Insights and Ingenuity

In social media, there are no rules, only good practice and bad practice. Those embracing the medium and using the tools are figuring things out along the way, learning from compatriots and through trial and error. The cream – practitioners, tools, methods – is rising to the top while others (including service agencies and sole consultants) are jumping into the pot in search of their share of the soup. *Trouble is, some folks don’t belong in the kitchen.*

Chances to learn, grow, and evolve are all around you. Take them.

In many cases, it’s not the means that count but the results. Social, telephonic, snail mail or pigeon carrier. Companies simply can’t afford to turn a deaf ear to constructive customer feedback, irrespective of the outlet or channel from which the feedback originates. Customer sentiment is customer sentiment, period. Not listening (or perhaps worse – listening, but not acting and/or involving) is tatamount to shouting “Customers, we don’t care what you have to say. You, and your concerns, are irrelevant.”

As consumers, the experiences we have with brands leave almost indeliable marks on our minds and even our hearts. After all, we’re offering bits of ourselves (money, time, personal commitments) in exchange for a promise (whether real or implied or imagined) of delivery (the best taste, the most attractive fit, the most entertaining two hours). Where does experience begin? Where does it end? With today’s technology and consumer value drivers, the perpetuation of experience (duration, reach, strength, even frequency) means so much more than ever before.

A brand call-to-action video. Re-think your old “its about me” marketing. It’s not working with consumers anymore. Or hadn’t you noticed?