Your Brand is what Your Customers Say It Is

More Insights from The Gravity Summit in NYC

“The key to WOM (word-of-mouth marketing) is NOT to make the brand look good - it’s making someone look good to their social network while they are talking about your brand.” explained Mike Lundgren from VML at last week’s Gravity Summit in New York. “Consumers trust other consumers more than they trust us” and your customers can make your brand look “more hip, socially responsible, smart, caring, in-the-know, funny…” etc.

“Consumers influencing consumers “(word of mouth” marketing) is playing a larger and larger role in brand marketing than ever before. That’s because Social Media makes it possible for companies to “listen-in” on real conversations as people engage with their brands and with each other. Your brand is not what YOU say it is, it’s what YOUR CUSTOMERS say it is. This was a common thread as the speakers at Gravity Summit shared their insights from their own experiences with Social Media marketing.

So how do small to medium sized companies make customers look good when they are talking about their brand? Here are some examples:

• Ramon De Leon, whose winning personality and innovative ideas has won him a huge following, owns numerous Domino’s Pizza franchises in Chicago. He’s a master at promoting his brand by promoting his customers. Ramon became a media superstar when he handled a mistake on an order with a “Videoapology” which became an immediate “cyber sensation”. Ramon prints his tweets on his pizza boxes. He runs online contests. He makes videos starring his customers. In turn, his customers promote his pizza.

• Kyra Reed and Nic Adler saved Nic’s family’s Roxy Theater on the Sunset Strip by collaborating with other clubs on the strip (who in the past never even talked to each other) to create an online community that enabled them to rally their fans and revitalize a dying area. And, after 20 years of banning the use of cameras in the club, they now encourage audiences to take photos during performances and post them on Flickr and Twitter, thereby promoting The Roxy to all their friends and followers.

• Brian Morrissey from Adweek encourages smaller brands to employ Social Media by attaching themselves to something larger, such as a charity, an event, a community, etc. The key is to align your brand to something relevant that people already feel good about in a way that everyone benefits. Making a donation when a customer makes a purchase and posting that on your website, blog, Facebook page, and if the customer agrees, thanking them by name, promotes your brand, your cause and your customers.

So, even if your company is not a well-known national brand, you can use Social Media to listen to what customers and potential customers are talking about in the online communities where they hang out (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.). Instead of simply marketing your brand to them, figure out ways to engage them and make them the stars of your brand.

Want to learn more?

Follow these folks on Twitter:

On Twitter: @mglundgren, @Ramon_DeLeon @nicadler @kyrareed @theroxy @bmorrissey

Check out the Gravity Summit

And here’s a great blog with great tips for attaching your brand to a cause: http://causemarketing.biz/

Posted in Marketing, Social Media, Word of Mouth WOM | 3 Comments »

November 22nd, 2009

Is Twitter Here to Stay?

Insights from The Gravity Summit in NYC

I hear this all the time: “If Twitter doesn’t start making money soon, it won’t be around for very long.” Yes, Twitter is a great tool. I spend hours upon hours using it for my own company and for clients. But I don’t really care if Twitter is here to stay.

What is important is that Twitter represents the most significant shift in the way we communicate since the telephone was introduced. Twitter is short, real-time messaging and is changing the way we will get and share information in the future.

Twitter isn’t for just geeks; it’s being used by businesses to market, by fire departments to get to emergencies faster, and by charities to reach donors. Twitter is a breaking news channel. It’s the Yellow Pages on steroids. It’s a social networking site. It’s a research tool. In fact, it’s so content-rich that Google and Bing are now including Tweets in their search results. But, if Twitter disappeared tomorrow, not much would change.

There are hundreds of other platforms (some just as good, some even better) that are ready to replace Twitter in the blink of an eye.

So if you have been standing on the sidelines hoping Twitter will just “go away” it’s time to dip your toe in. Twitter may not be around forever, but this new form of communication will. Get started!

Tags: Gravity Summit, Social Media, Twitter

Posted in Social Media, Twitter | No Comments »

November 17th, 2009

Chris Brogan, Small Talk, and Me

Today Chris Brogan, one of my favorite people, posted a short video called “Small Talk is Big.”

It’s about the rewards that you get from showing interest in the people you meet every day. I totally agree with him. I’ve met Chris and he’s a natural. His genuine interest in people shows through in everything he does; from his best selling book, “Trust Agents” to the way he engages people in social situations. For me, learning the art of Small Talk was not easy. Unlike Chris, I wasn’t a “natural” so it was hard work for me to get there. But I can say without reservation that it is the most valuable skill I have ever learned for business and for my personal life.

So, if you are like I used to be, here are some tips to help you come out of your shell:

Pretend you are Oprah.

Really! Watch some talk shows. Talk show hosts are masters at making people feel comfortable and open up by asking them the right questions at the right times. And they do it without losing themselves in the process. Try it. Next time you are in a social situation (business too) pretend it’s your job to interview people for a living. You’ll be really surprised at what happens.

Be inquisitive in a nice way.

There’s a good possibility that the people you meet are just as uncomfortable with Small Talk as you are. It’s easy to make people feel comfortable by showing an interest in something about them (people love to talk about their jobs, their families, etc.). You will find out that you have a lot more in common than you ever guessed and by focusing on them; you will not be focusing on your own anxiety.

Leave your “salesman shoes” at home.

There is a fine line between showing genuine interest and simply looking for “sales signals,” and believe me, people can perceive the difference. Understand that developing relationships is a process. Don’t only work to get to “Yes”.

Don’t be scared to share.

Don’t be afraid to share a bit of yourself even with strangers. A personal story or anecdote opens up a whole world of possibilities of great exchanges and conversation whether you are talking to a clerk in a store or to your biggest client.

Developing the art of “Small Talk” has enabled me to become fast friends with many people who at first meeting seemed to have nothing in common with me. These relationships have helped me grow my business and have expanded my circle of friends exponentially…most of all have enriched my life. And, what’s more, our Social Media activites are the digital version of in-person Small Talk. So learn, enjoy, and share with me your experiences.

Click here to watch Chris Brogan’s “Small Talk” video (it’s really short).

Tags: Chris Brogan, Conversation, Sales, Small Talk, Social Media

Posted in Networking, Social Media | 1 Comment »

November 8th, 2009