Creative Concepts

On Mad Men, the ad execs of the 1960s rely on focus groups and psychologists to understand their clients’ customers.  Today, we have Twitter, Facebook and blogs.

Instead of employing tricks and misdirection to learn what people really think about a product or a brand, we’re now empowered to share our opinions with anyone who’ll listen, 24 hours a day.  But this generational shift from privacy to oversharing has created a whole new problem: we now offer too much input, rather than too little.

Thankfully, the web is loaded with tools to help you understand what your customers (and your competition, and complete strangers) are talking about.

• Wondering what’s on people’s minds? Start with Google Trends, and then dissect Twitter’s Trending Topics.
• Concerned about public sentiment?  Try any of these 25 social media tools for tracking online conversations.
• Have questions? Ask your customers directly with these online survey tools.
• Managing multiple campaigns? Keep track of them with rich metrics analysis from Radian6 or Scout Labs.

As you can see, there’s no shortage of ways to listen to your customers.  And now you can analyze what they say vs. what they really mean, all from the comfort of your laptop.

Of course, what you actually do with all that information is another story entirely — but at least you’ll never be in the dark again about what your customers really think.

Overwhelmed? We can help! Connect with us on Twitter or Facebook!

When our client Ouidad first launched their blog, they — and we — thought we knew exactly whom its readership would be: smart, savvy women who take great care of their curls and feel passionate about looking good.

It turns out we were half-right.

Yes, the blog attracted exactly the kind of readers we anticipated. But it also attracted a number of readers we didn’t expect, including teens, men and moms on the go. It also appealed to non-English-speaking readers in search of curly-haired tips, and African-American readers interested in more reliable hair care solutions.

So we adapted.

We helped Ouidad create new blog posts on the subjects their readers asked the most questions about. We broadened the blog’s focus to include tips for men, teens and kids (or, more specifically, their moms). And we now regularly include posts written in (or translated into) Spanish, to better accommodate Ouidad’s multilingual audience.

Our lesson?

Good companies support the customers they already know they have; great companies find ways to accommodate the customers they never knew existed.

Do you know who your customers are?

(Are you sure?)

What’s your favorite way to “discover” new customers? Tell us on Twitter.

We were flattered to see our client, Bigelow Tea, mentioned in Stephanie Schwab’s recent post on how to schedule blog content.  She cites the Bigelow Tea blog’s occasional use of celebrity-driven tea stories, correctly surmising that celebrities + tea + health benefits = quick and easy ‘feel-good’ reads that have built-in SEO juice.

If you want to grow your company’s blog but you’re stuck for inspiration or overwhelmed by time constraints, here are some additional tips we at Creative Concepts frequently apply to our clients’ blogs:

• Know (and write for) your audience(s). Odds are, your brand appeals to more than just one type of customer.  Identify the various audience segments who might find value in your blog posts.  Then, ensure that each of your posts appeals directly to at least one of those segments — science, sales, history, culture, celebrity, how-to, etc.
• Holidays are your friends. It seems like every day in America is National Something-or-Other Day, or World Whatchamacallit Week.  In what ways can your brand connect with each of these opportunities?  Writing about Bigelow Tea during National Iced Tea Month is obvious; writing about them during American Heart Month is an opportunity to connect with health-conscious readers.
• Surveys provide a one-two punch. Not only do they offer a chance for your readers to weigh in on a topic, but their answers can help you better understand what they’re most interested in.  For example, when our client Ouidad asked readers what their favorite Ouidad product was, their responses indicated that one of their products was a hands-down winner.  That feedback gave us an opportunity to help Ouidad create more content that showcases their top products, and to highlight those products whose benefits may not be as well-known.
• Find the best in-house writers. Some of the best voices for the Ouidad blog are the stylists at the Ouidad salons, who can speak firsthand about their experiences behind the chair.  And if someone has a great story but they’re not writers by nature, you can always interview them and then publish their story as a Q&A.

Of course, even the best content can’t find readers if it’s buried deep in a stack of “to-do list” items.  By sticking to an achievable blog management schedule, you’ll ensure those posts get written, published and read in a reliable fashion.

Last month, Ecover (our client) had an unusual problem. A UK consumer magazine named Which? alleged that several “green” household cleaners were fabricating (or “greenwashing”) their claims. Ecover was one of the brands named in the report, which was published in The Guardian, creating a maelstrom of public opinion.

But there was one problem with the article: in Ecover’s eyes, the methodology that Which? used to create the report was flawed, erroneous and misinformed — and now it was being reported as a verifiable truth.

Ecover responded with a full rebuttal of Which?’s claims, including a direct statement from Ecover’s CEO, Mick Bremans. And while the tempest appeared to subside, we at Creative Concepts helped Ecover remain vigilant for continued mentions of the report across all of its web channels.

When one Twitter user, Jane C Woods, tweeted a link to the Guardian’s article, Ecover’s Kipling Wagner noticed and responded by sending Jane a link to Ecover’s rebuttal. Afterward, Jane — who’s an Ecover customer in the UK — took the opportunity to ask Kipling a question about a problem she was having with her dishwasher, which she believed may have been caused by Ecover’s dishwashing products. Kipling and Jane each researched the issue — Kipling within Ecover, and Jane with her repairman — and each came to a similar conclusion, with steps to remedy the situation.

We (CC) asked Kipling and Jane about their discussion on Twitter, and here’s what they had to say.

Kipling Wagner, Assistant Marketing Manager and Brand Activator at Ecover, Inc

CC: How did you first discover Jane’s tweet re: the Which? article?

KW: I saw Jane’s tweet through my monitoring alerts on Tweetdeck.

CC: Why did you feel compelled to share Ecover’s rebuttal with her directly?

KW: I felt compelled to share it with her directly because of a combination of details. I looked at her other tweets to gauge what type of twitterer she is (was she sending out quality messages? Interacting with people positively? Was she influencing others? All of which she seemed to be). I also noticed that someone had thanked her for sharing the original Which? article, and this alarmed me because I knew this article was gaining momentum virally. If people were looking to her tweets for trustworthy information, I knew I had to share our side.

CC: How did you go about investigating her question re: her dishwashing issue?

KW: She replied to me, thanking me for the Which? article clarification, and then followed it with a product question. I was reluctant to answer because she is in the UK and we’re in the US, and I was worried about the invisible boundaries and crossing lines within our own company. Now I was interacting with a UK consumer, not just a UK tweeter. First, I let her know I had seen her question, and then I sent an email to our communications department to confirm with them my suspicions on why she was having said issue. Once they got back to me, I let her know the verdict.

CC: How do you feel about the exchange thus far? How has it been beneficial to you / Ecover?

KW: Absolutely beneficial. Although she’s way over in the UK, the boundaries on the web are non-existent. It’s important that we’re able to take a potentially negative situation – spreading of an inaccurate depiction of Ecover through questionable journalism – and turn it into an informed and positive exchange. Also, Ecover is very focused on being honest and transparent, so having the (new) ability, thanks to Twitter, to talk to someone about their concerns (like the Which? article) and then wind up resolving a product issue is priceless. I value that Twitter allows us to do all of this with our audience. It’s like “super practice” for those of us in marketing to be able to work out issues with our consumers, all under the watchful eye of others; we learn more about our own company and products and our consumers at the same time. It’s very rewarding.

Jane C Woods, Personal Development Specialist for Women

CC: How did you originally come across the Which? report?

JW: I am a regular subscriber to Which?.

CC: Were you surprised when Kipling contacted you with Ecover’s response?

JW: Very surprised. Initially, it ‘freaked’ me a bit, as it felt a tad ‘big brotherish;’ but then I realised that all big companies keep an eye out for discussion of their products.

CC: How did Ecover’s rebuttal change your opinion of the Which? report (if at all)?

JW: It didn’t really. Although I guess I would agree that the Which? report hadn’t gone into huge amounts of detail. I had had a problem with Ecover for a while in that my machine does get gummed up. Repairman said it’s a common problem with Ecover type products, and I also had to put some cleaning fluid through my machine… which kind of defeats the object doesn’t it?

CC: Was Kipling’s advice about your dishwasher problem helpful?

JW: Yes, in that it was the same advice as given by the repairman, i.e., run a very hot wash now and again, and run it empty. I do leave the drawer open, but I’m not convinced that will help.

CC: Do you frequently engage with businesses on Twitter? Do you find these kinds of digital interactions beneficial?

JW: Yes, often. I also tend to use Twitter to promote my business. It’s very helpful and it encourages me to buy from companies I have tweeted!

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Considering Jane’s ongoing concerns about her dishwasher, we expect more discussions between Kipling and Jane — and between Ecover and their growing international customer base — in the future.

After all, every problem has a solution, and those solutions almost always involve a conversation.

Is your business talking — and listening — to customers?

We’re often asked to showcase our client, Bigelow Tea, as a social media case study.  Last Friday, I told the tale of Bigelow Tea’s blogging beginnings (and their present day story) at the Corporate Communication and Web 2.0 conference for The Conference Board.

Some stories that caught the audience’s attention included the infamous Don Imus incident (as we’ve written about here, and which was included in Shel Holz’s and John Havens’s book, Tactical Transparency), the “How a blog saved Fruit and Almond Tea from oblivion” incident (written about here), and my closing summary, which included these tips:

1. Make sure your brand is consistent online and off-line
2. Everything begins with great content.  Do your customers want to read your blog?
3. Reach out to your online fans and support their efforts on their turf.
4. Don’t forget to listen.
5. Evolve with your customers and try to stay ahead of your industry’s curve.
6. Saying “thank you” is like magic!

Check out our slideshow from the presentation:

A few weeks ago, we noticed that someone was live-tweeting during her hair appointment at Ouidad, a New York-based salon that caters to curly hair.  (Ouidad is also our client.)

The tweeter in question was glowyjoeybunny, AKA Joey Alycia, who had answered Ouidad’s open call for hair models.  In addition to being a curly girl, Joey is also a technophile.  She blogs at Pink Sith, alongside her blog partner & site founder, Elvira.

During her visit, Joey tweeted about Ouidad’s great taste in music, how amazing her cut was turning out and what a wonderful experience she was having.  Afterward, she blogged enthusiastically (and unprompted) about her visit, proving that the “glowy” in her Twitter handle isn’t just superlative.

Impressed by Joey’s social media savvy, we asked her a few questions about Twitter, blogging and the way she interacts with businesses on Twitter.  Here’s what she had to say.

CC: How does your live experience change when you’re tweeting during an event (like your Ouidad visit)?

JA: I’ve found that when I’m live tweeting during an event, I’m more attentive to the details of the event.  This sounds counterintuitive, because one would assume that if I’m staring at my Blackberry and tweeting, I’m not paying attention – that simply is not true.  I become more attuned to details I feel my followers on Twitter would be interested in.

Also, from a marketing standpoint, I focus more on what is good and what isn’t good about the experience as a whole, because I am a fan of promoting businesses for good practices / criticizing businesses for bad practices.

For example, during my Ouidad visit I was tweeting about how pleasant the music was, and taking pictures of how nice the salon looked, etc. Had I not been on Twitter, I would have just been sitting there reading a magazine while my hair was being cut.  I would have been more worried about killing time and being bored than about what was actually going on.

CC: What types of experiences or insights prompt you to tweet about them?

JA: I will tweet about experiences that are really interesting and beneficial that I feel deserve to be mentioned, and I will tweet about experiences that are more negative and I feel deserve criticism.

For example, I was at a press event this past week where I could tell they had not planned for a large crowd because they did not have enough gift bags for the attendees.  I felt that if they wanted a positive review of the night and of the products being promoted that night, they should have had enough materials to provide to everyone.  I tweeted about that and received a very prompt and apologetic message from the event planners.

CC: You obviously enjoyed your Ouidad experience.  How did sharing it with your readers enrich the event?

JA: I absolutely loved my Ouidad experience!  I wanted to share it with my readers and my Tweeps (my followers) because I know that many people are hesitant to be a hair model because they fear that their hair would be ruined.  I wanted to promote the salon because I had such a wonderful time there, and I wanted to let other women know that being a hair model is a great experience.

Tweeting and blogging about the experience allowed me to focus on the details of my experience, and really allowed me to fully enjoy the luxurious (and free!) treatment I was receiving.  Like I said, had I not gone to the session knowing I was going to write about it, I would not have paid an ounce of attention to what was going on.

CC: Do companies often contact you based on your positive (or negative) online comments about their brands?

JA: Yes, companies often do contact either me or my partner on the blog about our reviews.  We appreciate having our efforts acknowledged, and we are also more loyal to companies who thank us for our reviews.  It feels good to know our hard work is being recognized!

CC: Which kind of feedback do you find more valuable: @ replies on Twitter or blog comments?

JA: I find both types of feedback more valuable.  I appreciate @ replies from companies, especially.  Companies tend to not comment on the blog as much as regular consumers / blog followers do.  I love blog comments from other women because they usually offer suggestions about products to review or application tips, which I love reading and find to be very helpful.

So… What’s the lesson here?

Brands: encourage your customers to talk, tweet and blog honestly about you.

If they love what you’re doing, they’ll share that love with their own audiences (creating new potential customers in the process).  And if they have a complaint, addressing it directly helps you simultaneously improve your business while demonstrating your respect for your customers firsthand.

Not bad for only 140 characters, right?

A recent article about a social media-savvy Domino’s Pizza franchise in Chicago proves that even a bad customer experience can lead to positive opportunities.  In this case, it revolutionized the way this particular pizza shop interfaces with its customers and manages their expectations.

It also reminds us of a story about our own client, Bigelow Tea, and how they turned customer frustration into customer loyalty.

In January of 2007, fans of Bigelow’s Fruit & Almond tea were having trouble finding it in stores.  Confused, they went to the website and learned it had been discontinued.  Because one ingredient had become difficult to acquire, and due to Fruit & Almond’s relatively low sales (compared to their top-selling teas), Bigelow had opted to cease this flavor’s production.

Now frustrated with Bigelow’s decision, Fruit & Almond fans turned to the first interactive channel they could find — namely, the comments of a completely unrelated Bigelow Tea blog post — and asked for help.

After receiving a litany of impassioned comments on the subject, Cindi Bigelow blogged the economic reality of the Fruit & Almond decision and apologized for the inconvenience.  But, having also seen this situation as an opportunity, Cindi realized that Fruit & Almond tea just might be worth saving.

Bigelow already had enough ingredients to make another 400 cases of the flavor.  They used that announcement to buy their R&D department time to concoct a new recipe that could be produced cost-effectively while still satisfying the flavor’s fans.

Today, Fruit & Almond tea is still available, but exclusively online.  And, in a pleasantly ironic twist, it consistently ranks among Bigelow’s top-selling flavors in their online store.

As much as we enjoy a happy ending, we love it even more when it reinforces our core business belief: Listen to your customers.  If they care enough to complain, it means they want a reason to keep coming back.

I was very thankful to receive a feature article in the CT Post/News Times by Rob Varnon.  He did a great job understanding what we do at Creative Concepts.  After having that article published last Sunday in the business section, we received numerous inquiries both from potential clients, potential team members and then those generally wondering what social media is.

One such call was from a local business that I’ve frequented with my family.  They were interested in working together, but they also wanted to learn more about social media.  I’m familiar enough with them to know that they have no marketing spend and are fighting to stay open.  While we try to remain flexible and work with a variety of budgets, this one was a stretch.

So, I decided to provide my fellow community businessperson with some pro bono advice based on my own experience with her service.

The owner said that advertising had done nothing for them, and only a handmade sign on the street and word of mouth has helped them build their customer base.  When they first opened, I had personally received some emails from them so I knew they had tried that method as well.

After understanding more about the owner, who said she was not comfortable doing “techy” stuff on the computer, I knew that a blog, Facebook and Twitter were out of the question.  (It’s always wise for any business to simplify.)  But after hearing that they had 4000 people on their email list, I suggested revisiting the option of email blasts — only this time around, she might do things a little differently.

• I advised that she should brand her emails more clearly, so a reader immediately knows where the information is coming from.
• I suggested that she send out more emails, more consistently — maybe two emails per week, at different times of the day, focused on a different target groups.  For example, at 10:00 am she might catch the attention of local seniors, while at 3:00 pm she might appeal to busy moms with a subject line reading, “Need Help?”
• I also suggested that she keep the content minimal so as to not overwhelm the reader.  And because this business owner is already busy doing what she does best for the store, it might work well to hire a new college graduate — or even an intern — who could be dedicated exclusively to this effort.

Along with the email blasts, I also thought she should co-brand herself with a strong partner in the community.  I gave her a suggestion of providing content to a local business who was successful at sending out emails to her perfect target market.

So, one good deed (a great article by Rob) begets another one (marketing advice for a local business), which is really how things should work, right?

I hope it all works out!

Valorie Luther

Founder, Creative Concepts

Your social media presence is only as useful as the change it triggers in your business. To that end, here are 3 recent case studies we’ve found, along with the lessons explained (or implied) by each:

• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) called in its bloggers to head off a potential PR disaster stemming from one blogger’s (misinformation-driven?) post about her baby being seized during airport screening.  (Lesson: Companies large and small are realizing that web-driven PR fires need to be addressed immediately.)
• Michael Bissell gives a blow-by-blow account of how an offhanded web comment resulted in LinkedIn considering a change to the way they process information.  (Lesson: Consumers, speak up; you never know who’s listening.)
• Network Solutions assigned one employee to manage a wave of customer dissatisfaction on Twitter.  The result?  A flip from 58% negative commentary to 18%, and several positive blog mentions of individual outreach.  (Lesson: Even a small effort toward improving your customers’ experience can help turn the tide of dissatisfaction.)

In each example, companies are proving that engaging dissatisfied (or downright angry) customers directly can mitigate the potential PR damage caused by consumer aggravation.  And while those concerns are normally specific to a time, place and incident, the goodwill engendered by such outreach is a long-standing example that reminds customers at large how much your company does care about their experience — and it shows them that you’re not afraid to use the same tools they do to ensure that their needs are met.

In a recent post for Social Media Today (SMT), Tactical Transparency author Shel Holtz makes the case that traditional PR can still be just as effective of a marketing resource as the hot new grassroots options like “trusted peers” and word-of-mouth.  The catch?  In Shel’s view, traditional PR needs to start operating a little more… non-traditionally.

Holtz advocates newly-popular concepts like acting transparently, forsaking astroturfed messaging, etc.  Common sense, really.  It should go without saying that PR agencies ought to engage people in ways the people themselves find meaningful, rather than using new tools to reinforce old, erroneous and ineffective messages.  And yet… why have Holtz and countless others had to go out of their way to say it?

The popularity — and, in some ways, the mere existence — of books like Holtz & John C. Havens’s Tactical Transparency and Chris Brogan & Julien Smith’s Trust Agents would seem to signal that audiences now crave a return to authenticity in media.  But how did the practice — or the perception — of PR ever stray so far from these principles to begin with?  Why is social media heralded as an antidote to unsavory, top-down control of a company’s messaging?  And how have common sense observations about the need for honesty become so resonant?

It’s flattering to believe that social media is somehow immune from the excesses (or improprieties) that have become associated with the black hats of PR.  But that’s a false sense of entitlement.  If we’re all smart, the next stage of social media’s integration into mainstream messaging will focus less on how new messages are spread and more on what those messages are actually saying in the first place.