There is a nearby restaurant that advertises on TV. Only they forgot to put the town where the restaurant is located on the ad. Luckily, the name of the restaurant was there and I “googled it” thinking it might be a good one to try.
Unfortunately the map comes up first and when you click on that, so does the link to the 11 comments from disgrunted diners. And no happy comments. They do a nice job of marketing the brand, but it falls down in the execution.
As someone who did brand building for 17 years in corporate America before starting her own marketing firm, I know how difficult it is to change “the way we do things.”
But it’s time to learn social media. Engage your consumer. Talk with them. Listen to them. Respond.
Running just a $$ TV ad campaign won’t cut it anymore. No one is listening. And they want more information.
What is your brand doing about social media? Are you following up the natural path of marketing like your potential customer would?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Chris,
You are so right. What a wonderful – horrible – example of a business not paying attention to their customers. Consumers are sharing their opinions – not because they want to complain – but because they are hoping businesses will listen and make changes. Consumers need our products and services – they want us to be successful because that means they will get what they want. Social Media allows consumers to share their expectations and thoughts about what they value and what is important. By listening – we can jump on those expectations and begin build long lasting relationships with those consumers.
We shouldn’t just stop at listening – we should also ask – ask for their opinions and welcome what they have to say. Welcome even the negative because those comments only help make us better.
Thanks so much for reminding us that marketing is no longer one way but needs to be a conversation between consumer and company.
Deborah
You make a good point. Unfortunately, many companies sell based on 1980′s buying habits. Using TV ads without checking Twitter, Yelp, Facebook, etc. is a recipe for disaster.
I think we’ll see a sea change over the next 3-5 years as more and more embrace the norm of social media.
Congratulations on being named a top B2B marketing blog. That’s quite an honor. I’m pleased to share the news that Fearless Competitor was also named to that great list. It’s nice to meet you.
Jeff Ogden, the Fearless Competitor
Find New Customers
http://www.findnewcustomers.com