Video: Social Dreams
August 8, 2008
“If you build it … will they come?”
Many companies invest a lot of expense in developing their own custom social networks, tools and spaces. Although, this isn’t always ill-advised, we discuss some ideas to keep in mind when considering going it alone.
Video: 3 Social Selling Tips
August 8, 2008
How do you use social networks to sell?
We give you 3 tips to ensure better sales through these powerful channels. We also cover some things to avoid.
This video can be bought for the low-low price of $9.99 … just kidding
Why People Buy
August 7, 2008
We marketers love getting immersed in the nuances of the marketing process and branding theories. It is fun - but it is not that complicated. People buy for three reasons; reasons that have been around as long as humans have been around. The emphasis is on “buy”; the actual transaction, not “brand awareness” or “lead generation”.
Image
This is a purchase made because of how the product reflects their personal beliefs, self-image, etc. Examples: BMW, Starbucks, Apple, Urban Outfitters
Value
This is the best deal; the product that has the best quality-to-cost ratio. It also has to do with convenience and location. Examples: WalMart, Hyundai, Southwest, Holiday Inn Express
Best
This is being the best product/service on the market. This could be related to “Image”, but is typically about usability, quality, and/or features. Examples: Bose, John Deere, FedEx, RitzCarlton
Many products will have more than one of these - or sometimes all three. The key is to be at least one of them. Giving people a reason to buy that doesn’t fit in to one of these means you competing against thousands of years of human nature.
Some of this matching your story with the story they tell themselves (as brilliantly laid out by Seth Godin in “All Marketers are Liars”) - but often the true reason is not what they tell themselves. That is why you have to dig beyond the “lie” they tell themselves (”I’m buying this car because of the gas mileage”), to the REAL story (”My friends will be so jealous when they see me in this!”).
Keep in mind that any of the 3 can be word-of-mouth friendly. People talk about all three when done right. All three are also social media friendly.
So when you are creating your own out-bound business development (sales, advertising, WOM et al) strategy, pick one that best reflects your offering and go with it. Of course, this does not supersede being able to articulate your Simple Idea, having a perfect brand identity, and an unexpected customer experience. But it will help you keep it simple - and stay focused on the most important metric of all - sales.
What is Social Branding?
July 23, 2008
“Social branding” combines the principles of social media with the principles of branding.
An explanation …
Most of us know the principles of branding - reputation, image, positioning, name recognition, consistency, customer experience, product quality, etc. These are still true. The difference today is that most brands are at the mercy of The People. Less gently put, social media empowers people to grow or kill a brand in the blink of an eye. And you really can’t do much about it - other than manage the customer experience and keep open lines of dialogue.
The common denominator between brands and social media is people. Brands grow because of people. And social media accelerates relationships amongst people. With the exception of e-Commerce, most customers equate their brand experience with the people they interacted with. This is why social media allows big brands to act small and personal, while allowing small brands to reach more people. This is what makes social media such a powerful branding tool - people talking to people on a mass scale.
What has really changed are the rules of marketing - CPM, repetition, message control, promotion, etc. Consider some of the principles of social media:
- Social media is not a broadcast medium. It is a conversation platform.
- The heart-and-soul of social media is the conversation.
- Social media is person-to-person not company-to-person.
- Social media requires a transparent and open culture from all parties.
Of course, there are more principles, but these suffice to get the point across that almost all of the commonly held rules of marketing are diametrically opposed to social media. Simply put, nobody likes the guy who talks too loud and hands out his business card to everyone.
So …
What happens when you are transparent about your brand’s personality and purpose? What happens when you allow your employees and customers to be the “face” of your brand? What happens when your brand becomes a conversation topic? You get “social branding”.
To learn more about how to develop your social brand, click here.
6 Traits of Great Brands
July 23, 2008
What makes a great brand?
- They have a purpose; and this purpose inspires action.
- They have a simple idea and stick to it through trends and changes.
- They are driven by people - customers, employees, and stakeholders.
- They grow because of legends; stories told by the people that drive the brand.
- They are high-integrity organizations that are naturally transparent.
- They respect heritage, but embrace the future - as such, they are always relevant.
Notice that these are age-old rules of branding. In other words, great ad campaigns don’t create great brands. New tools like social media don’t create great brands. Great brands are born of integrity, great ideas, and- most of all - great people.
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