Buzz Builder

Building Customer Connections

The following is from the February 2012 edition of my Buzz Bulletin eNewsletter (subscribe for free here to get monthly stories, tips and strategies for building your business with word of mouth marketing - I promise that I'll never share your email address)...

“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Suffering from a cold that just wouldn’t quit, I ripped open a box of Cold-EEZE lozenges. A plain card from Ted Karkus, the company’s CEO, dropped out: “Cold-EEZE really works. I promise! I believe in it so much, I changed my career to run the company. I’d love to hear from you. Get well sooner, Ted.” The note didn’t provide a cure, but it did impress me as an authentic attempt to form a personal connection.

With multiple products and services in nearly every purchasing category, customer loyalty is essential for generating the repeat and referred business that fuels long-term success. While there is no universal formula for building loyalty, customers tend to support companies that care about them and their communities. The following three companies are doing a great job connecting with customers and their tactics can work for many different types of businesses.

Monitoring Satisfaction

How often do the institutions that collect fees from us check to see whether we’re satisfied? Too often, we’re viewed as annuities rather than customers. That’s why the phone call that I get twice a year from GoDaddy, which we use to register and host websites, does much more to cement my loyalty than their multimillion dollar Super Bowl advertisements of questionable taste. I’m always impressed with the friendliness of GoDaddy’s customer service representatives when they ask me whether I’m satisfied and what the company could be doing better to meet my needs.

Supporting the Community

In every Whole Foods, there is a prominent bulletin board or display showing the local organizations that the store supports as well as how many dollars have been raised for each group. These displays often include pictures of Whole Foods employees engaged in volunteer activities or thank you letters from those who have benefited. While many companies contribute generously to their communities, too few share what they’re doing effectively. The scope and quality of Whole Foods’ local giving is well-articulated on its website.

Rewarding Supporters

Too many businesses fail to recognize customers who refer their friends and colleagues. Those that do, stand apart. Recently, my wife and I enjoyed a terrific night out at a local restaurant with great food, wine and music. We were there with approximately 100 other people who had referred business to the Dennison Capen Group, a thriving real estate practice in Portland, Oregon. While the cost of the dinner was significant, the goodwill it generated will surely translate into referrals (in fact, the dinner prompted me to make a referral that I might have otherwise forgotten about!).

There are as many ways to build customer connections as there are different types of businesses. The key to success is to find a few ways that resonate with your customer base and stick with them to maximize results.

How Scott Avery Is Using Social Media to Grow His Hardwood Floor Refinishing and Installation Business and His Content Marketing and Consulting Company

The in-home services sector has been slower to embrace social media than many other industries. However, this interview clearly demonstrates that social media offers tremendous advantages for companies in this niche.

Patrick Galvin (PG): What do you do for a living?

Scott Avery (SA): My primary business is Modern Tech Floors, a hardwood floor refinishing and installation company in Portland, Oregon. The success of the marketing practices I’ve used to grow the business has spawned Momentum Agents which is our content marketing and consulting company for service trades.

PG: How are you using social media to build your businesses?

SA: We started engaging in social media activities in early 2009 and maintain a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

I’ve used LinkedIn primarily to ask for warm introductions. I’ve not invested much time yet in the other arena of answering questions in my area of expertise on LinkedIn.

Our primary marketing focus is blogging which allows us to educate our prospects and customers and it pays huge dividends in establishing our expertise. The amount of content in our blog has positioned our wood floor business at the top of organic search rankings. I would advise anyone interested in drawing in clients who like to research prior to purchasing to focus first on blogging.

An overlooked area in social media for some businesses is also Flickr because we have seen queries about our projects originate from there.

PG: Which social media platform(s) do you find most useful?

SA: Blogging is where I cast my vote for effectiveness. Because a large part of winning in the game of SEO is the number of indexed pages matching a particular keyword or phrase, blogging allows you to outpace the market for ranking if you just keep adding good, keyword-rich content. In addition, blogging provides a real window into the mind of the writer and establishes credibility. It also provides a great forum to engage your prospects and customers in a valuable Q&A format.

PG: Does social media give you a competitive edge?

SA: In this tough economy, I’ve found that consumers are still spending but are cautious and want to ensure that they are getting good value and dealing with reputable businesses. Consumers believe that companies that maintain a regular social media presence are more likely to care about their reputations than businesses that haven’t embraced the digital world. I’m no longer surprised to hear customers tell me that they have checked out our Facebook fan page in addition to our website when they evaluate our services.

PG: What general advice would you give to a small business owner who hasn't embraced social media?

SA: The hardest part of engaging in social media is starting which isn’t that difficult. Investing the effort in producing a well-written blog will build customer confidence. Furthermore, once a blog is well populated and produces leads, the content is valuable intellectual property and can add tremendous value when determining the sale price of a business. As for specific content advice, I strongly suggest that new business owners mix up the type of blog posts using video, audio, or written content to make things more interesting.

PG: What would do differently with social media knowing what you've learned through experience?

SA: I simply would have started sooner. A well-executed social media strategy has been the equivalent of adding a goose that lays golden eggs to our payroll.

Why I've Been AWOL and 2010 Business & Blogging Outlook

Since I started this blog in 2005, I've never gone nearly so long (nearly two months) between posts. But, my life has taken a marvelous turn for the better which was so all-consuming that I decided to take a break from blogging to fully enjoy the moment. Now, with life settling back into a more normal pattern, I'm returning to this blog with a new perspective and enthusiasm.

In November 2009, I traveled to Shanghai, China to visit a former client (DressMonkey) as well as a great business prospect. I did not have great expectations for Shanghai. From press accounts, I imagined that I would discover a gritty industrial city with little of interest to see or do. However, I discovered a sophisticated, dynamic place with an impressive infrastructure, friendly residents, amazing restaurants, lovely parks, and interesting sights. As for pollution, it was not nearly as bad as I anticipated, and locals told me that it has improved a lot in the past decade due to tighter environmental controls.

After leaving Shanghai, I met my wife Ellen in Beijing where we went through the final training in an adoption process that has taken more than three years to complete. On 12/7/09, we flew to Changsha, the capital of China's Hunan Province, to complete our family when we picked up Anya Yuzi Galvin, a healthy, happy, and energetic 21-month-old girl. We can't believe our good fortune in having Anya. It has been a joy to discover her unique attributes over the past month such as her love of spicy food. We never thought that we would need to ask a pediatrician whether it's okay to put Tabasco sauce on a toddler's meals so she will eat them (yes, it's fine). We've also learned that our daughter has an incredible affinity for music and dances whenever she hears it (particularly ballads from female singers but today she heard Rick James' "Super Freak" on the radio and couldn't stop bobbing her head in tune to the song). We've also gained a profound appreciation for all parents as we've learned the incredible effort it takes to mind a toddler who has no sense of physical danger.

As we kick off the eighth year of Galvin Communications, our word of mouth marketing and PR firm in Portland, OR, I'm excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. Even though 2009 was a challenging year for many companies, we had one of our best years as many of our clients looked to our services as a way to retain their existing customers and attract new ones at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising. We expect that this trend will continue in 2010.

I also remain committed to this blog for five reasons which I share now in the hopes that they might convince you to start blogging or renew a lapsed blog:

1. Blogging is "Googlelicious."

My blog is much easier to find on Google and other leading search engines than our company website. Search engines continue to rank well trafficked blogs with strong inbound links much higher than most websites.

2. Blogging helps me stand apart from my competitors.

I live in the 23rd largest metropolitan market in the United States (Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA) but I'm the only one I know of who blogs regularly about word of mouth marketing. I've attracted clients both locally and nationally because I'm perceived to be more knowledgeable than many equally or more competent colleagues who simply don't blog. Most professional categories are similar to mine in that you can quickly raise your profile through blogging because few are doing this.

3. Blogging builds my credibility.

By writing regularly about word of mouth marketing over the past four years, I've been invited to speak at conferences and meetings around the country which has enhanced my reputation leading to more speaking opportunities and the acquisition of new clients.

4. Blogging creates PR opportunities.

Some of the readers who come to this blog are journalists which has resulted in getting my quotes featured in newspapers and magazine around the country. For instance, a 7/8/09 publicity stunt that Greenpeace did on Mt. Rushmore on which I commented in this blog resulted in some great mainstream attention for me which I detailed in this post.

5. Traditional blogging is on the upswing.

An insightful post with a surprising graph appeared on TechCrunch on 11/24/09 showing how traditional blogs are growing in popularity while the microblogging phenom Twitter is waning. I've certainly noticed this trend in the analytics of this blog as my traffic picked up significantly in the second half of 2009.

Whether you decide to commit (or recommit) to blogging in 2010 or pursue other endeavors, I wish you the very best as your pursue your goals. Thanks for your continued interest in this blog despite the long hiatus without explanation.

Wineries Turn to Social Media Contests and Announcements to Generate Buzz

A couple of months ago, Murphy-Goode Winery in California generated tons of buzz when it announced that it was looking for a social media guru to "demystify wine" using Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites. The six-month dream job included a $10,000/month salary and free lodging.

The marketing folks at Murphy-Goode were inspired to create the position when it saw how Tourism Queensland in Australia generated a lot of online and mainstream media attention when it sponsored the "Best Job in the World Contest" that paid its winner $150,000 Australian dollars to live on a Great Barrier Reef island for six months. Interestingly, Ben Southall, the winner of the Australian contest, is now being criticized in the blogoshpere for an online diary that followers say sheds little light on what a normal tourist would experience.

Approximately 2,000 people applied for the Murphy-Goode position and 900 videos were posted on the company's website, a key part of the application process. However, when the winery announced the 10 finalists, controversy erupted when some of the top vote-getters weren't selected. Seemingly, the PR snafu was smoothed over when Murphy-Goode Winery selected Hardy Wallace, a noted wine blogger from Atlanta as its social media guru.

Murphy-Goode is not the only winery trying to leverage the buzz surrounding social media. Today, the front page of the business section of The Oregonian highlights how Willamette Valley wineries are successfully using Twitter and Facebook to boost sales - particularly with younger consumers. It was particularly cool to read how this year's Indie Wine Festival was able to to sell a lot of unsold tickets simply by getting the word out to its Twitter followers.

The Story Blog Explains How Banco Provinicia in Argentina Creates Interest with an Edgy TV Ad

On The Story Blog, which the excellent team at Creative Brand Communications produces focusing on bank marketing, credit union marketing and branding, I came across an unusual TV ad that Banco Provincia ran in Argentina.

In the post, which includes a streaming version of the TV ad, Maija Klarin wrote:
"Set in Buenos Aires Province, the spot features an elderly man who is moved by his bank to change the way he thinks about the town’s transgender hairdresser. He realizes that Banco Provincia loaned money to the woman with full knowledge of her transgender status, which causes him to reconsider his past treatment of her. The summarizing statement in the commercial is, 'Your life changes when there is a bank disposed to change'...

My feeling is that it will be a while before we see marketing as 'risky' from a US bank. Like many other industries have already done, I’d like banks and credit unions to tackle social issues and taboos in our country. Purely from a branding perspective, I think it would help financial institutions connect with consumers on a personal level and differentiate themselves."

Last December, my wife and I were lucky enough to spend two weeks traveling in Argentina, a beautiful and fascinating country well worth visiting. Perhaps because of all the old buildings and run down infrastructure, the country didn't strike us as being particularly progressive. But, I agree with Maija's take that advertisement demonstrates a remarkable degree of progressive thinking - particularly for a state-owned bank.

I can't understand why so much marketing for banks and other financial institutions in our country is so staid and safe. Of the billions of dollars that these companies spend, how much is remarkable enough to be remembered and discussed? Clearly, one bank in Argentina has discovered that creative marketing can stir conversations and makes positive impressions.

Will More People Eat Skittles Thanks to Twitter & Social Media Buzz?

In today's Wall Street Journal, there's a fascinating article about how Mars Snackfood launched a new website last week for its Skittles candy which attempts to leverage the power of social media. The article states: "Instead of a typical product site that highlights information about or videos and games related to a product, the Skittles website features content created by consumers - most of it gleaned from other websites."

The article mentions how the online buzz for Skittles jumped quickly after its new website launched with comments on Twitter going from just handful to more than 800 overnight. The comments are multiplying rapidly as you'll see on Twitter's search results page for Skittles. But when you review the comments, you'll note that most are merely attempts to land 15 seconds of fame as a tweet (Twitter post) scrolls up the Skittles home page. Additionally, a significant number of posts are quite negative about the product or Skittles attempt to stir up social media buzz. I'm sure that the advertising agency that created this new campaign for Skittles is telling Mars that online buzz is building and generating coverage in the mainstream press such as The Wall Street Journal and Advertising Age. But, would any of the people seeing this buzz ever eat even one Skittle? While Skittles foray in social media will likely garner its agency some advertising industry awards, I doubt that it will do much to sell Skittles.

SEO Secrets for Increasing Website Traffic

Below is the copy from our free February 2009 monthly Buzz Bulletin e-newsletter. To sign up for the newsletter and get a complimentary PR Handbook, please go here.

"If a tree falls in the forest, and there's nobody there to hear it, does it make sound?"
Anonymous

In the movie Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella hears a voice whisper, "If you build it, he will come," and envisions a baseball field. His wife Annie is skeptical but supportive and tells him to follow his vision. To the amazement of his neighbors, Ray plows under his corn crop and builds the field as requested. He waits all year, but nothing happens. Finally, Shoeless Joe Jackson and the ghosts of famous baseball players appear out of the cornstalks and vindicate Ray's dream.

Many people have Field of Dreams-like hopes when it comes to their websites. They believe that well-planned, attractive websites will automatically get high search engine rankings and attract visitors. Sadly, thousands of websites are created every day which are essentially invisible. Making matters worse, many entrepreneurs think they can buy their way out of poor search engine rankings with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising; however, only 30% of all Internet users will sometimes click on ads which are becoming increasingly expensive.

While the topic of search engine optimization (SEO) is complicated, there are five relatively easy things that you or your webmaster can do to help maximize your website's ranking at the top of Google, which is used for 64% of all Internet searches in the U.S., and other leading search engines:

1. Create your keyword bank

Research the keywords that people are using to find your site and use them to optimize your site. Use consumer-focused terms which are not necessarily the same as those that you would use. Working with one of our financial clients, for example, we discovered that few consumers ever type "401(k)" into a search engine. They use "401k" instead. There are free online tools, such as Google's excellent Keyword Tool, that can help you find the right terms for your keyword bank based on overall popularity.

2. Rewrite the page copy for every page in your site

Page copy should not only be optimized for search, but also for user experience. In the past, search engine optimizers tried to include as many keywords as possible, making sites difficult for users to navigate. Thus, it is important to find the balance between "search friendly" and "user friendly" copy text. Some general strategies include:

• Place keywords near the top of the page; it is best to start the first paragraph with your primary keywords.
• Bold or italicize your keywords so they carry more weight than regular text.
• Use keywords in headings and subheadings throughout the page.
• Include your keywords a few times in bulleted lists.
• Don't focus on one core keyword over and over again. Mix in many variations.

The primary focus of any page is readability. If a page doesn't make sense to human eyes, it's not good for a search engine because it won't generate sales. Use keywords often, but not to the point where you are writing for the search engine and not the user. When in doubt, write your content and then come back to it to see if you need to sprinkle in more keywords.

3. Change navigation into HTML text

Stay away from Javascript and Flash technology, particularly on home pages. Although Google can now read parts of Javascript and Flash, search engines still have difficulty indexing this content. Many web designers prefer to use images for navigation to improve the visual design, but for SEO they still offer little value. The best option for SEO is text-based navigation.

4. Optimize titles, descriptions and keyword tags for all pages

Page descriptions and headlines should include appropriate keyword terms for that particular page. Each page in your site has the ability under the right circumstances to reach the top 10 results for a specific range and scope of keywords. Each time you utilize the same title or description across multiple pages in your site, you diffuse the effectiveness of that page in terms of uniqueness. Moreover, it might trip a duplicate content filter causing your website to end up on page four of search engine results instead of page one.

5. Create external and internal linking strategies

External and inbound linking (also called link popularity) is one of the most important aspects of SEO. When others link to your site, it shows search engines that people think your website has important content which will boost its ranking. To see how many links your website has, on Google, type in "links:" followed by a space and your URL.

Some simple ways to start quality linking building:

• Build conceptually unique, link worthy content.
• Reach out to existing partners and clients and ask them to link to your website.
• Get links to multiple pages on your website not just the homepage.
• Ask journalists to include an active link to your website.
• Ask bloggers to link back to your website on their blogs.
• Comment on blog posts and include links to relevant pages on your website.

If you are interested in learning more about improving the visibility of your website on search engines, I would be glad to talk with you about our SEO services.

Buzz Marketing Camp Launching in San Francisco Bay Area - Learn How to Get People Buzzing & Buying on a Tight Budget

Many businesses are struggling to attract customers with reduced marketing dollars. Even companies that have kept their marketing budgets intact are finding it increasingly difficult to meet their sales objectives since consumers are buying less and not responding to traditional advertising. That's why I'm launching Buzz Camp which is a results-producing, idea-generating half-day workshop designed to help businesses of all sizes break through the commercial clutter and get people buzzing and buying in spite of a challenging economic environment. The first Buzz Camp will take place on 4/23/09 in Berkeley, CA in association with the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce.

Buzz Camp will cover:

• The latest trends in buzz marketing and what they mean for your business.
• How to build a cohesive brand message that drives business growth.
• Buzz secrets from America’s most successful companies.
• How to create buzz through online newsletters, seminars, special events, blogs, networking (both face-to-face and online including Facebook and LinkedIn), consumer review websites (Angie’s List, CitySearch, Yelp, etc.), and viral videos.
• The inside scoop on what the media and bloggers want and how to generate free publicity that greatly exceeds what you could afford to purchase in advertising.
• How to obtain free and prominent media and blogger coverage using a simple three-step process that Patrick developed to land his clients in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week, Forbes, Boston Globe, InStyle, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Business Times, San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, Oakland Tribune, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, The View from the Bay (KGO TV), NBC News, Evening Magazine (KPIX TV) , KTVU News, Home & Garden Television, etc.
• Techniques to increase the loyalty and enthusiasm of your customers and prospects that drive repeat sales and referrals.
• How to get to the top of Google and other leading search engines through search engine optimization (SEO) without wasting money on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

Check out details and registration information for Buzz Camp here.