Get Customers to Love Your Biz Using Web 2.0 Tools and Old Fashioned Relationships
Web 2.0, ain’t it great. I even do a training called Web 2.0 Guerilla Branding Training. Everywhere we go online these days, we read all about it. Unfortunately, the marketplace is overwhelmed with experts who forget one thing. Just as faith without works is dead, high tech without high touch is a recipe for disaster.
When the online marketing community t realized that the internet could be manipulated to make it interactive and used as a marketing platform, ergo Web 2.0, on line and other companies began to manipulate it into mass marketing. They took a new style of media marketing and turned it into the old style of mass media radio and TV tactics that people have grown to love to hate like interruption-style marketing in the form of spam and splogs.
What’s a splog?
splogs, are artificially created weblog sites which the author uses to promote affiliated websites or to increase the search engine rankings of associated sites. inauthentic text or merely stolen from other websites. These blogs usually contain a high number of links to sites associated with the splog creator which are often disreputable or otherwise useless websites.
What’s spam? Spam (electronic), unsolicited or undesired bulk electronic messages Wikipedia
None of these tactics builds relationships with people that'll turn them into lifelong, raving fans for you, your product or service. Bill Gates said back in 1995 that the on line companies who combine high tech and high touch will dominate. Web 2.0 is all about people, participation and persuasion. Forget just one of them, and you'll be forgotten about as quickly as your prospect deletes your well planned e-mail or long sales letter intended to persuade.
The bottom line is people will always prefer to buy from those they know, love and trust, like their family and friends. Their loyalty to their family and friends outweighs any kind of differentiation in the marketplace. If you are sincere about building relationships with Web 2.0 you can convert visitors to family and friends by building relationships.
Turning a Visitor into Friend A visitor is someone who finds your blog or podcast through a search, an article or by chance. Understand that if this visitor comes to you through a Google ad or other Web 2.0 type mass marketing they may already be forewarned about you. But if your visitor comes to you through an article, a podcast, a referral, then she will be more receptive to your message. She has come because she wants to learn more. If you provide authentic content with good information then she will be persuaded to subscribe to your list which is your ultimate goal, your ultimate on line relationship builder. She will subscribe because she wants to learn more. When this happens you now have a visitor who feels at home with you and just like your neighbor will come knocking unexpectedly because she feels comfortable with you, so keep your coffee pot on or keep your newsletters and your web site well stocked with fresh, useful information.
Friend to Family (or Customer)
Family is what your visitor becomes the moment she buys from you. Now it's your job to keep her in the family. Well if she’s a close friend or neighbor, you know what you do, you keep the type of sweetener she likes in her coffee and some of those wonderful sweet rolls that she likes. In other words, you make sure that your customer service to her starts the minute that she buys. When your friends become your family, if you take good care of them, they can’t live without you, your product or service, and they buy from you again and again.
Customer to Raving Fan
Herein lays the secret of extended success. When your customer grows to depend on you for whatever she needs, wants and desires--and tells all her friends and family about you, your product and service--you've got yourself a loyal customer for life. A loyal customer over a period of years, what’s that worth to you multiplied by the number of people she sends to you.
When forming these relationships, you must observe the standard rules of courtship and nothing does that like new media in the Web 2.0 world.
New Media Builds, Friends, Family and Raving Fans
Do you really think the phone companies are idiots, the old MCI, Verizon—they all have their version of friends and family networks? In an overcrowded marketplace, there are loads of people out there that need and want friends. They are being inundated with spam but no hint of someone asking for real friendship. Now all of a sudden you enter their world with an offer to “Be My Friend” from a social networking site and the day is looking brighter. Everybody wants to be someone’s friend. It goes way back to not wanting to be picked last for the playground games. When you enter someone’s computer from a social networking site, she sees your smiling face looking right at her from your page your message reaches her very core. She feels instantly connected to you. Mary immediately subscribes to your blog or podcast and becomes one of your regular viewers, watching your show every week to hear what you have to say. All of a sudden one day she buys from you and then she refers a friend and you have a raving fan or two. Why? Because you stuck your Web 2.0 hand out and said, “Hi, I’m the Monday Morning Marketeer and I not only want to be your friend but I want to give you some free tips every Monday on how to help you jump start your business.”
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information: © Joanne Quinn-Smith, Monday Morning Marketeer 412-628-5048 Listen at: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/33960Blog: www.marketingmondaymorning.blogspot.com
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Monday Morning Marketeer, Telling Your Technology Story--You Don't Have to Be a Techno Geek
Episode 48 Telling Your Technology Story: You Don’t Have to be a techno Geek!
One of the things that I learned from doing the Techno Granny show is that people love to hear about technology. It’s not only a favorite topic but no one wants to be left out. Also there are still a lot of people who don’t understand all of the fancy techno geek words. So take a lesson from the Monday Morning Marketeer, also known as Techno Granny in pseudo technology circles: tell your story so your grandmother can understand.
Write your story in simple terms, don’t be embarrassed for it to read like a children’s book. Big words and technology savvy stuff may impress the technologically savvy, but are they your target?
If you consistently tell good stories, and give information that is easily understandable, you will garner a much larger audience and your customers will not find it a chore to listen to you.
A comment was made that they like listening to my Techno Granny show because I act real dumb when I am interviewing my guest who is either people who use the technology and are conversant with it or are experts? I am not trying to impress listeners with my knowledge but to get knowledge out of the experts that will help my listeners.
The same information applies to all kinds of story telling: So what makes a good story?
First of all: Is it a good story?
Second: Is it appropriate to your audience?
Third: Will it hold your audiences attention?
Fourth: Is it easy to understand?
Fifth: Is it fun, even geekdom can be funny?
There is always more than one way to tell your story. Remember: Making mistakes comes with the territory. Capture their attention and make them want to listen.
What kinds of technology stories do you have to tell?
Information about your programs and services: I like to start off any story with a humorous or at least semi humorous dilemma. For instance I tell my cell phone story when I am educating audiences about Web 2.0 and how the paradigm shift from mass media, interruptive marketing is not that great.
Educate groups and committees: whether it is working groups, non profits, employees, business associates or customers—make it interesting, try a bold headline that makes them want to read more. This is extreme but when I wanted people to listen to my Techno Granny Show on Blogging and I knew a lot of my listeners did not quite understand, I wanted them to know it was okay that they didn’t understand so they would listen in? So I titled the episode, Blogging—is that a Country Dance? When I did an episode on Blue Tooth Technology—the title was Blue Tooth: Do I need a dentist or a college degree? Be creative!
Notifications: –Let me know the difference in how this sounds? “Using Web 2.0 to Promote Your Business or “Using Web 2.0 to Get People to Love Your Biz?”
Communication challenges:
Is good communication a priority? Well, with all of the e-mail out there and blogs and the fact that in the information age communication is super pervasive, the answer is that it is a SUPER PRIORITY. Now that communication is so pervasive, people will just not accept poor communication, which includes misspelling if it’s written and poor grammar
Also using too much information is not a good thing. (don’t require scrolling because your customers won’t read it)
Appropriate level of technical details: Don’t use jargon; keep technical info to a minimum; provide a link to more information since people who want technical info will seek it out.
Communication Solutions:
Be simple and direct. Shorter stories are usually easier to write.
Make sure the story and it’s language are appropriate to your audience
How important is IT to the story? Establish what is need to know versus nice to know. How much technology needs to be in the story? Just because you’re an IT professional doesn’t mean you need to load your story up with technology details. You don’t need to impress people even if you are not an IT person with your knowledge of technology. Sometimes less is more and simple is better.
Accentuate the positive. Don’t need to say email will be down because you are replacing an antiquated, out of warranty server. Tell them “we are installing a new, improved state of the art e-mail server for your convenience. Make your message benefit based-- tell them the benefit they will recognize as a result of the service. You will get more consideration and understanding if they see a meaningful improvement following an inconvenience.
Keep a positive focus; do not be overly apologetic.
Use multiple channels for sharing information. One story is often not enough; may need to tell it multiple times or different stories to different audiences. Share your story in different formats, e mail, newsletter, post card, fax, (often ignored with the advent of e-mail—don’t!)
Good communication is everyone’s responsibility.
One of the things that I learned from doing the Techno Granny show is that people love to hear about technology. It’s not only a favorite topic but no one wants to be left out. Also there are still a lot of people who don’t understand all of the fancy techno geek words. So take a lesson from the Monday Morning Marketeer, also known as Techno Granny in pseudo technology circles: tell your story so your grandmother can understand.
Write your story in simple terms, don’t be embarrassed for it to read like a children’s book. Big words and technology savvy stuff may impress the technologically savvy, but are they your target?
If you consistently tell good stories, and give information that is easily understandable, you will garner a much larger audience and your customers will not find it a chore to listen to you.
A comment was made that they like listening to my Techno Granny show because I act real dumb when I am interviewing my guest who is either people who use the technology and are conversant with it or are experts? I am not trying to impress listeners with my knowledge but to get knowledge out of the experts that will help my listeners.
The same information applies to all kinds of story telling: So what makes a good story?
First of all: Is it a good story?
Second: Is it appropriate to your audience?
Third: Will it hold your audiences attention?
Fourth: Is it easy to understand?
Fifth: Is it fun, even geekdom can be funny?
There is always more than one way to tell your story. Remember: Making mistakes comes with the territory. Capture their attention and make them want to listen.
What kinds of technology stories do you have to tell?
Information about your programs and services: I like to start off any story with a humorous or at least semi humorous dilemma. For instance I tell my cell phone story when I am educating audiences about Web 2.0 and how the paradigm shift from mass media, interruptive marketing is not that great.
Educate groups and committees: whether it is working groups, non profits, employees, business associates or customers—make it interesting, try a bold headline that makes them want to read more. This is extreme but when I wanted people to listen to my Techno Granny Show on Blogging and I knew a lot of my listeners did not quite understand, I wanted them to know it was okay that they didn’t understand so they would listen in? So I titled the episode, Blogging—is that a Country Dance? When I did an episode on Blue Tooth Technology—the title was Blue Tooth: Do I need a dentist or a college degree? Be creative!
Notifications: –Let me know the difference in how this sounds? “Using Web 2.0 to Promote Your Business or “Using Web 2.0 to Get People to Love Your Biz?”
Communication challenges:
Is good communication a priority? Well, with all of the e-mail out there and blogs and the fact that in the information age communication is super pervasive, the answer is that it is a SUPER PRIORITY. Now that communication is so pervasive, people will just not accept poor communication, which includes misspelling if it’s written and poor grammar
Also using too much information is not a good thing. (don’t require scrolling because your customers won’t read it)
Appropriate level of technical details: Don’t use jargon; keep technical info to a minimum; provide a link to more information since people who want technical info will seek it out.
Communication Solutions:
Be simple and direct. Shorter stories are usually easier to write.
Make sure the story and it’s language are appropriate to your audience
How important is IT to the story? Establish what is need to know versus nice to know. How much technology needs to be in the story? Just because you’re an IT professional doesn’t mean you need to load your story up with technology details. You don’t need to impress people even if you are not an IT person with your knowledge of technology. Sometimes less is more and simple is better.
Accentuate the positive. Don’t need to say email will be down because you are replacing an antiquated, out of warranty server. Tell them “we are installing a new, improved state of the art e-mail server for your convenience. Make your message benefit based-- tell them the benefit they will recognize as a result of the service. You will get more consideration and understanding if they see a meaningful improvement following an inconvenience.
Keep a positive focus; do not be overly apologetic.
Use multiple channels for sharing information. One story is often not enough; may need to tell it multiple times or different stories to different audiences. Share your story in different formats, e mail, newsletter, post card, fax, (often ignored with the advent of e-mail—don’t!)
Good communication is everyone’s responsibility.
Framework of your communication for technology challenges which are going to happen because it’s a good day when technology works.
If it’s a technology challenge:
We know there is a problem.
We have a solution.
Here’s when we will fix it.
Here’s what you need to do
Here’s where to go for more information
Here are your resources to help you:
1. Colleagues: at home and other institutions
2. Your customers
Try communications on a few of them to see how it works before you send it.
Proactive suggestions for technology stories:
Take opportunities to make your customers look good for instance when one of your customers starts a newsletter, sets up Face Book or My Space or starts their own Social Networking Group. How about telling their stories briefly as an addendum to your story?
How about starting a Student Advisory Board—get some students to sign on with you as advisors and meet with them monthly during the semester. Students are always looking to update their resumes and being on an advisory board makes him look good. Ask t hem what are the IT issues they think are important and want to talk about this year? Don’t want just the folks who are IT knowledgeable to give you input.
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information: © Joanne Quinn-Smith, Monday Morning Marketeer 412-628-5048 Listen at: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/33960Blog: www.marketingmondaymorning.blogspot.com
Monday, June 2, 2008
Episode 39, How Important is Your Web Logo? Will You Get the Second Date or the Second Click or the Sale? Will You Get the Second Date?
How Important is Your Web Logo?
Will You Get the Second Date or the Second Click or the Sale?
You can listen to the archived version of this show at:
I also chat with Sam from IWW, Irish Whip Wrestling and use his logo as an example.
Being in the Marketing business, I hear all the time things like, my web site is not worth the money or time that I put into it and I don’t believe I have made one sale because of it. As a matter of fact some estimates have found the majority of small-business Web sites fail to generate revenue.
What a sad mistake on the part of entrepreneurs and business owners. Most entrepreneurs seem to make the mistake of blaming their unproductive website’s performance on the site itself or even on the medium of the web in general. . The problem, more than likely not the site, not its design and sometimes not even it’s content—it's the lack of trust in the company behind the site. Most of us found ourselves in Marketing 101 wondering what trust is and why Building trust is important. Building trust via your Web site is essential. Why? In most cases in this informtion driven world, your web site is all inquiring minds experience before they make the decision to buy or not to buy or to do business or not to do business. Now for the reason for this particular topic: How do we build trust for a web site?
One way to build trust is through something right under your nose, and I mean that literally—your corporate logo. Bill Haig has written a book on corporate logos. The title is as long as his academic pedigree. The title is: How and Why Credibility-based Logos are Effective in Marketing Communication in Persuading Customers to Take Action: A Multiple Case Study Toward a Better Understanding of Creativity in Branding.) His premise and argument for it is this:” Used on a Web site, a company's logo can increase (or decrease) conversion rates at first glance.”
As I have alluded earlier, “At first glance” is more important than you think. We're talking about a high-stakes game that's over in an instant. The web is now the super bowl of marketing. There are no timeouts to regroup and certainly no “instant replays.” First time users either “get it” from the logo or they leave Recent Research by Google Ad Words finds that you have about 8 seconds to create enough of an impression for the guest to move on in your site and click further. This means that your logo needs to speak credibly and unforgettable that you have one major characteristic on your side: Credibility. In his book Bill Haig explains unqualifiedly that a logo that conveys credibility will increase conversion rates from lurkers or browsers to customers over four times compared to those that consumers do not consider credible.
This web logo thing is as unconscious as the attitude of a woman who meets a man for the first time who is not a construction worker whose shoes look like he is or a man who shies away from a woman with cracked and unfilled nails even though he will tell you manicures mean nothing to him. These are unconscious mechanisms at play in the mind upon first meeting of a person just as well as upon first glance at a web site. This first glance, very much like that first meeting between a man and a woman when they determine if there is chemistry or not is the Web turn-on or Web turn off point in the visitors click through relationship with you.
How? Well, in this first date metaphor boils down to this elemental characteristic of credibility. Credibility can very neatly be categorized by two traits: expertise and trustworthiness. For instance in the case of a house painting business both the expertise and trustworthiness, Bill Haig says; this can all be expressed as a paint brush shaped like a house. The idea of a logo is to communicate nonverbally, with a clean, contemporary style that suggests such credibility and trustworthiness tenets such as desirable efficiency and on-time execution.
If your website is not thriving, like any good mechanic who is trying to fix a car will tell you, look to the cheapest thing first. Check out your web logo, your corporate logo. What does it say about you? Doest it speak of credibility with the stellar traits of expertise and trustworthiness?
Ask a few friends, put a survey up or a poll, or ask a prospective client or a current one. Whatever you do, do it quickly. The speed at which you do this will determine the status of many of your second web dates or even getting past the first introduction without even a perfunctory, “Excuse me I have a meeting with another web site.” The most you will get is a “turn off” faster than a light switch by a “click out.”
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:
© Joanne Quinn-Smith, Monday Morning Marketeer 412-628-5048
Listen at: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/33960
Blog: www.marketingmondaymorning.blogspot.com
Will You Get the Second Date or the Second Click or the Sale?
You can listen to the archived version of this show at:
I also chat with Sam from IWW, Irish Whip Wrestling and use his logo as an example.
Being in the Marketing business, I hear all the time things like, my web site is not worth the money or time that I put into it and I don’t believe I have made one sale because of it. As a matter of fact some estimates have found the majority of small-business Web sites fail to generate revenue.
What a sad mistake on the part of entrepreneurs and business owners. Most entrepreneurs seem to make the mistake of blaming their unproductive website’s performance on the site itself or even on the medium of the web in general. . The problem, more than likely not the site, not its design and sometimes not even it’s content—it's the lack of trust in the company behind the site. Most of us found ourselves in Marketing 101 wondering what trust is and why Building trust is important. Building trust via your Web site is essential. Why? In most cases in this informtion driven world, your web site is all inquiring minds experience before they make the decision to buy or not to buy or to do business or not to do business. Now for the reason for this particular topic: How do we build trust for a web site?
One way to build trust is through something right under your nose, and I mean that literally—your corporate logo. Bill Haig has written a book on corporate logos. The title is as long as his academic pedigree. The title is: How and Why Credibility-based Logos are Effective in Marketing Communication in Persuading Customers to Take Action: A Multiple Case Study Toward a Better Understanding of Creativity in Branding.) His premise and argument for it is this:” Used on a Web site, a company's logo can increase (or decrease) conversion rates at first glance.”
As I have alluded earlier, “At first glance” is more important than you think. We're talking about a high-stakes game that's over in an instant. The web is now the super bowl of marketing. There are no timeouts to regroup and certainly no “instant replays.” First time users either “get it” from the logo or they leave Recent Research by Google Ad Words finds that you have about 8 seconds to create enough of an impression for the guest to move on in your site and click further. This means that your logo needs to speak credibly and unforgettable that you have one major characteristic on your side: Credibility. In his book Bill Haig explains unqualifiedly that a logo that conveys credibility will increase conversion rates from lurkers or browsers to customers over four times compared to those that consumers do not consider credible.
This web logo thing is as unconscious as the attitude of a woman who meets a man for the first time who is not a construction worker whose shoes look like he is or a man who shies away from a woman with cracked and unfilled nails even though he will tell you manicures mean nothing to him. These are unconscious mechanisms at play in the mind upon first meeting of a person just as well as upon first glance at a web site. This first glance, very much like that first meeting between a man and a woman when they determine if there is chemistry or not is the Web turn-on or Web turn off point in the visitors click through relationship with you.
How? Well, in this first date metaphor boils down to this elemental characteristic of credibility. Credibility can very neatly be categorized by two traits: expertise and trustworthiness. For instance in the case of a house painting business both the expertise and trustworthiness, Bill Haig says; this can all be expressed as a paint brush shaped like a house. The idea of a logo is to communicate nonverbally, with a clean, contemporary style that suggests such credibility and trustworthiness tenets such as desirable efficiency and on-time execution.
If your website is not thriving, like any good mechanic who is trying to fix a car will tell you, look to the cheapest thing first. Check out your web logo, your corporate logo. What does it say about you? Doest it speak of credibility with the stellar traits of expertise and trustworthiness?
Ask a few friends, put a survey up or a poll, or ask a prospective client or a current one. Whatever you do, do it quickly. The speed at which you do this will determine the status of many of your second web dates or even getting past the first introduction without even a perfunctory, “Excuse me I have a meeting with another web site.” The most you will get is a “turn off” faster than a light switch by a “click out.”
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:
© Joanne Quinn-Smith, Monday Morning Marketeer 412-628-5048
Listen at: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/33960
Blog: www.marketingmondaymorning.blogspot.com
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