Marketing

Sarah Worsham / May 4, 2009

Word Associations – Customer Service – What Comes to Mind?

I think we all have different images about what customer service should be. But what’s the first thing that pops into your head? I polled twitter to find out:

twittercustserv A lot of frustration. As @TerryBean said, a “dying art”. @mistygirlph mentioned customer experience. @damnredhead and I had a longer conversation about how non-verbal communication is often forgotten (hands in the pocket or crossed arms). I like the images @impossibleman mentions – “standing along side” and “walking them through”.

Customer service is one of those touchpoints that companies often ignore as a cost center – or if they do provide customer service, forcing the employees to follow scripts or processes instead of actually helping customers. Customer service is a huge part of the experience companies have with customers. It’s not just about after the product/service is bought. It’s beforehand, it’s during and it’s after. Customer service is about experience and reputation. Customer service impacts all business departments – marketing, PR, accounting, etc. Being dedicated to customer service and actually providing good customer service are two different things. But customer service is something that can help companies make it through a tough economy.

I had a conversation with @CharlieCurve on the phone and he mentioned the problems Twitter was having last summer where it was down for days at a time. People were frustrated but were still fighting for the brand, wanting it to make it – embracing the FailWhale. If your product or service were to have that kind of problem, how would your customers react?

Technorati tags: customer service, brand, customer experience, business, marketing strategy, marketing

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Sarah Worsham / May 1, 2009

Social Media Use Case – Insights Group – Business CoWorking & Organic Marketing

Insights Group in Brighton, MI provides businesses with co-working space (office space you can use whenever) and organic marketing services (helping your business get more business). Co-founders Sandra Maki and Allan Curtis are inherently social people – Sandra is always ready with a hug. They’ve taken that knack of being social online to use social media to connect people and get the word out.

We are helping to teach small business owners how to use social media as one of the marketing strategies for their business. Social Media is the #1 choice to get started marketing a business, and to add to an already established plan. Best of all, it doesn’t cost you a thing. Just a bit of time invested. So many things are changing daily, and by having a presence on the web, and utilizing social media, incredible opportunities present themselves. So many of the people who have attended our classes are amazed by what doing a few simple things online start to do for their business. We have a member who has been in business for 16 years. She says that since coming to InSights classes and putting into place some of the things we teach, her business has more than doubled. Social media helps us connect to each other, fellow entrepreneurs and business people, and to our consumers. – Sandra Maki, Insights Group, Co-Founder

Insights is connecting people and to people by using a variety of social media, including Facebook, MeetUp, CollectiveX (for community) and regular blogging. Similar to directing an orchestra, various social media are used in concert to promote events, information and connect people. Using RSS feeds, Facebook and the Insights Community (CollectiveX) can be updated with posts from the blog. When events are scheduled, they are promoted on Facebook, Meetup and the Insights Community, with coverage on the blog. A synergy of socia media, using the strengths of each to reach the right audience, has helped Insights help businesses, and in the process, help themselves.

Being social is all about giving. Sandra and Allan help other businesses learn to use social media effectively, by teaching classes, providing insight and connecting people. They are helping local businesses reach beyond their traditional marketing efforts to increase their networking effectiveness. When you give and help people, they are more likely to recommend you. And, as most people who have met Sandra or Allan will attest, they are well worth the recommendation.

Is your Michigan business using social media effectively? Send us an email and tell us about it.

Technorati tags: social media, strategy, social media strategy, business, marketing strategy, marketing

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Sarah Worsham / Apr 30, 2009

9 Ways to Lose Business Using Twitter

Companies and inviduals alike have been flocking to Twitter. Many companies are using Twitter to enage their customers in meaningful conversations, helping with support issues and questions, and gathering feedback to improve their products and services. But some companies are just using Twitter as another broadcast medium, which can actually be harmful. When using Twitter for business here’s what you shouldn’t do:

Talk only about your company and products – Twitter is a social media for having conversations (that means two-way communication).
Ignore what people are saying about you – Twitter gives your customers a voice. Pay attention to what they’re saying.
Fail to Respond – For very large companies with many followers, it can be difficult to respond to every request, but you should try as hard as possible.
Talk about inappropriate subjects – This happens most often when personal and business subjects mix, but it could also be talking about controversial subjects. Just keep in mind that whatever you say is out there for everyone to see.
Sell to followers – Obviously some self-promotion is fine, but it should not be the main use of your Twitter account. And you shouldn’t direct message every follower with links to your product or promotions.
Ask for contacts – If people are interested in your products or services, they’ll contact you. If you provide useful and helpful information, people will start to follow you. People are very protective of their coworkers, friends and family, so don’t violate their trust.
Ask people to promote your stuff – If they find what you say valuable enough, they’ll tell others. Asking for a rt occasionally may be ok, but constantly bugging people to promote you will just annoy them.
Don’t do anything constructive with feedback – Your customers are offering feedback because they care (if they didn’t, they wouldn’t bother). If you don’t do anything useful with the feedback, they’ll stop giving it and it’ll be much more difficult to satisfy them.
Take more than you give – If you fail to offer useful and helpful information, offer support and wisdom, and give information, your customers will stop listening and go elsewhere.

I think a lot of it comes down to acting the same on Twitter as you would in person.

(photo by hansvandenberg30)

Technorati tags: social media, brand, social networking, business, marketing strategy, marketing

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