Alan See

Beloit College recently released their Mindset List for the class of 2015.  This year’s list contains 75 items that provide a look at the cultural touchstones that have shaped the lives of this fall’s entering class.  Most of this year’s freshmen were born in 1993, just for fun; take a look at the world through their eyes:

·         There has always been an Internet ramp onto the information highway.

·         States and Velcro parents have always been requiring that they wear their bike helmets.

·         The only significant labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in major league sports.

·         There have nearly always been at least two women on the Supreme Court, and women have always commanded U.S. Navy ships.

·         They “swipe” cards, not merchandise.

·         As they’ve grown up on websites and cell phones, adult experts have constantly fretted about their alleged deficits of empathy and concentration.

·         Their school’s “blackboards” have always been getting smarter.

·         “Don’t touch that dial!”….what dials?

·         Dial-up is soooooooooo last century!

·         Amazon has never been just a river in South America.

·         Sears has never sold anything out of a Big Book that could also serve as a doorstop.

·         They’ve often broken up with their significant others via texting, Facebook, or MySpace.

·         They won’t go near a retailer that lacks a website.

·         Frasier, Sam, Woody and Rebecca have never Cheerfully frequented a bar in Boston during primetime.

·         Their parents have always been able to create a will and other legal documents online.

In general, the Mindset List is a statement of experiences and events that shape the views of this year’s freshmen.  And since most people believe their views are accurate it must also represent their understanding of the truth.  The perception is the reality.

Marketing is involved in the process of dealing with perceptions.  What makes the process even more challenging is that consumers frequently make purchasing decisions based on second-hand perceptions (friends, family and other social connections).  In short, they make purchasing decisions based on someone else’s perception of reality.  If your organization views the world through a product-centric position you may be inclined to dismiss the perception challenge.  Market research facts and figures convince you that the real truth is on your side and that the best product - your product, will win.  Do you believe that all you need is to have the truth on your side?  If so, you may need to modify your perceptions and embrace the phrase “through the eyes of the customer.”

Think about what first attracted you to your home. Your initial impression as you pulled up and viewed the unique landscape and exterior architecture. Realtor’s call it “curb appeal.” First impressions are important, as we all remember this warning: “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” In fact, psychologists, writers, and seminar leaders caution that we only have from seven to seventeen seconds of interacting with strangers before they form an opinion of us. With so much at stake have you considered your Twitter curb appeal? What I’m talking about are the elements of your Twitter page that can be personalized in a way to make your personal brand quickly stand out. Just consider these Twitter factoids from the folks at HubSpot:

• 59% of users fail to provide a web address in their profile
• 47% have not entered a bio in their profile
• Accounts with profile pictures have 10 times more followers than those without

Why are these points important? Because, when people are deciding whether to follow you they quickly look at your bio information, web address, picture icon, page background, location and recent updates to get a sense of who you really are. In short, your Twitter page is an extension of your personal brand. For that reason you should make sure your Twitter profile supports your personal branding goals and objectives. There are five areas of your page that you should focus on:

1. Profile picture. Pick something that fits the personal brand you want to project. In short, if you want people to take you seriously, don’t use an unprofessional picture. Also, consider how you may want to extend your personal brand across other social media platforms. In my case, I use the same profile picture for both Twitter and Facebook. I use a more formal picture for LinkedIn.

2. Bio information. Twitter only gives you 160 characters in this space so think about your personal elevator pitch. Say what you need to say, but don’t be afraid to let some of your personality show through. In addition, think about key word searches that might be run on the bio section through applications like Tweet Adder or Refollow to make sure your profile would surface.

3. Web site URL. Think about where you would want to redirect viewers for additional information. I use LinkedIn because it is a trusted source and recognized by most business professionals. I would not recommend using a URL shortener for this space. Your potential followers may not feel comfortable clicking on a link they don’t recognize, and at this point you don’t want to do anything that would discourage engagement.

4. Location. Some people feel uncomfortable disclosing their location. I believe the risk is worth the reward and that you’ll increase your chances of being found during relevant searches if you display both your city and state. Again, key applications like Tweet Adder and Refollow can leverage location information.

5. Background. Twitter offers several of their own backgrounds. However; if you’re looking to make your personal brand stand out I would recommend a customized background.

There are no mulligans or do-over’s when it comes to first impressions; so take the time to personalize your Twitter page. The extra effort shows your followers that you’re serious about your personal brand, and that encourages them to take you seriously, too.

“Give it to me in plain English.”  My children are grown now; but when they were teenagers I can still remember a few conversations that started with that phrase.  As a parent, I just wanted a straight explanation.  Come to think of it, as a public citizen and consumer I welcome communications that are clear, simple and jargon-free.  That’s why I find it interesting that the federal government is rolling out the Plain Writing Act.  The term ‘plain writing’ means writing that the intended audience can readily understand and use because that writing is clear, concise and well-organized.  It takes full effect in October, when federal agencies must start writing plainly in all new or substantially revised documents produced for the public.

“Federal writers are not supposed to be creating great literature,” the guidelines say. “You are communicating requirements, how to get benefits, how to stay safe and healthy, and other information to help people in their lives.”

What do you think?  Can clarity be legislated?  Can an organization that turns out boxcars of confusing benefit forms, tangled rules and foggy pronouncements change its culture?  It’ll be tough because federal employees tend to write with their bosses and agency lawyers in mind, not the public.

Does your marketing organization deliver in plain English?  Review your content and ask yourself … does this copy resonate with its intended audience?  It’s something to think about.

Maybe it’s just me and my Midwestern roots. But when you come at me full forces with “fanatical support” speak I feel a bit uncomfortable. Should I tell you my true feelings when you end our conversation with this question?

“Have I answered all your questions and delighted you?”

In truth you were not empowered to resolve my situation. So at the end of the day, I still have questions, and I’m really not delighted. Let me put it this way …

“You were very polite and I thank you for your time. It’s my sincere hope that some day your management will actually trust you enough to empower you to fix these situations in one simple call.”

Other than that, everything is just fine. I hope you have a great day!

It’s springtime and that means my weather alert radio will soon be broadcasting storm warnings:

 “The National Doppler Radar System has indicated that local conditions are right to produce severe weather.  High winds, damaging hail, and flash floods are likely products of this storm.  Seek immediate shelter moving away from doors and windows.”

Why do I often reject the alert advice by running to the front door to see what’s happening instead of heading directly to the basement?  Do I have a bit of storm chaser blood coursing through my veins?  Curiosity, adventure and scientific exploration motivate storm chasers and that can be helpful because when the social media lightning bolts fly the corporate climate can feel both scary-stressful and crazy-fun at the same time!  Social media has a way of generating the perfect corporate storm and the CMO is the natural lightning rod.  In fact, in today’s climate a CMO alert system might broadcast the following:

“The CMO Alert System has indicated that conditions are right to produce severe C-Suite turbulence.  High stress, damaging assumptions, and flash flood buzz words are likely elements of your next meeting.  Seek cross-functional support immediately.”

If you lead a marketing organization and are determined to keep your social media strategy on track you should consider the following:

1.   Face the storm.  You must face the storm, not your interns or even your direct reports.  If you hand off your social media strategy the chances of it surviving are about the same as a trailer park in the path of a F5 tornado.  Social media requires top level support and involvement.  You must stay personally engaged with the strategy.

2.   Look for the eye.  The eye of a tropical storm is a region of mostly calm weather.  Make no mistake though; the eye is not without risks.  After all, it’s surrounded by the eyewall where the most severe weather occurs.  Even so, quickly look for internal support from functional areas that are relatively calm in relation to social media initiatives.  Social media often requires major change efforts around corporate strategy, technology and processes.  And when it comes to change efforts, it’s a race to create a critical mass of support before resistance mounts. The longer it takes to create critical mass, the less likely that your effort will ever achieve it.

3.   Repair, rebuild and keep moving.  Unfortunately some storms produce damage.  If you’ve taken time upfront to create a strategic social media marketing plan and have social media standards and procedures in place you’ll be able to quickly address set backs and continue moving your strategy forward.

Storm warnings and lightning bolts may not sound fun.  But think about it, marketers have never been “dog days of summer” (stagnation and inactivity) type of leaders.

You weren’t expecting that title to kick-off my first post for 2011 were you?  Funny thing, it’s the title of chapter seven in Frederick Reichheld’s book The Loyalty Effect (©1996).  In that chapter Reichheld points out that an investor who built a stock portfolio out of the companies profiled in the book In Search of Excellence (Peters and Waterman ©1982) would have seen their returns trounced by the mediocre performance of the S&P index during the ten year period following the books 1982 publication.  In fact, by time Reichheld’s book came out in 1996 only one-fifth of the original companies profiled as “excellent” had remained excellent.

If success breeds success, how in the world did those companies lose their lofty status?  In Reichheld’s opinion what really helps us to achieve excellence is actually the study of failure.  It’s not exactly in our nature to seek out failure though; in fact, your career is probably linked to success, which means that getting too close to failure may feel threatening.  However, most people will admit that mistakes are often better teachers than success.  In fact, quality assurance experts will attest that when one component fails, it can cast a spotlight on the workings of an entire program.

Berry Network did many things really well last year.  In fact, as you might guess, I’m extremely proud of my marketing organization for the all the work they do.  From developing detailed media plans to designing testing programs, from creating new ads to managing thousands of production ads, from analyzing call data to developing detailed custom reports, from writing client newsletters to managing RFP’s; our marketing organization impacts all areas of our business.  Simply put, it would be difficult for BNI to function without them.  So, does that mean there is no room for improvement?  Hardly, we’ll keep pressing forward with our brand transformation and look for ways to help our sales teams profitably grow our revenue.  As we kick-off 2011 we’ll celebrate our successes.  But we won’t be afraid to examine opportunities for improvement.

It’s Army vs. Navy this weekend. It’s an annual football game between the United States Military Academy and the United States Naval Academy. A national championship is not on the line; but pride and inter-service bragging rights are always at stake.  Over thirty years ago as a Midshipman I pledged my loyalty to the Navy blue and gold. Then my son came along and decided to join the Army. He’s a veteran now who served in the 3rd Infantry Division and spent quite a bit of time in Iraq. By the way, I couldn’t be more proud of his service. Loyalty created through an emotional service bond is powerful. How does your organization build loyalty and create emotional bonds?

Eight Steps to Blue & Gold Loyalty

• Brand: You need to start with a strong brand identity that your customers can identify with. Your brand must not only communicate a message, but also inform, motivate and deliver as promised. The better your brand is at keeping its promises, the better your brand is at being trusted.
• Learning Relationships: Organizations that implement learning relationships are better able to understand and anticipate a customer’s unique needs. Learning organizations understand that great customer experiences start with listening to the customer to learn instead of talking to the customer to sell. Customers in a learning relationship experience a heightened sense of vendor awareness and are more likely to be loyal because their vendor understands their needs.
• Use technology: To connect in positive and collaborative ways. Customer connections that engender loyalty deliver a seamless experience across channels and touch points while demonstrating integrity and interest.
• Ensure and Empower: Ensure high quality customer interactions that demonstrate a caring attitude by empowering your employees to resolve problems. You can’t build loyalty if you don’t truly care about your customers.

• Great Service: Almost every customer has a service support need at some point. Use support incidents as an opportunity to solidify relationships. Providing excellent service and quick resolution can build customer trust.
• One view of the company: Despite the desires of corporate managers, the customer ultimately controls the relationship. If the customer is in control, don’t they need a 360 degree view of the company? Great customer experiences start when you make it easy for the customer to do business with you.
• Layers: Customers have layers, and relationship layers are built on trust and dialog over time. Customer loyalty requires the care and commitment to take the time, invest the money, and have the patience to grow the relationship.
• Dynamic real-time processes: Building relationships takes time; however, instant gratification has been a feature of our everyday lives for a long time. Give your customers their rewards now, and keep your promises on time.

The role of the Chief Operating Officer differs from industry to industry and from organization to organization.  In most cases the COO is responsible for the daily operations of the company.  Many COO’s have worked their way through the company holding different positions of responsibility and are now being groomed to take over the CEO position.  Key functions of the COO often include:

1.   Organize resources as set by the CEO with the aim of creating maximum value for the company’s stakeholders.

2.   Lead by developing and cascading the organizations strategy and mission statement and aligning personnel with company goals.

3.   Plan by prioritizing customer, employee and organizational requirements.

4.   Maintain and monitor staffing levels and key knowledge requirements that align with the organizations goals.

5.   Drive performance indicators for the measurement of the organizations results.

Will the implementation of a social media strategy transform the Chief Marketing Officer into an acting COO?  It might not be a stretch because social media impacts the entire organization, including all members of the C-Suite.  You can just imagine the CMO addressing the social media strategy conversations in many board rooms today:

CEO: Does Wall Street really care about this stuff? I thought this only involved your PR department.  What’s our competition doing?

CFO:  Are we talking about decreasing costs or increasing revenues with this strategy?

CIO:  What about network security?  By the way, we can’t allow everyone to be downloading all these new untested desktop social applications.  And don’t even get me going about the mobile angle.

Legal:  I’ll need to consider our risk and exposure.  Have we addressed any standards or procedures around social media?  Who did you say was going to be blogging and tweeting?

CSO:  Are we using this to generate sales leads or is it about customer service?  If it’s about leads, will the quality be good?  Should my sales teams be involved?  What about my call center?

HR:  Are we going to allow all employees access?  If so, what about productivity?  Are we using this for recruiting?

What do think? Does the CMO need a pay increase?

I have a new electric stove with turbo-boil. The manufacturer calls this feature “America’s fastest speed-to-boil” element. In fact, it heats liquids in a snap. Are you currently feeling pressure from your sales organization to use the turbo-boil feature? You know, turn up the campaign heat in order to snap the prospect through the sales funnel. Turbo-boil is great for making hot tea; but in my opinion it can backfire when applied to the consumer buying process.

Think about it. As a consumer do you want to be turbo-boiled? When you suspect that turbo-heat is going to be applied what are some of the first things you do to cool the environment?

1. Screen your calls?

2. Put your number on the do-not-call list?

3. Break out your cryptic email addresses?

4. Op-out?

5. Unfriend, defriend, stop following?

I can say yes to each of the above, and so can you. Marketing communication can be designed to convince, persuade, educate or negotiate; but let’s face it, the consumer decides what, when, where, for how long and in what form they want to accept our message.

The prefix meta- is used to mean about its own category.  For example, under the umbrella of business intelligence you often hear the term “metadata” which means data concerning data.  For purposes of this short post, “metastrategy” could be described as an overarching marketing strategy determining which media strategies to use during various phases of the consumer purchasing process (strategy concerning strategy).  As your customers move through the purchasing process, multiple media channels have the potential to impact their buying decision and shopping experience.  This makes an integrated marketing strategy more important than ever.

There is strategic marketing importance in each phase of the consumer buying process in today’s competitive economy.  In the Berry Network Social-Ready Assessment we asked respondents: “What level of priority does your company currently assign to social media marketing?”  Less than 40% of our respondents rated the priority of their social media marketing initiatives as neutral or low. Interestingly; nearly 100% of those respondents are SMB’s with revenues less than $100 million.  Does that mean small businesses are anti-social?  I don’t think so; but many are putting off their strategic marketing planning process since nearly all of the neutral and low responders also stated that “they haven’t addressed social media related to corporate strategy on either a formal or informal basis.” 

Not having a strategy is a dangerous place to be.  In fact, in the Forrester report “Benchmarking Social Marketing Plans For 2011” analyst Sean Corcoran states:

“Any company not creating a long-term strategy, setting budgets, allocating resources, or setting policy is already falling behind. Interactive marketers should follow the companies that were brave in social media marketing and implement now rather than wait and learn the hard way.”

The current combination of declining customer satisfaction levels and economic concerns is creating the perfect customer experience storm.  In this type of business climate those companies that focus on an integrated consumer purchasing process will be the ones that come out on top. That means a relentless and coordinated approach to strategic marketing across all media channels has never been more important.