Crumbs from the Scone
“You might have noticed a trend in more and more marketing,” writes Rohit Bhargava at the Influential Marketing Blog, “where large brands are featuring real people and actual employees in their ads.” Heavy hitters like Intel, Best Buy, Dominos, IBM and GE have all used real team members to tell a compelling story—and here’s how you can get in on the action:
Identify your company’s in-house cheerleaders. “Many times,” notes Bhargava, “you can find the most vocal of your employees already online talking about what they do and what your company does.” Also look for those who consistently earn high marks in customer surveys and close the most deals—they’re likely to be your best ambassadors.
Aggregate their voices for the greatest impact. “If some of your employees are on Twitter,” he suggests, “consider asking them to use the same naming convention for their accounts (such as @bobatyourcompany).”
Establish clear guidelines. Let employees know what flies—and what doesn’t—when discussing your company in online forums. For instance, they should always disclose their professional affiliation and should never share the company’s trade secrets or financial data.
Make social-media efforts part of their job description. “Having passionate employees who want to share online is great,” he says, “but to sustain it you need to try and make sure that they are not overloaded with other facets of their ‘real job.'” Bhargava recommends treating it as any other job component—with performance reviews, incentives and rewards.
Make the most of employee-evangelists by giving them the tools and encouragement to tell your company’s story.
Source: Influential Marketing Blog.
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As direct marketers know all too well, the obligation to collect taxes from Internet and catalog sales depends on whether a retailer has a “physical presence” in a customer’s state. Charging and collecting taxes in these “nexus” states adds an administrative burden to sellers, and more cost to each buyer’s purchase. But does it affect overall sales as well?
To find the answer, one group of researchers studied how customers of a “multichannel apparel retailer” responded when the retailer began collecting sales taxes on Internet and catalog orders after opening a physical store in one state. The analysis focused on “a sample of 13,021 customers who live on either side of a border of the ‘focal’ state in which the firm opened its new store.” Among their findings:
- Internet sales decreased significantly (11.6 percent) in the state where the new store opened. (The researchers suggest the ease of online search prompted customers to simply shop with another merchant to avoid paying the new state tax).
- Catalog sales to customers living in the state were unaffected. (Conversely, the difficulty of finding an alternative retailer kept catalog customers more loyal, the authors suggest.)
“The evidence that taxes lower Internet sales but not catalog sales presents retailers with a trade-off,” the researchers note. “Should they forgo the benefits of opening a store to avoid damaging Internet demand?”
One additional finding suggests that merchants are taking this tradeoff seriously: Retailers that earn a large proportion of their revenue from direct channels are avoiding opening a first store in high-tax states, the researchers report.
The customer is always frugal. Sellers with a successful Internet presence may want to weigh the effect of opening a physical store in a given state. Local customers shopping online could balk at paying a new tax—and move on.
Source: “How Sales Taxes Affect Customer and Firm Behavior: The Role of Search on the Internet,” by Eric T. Anderson, Nathan M. Fong, Duncan I. Simester and Catherine E. Tucker.
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“My dentist is Dr. Matt Stohl of Foothill Dental,” writes DJ Waldow in an article at MarketingProfs. “As an email-marketing nut, instead of critiquing how he administers Novocaine or how the hygienist flosses my teeth … I think about how the staff communicates with customers.” Waldow gives Dr. Stohl high marks, and says if his dental practice’s staff understand email marketing, so can you.
Here’s what they get right:
- They request an email address when setting an appointment. It’s a simple fact: They wouldn’t have received Waldow’s address if they hadn’t asked for it.
- They explain why it’s beneficial for the patient. “The receptionist at Stohl’s office told me that the staff would use my email address to remind me of appointments,” he says. “Simple, yet powerful.”
- They deliver on their promise. Two days before his appointment, Waldow received a message that asked him to confirm the scheduled time by clicking on a large, green button.
- They follow up with other relationship-building messages. “Besides my appointment-reminder emails,” he notes, “Foothill has also sent me a brief survey (which I completed) and a Happy Birthday email.” Waldow believes they could expand these messages to include a monthly e-newsletter.
“On my last visit, one of the dental hygienists … told me that they could [contact me through] … whichever medium was most convenient for me,” Waldow reports. “Yes, for me.” He confirmed that he was happy with his email reminders. “If I could give out stars to Stohl and his staff, they would receive 4.5 out of 5,” he concludes.
Now, that’s healthy, clean customer service.
Ask and deliver. When executed properly, a simple email program can reinforce your relationship with your customers—and strengthen your customer service.
Source: MarketingProfs.
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In a post at Copyblogger, Sonia Simone put an interesting twist on the perennial question “Ginger or Mary Ann?” by asking whether your blog is the sexy-starlet or the wholesome girl-next-door type.
Ginger, for example, wasn’t going to let something like a shipwreck interfere with her glamorous persona. “It takes some creativity and chutzpah to retain your movie star essence in the face of spending the rest of your life talking to the same six mildly retarded stereotypes,” notes Simone. In the same way, your blog might have its own alluring niche, impervious to shifting trends or anything as practical as DIY advice.
Mary Ann, by contrast, was pragmatic and approachable. “[She] looked around and saw what needed to get done,” Simone continues. “She figured out the needs of her community, pitched in, and helped create what was most relevant to that situation and that audience.” It could be that your readers appreciate your blog for its cheerful practicality.
- “Ginger is killer headlines,” notes Simone. “Ginger is linkbait. Everyone talks about her, everyone wants to know what she’s up to. Ginger can hit the front page of Digg with a long, smoky look and a shift of her hips.”
- “Mary Ann,” however, “is passionate about her content community. Mary Ann follows 15,839 users on Twitter. Everyone loves her, everyone links to her. Mary Ann has the face that launched a thousand blogrolls.”
When you think of your blog as Ginger or Mary Ann—and both play an important role—it’s easier to stay true to your mission.
Source: Copyblogger.
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If we were to suggest plain text for your next email campaign, you’d probably laugh in our faces. “The superiority of HTML email to plain-text email for driving response has become an accepted truth in email marketing,” says Mark Brownlow in a post at the Email Marketing Reports blog. “Alchemy Worx, for example, recently demonstrated the power of images: Adding a small, relevant icon to an email boosted total clicks by over 50%.”
But, he argues, there are reasons to consider plain text for the occasional message:
- HTML has become nearly ubiquitous, and a plain-text message—free from color and images—will stand out like “a blank canvas in a Picasso exhibition.”
- HTML is associated with one-to-many communications. “Plain text still says ‘personal’ (all my personal email is plain text) and/or ‘important’ (much transactional email is still text-based),” notes Brownlow.
Therefore, plain text might effectively create the feeling of more personal, one-to-one communication, such as for the following:
- Reactivation campaigns
- Messages from top executives
- Messages that address serious or emotional issues
“A good compromise for such emails might be a rich-text approach, with a subdued HTML masthead,” he suggests, “and then plain text in the main message.”
Plain-and-simple is fine now and then. Under the right conditions, a plain-text message might be more powerful—and effective—than one rendered in HTML.
Source: Email Marketing Reports.
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The editors of Fortune came up with a fun idea for the magazine’s “Best Companies to Work For” issue: Invite the CEOs of two employee-friendly retailers to trade places for a day. Maxine Clark (founder and CEO of publicly held Build-a-Bear) and Kip Tendell (cofounder and CEO of the privately held Container Store) agreed to give it a try.
Despite obvious differences in each business, the temporary job-swap yielded valuable insights. “When the two leaders spent a day working on the front lines of each other’s operations,” notes Bill Taylor at Harvard Business Review, “they encountered all kinds of ideas about merchandising, employee motivation, and in-store communication that worked in one place, and might just work in the other if those ideas were exported to and adapted for the new environment.”
- Clark, for instance, appreciated how the Container Store acknowledges sales associates for a job well done with Post-It notes left on lockers.
- Kendell, meanwhile, liked Build-a-Bear’s “Strive for Five” technique, which is designed to sell each customer five items.
“I’ve seen it time and again,” says Taylor. “Leaders who are hungry for new ideas don’t just aspire to learn from the ‘best in class’ in their narrowly defined field. They also aspire to learn from organizations outside their field as a way to shake things up and make real change.”
Look for innovation wherever you can find it—even if it means adapting an idea from another industry.
Source: Harvard Business Review.
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“Responsible consumer marketers have adopted an ‘opt-in’ email policy for determining who receives their marketing messages,” writes Ruth Stevens at the Harvard Business Review blog. Unless customers give … permission to contact them, the marketer leaves them alone.”
While this works well in B2C environments, argues Stevens, B2B marketers—and their customers—are actually better served by an opt-out policy. Take, for instance, the exchange of business cards at a tradeshow. “Does that exhibitor have permission to contact you by email?” she asks. “Of course. You fully expect to receive email (or phone, or postal mail) follow-up. That’s how you stay informed, build relationships, and do your job.”
But what if you start receiving irrelevant content or too many messages? “You’ll opt out,” she reasons. “At that point, you expect the marketer to honor your request and remove you from the emailing list.” A preference center that manages opt-in subscriptions can just as easily handle their opt-out counterparts, she notes.
Stevens makes her case with the example of Cisco—a major B2B company that adopted an opt-in policy early in the game. “Today,” she notes, “Cisco only has email addresses for 45% to 50% of its customers around the world. Of these, only 29% opted in to receive communications. As a result, Cisco can only hope to reach 14% of its customers by email.” It’s a sobering thought for any email marketer.
Careful with those options. Your B2B customers might not expect—or even want—a strict opt-in email policy; consider just making it clear to them that they can opt out at any time.
Source: Harvard Business Review blog.
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Well… I never thought I would actually get to interact with my very own SCAM artist! All kidding aside this was just too much fun. He pinged me on Skype and I was just “in a mood”… what follows is a transcript of the Skype conversation. (just to be clear, I’m James and the scammer is Philip, whom I’m now calling “Peggy”) 🙂 Enjoy.
11:54 AM Authorization requested:
Good Day My Name is Philip from Usa i work with the bank of America and there is a fund that was approved in your name so contact me via my address philipstarr20@yahoo.com
11:54 AM Authorization granted to Philip Starr
11:54 AM James Sommer
Hello? are you there?
12:49 PM Philip Starr
hello who plz?
12:51 PM James Sommer
You had just sent me a message regarding a bank of america fund?
12:52 PM Philip Starr
okay so what is your full name reconfirm that clear so that i can check on that
12:52 PM James Sommer
James Sommer
12:54 PM Philip Starr
okay listen a fund was issued in your name to be paid so i shall direct u very well on how to claim this plz would i know how old are u and what is your job?
12:55 PM James Sommer
who issued the fund? and how much is it?
12:56 PM Philip Starr
it was given out by connecticuts government and supported by bank of America the fund is 1.5million dollars
12:56 PM James Sommer
so let me get this straight… the Connecticut government wants to give me 1.5 million dollars?
12:57 PM Philip Starr
yes are you james soomer?
12:57 PM James Sommer
James Sommer yes
12:57 PM Philip Starr
yes we are right is your age 48 to 50years?
12:58 PM James Sommer
wow that is terrific… I did not know the State of Connecticut was so generous… yes I am 48 and I suppose you want my bank account information now?
12:59 PM Philip Starr
well it is by gratual means so that the fund is not misplaced
12:59 PM James Sommer
oh yes of course… we cannot have the fund misplaced
12:59 PM Philip Starr
what is your accupation and are u married?
12:59 PM James Sommer
I design lacy undergarments for Cocker Spaniels and I’m not married (what a surprise eh?)
1:00 PM Philip Starr
Okay did u have yahoo messenger address?
1:01 PM James Sommer
no, but I do have an brand new “OH BOY!” messenger address…
1:01 PM Philip Starr
okay send me your address now
1:01 PM James Sommer
which address?
1:01 PM Philip Starr
your email address any one you are using
1:02 PM James Sommer
what are you going to use it for?
1:02 PM Philip Starr
we shall be sending mail for betterment of this fund
1:03 PM James Sommer
okay here is my email address… ready?
1:03 PM Philip Starr
ok
1:04 PM James Sommer
HowStupidDoYouThinkIAm@TrySpammingSomeoneElse.com
1:04 PM Philip Starr
what did u mean this is real and never fake okay so if u are not interested do let me know maybe we have to see each other for u to beleieve right
1:06 PM James Sommer
Sure thing… why dont you come by my office I’m sure you live close to me here in California right?
1:06 PM Philip Starr
yes i am in connecticuts right now and my duty is to direct u very well on this fund so why u doubt me?
1:07 PM James Sommer
I guess I shouldn’t.. I mean you do have that very distinctive east coast accent… it’s a dead giveaway for people who live in Connecticut.
1:08 PM Philip Starr
so what u mean that we are fake? okay maybe we have to forget this
1:10 PM James Sommer
No no.. its fine… actually I would prefer to meet you in person Where is your office? Which city are you in?
1:11 PM Philip Starr
all i need is to give u all information of this fund and it actually you are coming that would be nice
1:11 PM James Sommer
Yes that would be perfect, I would prefer to do this in person
1:12 PM Philip Starr
my address is Goshen conneticut 06756 USA u dont need to worry on this okay
1:12 PM James Sommer
oh that’s perfect… you are very close to me
1:13 PM Philip Starr
the fund will be deliver to u or transfer to your bank account yes
1:13 PM James Sommer
I live in California which is right next to Connecticut.. I can get on my bike and be there in just a couple of hours… which day would you like to meet? What works best for you? I’ll have all of my bank account information with me.
1:14 PM Philip Starr
after i find out all it will takes u to claim this fund i shall like u come in personal
1:15 PM James Sommer
yes I will like to come in personal too.
1:15 PM Philip Starr
good
1:15 PM James Sommer
what is your address in Goshen?
1:16 PM Philip Starr
silver plain 234 now u know i am serous
1:17 PM James Sommer
Oh I never doubted it, I have relatives that live there too! We go watch the Connecticut Robins play baseball! What a small world eh?
1:18 PM Philip Starr
u see that would be all nice now send me ur email address so that i can send u mail on what u need to do i will send you the document you need to get this delivery okay
1:18 PM James Sommer
sure thing… here it is… ready?
1:19 PM Philip Starr
send it
1:19 PM James Sommer
YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe@gmail.com there you go… Gosh I’m so excited to get $1.5 million dollars!
1:19 PM Philip Starr
this is not kiddind
1:20 PM James Sommer
Oh I’m not kiddind either
1:20 PM Philip Starr
well lets call it a day bye for now
1:20 PM James Sommer
Okay then… hey, great talking with you! good luck with your next victim…
Take care!
Bye Bye now
🙂
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As a longtime reader of GQ magazine, Dylan Boyd subscribed to The Hound—the magazine’s recently launched email newsletter—with high expectations. “So as I opened the email and took a gander,” he writes at The Email Wars, “I was more than greatly disappointed to get what I would associate with a Sunday newspaper ad circular.”
The short publication included five components:
- A promotion of “suiting events” at several Bloomingdale’s stores.
- A Gillette-sponsored contest for basketball tickets.
- A plug for Phaidon Design Classics, a three-volume set of books sold for $110 by Amazon.com.
- A brief Q&A in which Brett—GQ’s style correspondent—advises a reader to use a hair-sculpting paste made (surprise!) by Gillette.
- An invitation to interact with GQ at Twitter and Facebook.
“What were they thinking?” he asks. “A newsletter is something that shares articles, stories, content, ideas and information that keeps a subscriber in connection with the company that they opted in to.”
To help you ensure your newsletter is a valuable resource for readers, Boyd offers these suggestions:
Don’t treat it like a press release or an offer. “This is a relationship-development channel folks, not a pitch machine,” he says. “Save your targeted offers for another day.”
Create relevant, original content that clearly benefits the customer. “Recycling articles, blog posts and stories,” he notes, “does not deliver on the promise of news.”
Don’t let them down when they open your email up. When developing a cool customer perk like an e-newsletter, make sure it’s packed with relevant info—and not just promos.
Source: The Email Wars
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The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema of Austin, Texas, encourages its patrons to enjoy dinner and a movie—at the same time. “The theater is laid out like a traditional movie theater,” explains the company’s website, “except every other row of seats has been replaced with a long narrow table for your food and drinks.”
A discreet ordering system keeps distractions to a minimum, as does a policy of warning—and, eventually, ejecting—noisy customers who disrupt the film. In a post at the Church of the Customer Blog, Jackie Huba highlights an Alamo Drafthouse PSA, for which the theater recruited a former Texas governor: Confronted with a rowdy customer, she throws him onto the sidewalk. The PSA reads: “Don’t talk during the movie… or Ann Richards will take your ass out.”
Importantly, the venue stands behind its stern words. After a recent screening of Where the Wild Things Are, Tim League, the theater’s founder, was confronted by a man who became irate when a waiter shushed him. The outraged moviegoer followed League to the parking lot, punched the windshield of League’s car, and promised never to return.
“Fabulous,” responds League at his blog. “You, sir, are exactly the type of patron that I never want to see at an Alamo Drafthouse ever again. People who continue to talk when the movie has started are impolite, self-absorbed losers who were never taught common decency by their parents.”
According to Huba, we need more Tim Leagues—those who choose to protect their best customers from obnoxious behavior, rather than catering to those who ruin the experience for everyone. “The customer is always right,” she notes, “if it’s the right customer.”
Source: Church of the Customer Blog
“You might have noticed a trend in more and more marketing,” writes Rohit Bhargava at the Influential Marketing Blog, “where large brands are featuring real people and actual employees in their ads.” Heavy hitters like Intel, Best Buy, Dominos, IBM and GE have all used real team members to tell a compelling story—and here’s how you can get in on the action:
