Keyword ‘Customer Relationships’

Business Practice

Community Management Should Include In-House Culture

by Andrew Swenson
Image Credit: Thanachart R.

Image Credit: Thanachart R.

When we talk about the practice of community management, we often speak only of the external relationship between an organization and its customers. I contend that organizations must weave together the practice of active online customer engagement with the management of in-house culture.

Culture Meets Customers

Considering that 60% of employees are considering jumping ship for new opportunities as soon as the recession ends, I’d say we have some work to do in company culture development.

What’s scary is that your company’s culture is important not just internally, but externally as well. As Bradford Shimp remarks:

Business Practice

In the future, connection may be more important than products

by Andrew Swenson

image by miamiamiaImage Credit: miamiamia

This past weekend, my wife’s grandmother passed away. Sitting in an intensive care waiting room I did what any other person in need of an escape would do—I started Tweeting.

Mostly it was a way to distract myself, but being on Twitter was far more valuable to me than grabbing a magazine or watching TV.

The reason? Human connection.

The social shift

When the internet was born, the availability of products at good prices is what drove commerce. Think of the Amazon empire—a store smart enough to provide you with personalized recommendations for products you’d probably like. For Amazon, product is king.

Marketing

Advertisers: Tell us how you’ll add value to our lives

by Andrew Swenson

compareA couple iPhone snaps from Methodist Hospital in Omaha

We talk a lot about using relevant stories to earn trust in as we move into a new “human business” ethic. If companies are going to build trust by acting like humans online, I think they should act like humans in their ads and in their traditional marketing stories too.

A quick example

In honor of the Great American Smokeout on November 19, Methodist Hospital in Omaha put up a number of “I Quit” posters to inspire smokers to quit, if only for just one day.

Straight-up Snark

CMOs: “Social Media is Better In-House”…DUH

by Andrew Swenson
Some things are just painfully obvious.

Some things are just painfully obvious.

When a group of CMOs were asked which group was best equipped to help them with social media, a recent post on Business Week reported the following:

65.6% In House
15.6% Interactive Agency
9.4% PR Firm
9.4% Social Media Agency
0% Creative/Ad Agenc

I may anger some of my friends in the agency world (I know, I was there once too), but I firmly believe social media MUST come from inside an organization in order to be credible. I think this is best illustrated in a quote from one respondent:

Life

All or Nothing: Lessons from Leaving Social Media for a Month

by Andrew Swenson

I’m often asked how much engagement is necessary in order to see measurable results from social media marketing. Although I’ve always had an answer, after a month unplugged I have renewed passion for the subject.

At the end of July I went through a move (from NY to STL), job change, hours of new employee orientation, and the task of writing a business plan for 2010. Since my last post, I’ve checked my Twitter account about once a day (if that), and read only a handful of blog articles.

Marketing

The opt-in isn’t enough. You have to communicate too!

by Andrew Swenson
Jen & soba
My wife Jen @ Gomen Kudasai

I think that sometimes, building relationships with customers can be as easy as  a well-executed email thank you campaign.

Last week my wife and I ate at Gomen Kudasai, one of the most phenomenal Japanese restaurants I’ve ever set foot in. As I was walking out I saw a binder spread open with spaces for my name and email.

Partly because I was still on a Niku Soba high, and partly because I wanted to peer into their marketing plan (insert devious face), I signed up.