by Daria Steigman on August 20, 2008
My IABC/Washington Independents Group had a lively discussion last Friday about word-of-mouth marketing and social networking. We talked for a while about how to use these tools and tactics effectively, a conversation triggered in part by our speaker, who boasts membership in multiple social networks and over 6,500 contacts on LinkedIn alone. This broad-based approach to social networking works somewhat well for her business; it wouldn’t be effective for mine.
Following on that conversation, I found a great post from Brand Box blogger Amber Naslund about how to use social networks strategically. Here’s an excerpt:
Taking the time to understand your customers and how they’re using the Web to engage with businesses cannot be underestimated. Not every social site or network is going to be right for every business. And participating in one or two at a really engaged, invested level is much more important than having a face everywhere but a personality nowhere. It’s also important to recognize that just because I enjoy participating in a social community, it doesn’t mean that I’m connecting with a business audience of potential customers. They may be somewhere else entirely.
Read her entire post here.
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Tagged as:
IABC,
LinkedIn,
Social Media,
Social Networking,
WOMM
by Daria Steigman on August 19, 2008
I’m all for market research, but it’s what you do with the data that counts. A recent survey of 100 bartenders in Washington, DC, found that “Democrats may be better tippers, but Republicans are the more hardcore drinkers.” Democrats are also more likely to order a “fruity (pink) drink.”
So, let’s translate: Bartenders in Denver should bone up on their Cosmopolitan-making skills and expect big tips while bartenders in Minneapolis should stockpile the scotch and skip the small talk. Oh, and 74 percent of the bartenders surveyed said that Democrats have better pickup lines. Make of that what you will.
And kudos to Beam Global for finding an entertaining way to get its name in the news.
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Tagged as:
Market Research,
marketing,
PR
by Daria Steigman on August 18, 2008
You may have heard that Ed McMahon’s in mortgage trouble and that Donald Trump has reportedly offered to purchase McMahon’s Beverly Hills home and rent it back to him. While the two men are friends, I’m sure McMahon never thought he’d need a financial boost from The Donald.
The point is this: You don’t know what you’ll need, so why burn bridges? Too many companies adopt a transactional approach to business rather than building relationships. While GE, CVS, and other larger companies may get away with treating people as ATMs and data points, small business owners need to be especially careful to build value with clients, customers, and casual contacts. You never know when the guy sitting next to you at the ballpark might lead you to your next great business opportunity.
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Tagged as:
Clients,
Customers,
Relationships,
Trump,
Value
by Daria Steigman on August 15, 2008
Southwest, the company which advertises that “fees don’t fly with us” and “bags fly free,” flew more people around the United States than any other airline, according to Department of Transportation statistics released yesterday.
While American Airlines was levying high fees on soldiers heading into war zones (a practice they finally announced earlier this week that they were ending–after being excoriated by just about everyone), Southwest was winning passengers with a winning strategy. Air travel isn’t going to be fun or relaxing these days, but at least one company is trying to bring a smile to passengers’ faces. And letting us keep some cash in our wallets.
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Tagged as:
Airlines,
Business,
marketing,
PR
by Daria Steigman on August 12, 2008
This post isn’t about sports stars and their egos. (Clearly both Brett Favre and Manny Ramirez have ego to share.) Actually, Favre gets credit from me for acknowledging that he didn’t handle things so well of late. Neither did his former team.
Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein details lessons learned from how the Boston Red Sox and Green Bay Packers organizations handled their recent star dilemmas. He points out, for example, that the Packers’ mistake:
wasn’t in rejecting the “win-now” mentality of the NFL…[but] in not welcoming Favre back enthusiastically while simultaneously upping the ante on the loyalty issue by asking the veteran to help with transition strategy.
Read Pearlstein’s full column here.
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Tagged as:
Brett Farve,
Business,
Sports
