Customers/Clients Archives - Page 29 of 35

Be sure your marketing tactic fits the challenge

August 14, 2007

We all know that the airlines are in big trouble.

Back in '03, on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being very dire, aviation industry expert Darryl Jenkins ranked the health of the US airline industry about a 10-12.

And it hasn't gotten any better.

Picture the scene of what has surely happened:

The execs at United have gathered all their marketing folks and their agencies into a big room and said "come up with something to make people want to fly United. And once they do, let's be sure that they feel special."

All those brilliant minds whirling and working. The smoke practically billows from their ears. Then, suddenly someone gives a shout. They share their brainchild and like a heavenly choir, everyone in the room sings its praises.

And so, the red carpet is born. (This one was the carpet in LA that we were not invited to walk upon! And doesn't it look like they are proud of their own program? Nice, clean carpet eh?)

Yes…that's right. Now on every United flight, there are two walkways to the jetway. Divided by cloth retractabelts, there is the walkway for those not smart enough to always choose United or who are infrequent fliers. Then, just off to the side, is the holy grail. The red carpet. If you are flying first or business class you can stride onto the plane after first crossing over the United Red Carpet. (cue the crowd's ohhs and ahhs here)

Come on. A red carpet? (Which really, as Greg Verdino points out, is a door mat.) That is the best you can come up with?

You cannot put a bandaid on a broken leg. United's red carpet is a surface solution for a very deep problem. If all of their flights were not oversold, or they hadn't cut their schedules to bare bones or you didn't have to pack in your own pretzels, then sure…try the red carpet.

Think about your air travel experiences. Would walking on a red carpet make you feel valued? Or as Greg asks, would it just make you feel silly? The majority of United's passengers don't fly business or first class. So how do you suppose being reminded that they're the peasants who haven't earned the right to parade on the red carpet feel?

Where else have you seen companies put a bandaid on a broken limb?

Is your brand acid-test proof?

Listen up (why your customers’ native tongue matters)

August 10, 2007

Have you ever been out in a public place, maybe enjoying coffee with a friend when all of a sudden, your ears perk up? You hear a familiar voice and you can't help but listen for it? Or you hear a phrase or word that trips off your own tongue on a regular basis?

It's human nature to be drawn to voices that feel familiar. Steve Lovelace from Build a Better Box has a great post about a study from the National Academy of Sciences about how infants respond to people speaking in different languages. The study suggests that even as young as five months, the infants recognize the tones and patterns of their native language and respond accordingly.

Customers are really just big babies. No, I don't mean fussy. I mean, just like the 5 month olds, they respond to their native tongue. But all too often — we don't write that way.

Look through your own communications pieces and see if you can spot one or more of the following:

Sales speak: "You can drive it home today!" Okay, yours probably aren't that blatant. But if it sounds like a slick salesman, it isn't going to fly.

Insider jargon: Do your materials look like an eye chart with all their acronyms? Are you sure your audience uses those same shortcuts?

Vague buzzwords: You know the words I'm talking about. Empower. Paradigm. Value add. It's not that those concepts are bad or irrelevant to your customers. But the words are so over-used that we assign very little meaning to them any more. Don't talk in generalities — be concrete.

Listen to your customers for awhile. Then, read your materials out loud. If they don't sound like your customers talk — re-write them. It really is that simple. Be sure you're speaking in their native tongue.

Are most businesses a little self-absorbed?

August 9, 2007

Do most businesses spent too much time looking in the mirror and not enough time thinking about and listening to their customers?

Check out my article on Marketing Prof's Daily Fix on how some niche airlines are breaking out from the crowd and join in the discussion.

No one is a demographic range: How to actually talk to people

July 27, 2007

Are you a 25-54 year old male who wants a motorcycle?

I'm pretty sure that there's never been anyone who is 25-54. Maybe 27 or 39. But not the whole range.

And yet…most marketing plans talk demographics. We describe our target audience is such broad terms that at best, they are a blur. No wonder most marketing copy (brochures, radio scripts, web sites) is vague and uninspired. If I asked you to say three things about a motorcycle that would appeal to a 25-54 year old, how in the world would you know what to say?

But, what if I said: you are talking to a 52 year old man. He's a white collar professional that just dropped his youngest off at college. His 50th birthday hit him pretty hard. He's been at the same company for 8 years and he and his wife get away for 2-3 long weekends a year and they take one family vacation a year, to the family condo time share in Boca.

This past year, he and his wife celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and he surprised her with a diamond eternity band. They like to entertain at home or go out for dinner with friends.

He likes to read thrillers and spy stories. He putters a little in the garden and plays poker twice a month with some old college buddies. He enjoys a good cigar and scotch at the poker game and is often heard saying "life is not about the destination, it is about the journey."

Now…could you come up with three things about a motorcycle that would appeal to this man? I bet your copy isn't vague any more.

Rather than trying to talk to shadows…and demographics, try creating the perfect customer. Every business has one. That doesn't mean every customer will match all the criteria, but the closer you can come, the better.

So it stands to reason, the more specifically you can talk to that target audience, the more likely you are to attract the right customers.

How do you begin to create the perfect customer? Grab a piece of paper and a pencil/pen and let's get you started.

Ready? Quickly write down the names of 3-5 of your company's best current customers.

Now, again without mental editing, list characteristics of this customer. These might include things like:

If your customers are companies:

Size of company (employees, locations, etc.)
Industry
Gross annual billings
Structure (partnership, corporation, non-profit, association, etc)
Type of work
Frequency of work
Amount of annual revenue for your company from this one
Type of day to day communication (do they need hand holding, have you ever met in person, are they a golfing buddy)
Market position (leader, #2, newcomer)
Personality of key customer contact

If your customers are individuals:

Age
Education
Daily Habits
Kind of work they do
Where they shop
What causes they are passionate about
Where in the life cycle are they
How do they dress
What kind of car do they drive
What's their leisure time look like
Attitude about work, family, life etc

Now look for trends. What do your best customers have in common? Begin to build a profile. Fill in the blanks as you can. If possible, make this multi-media. Are there colors, visuals, songs, smells etc. that you associate with this perfect customer?

Let this profile evolve over time. Tweak it as you begin to use it. If it helps, give your perfect customer a name. Aim your marketing right at that person. Write/design as though you are talking directly to them. And watch your results rise.

What do you think? If you've already done something like this, tell us about it. If you haven't yet…how might this be helpful to you?

Bad customers, branding, chasing cool and babies

July 25, 2007

If you're looking for me today, you're going to have to look all over. It's a little like "where in the world is Carmen San Diego" but with a twist. Check out my posts on these blogs:

Marketing Profs Daily Fix: No one believes in branding more than I do. But have we gone a little too far when we hire professionals to help us brand our baby?

IowaBiz: Everyone wants to be the iPod of their industry. What gets in the way of being a company capable of creating that kind of cool?

Small Business Branding: Everyone's had a bad customer. Guess what? That's our own fault. Branding done right can help us avoid those potential customers who in the end, just aren't for us.

Come catch me if you can!

Concentrate on the old this week

July 23, 2007

Current or past clients are a goldmine of potential new sales. Here are some of the advantages of selling to someone who has already bought from you:

They know who you are and trust/like you enough that they've done business with you
They are more likely to take your calls than a prospect
You'll be able to get past their gatekeeper
They've already experienced your product
They are also great referral sources
They are the source of testimonials
If they had a good experience, they will want more

Of course, if you fade away and lose touch, they will lose interest. So you want to be sure that an element of your marketing/sales plan include staying in touch with these very valuable customers.

Of course, you're going to have to talk to them differently. It's like the difference between talking to a stranger and talking to your cousin.

If you are like most businesses, you spend a disproportionate amount of your time chasing strangers and not enough time talking to old forgotten cousins.

Do you have a cousin or two that you should reach out to this week? Do you have something relevant to say?

Hey customer, thanks for calling. You are fired!

July 6, 2007

Sometimes the stupidity of Corporate America stuns me.

Sprint recently sent out a batch of letters to their own customers. The gist of the letter is that these customers have called Customer Service about billing or other issues too often, so Sprint is firing them.

What I love most about this letter is the ending.

You're fired because you call too much. But if you have any questions — call us!! And does anyone else see the oxymoron of calling it the Customer CARE department?

So, if you've been looking for a way to break your Sprint contract so you can grab a new iPhone, it looks like you just need to give Sprint a call. Or 10.

If you were the VP of Marketing for Sprint and the powers that be came to you with this decision…what would you have said? If they demanded the customers be terminated, how would you have recommended it be handled?

Update: Considering this was about less than 1,000 customers, now how badly do you think they handled it?

Celebrating a Virtual Ton of Fun – Drew’s Marketing Minute Hits 2000 Comments Strong!

July 1, 2007

Submitted by Roberta Rosenberg

Drew sent me a quick email informing me I had written his 2000th comment since he launched Drew's Marketing Minute and asked me ever-so-nicely if I would write a post about the reaching this milestone.

David Reich had been tapped for posting duties when his comment clocked in at 1000 and pushed Drew into quadruple digits. David's post, as you can read here, is eloquent and generous. But it didn't take very long to get to 2000, did it, Drew? Barely 2 months and bam! there you are.

What else could I possibly add as your 2000th commentator? Maybe I'll just accept my virtual balloons and confetti and call it a day. (Thank you, everybody. You're the greatest!)

Or maybe not.

I'm still a fair newbie to blogging and social media marketing. Coming to the medium from a marketing/copywriting career in print and old-fashioned web work — amazing to say a 10-year old medium is old-fashioned, but hey, I digress — the overall generosity of the marketing-minded blogging community in general, and Drew in particular, continues to astound and amaze me. And unless you're, like under 25 and are thinking what's the big deal, you probably feel the same way.

From one little acorn grew not only a towering oak but a veritable garden of digital connections. Some direct, some not so. Some useful, some just fun. All good.

Drew's devotion to his craft and his firm grasp on the philosophical and yes, ethical bigger picture, have lead to ebooks, several memes, get-togethers, and an abundance of link love. Hundreds of his fellow bloggers – marketing-oriented and otherwise – have benefited. I know I have, and probably so have you.

Even now, Drew has initiated yet another helping hand. In his post, Help me build a new blogger toolbox, Drew has asked his friends – let's call them "Drewpies" – to provide core resources for newbie bloggers. Someone was kind enough to mention The Copywriting Maven and when I finish this post, I'll be adding a few of my own favorites.

Congrats, kiddo. I'm proud to be a "Drewpie!"
–

Thank you for joining in the choir!

June 29, 2007

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved a great church choir. You know the kind I mean. They shout and stomp and clap and sing and rock out the house. Every single singer brings something to the party. They bring their passion, and their belief and their energy.

That’s how I feel about all of you. The people who read this blog. The people who take the time to turn the monologue into a conversation. The commenters. I told you when I hit 1,000 comments that "the comments are the interaction. The comments are the conversation. The comments are why I blog."

Last week, we crossed the threshold to 2,000 comments. Together. Roberta Rosenberg, the Copywriting Maven left the fateful 2,000th thought and as is now my tradition, I have invited her to write a guest post which will be coming shortly.

My blog will be 10 months old in another week or so. I’ve made lots of mistakes. I’ve done a few things I’m pretty proud of. But nothing means more to me than the fact that you keep coming back. And talking back.

Thank you to all commenters, including the following:

Aaron M. Potts, Adam Kayce, Adam Steen, Adrian Lee, Adriana, Al, Aldian Prakoso, Alex Bellinger, Alvin Borromeo, Amy, Amy HVG, Andrew Clark, Andy Beard, Andy Brudtkuhl, Andy Drish, Ann Handley, ann michael, Anna Farmery, Anne Simons, Art Dinkin, basketer, Becky, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Becky-Joe, Beth, Bob Glaza, Bob LeDrew, Brett Duncan, Brett Rogers, Brett Trout, Brian Clark, Bryan Person, C. B. Whittemore, Cam Beck, Caroline Melberg, Carolyn Manning, Char, Charles Brown, Charlie, Charlie, Chris Brown, Chris Clarke, Chris Cree, chris gribble, Chris Kieff, Chris Punke, CK, Christopher, Trottier, Chuck, Claire Celsi, Claire Walter, Connie Reece, Copywriting Services, Cord Silverstein, Cory Garrison, Craig Harper, Dan, Dan Scwabel, Darren, David Airey, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Brazeal, David Dalka, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Reich, Dawud Miracle, Delaney Kirk, Dennis Bjørn Petersen, Derek Tutschulte, Donna Konley, DotMySpot, Doug, Doug Karr, Doug Meacham, Douglas Mitchell, Dustin Jacobsen, Easton Ellsworth, Elizabeth Anderson, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Saunders, Eric Brown, Erin Blaskie, Fran, Gavin Heaton, gianandrea facchini, Graham Hill, Guy Kawasaki, Hannah, Heather Gallegos, Helen, Howie, Irene, Jaap Steinvoorte, Jack Hayhow, Jackie Cameron, Jackie Shervington, Jake Nudge, Jamie Shiels, Jane, Jane Greer, Janet Green, Janice, Jaynie, Jeff, Jeff Morris, Jennifer Espeland, Jessica Colleen, Jeremy, Jim Durbin, Jim Kukral, Jim Lane, Jim Tobin, Jim D Walton, Joan Schramm, Joe Raasch, John, John Dawson, Kami Huyse, Kammie K., Katie Cummings, Katie Konrath, Kevin Dugan, Kevin Hillstrom, Kim Klaver, Kirsten Harrell,, Kristin Gorski, Larry Lehmer, Leesa Barnes, Leslie Tane, Lewis Green, Lisa, Liz Strauss, Lord Matt, Lori Grant, Lori Magno, Mack Collier, Madena M Burman, Marie, Mario Sundar, Mario Vellandi, Mark Goren, Mark True, Martin Jellsema, Mary Schmidt, Matt Dickman, Matt Hamilton, Matt Heverkamp, Michael Libbie, Michael Morton, Michael Wagner, Mike Pearce, Mike Sigers, Mike Sansone, Mike Smock, mindblob, mitch matthews, Nathan, Nancy, Nancy, Neil Sanderson, Nicholas Gill, Nick Darling, Nick Rice, Nikole Gipps, Pat McGraw, Patrick, Patrick Schaber, Paul Enderson, Paul McEnany, Pete Deutschman, Phil Gerbyshak, Ray Edwards, rishi, Roberta Rosenberg, Robert Hruzek, Robyn McMaster, Roger Anderson, Roger von Oech, Rosa Say, Rush Nigut, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Healy, Ryan Karpeles, Sacrum, Sam Beckwith, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Sean Carter, Sean Howard, Sean Woodruff, Seth Godin, Sham, Sharon Sarmiento, Shaping Youth, Sherry Borzo, Simon, Stephanie Weaver, Stephen Denny, Ste ve Farber, Steve Harper, Steve Miller, Steve Roesler, Steve Sisler, Steve Woodruff, Susan Gunelius, Susan F. Heywood, Susan Martin, Susan Weiner, Sustainable is Good, T.J., Terra Anderson, Terry Starbucker, Thomas R. Clifford, Tim Jackson, Timothy L Johnson, Toby Bloomberg, Todd And, Tom Guarriello, Tom Swartwood, Tom Vander Well, Tony D. Clark, Tshombe, Uwe Hook, V. Michael Santoro, Valeria Maltoni, Vernon Lun

Want a 24/7 employee?

June 23, 2007

One of the more interesting of viral marketing tools is the idea of using avatars in place of live employees. Let’s face it, an avatar is never going to be sick, have to take their son to the dentist or want vacation time!

According to a study conducted by the Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford University, "characters (avatars) can express social roles, emotions, and organized personalities that match learning goals, company brands, and transaction needs. Characters can increase the trust that users place in online experiences, in part because they make online experiences easier."

Avatars are also being used for in-house training and many other applications. And your avatar doesn’t have to be human. Remember CareerBuilders.com’s monkeys? Odds are you received one of their Monk-e-Mails. This is one of the ones I created.

A new viral campaign they’re running is Age-O-Matic — what will your job do to you. And before you dismiss these are just fun and games, the Monk-e-Mail campaign increased traffic to CareerBuilders.com by 25%.

Certainly one of the most "famous" avatar driven marketing efforts is Second Life, the 3-D virtual world those boasts participants like Dell, the American Cancer Society and one crazy agency who announced their beginnings there.

Again, in case you think it’s all cute cartoons, according the the economic stats on Second Life’s home page, in the past 24 hours, $1,895,494 (U.S. dollars) was spent in world.

Want to check it out for yourself? You can create an avatar of your own, on SitePal’s free trial.

So, I’m curious. Is this technology beyond your clients or your business? Does it feel like this is only the territory of the big, retail businesses?

Is this one of those "cool, but not for me" things or have you used this sort of technology already?

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