The end-user has the ability to “Check In” at your business through apps available for all smart phones. You can offer incentives and promotions for checking in and/or, your location’s mayor (the person who has checked in the most).

Those who check in also have the option to offer instant feedback about your business through the “Tips” feature (ie. try the french fries!). With the world of advertising going more social by the minute, it is hard to determine which networks work and which do not. Foursquare has cemented its place as a necessity, especially in a time when consumers rely mostly on customer feedback to make their buying decisions.

Foursquare has carved out their niche very well; you can tell because Facebook released a competing service (Places) this fall. Regardless of their efforts, Foursquare is still the king of geo-location and probably will be for quite some time.

image courtesy of sylvainpaillard.com

I found this awesome quote from Dustin Curtis on Stage Two. He says,

Customer experience is the new brand.

I’m not referring to a brand as a logo and a typeface. I’m referring to the new kind of brand, the one is formed by the entire experience of a customer’s interaction. That experience gets branded into his or her memory and leaks into the buzz of modern culture. If you can’t make a good customer experience from start to finish, you’ve failed to generate brand value that will attract customers to come back for repeat business and tell their friends to come back, too. That’s how good customer experience directly affects the bottom line.

I wanted to share this quote, because as advertisers and marketers sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the frills – the pretty ad, the funny campaign, the cool website, the unique direct mail piece, the awesome Facebook landing page, etc.- but we lose sight of what TRULY builds a brand. It boils down to the customer experience. Visual elements do play a role, especially when it comes to initially catching attention and creating an emotional connection in the minds of consumers. However, if that is not followed by a rock-solid customer experience, your well-designed pieces and clever campaigns will be wasted.

In this digital age that we live and breathe everyday, customers now have a voice unlike ever before. Immediately, their networks are informed about bad customer experiences. We’ve all heard the phrase “Word of Mouth is now World of Mouth” – and it’s true!

If you are not getting the desired results from your advertising or your social media efforts, perhaps it’s time to take a step back and evaluate the customer experience. What kind of customer service are you providing? Does the user-experience match what you are promoting (online and off)? Do you go above and beyond when pleasing your customer? If you don’t know the answers to these questions – ASK! Customers will tell you what they want if you are willing to listen.

As marketers it is very important for us to stop and ask this question. In fact, we should be doing that all the time. Social media (and traditional advertising for that matter) should be all about the consumer. If you don’t know what makes your consumer tick, then your marketing strategy is bound to fail.

People crave social media for multiple reasons! I condensed my thoughts into points that I feel are the main drivers. Please open up for discussion!

We have an inherent desire for connection and belonging. As humans, we have a need to be in a “community” with others. We are social creatures that desire acceptance as part of a group. Social media easily allows people to seek out specific interests and like-minded individuals. For example, I am gluten free and very grateful for the online Twitter and Facebook communities for gluten free individuals to converse, share information, and support one another.

We want to keep in touch. Friends and families are spread all over the world, but now we can easily and seamlessly keep in touch and be part of their everyday lives. Keeping in touch is simple because it makes communication about the seemingly mundane aspects of our lives acceptable. I enjoy keeping on top of what my siblings in other states are doing and feel close to them although we are geographically distant.

We want to share our opinions and have a means for personal expression. Say you have a great experience at a restaurant and you can’t wait to share what happened. It is so much easier (and more fun) to post that information via social networks. People can sometimes feel like they have no voice and their opinion doesn’t matter to anyone.  Social media gives a platform for a chance to be heard.

We want information and entertainment. In addition to keeping in touch and connecting with other people, we want good information and content. We also desire to share good information and content when we come across it. This is the reason videos, tweets, photos etc. go viral. If we have something of value to offer others, we want to pass it along! Who doesn’t enjoy receiving an excellent piece of information through social media or seeking out information we desire?

We want to be “in the know”. No one wants to feel left out or like they are missing out on something. Being on social networks allows you to keep on top of what’s current, what your favorite brand or business is working on, what your friends are up to, what products are most loved by consumers, etc.

I would love to hear your thoughts about other reasons why we crave social media!

image courtesy of Hugh MacLeod

It seems like everyday we’re introduced to at least a half dozen new “Social media experts” who will gladly assist your business with Twitter, Facebook, Blogging and whatever else is popular that day. With unemployment so high right now, a lot of would-be entrepreneurs are diving into social media, simply thinking that just by knowing how to use the tools, they’re capable of overseeing a brand’s image online.

This new sentiment is scary to say the least.

What a lot of businesses fail to understand is the true power of social media and where it is going. Yes kids, social media is the future, and I’ve got news for you, the future has arrived.

There are a few key questions to ask yourself when hiring a self-proclaimed “Social media expert.”

1. Would I hire this person to create and build my brand?

2. Would I put this person in charge of my customer service ?

3. Would I put this person in charge of my advertising campaign?

If you cannot give a solid yes nod to any of these questions, then you might want to think twice.  Social media is about interaction with your customers, future customers, partners and associates. It is about building trust and solid relationships. Social Media is about communication on the most fundamental levels.  These people will all form an opinion about you and your business based upon that social media experience.  Is this something you really want to put in the hands of someone who just knows how to post some pictures, play Farmville and re-tweet a motivational quote?

No matter what you hear, Social Media is marketing, customer service and relationship building all wrapped up in one. When someone walks in for a meeting about building your new blog or managing your tweets, remember, they are the face of your business on the fastest growing form of communication ever. Proceed with caution.

We were eating lunch at the bar of the White Dog Cafe (which just happens to be one of my favorite restaurants) enjoying our lunch when the woman next to us spilled her glass of wine. This would not have been a big deal except that it splashed all over my long, WHITE coat. I was horrified, especially since I only wear this coat occasionally to avoid spilling something on it.  Everyone at the bar of course saw what happened and was trying to help. Instantly, people starting recommending that I get a Tide Pen to get the stains out. One person mentioned it then another chimed in about how well it works, then another.  Which brings me to my point… Tide with their Tide Pen has done such a great job of branding their product that people can instantly remember where to turn when a stain occurs.  Not only that, they have turned these people into promoters of their product! Every company’s dream.  Tide is also fostering this word of mouth online as their Facebook wall allows consumers to post how they were able to salvage their stains.  People are singing Tide’s praises! You cannot get better advertising than that.

Here are some tips for a business to start creating positive word of mouth that translates in the realm of social media, but also in offline situations:

Tide Pen saves the day!

1) Have a product worth talking about: Does your product live up to its promises? Make sure your advertising is not misleading consumers. The Tide Pen would never get the recognition it does if it didn’t work! Is there something exceptional about your product that would get people talking?

2) Provide a way for customers to communicate with you:  Let your customers tell you how they feel. Allow them to have an open dialogue and express their feelings about your product or service.

3) Offer exceptional customer service: Listen to what your customers are saying whether it is positive or negative.  Value their opinions and act accordingly. The way a company responds to a consumer is unbelievably important.  Your customers will feel empowered and happy, which is key when developing a word of mouth strategy.

4) Amplify word of mouth through various tactics: Partnering with organizations, creating loyalty programs, using blogs to disperse information, educating consumers are all just some of the ways word of mouth can be amplified once the essentials of product and customer service are in place.

Have a WOM tip to share? I would love to hear it! P.S. The Tide Pen worked and my white coat is just like new!