Customer Service Trumps Social Media Still

Old Spice Commercials

Has everyone seen these Old Spice commercials? I think they're hilarious!



You can see more of these on YouTube!

Top Five Social Media Marketing Mistakes

Business Week posts an interesting list of the top 5 social media marketing mistakes.

Best Practices for Engaging Influencers

Reaching out to influential people online can be difficult for almost any brand. Fortunately, there are a few steps a brand or marketer can follow to simplify the process. These include:

• Look at your company, not your favorite blogger - Find out who your top customers are and who influences them first. Also, review internal databases for potential influencers currently doing business with your company.
• Identify what you can offer influencers - Engaging influencers goes both ways. A company should bring something to the table if it wants to partner with an influencer. Do not worry if you have a small budget. A company does not need to offer monetary rewards; however, be prepared to give influencers the chance to reach new audiences or give them access to valuable information.
• Consistency is the key - Many outreach programs fail due to marketers desires to meet short-terms marketing goals. Implement long term plans to help foster and develop relationships with influential consumers.

Source: SmartBlog

Do you like these tips? Feel free to leave ask a question or leave a comment.

Should Social Marketers Share Results?

Charlotte McEleny on New Media Age questions whether social marketers should share results. I think Charlotte does a good job answering this tough question. In fact, her response supports what I learned in a recent technology management course in my MBA program. A key takeaway from the course was that companies can profit more through information and technology sharing (e.g., Toyota licenses its hybrid technology to Ford).

Lastminute.com reported that it is aiming for £2m revenue from social media. Charlotte feels marketers need to start being more open about their return on investment, similar to Lastminute.com. Only by making return on investment information public, McEleny argues, will social marketers be able to ensure their industry's long-term growth.

How Do Financial Companies Use Social Media?

Mashable published an interesting article hightlighting ways banks use social media. As for me, I'm impressed by banks using social media to service customers. In my opinion, banks really put themselves out on a limb by going outside their organization (e.g., call center) to reach consumers.

Kudos to all the banks using Facebook and Twitter to service their customers!

Will Twitter Change Blog Design in 2009?

Find out the answer on Mashable.

Herbert Brothers are At It Again! "Free Doritos" Crash the Super Bowl

I had the opportunity to interview Joe Herbert when he participated in Doritos' "Crash the Supber Bowl" contest in 2006/2007. Well it looks like he is at it again. Please vote for "Free Doritos".

Dosh Dosh Covers Fundamentals of Social Media Marketing

Doshdosh.com posts an article for those interested to learn more about social media and how you use it.

It offers some insight to social media in general, tips on leveraging social media newsites and others such as StumbleUpon.

Overall, I found the article to be quite insightful. Let me know what you think.

Top Twitter Tools in 2009

Here is a sweet list of the top Twitter tools to look at in 2009.

Let me know if you've tried any of these out. Also, what do you think of them?

United Airlines Responds

I recently sent United Airlines an email requesting information about a corporate blog. I received a response at 11:54 PM EST December 24, 2008. That's right, United Airline's sent me a response on Christmas Eve. While I am thankful for a the response, the timing is a bit odd. Here is United Airlines' response:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Coyle,

I appreciate your request for the information regarding the blog of United Airlines.
Mr. Coyle, your complimentary comments about our magazine is especially appreciated. Please know that United does not have a blog.
Than you for your interest in United. We look forward to serving you again.

Regards,
Shailesh Singh
United Airlines Customer Relations

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again, I'm glad to see United Airlines respond to my email. Additionally, it looks like someone actually read my email and responded accordingly. It is much better than a simple "canned" response telling me that I'm a great customer, which is what I was expecting.

Overall, I feel United Airlines could really benefit by participating in social media. It doesn't necessarily need a blog; however, it should start by listening to consumers online at a minimum. Influential blogs such as Consumerist are always posting things about the brand online. For example, Consumerist recently published a post about a man suing United Airlines over getting him drunk and causing him to beat his wife. The article has received 12,500+ views and 59 comments on Consumerist alone. I'm sure that won't bode well for United Airlines. United Airlines, are you listening?

Does anyone know if United Airlines monitors discussion about its brand online?

Salvation Army Dabbles in Social Media

'Tis the season to be "giving." The Salvation Army is now using social media to increase donations.

Now, if only the Salvation Army accepted debit cards. I always find myself walking by a Salvation Army volunteer unable to give as I primarily carry debit and credit cards only.

I'm sure Visa and MasterCard could cut a deal to lower interchange fees for the sake of giving.

Has Anyone Tried ReTweet Radar?

Steve Rubel provides some insight about ReTweet Radar. This looks like a unique tool to help assess which topics are being discussed actively on Twitter. I'll have to check this out.

Ford Redesigned Santa's Sled

Check this out! Ford redesigned Santa's sled.

I wonder how many miles per gallon this thing gets.

Could Twitter Dabble in Online Search?

Does Twitter have a place in online search? You could "Google" it or "Twitter" it. I brought up the possiblity of another search engine trumping Google in a posting titled, New Search Engine Popping Up in August, 2008.

Does anyone have thoughts on Twitter becoming a potential player in online search?

A Little Problem....

I published a post about Kmart enlisting bloggers last week. Apparently, there is a bit of a snafu surrounding Jeremiah Owyang calling out Chris Brogan. Jeremiah insinuates that Chris is not authentic in his Twitter post. Visit Technosailor.com for more details.

More Companies are Dabbling in Social Media

David Ranii at Newsobserver.com emphasizes the growing popularity of social media marketing. He points out that social-media marketing is spreading as companies including SAS, Red Hat, Blue Cross and others recognize the benefits of blogs, online video and social-networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and more.

Ranii says, "According to Forrester Research, the number of social-media "spectators" -- people who read or watch social media -- has increased from 48 percent last year to 69 percent of people who venture online."

Personally, I feel more companies will engage in social media marketing in 2009. Marketers will have to find better ways to measure the impact that social media expenditures have on sales given the current state of the economy.

Scott Monty @ Ford Working Hard on the Weekends!

I sent a direct message to Scott Monty, Head of social media at Ford, around 10:45 AM on Saturday, December 13, 2008 via Twitter. Kudos to Scott Monty for replying within moments. Seriously, I don't know how he responds so quickly considering he has more than 5,900 followers.

I am glad to see him respond on Twitter very quickly. It shows that he and Ford value my input and opinions. Additionally, following up with people is offering great customer service. This clearly shows that social media = customer service. Kudos to Scott!

Kmart enlists bloggers for PR

Sears / Kmart are really starting to impress me with their social media savviness. A sponsored social networking campaign enlisting the help of six well-known bloggers is yielding big buzz for Kmart and encouraging consumers to give the retailer another look during the critical holiday season. Kmart gave each of six influential bloggers a $500 gift certificate to go on a shopping spree in the store and then blog about their shopping experiences in any way they saw fit (no censorship).

The campaign appears to have been a success. One post by Chris Brogan was typical. Under a header stating "This post is a sponsored post on behalf of Kmart via Izea. The opinions are mine," Brogan started by admitting that he hadn't "stepped foot" in Kmart since it was "merged with Sears" (acquired by Sears Holdings). He then described the fun he and his kids had browsing and picking out their items. Within the post, Brogan noted that he was surprised to see that Kmart had "upped their name brand game" and now carries high-end brands like Dyson and Craftsman. He also noted being pleasantly surprised at the savings on purchased items--not just through special holiday sales, but through the chain's everyday pricing on some items.

Sears / Kmart also have an interesting social networking community on Sk-you.com.

Do Brands Belong on Twitter?

Mashable asks whether brands should be on Twitter. I answer this with a resounding "YES"! And I'm not the only person who feels this way. In fact, Warren Sukernek replies to the posting by saying,

"There are several brands (we all have our favorites like Zappos, Comcast, HR Block) that have done a fantastic job of engaging their customers on Twitter. Furthermore, in a recent survey of 240 Twitter users on brand perception, most users (89%) agreed that brands should engage their customers on Twitter. The majority also had a better impression of brands that use Twitter for customer service (81%). And if brands were not on Twitter, the monetization opportunities would be limited to advertising and users fees. Clearly, unacceptable options for many.
So banning brands from Twitter would be a big mistake in my opinion. - Huge!"

I couldn't agree more. I feel getting companies involved helps increase the quality and credibility of conversation online; however, companies must be transparent and engaging. I do not want a brand simply posting information on Twitter. I expect to be able able ask questions and get answers!