but to think that businesses and individuals can learn a great deal from the situation above in their social media endeavors.
Here are 4 lessons I’ve learnt from this visit:
#1: A Warm Welcome – Welcomes are no longer a ‘good to have’ today. It is now a ‘must have’. Customers have grown to expect a welcome as it also makes them feel important and recognized.
#2: Personalization – This is the tricky part. On social media platforms such as Twitter, many are seen to be using automated tools to do the welcoming (auto DMs, anyone?). The least you can do is to take a few minutes to look at your new followers’ Twitter profile or blog and to address them by name. I usually try my best to give my new followers a shout out on Twitter to create an opportunity to get to know them better.
#3: Be Genuine – “Be yourself. People can sense when something is forced” @BrandonPDuncan. Take genuine interest in your followers by getting to know them first. There are plenty of ways to do this – read their blog, check out their Facebook page or their tweets. You can never pretend to know them.
#4: Consistency – The last thing you would want to be is to be inconsistent. Whether as a brand or an individual, consistency is key to build your presence and a lasting perception. I would say that you shouldn’t start off anything if you doubt you can stick with it. It may do you more harm than good.
Is there anything I missed? I would love to hear your thoughts on how businesses can enhance the experience of their fans and followers.
Just a couple of years back, the world was into the ‘E’ phase – ‘E’lectronic Mails, ‘E’lectronic Commerce, ‘E’lectronic Portals and the list go on. What’s happening to the ‘E’ today? How are the ‘E’s holding up?
7 ‘E’s that became Social
What other ‘E’s have I missed? What’s the ‘Social’ equivalent of it? Do share them below!
Just a couple of days ago, my good Twen @AskAaronLee tweeted an interesting stat:
Interesting, huh? It has much truth in that.
Many businesses and individuals go on social media to leverage upon it’s strengths and opportunities. You hear of testimonials of how great comments and feedbacks have benefited them and their business. Are we overlooking something over here? If positive feedbacks spread well on social media networks, negative feedbacks spread even better.
If that does illustrate the magnitude of dreadfulness, here is a scary calculation:
For every ONE complaining customer, there are an average of 26 customers who don’t bother to complain = 27 unhappy customers
27 unhappy customers x an average 16 people they will tell = 432 dissatisfactions
And this is just for ONE complaining customer.
What if we have 23 of them?
23 complains x 432 dissatisfactions = 9,936 dissatisfactions for every 23 complains!
How scary is THAT?
If it’s still not scary enough – understand this:
This research was done WITHOUT the involvement social media networks.
Which also means that the figures above were calculated based on conventional means of communication. Having that said, imagine what will happen with social media?
Using a similar calculation, if you have 1 dissatisfied fan on your Facebook Fan Page, that again totals to 27 dissatisfied fans.
If each fan has an average of 130 friends, 27 unhappy friends = 3,510 negative impressions on Facebook alone.
What happens if you’ve more?
Think again before ignoring that complain – it may cost you more than you thought it would. It is never ‘just a fan’ on social media. It is ‘what the fan can / would do’.
It will be awesome to hear your thoughts regarding the findings above!
Resource Source: White House Office of Consumer Affairs, Washington, DC
With over 600 million users connected via Facebook and 200 million on Twitter, it seems almost impossible to be on the network yet have nobody noticing you or your business. Is that right? In fact, many businesses think that they’ll automatically be spotted by millions of fans just by hooking up unto the social network.
A recent discussion with Andrew (@hanelly) from TMG Media got me thinking – how are these businesses doing on the social network? What kind of network are they building? Are they building a Ghost Town or a growing Business Hub? Are YOU building a Ghost Town?
5 Indications of You Building A Ghost Town on Social Media
#1: Your last update / post was at least a month ago.
Last updated: December 2010.
What does that tell you? Perhaps it shows that I’m not interested in what I’m doing here anymore, I just couldn’t care less, or maybe I’ve closed down? Whatever the reason is – it’s not a good one. If your social media networks are idle, you’re simply telling your prospects and audience that you’re closed for business.
#2: You do not have the time to respond to comments.
Have you been to websites, blogs or Facebook pages that are filled with enquiries but they are not responded to? Some businesses even choose to respond to comments selectively – which is equally bad (or worst!). To respond is to communicate, to engage, and this is the essence of social media. If you’re on the social network only to push content, you may just want to consider advertising instead.
#3: Your blog / wall is populated by others (spam).
Your blog or Facebook wall is yours, which also mean that people that stops by expects to see your content. Facebook walls have the tendency to be filled with advertisements and updates from other users if not managed properly and it only reflects a negative image on you. Customers walk into Starbucks for a cup of coffee and not to buy pizzas.
#4: Nobody seems interested.
Now this is a tough one. You’re spending a lot of time creating content, trying to open up opportunities for engagement but nobody seems to be listening to what you’re doing. This calls for a change. Try doing something different if you haven’t. Instead of trying to create conversations in your own blog / wall, go out and engage with others to build your network.
#5: You’ve abandoned the ship.
This is the worst that can happen! It is never, ever a good idea to abandon your social media networks if you’re still in business, simply because you’ll never know what will happen to it. It may become a spam paradise and it could be detrimental to your business in the long run. The least you could do is to delete / suspend those accounts if you’ve concluded that you’re not going to work on it further.
Are you building a ghost town?
I sure hope not! But if you think you have any of the above indications, now it is a good time to do a check and find out what’s going on.
What are your thoughts on a social media ghost town? Ever been to one before?
Gone were the days that you can simply start a business website, ignore the customers and yet make sales. With social networks kicking in, the news can travel within literally a click of a button. 
While that seemed common back then, it is a whole new world today. 
