When mistakes work out for the best – the Power of Social Media

I help businesses establish Social Media campaigns and create a transparent presence on the web. I have spent countless hours writing corporate policy, establishing best-practices and teaching social media neophytes the do’s and don’ts, as well as the jargon that can be expected to be found in this arena. However – I never taught my wife….

It all started – and ended – when my wife jumped on her Facebook page and read the following: “RT @JamesAkersJr: One of my friends has cancer & is shaving her head on Sat. If I can raise $500 I am going to shave mine as well…” Experienced Twitter users know that was a forwarded message from James Akers. However, she didn’t. She mildly objected – knowing full well I have been known to do some odd things in the name of charity before. Well – before I had a chance to correct her, no less than 10 of my friends were egging me on, offering to donate money to the cause. So I agreed to do it…

Bald is Beautiful!

What makes this story unique is this. I have never met James – except via Twitter. His friend (who shall remain nameless) is suffering from Stage 3 stomach cancer – and up until 2 days ago, I didn’t know her name. Social Media is intended to connect people with common interests, create a communication channel that is nearly instantaneous, and establish a level of trust and transparency through this open communication. As a business using SocMed, sometimes the goal is to create a “viral” response. I felt James’ pain for his friend through his tweets and decided if I already had support to go for it.

As of today, nearly $500 has been raised to help this woman with her medical expenses. Yes, a small sum given the costs to treat such a dreaded disease. But the fact that this started because of a single post on Twitter and has reached out to a group of people from all corners of the country is simply amazing.

That my friends, is the power of Social Media…

Real-life power of Social Media

Most people who know me, know I am generally patient.  I will take a lot before I snap – but when I do, look out, it may get ugly!  Well – ugliness happened today…

I have been having severe problems with my phone and internet service for the past 3 days.  Both are packaged together through Comcast Business services.  My decision to go with Comcast was pretty simple – they offered a great price, static IP addresses, 4-hour response time and most of all, they were a past-client.  It all seemed to make sense.

Well – I have had some serious service issues over the past year, most of which I let go without raising a stink.  Today I snapped.  My phones and internet have been more off than on for 3 days.  I was told Monday the problem was fixed.  I was told yesterday a tech would arrive to fix the problem (after 6 hours, not 4).  Tech shows up to inform me the problem is outside (already knew that) and another guy would be out to fix it.

This morning I come in to the office expecting things to be fixed – nope…  Now I am really ticked off…  I dropped calls all morning – one to a new client (hopefully doesn’t think I am bush-league).  Frustrating and embarrassing.  So – here was my answer…

Pull out the cellphone and tweet “Day 3 of no internet service from Comcast… so much for business class’s 4hr response time… anyone else find similar service issues?”.  Of course this ended up on Facebook as well.  However, things got much better from this point forward…

I received a tweet from@comcastbill stating this was “unacceptable”.  Turns out Bill is with Comcast corporate offices in Philadelphia.  I of course was skeptical – I had never heard of him – but @sellphone assured me he was legit.  Bill called me and agreed the issue should be resolved and communication should be better.  Within minutes, Bill Evans, a local manager with Comcast Business Services called me to apologize.  Mr Evans assured me the issue wouldbe resolved and a crew was on the way to handle it.
Comcast does a great job monitoring social networks.  I never asked them to contact me – I was asking the public for their opinions.  @comcastbill did a great job diffusing the situation.  Comcast’s internet speed is the best in our area, but reliability is key.  Lack of communication at the local level caused me to flip.  I thank @comcastbill for his handling of the situation.  I hope we never have to chat under these terms again, as he is genuinely a great guy and really does want to keep his clients happy.

Thanks Comcast, @comcastbill and Bill Evans for going above and beyond what was expected!

The Rules (of Engagement) are Changing…

I was sitting down Friday the 13th, having a cup of coffee at Bad Ass Coffee Co. in Estero with a friend, discussing different ways of using text messaging (SMS), blogs, social media and so on in a large, corporate environment when she says in amazement “The rules of engagement have changed!” Not only do I agree, but I had to write down “Rule of Engagement” so I didn’t forget to write this post!

Think about today’s consumer. How are decisions made? How have things changed? Remember the days when advertising and marketing would drive the consumer to use or try a product? Ads would be created touting each product as #1, The Best, New & Improved (btw – if something is new, how could you improve it already?) and Innovative. This trend was followed by “news worthy articles”, under the guise of a third-party, in an attempt to educate the consumer about a product. A brilliant step into consumer education, but like all things, this process was abused and the consumer became jaded. Then it was any product from a foreign land was the best, whether it came from the Amazon, German Engineered (BTW – German Engineering is indeed fantastic, but the phrase has become overused) or from some ancient secret recently unearthed. Consumers have been constantly bombarded with these marketing styles and in most cases, are able to pick up and tune out the message before any valuable information (if there is any) is received.

Today, the rules of engagement have changed. The purchasing cycle has changed – and here is an example that happened to me yesterday… My Sony TV died. I love my TV. Center-piece for family entertainment. Turns out it was just the projection bulb. OLD WAY: Drive to parts store and pay $250 for a bulb, $100+ for service call (Or buy a new tv). NEW WAY: Google “Sony Wega 50 TV DLP bulb” and find the instructions for replacement online and find multiple outlets to buy the bulb ($79 including shipping). I am grateful to have found the bulb, from a supplier that provided instructions and a 6 month warranty, for about 1/5th of the cost to do the same thing locally.

The Rules of Engagement have changed. Today’s consumer has more information at their fingertips than ever before. Learning how to engage your customer at the point of inquiry is key. Your advertising dollars need to stop being spent on flashy ads that are ego-centric and start driving consumers to the point of education for your company. Your client doesn’t want to see your ads. They know they are interested in your widget. What they want is the information they need to make the right decision. Welcome to the the new era – Digital Word-of-Mouth…

Editor’s note:  I found this post today – very concise and right on topic. Be sure to take a look!

Evangelist or Shepherd?

An Evangelist is one that travels from town to town and from church to church, spreading the gospel…

Interestingly enough, many people become evangelists of products, services, business and the like because of an experience so outstanding, so unique and so wonderful that they can’t help but “spread the good news”! Isn’t that what we are trying to create – evangelists and raving fans to create a level of trust and to strengthen our referral and word-of-mouth business? But how do we nurture these relationships once formed? Does it get old hearing the same message over and over again?

On the other hand, we have the shepherd, guiding the flock from infancy to maturity. The shepherd’s job is to lead, protect, educate and so on. The shepherd cares for the safety of the flock – often times putting him/herself into harms way. The flock develops a level of trust for the shepherd that is difficult to break, following wherever they are lead, under any circumstance. Maybe this is how we should be treating our customers.

Or – is there a time and place for both? Aren’t our marketing and sales efforts both evangelical and shepherd-like, depending on the situation? Most businesses want a steady stream of loyal customers they can depend on. Consistency, after all, makes planning easier (not to mention less sleepless nights!), budgeting easier and the overall business atmosphere more pleasant. The evangelist’s job is to get someone excited – to try a product once and then move on. They want to “get the ball rolling” or create the inertia in a relationship and then pass it off to the shepherd to be handled and managed.

If you are an evangelist for your business, your chances of repeat business is slim because you are great at getting the ball rolling, but no so great at keeping the momentum. If your a shepherd, you can cultivate a loyal following, but may have a hard time generating new business.

Which are you? How can you learn to put your evangelical hat on and change roles into the shepherd? Keep in mind the situation: spread the good news whenever it truly is news to the target. Nurture those relationships already familiar…

Impromptu 10-Minute Presentation…

Rolling the dice with some random ramblings..

At this morning’s BNI meeting I was discussing different Social Media ideas with some members when I was asked to fill in for our 10-minute presenter because her material wasn’t prepared.  Never being one to turn away the opportunity to speak, I said “Sure – I can cover for you” without having any clue what to speak about.  Then it hit me – continue the discussion about blogging, Twitter, Facebook – maybe even talk about last night’s post.

Here are the random thoughts(in no particular order) I penned at BNI.  I would love your input!

There is a HUGE difference between Baby Boomers and Gen Y – besides age!  As an early Gen-Xer, I can tell you I was raised with a certain level of modesty.  However, today’s younger generation (Gen-Y and Millenial) are less modest.  You can tell by what they post online (both text and pictures).  They appear to be more comfortable with the “transparency” that the internet brings.

“With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility“(Ben Parker – SpiderMan).  As noted in my previous post, anything digital must be assumed to be permanent.  Anything you do, say or post is subject to immediate and perpetual scrutiny.  The power of Social Media is tremendous – use it wisely.  Knowing that we are rapidly moving towards “Big Brother” may actually create a more morally-conscious society, while at the same time, creating an underground society that is darker and more secretive than ever before.

What are the consequences if you hire a “ghost writer” to handle your blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts?  Think about how well received you and your company would be at a cocktail party or networking function if you sent the equivalent of your sports agent or PR firm in your place…

All of these topics are blog-worthy (if not research paper fodder).  Thanks in advaznce for chiming in!

The Dangers of Poor Planning…

A very short discussion broke out on Twitter tonight (ok – maybe 3 or 4 total comments – more of an extended thought than a discussion really). I commented on how poorly-planned Social Media campaigns can be just as fruitless as their traditional-media counterparts. However, it was quickly brought to my attention by @pattyg23 that a poorly planned SM campaign will probably be worse. After thinking about it for a few moments, I tend to agree – and here’s why…

Everything done via SM is digital – and therefore unlikely to be destroyed. Think about it for a moment. Open up a separate window and go to Google. Type in your Twitter ID, or your Facebook or Myspace name (or alias) and see what you find. Your tweets are public (in fact I had one of mine used recently in a newscast in AZ – thanks @Careypena3tv) Nothing done on the internet is private anymore. NOTHING. Not just the pics you wish were never posted when you were drinking too much at a nightclub (or taking a bong hit in SC), but every word you type – no matter what your mood, reasoning or context, is saved somewhere in this surreal place known as CyberSpace. Any mistake you make may come back to haunt you in the future. It’s very difficult to put a spin on any written mistakes, but easy to spin other mistakes. An example would be Alex Rodriguez’s recent apology for steroids. It was easy for him to say “I haven’t taken anything since 2003” when he hasn’t been tested since then (no “paper trail”). However, it would be much harder to overcome this little PR nightmare had he told someone online he was juicing in 2007.

So – what does this all mean? First – don’t just jump into a SM campaign haphazardly. If you don’t choose to hire a professional to guide you through the maze, take the time to learn how SM works. Learn what makes members of each community tick, learn what the expect, learn how to earn their respect. In this digital age, news really does travel at the speed of light – and you never get a second chance to make a first impression, so make yours count…

Editors Note: As luck would have it, Marc Meyer posted on his blog (and subsequently on Twitter) some examples of mistakes he has made throughout his career.  He and Mack Collier both make the point that no one knows everything, and my post isn’t meant to deter anyone from participation, rather to think before you write(speak).   Thank you both for your insights! (BTW Mack – if you’re reading this, I still need to figure out the Tweet This code for WordPress!)

Just a quick follow-up…
We have all heard stories of someone getting in trouble for their antics in public haunting them online…
Here is a great example provided by Tamar Weinberg in her Social Media Etiquette post.  Tamar – great info… Thanks!

History is Destined to Repeat Itself…

…especially when we repeat ourselves. Not just the mistakes, but the triumphs as well.

There are countless blogs about marketing theory in recessions. Just Google it. You’ll see a ton of info out there. The case that I find most interesting is Proctor and Gamble…

P+G was founded in the 1837 by William Proctor and James Gamble, getting their start by selling soap and candles. Seeing as the company has survived every economic environment for the better part of 170 years I feel they are as good an example as any to learn from. P+G faced many obstacles as it grew into one of the largest and most successful companies of all time. P+G’s branding strategies encompassed everything from identifying markets and creating new brands specifically for those markets to creating competition from within (most notably in their line of soaps).

Even more interesting than how P+G managed to leverage it’s own brands to strengthen the entire company is their attitude toward marketing during recessions. P+G does not cut their marketing budget at all. Instead, they look for added value with current media and they look to new and innovative marketing ideas in order to break from the norm. An example of this would be the door-to-door surveys they did in the 1930’s. When the world was in the grasp of the Great Depression, P+G sent 3000 people to the streets to conduct door-to-door interviews with the consumer to find out what their concerns were, what products they were buying and why, and so on. The result was P+G was the only conglomerate to come through the Depression in about the same condition it entered it: STRONG!

Many things can be learned from their example. To me, the most important is this: Being Proactive is far better than being reactive. P+G decided to find advertising value by negotiating better terms and pricing with current vendors and taking the savings and investing into new programs. Sound familiar?

JustoutofHome and Wirespring have both pointed out a trap that many agencies fall into… “No one has ever fired an agency for buying 30-second tv spots” Not terribly exciting, and in today’s DVR world, not too smart either. Look at your current strategy and see where you can get better value for your dollar. Instead of saving, try new media like mobile billboards, digital signage, Facebook, Twitter, etc… You may find yourself pleasantly surprised!

If you are interested in learning details about Proctor and Gamble’s marketing strategies, I suggest Wikipedia is a good starting point

Must Everything We Do Be Tangible?

I guess this would be a follow-up to a previous post – maybe an addition…

I have never been surprised when a customer/client asks “So – how can I really measure the results of…?”  It’s a great question, one I wish I had the answer to.  I don’t think there is any way to accurately measure individual parts of any marketing campaign.  When it comes to marketing, 2+2 doesn’t (or shouldn’t) equal 4, it should be more.  However, you may never see tangible results from one aspect, while others get all the credit.  I made the mistake myself this week.  Looking through my client list, I came across The Crexent Business Center. My immediate thought was “I was a client of theirs, that’s where the business came from”.  WRONG!  In actuality, I found them through the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce and became their client.  Then – about 18 months later they became mine.  So in reality, the Chamber is the real source of the client.

Enough on that.  What I really want to know is this:  Will marketing/advertising/pr ever really be 100% trackable?  With all the variables and the ever-changing landscape of options, I highly doubt it.  Convincing a small-business owner that untrackable intangibles really do have value is the padlock on the door to earning their business.  Education is the key.

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures…

It’s another oft-too-used cliche and it is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society.  Times are tough and people are finding new ways to pay bills or even put food on the table.  In fact, I had to replace my water heater a few days ago, so I put the old one on the curb for garbage pickup and it was gone within 30 minutes (I am on a dead-end street)!  I had know idea there was enough value in a broken water heater…

What I really have a hard time understanding is why businesses feel they need to veer away from their image, their core competencies, their experience, THEIR BRAND.  I see it every day, locally, regionally and nationally.  “Going Out Of Business” has been transformed from a store closing to staying opened because of the new-found foot traffic.  I see prices slashed to the nth degree.  Loads of money being wasted on advertising and marketing all in the name of getting the consumer to spend what little money they have left.

I’m here to tell you this won’t work, it can’t work, it never will work.  Campaigns that are “too good to be true” are exactly that.  Today’s consumer is more informed than ever before.  The fact that a vast majority of people turn to the internet first for information should tell you something.  The consumer is looking for information.  They crave it.  They need it.  It’s time for businesses and marketing professionals alike to give the consumer the respect they deserve.  Don’t compromise your mission as a business in the name of the ole-mighty-buck.  Doing so will create a rift between you and your loyal customers that is unrepairable.  What’s worse is the consumer feels lied to – or even betrayed.  I would guess that’s not the image businesses want to portray.

Photo courtesy Olivier Blanchard

I understand that times are tough.  Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures. However, if your business plan is to thrive, not just survive, careful planning to be certain you are keeping true to your brand and your mission is just what it will take to push your business to the next level!  Ask yourself this: “What is the tipping point in my business?”  (great read by the way – The Tipping Point).  I doubt you want your tipping point to be a negative, desperate one…

Prioritizing matters more than you know…

Priorities and how to organize them.  This, in business and in life, seems to be the biggest distraction for many.  Priorities seem to change as frequently as daily for some people, but do they really need to?  For me, virtually every task, every event, every cause, action, reaction falls within 5 different categories (in no particular order) work, spouse, children, family/friends and yourself.  I will attempt to order these – with reason – and would love to read your thoughts.

#1 – My kids.  My children will always be first on my list.  That will never change, under any circumstance.  To me, and this may sound harsh, they are the only extension of me that is irreplaceable.  I don’t subcsribe to Bill Cosby’s theory (I can make another just like you – Bill Cosby, Himself).  I truly believe that every action I take affects my kids in profound ways.  As a parent, it is my duty to make sure they are raised in such a way to become caring and compassionate adults.  I will never live up to my duty as well as I should, but I will always be cognascent of the fact that my actions shape the lives of my two children.

#2 – My wife. When I got married, I made a vow for better or for worse.  I am not a big advocate of divorce, in fact I feel that most divorces should never happen.  Either the couple got married for the wrong reason or they are unwilling to put in the effort it takes to make it work.

#3 – Myself. I learned long ago that self-centerdness and selfishness lead nowhere.  However, a facade of caring and compassion won’t work either.  However, without a healthy body, mind and spirit I can’t be the father and husband I need to be, or the friend and business owner either.  Many people feel this should be placed at #1, but given the fact I would take a bullet for my wife or kids, I can’t possibly put myself ahead of them.

#4 – Family/Friends. No one can get through life these days without family and friends.  They help us grow by holding us accountable, challenging us, comforting us, laughing and crying with us.

#5 – Work/Business. Without a job or source of income, no one could provide for their loved ones.  However, without having all of my personal life in good health, there is no way my business can thrive.  I have seen time and again where #’s1-4 fail because emphasis is on #5.

My priorities are what they are based on my life, my situation and my own convictions.  Everyone has a different set, for different reasons.  I will say that if you are having serious issues in any part of your life, re-examine your priorities, take a long hard look at where your focus is and why.  Resolution may be closer than you think…