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‘B2C’ Category

  1. Engaged, content & shouting from the rooftops

    February 14, 2011 by Lesley

    Today is Valentines Day and partnerships are being created, celebrated and strengthened by acts of love, gifts, messages and more.

    I have been thinking about the values we put on relationships.  A marriage for example  brings happiness and stability to individuals, to families and to communities. But marriage, like anything else needs good care and maintenance if it is to last.

    In many places today some 40% or more of all marriages end in divorce. Is this because marriage is out of date? Could it be perhaps that marriages fail because the arrangement itself is faulty?

    A marriage deserves priority and only by sharing can people grow together.  A person who is primarily concerned with what he or she is getting from the marriage will never be truly happy, even if that individual remarries several times. In all honesty I think a marriage works only when each partner focuses more on giving than receiving.  As we grow our needs change,  to be able to adapt and to understand what our partner needs, feels or wants, is fundamental to a sustainable relationship.

    Why should relationships in business be any different?

    A person who feels they aren’t valued or important may move on, have an affair or file for divorce. They will probably confide in their closest friends and tell others of their bad experience.

    Online and social media give us the opportunity to learn what our customers prefer and want, and we are able to have conversations with them. By talking to them and asking questions we are taking an interest in them. They feel valued, important and involved.

    Rather than blasting marketing messages at them, and acting in a ‘controlling’ way, find out what they want and prefer to read and see. Work at the relationship, invest time in understanding your audience.

    A bit like a square peg in a round hole, old school marketing techniques don’t fit in a social space. Try not to see the likes of Twitter and Facebook as just another marketing tool, but as a way of getting to know your audience, serving your customers and developing customer loyalty.

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    Category B2C, Customer Service, Small Business, Social Media, Social Networking, new media | Tags: | 6 Comments

  2. Adding Good Value

    September 15, 2010 by Lesley

    Here is a great article written by my new found friend Scott Kurland from Ribbonbook. I am sure, once you have read this, you will be inspired and you will want to learn more…..

    Great people doing great things – I wish Scott all the very best – help me support him?


    Add Good Value

    I want to thank Lesley for inviting me to guest blog.  It’s such an honor to be featured on Conversation Matters, and I am a big fan of Lesley’s mission to “Humanise” (we spell it “Humanize” in the US) business.

    My new business, Ribbonbook, seeks to humanize the online greeting card business

    I learned this lesson the hard way by failing at businesses where I pretended to be big, successful, or perfect. Now I’m human.  Just a struggling guy trying his best to bring something great to the world, and meeting a lot of great people along the way.

    A little about me… I’ve always been an entrepreneur, but with varying success over the years (including lately).  One of the issues that I kept running into was the feeling that in order to be successful, I needed to have mass appeal… and be cheaper than my competitors, so that people would buy from me.  This is a tough game, because it can quickly turn into a competition where you lose.  You just can’t compete on Amazon selling things that huge companies can get much cheaper than you can.  You just end up spending a lot of time and effort for zero profit.

    People demand low prices for just about everything they buy, especially in this economy… so it took me a long time before I realized that I could just stop playing that game, and play another one instead.  I could add something both my customers and I care about as a unique value add feature, and change the conversation from price to value.

    By having “helping people” as a social value “feature” of RibbonBook, I can create a community of people who care about doing something good.  If you want to buy your greeting cards at Walmart (or maybe Asda in the UK), that’s fine.  But if you care about joining a community of like-minded people who care about helping people, you might pay a few cents more to buy a RibbonBook card.  Don’t care about helping?  No problem.  Walmart is right down the street.

    The great part about this approach is that your customers are self-selecting, and you get the ones you want.  Why would I want to sell RibbonBook cards to everyone, when I could make sure that my best customers were also the very best people?  People that I’d want to know, and have a relationship with, because we have something is common.  We like to help people.

    The truth is, if you see RibbonBook and still want to buy your cards at Walmart, you probably aren’t the kind of customer I want anyway.

    I’ve been getting great feedback with this approach, and I’m very optimistic about launching RibbonBook on December 1, 2010!  It’s so enjoyable and liberating to work on something that means something to other people and to yourself.

    Whole foods markets find “whole” customers.  Green energy companies find “green” customers.  They don’t get all the customers, or even the majority… but they get the ones they want… the ones that matter.

    Can you add “good value” as a feature of your product or service, and then find passionate, self-selecting customers that you’d actually be proud to say that you know?  I’ll bet you’d be a lot happier…  I know I am.
    –Scott


    Scott Kurland

    Founder, RibbonBook

    Send Cards. Give Ribbons. Help People.

    http://www.ribbonbook.com

    Twitter @ribbonbook

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    Category B2B, B2C, Social Media, Social Networking | Tags: , | 12 Comments

  3. Saving Lives with Twitter

    September 7, 2010 by Lesley

    I read an interesting article the other day entitled ‘How you can change the world Blogging’ by Tia Peterson.

    It got me thinking. I have several friends on Twitter who simply promote ‘good causes’ and spend their time creating awareness and visibilty for them.

    One of the top words used to describe Twitter is ‘sharing’. We share lots on Twitter….

    I asked some of them if they would like to write something for me to post here, to demonstrate what they do, and why.

    Here’s the first one…….

    ***********************************

    This article is by Christine from CNM Training


    Asbestos.. Thought you were safe? Think again!

    For many of us DIY is part of the pleasure of owning our own homes. The excitement of planning a project and commencing the job can engage the whole family in a

    Do it Yourself home improvement adventure. At a time of an economic squeeze many with the ability choose to do the work to their properties themselves.

    So what’s the problem? In 3 words: Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM’s)

    Why? And what is Asbestos

    Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material that has been a popular building material since the 1950s. It is used as an insulator (to keep in heat and keep out cold), has good fire protection properties and protects against corrosion.

    Because asbestos is often mixed with another material, it’s hard to know if you’re working with it or not. But, if you work in a building built before the year 2000, it’s likely that some parts of the building will contain asbestos.

    Asbestos is found in many products used in buildings, including ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, boilers and sprayed coatings. http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/hiddenkiller/what-is-asbestos.htm

    How do you know if you are disturbing Asbestos? An excellent place to start is with the HSE Hidden Killer Campaign http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/hiddenkiller/index.htm

    Give AsbestoVision a try in the virtual house http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/hiddenkiller/where-is-it-found.htm

    Take the quiz and test your knowledge http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/hiddenkiller/facts-start.htm

    How do you handle it? http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/hiddenkiller/handling.htm

    Know your enemy! What is the danger? http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/hiddenkiller/what-it-can-do.htm

    Access the resources available knowledge is power http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/hiddenkiller/finding-out-more.htm

    Now you have explored the subject, identified your DIY Project give some thought to the impact. If in doubt ACM’s can be surveyed and samples analyzed, if your going to work on what you believe are products that may contain asbestos, source some training (non licensed) download HSG210 task manual from HSE  http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials/index.htm or order a copy on-line.

    Asbestos only poses a danger when damaged or disturbed. If your property was built before 2000 it is likely to contain ACM’s, once you have the knowledge and skills required to commence the job the danger is eliminated.

    If in doubt “DON’T” work on ACM’s, call in a trained tradesman or contractor to do the work. Don’t forget to check the training is relevant ie: to work on ACM’s they must have received non-licensed training covering the tasks requiring type of works and will hold a certificate of competence from the Training Provider.

    Finally enjoy your DIY project! Now that you have the knowledge you, your family and friends can be confident that they are protected.

    Resources

    UKAS accredited Labs to access survey and analyzing services http://www.ukas.com/about-accreditation/accredited-bodies/Tesing-laboratories-schedules.asp

    Training Providers UK and Northern Ireland http://www.iatp.org.uk/find_a_training_provider.php

    Licensed Contractors http://webcommunities.hse.gov.uk/connect.ti/asbestos.licensing/view?objectId=196

    Contact HSE http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/index.htm

    HSE Books http://books.hse.gov.uk/hse/public/home.jsf

    Editorial by cnm training solutions limited W: http://www.cnmtraining.co.uk

    ****************************************

    Big thanks to Christine for sharing this very important message with us :)

    When @Kibibidesigns asked me back in June if  rain water, running fr0m her garage roof – which she suspected was made of asbestos -  and collecting in a water butt, was safe for her to use when watering her vegetables plants, I didn’t know, but  @cnm_training were able to advise her.

    What great messages and support do you know about on Twitter?


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    Category B2C, Social Media, Social Networking | Tags: ,,,, | 33 Comments

  4. Do you Predict or React

    August 12, 2010 by Lesley

    If like me, you are a fan of the TV show Mary Queen of Shops, starring Mary Portas, you may have noticed a recurring trend amongst the shop keepers and shop owners she reaches to out to help.

    They do and sell what they want, rather than what their customers want.

    This trait is typical not only of small shops, but businesses of all sizes and from all sectors.

    We talk about ‘listening’ and ‘monitoring’ and understanding our customer. But how many of us do this?

    The question on everyone’s lips is ‘how can we win more business’ and what can we do to increase sales.

    The answer my friends, is right under your nose.

    Let’s take a look at the local high street green grocer. He sells fruit and vegetables, and has often to compete with the supermarkets.

    The trade he receives is not necessarily ‘loyal’ trade, people may go there when they have an immediate need and it isn’t convenient to shop elswhere and get to the supermarket.

    Tap into this! Ask people what they would like to see on your shelves. Offer what they want, not what you like. Make it an experience to visit your shop. Understand your products, but more importantly, understand your customer.

    Stop looking for new customers until you have managed to satisfy the ones you still have.

    Ask them to fill in a questionnaire, or tick boxes on a sheet to tell you what they like to buy. Create an online community so you maintain regular contact with them. With over 500 million active users a Facebook page can be an excellent way of doing this.

    Once you know your leading lines, then you can start to be a little bolder.

    Seasonal products with less demand can be turned into leading lines for a short period if you help your customers discover these by giving out recipes and suggestions.

    Have a tasting session or create a competition. Become innovative.

    Your customers arent you.

    Don’t predict what they may want to buy, react to feedback and opinions and give you.

    Your customers shouldn’t need to ‘fit’ your products, your products should ‘fit’ your customer.

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    Category B2C, Customer Service, Small Business | Tags: ,, | 7 Comments

  5. Growing Up with Social Media

    July 29, 2010 by Lesley

    If you are a small business and already engaging with Social Media, perhaps with Twitter and  Facebook, you have established an online presence. But, have you considered developing and maturing your strategy further?

    mulimediaMulitimedia

    As well as being a great way to show case your products or services, multimedia use can also help humanise your business more. You can illustrate your company culture by including photos and video of company events, even staff events. Video is a great tool for showing ‘how to’ for example and can sometimes be far more effective than the written word and have more impact. Multimedia can make your company seem more friendly, it can show you care about your staff as well as being a great way to help the consumer.

    integrate online and offline communication

    Integrate Online & Offline Communications

    If you do some form of offline advertising then include details of your Facebook Page or your blog url. This way you are inviting customers to check out your community, which will help build trust. Consumers may join your community and get a feel for the type of company you are, which will help convert sales in the future.


    spread your message

    Spread your Message

    Do you say the same things on Twitter as you do on Facebook? Adapt your messages and keep them suitable to each social media platform. Not only will this attract interaction from a broader audience, it avoids sending out duplicate information to your community. I have seen the same message posted on Twitter and on Facebook over and over again, and if users are registered on both platforms they are simply getting duplicate messages. Work out what will work where.


    Local Online Directories

    Local – Online Directories & beyond

    Local businesses can keep visible by including themselves in local business directories. finding these directories can be difficult. Check some local companies, even some of your competitors and see where they are listed to give you an idea of where you need to be. Dont forget to use Google maps using Google Places help for small businesses. This may be the first contact a customer has with you, so ensure all your information is up to date and update regularly to include any new products or services. You would be amazed at the number of companies who move premises, change their fax or phone number and forget to update their listings.

    Register and claim your business on such platforms as Fourquare - great if your business is public facing. You can reward regular customers with deals, special offers, even ‘freebies’. The buzz around Foursquare is increasing by the day and consumers love the competition element which acts as a magnet for cutomers to visit you again and again.Location based applications encourage the user to leave a tip ( what things are available at a venue for example, or what facilities are there), others encourage you to rate the venue or leave a comment. Create a conversation around your business.


    Competitions, Contests & Special Offers

    The true value of a Social Media is to build a community around you. You can use your community to drive sales, assist your marketing efforts and crowdsource. You can create some buzz by introducing some kind of competition or offer an exclusive discount. This will encourage competition between members of your community. Try to include customer participation in a competition through writing articles for example, this can help the message go viral. Reward members of your community with discounts or exlusive deals. This demonstrates you care about them, value them and by rewarding them you show you are a great company to buy from and engage with.

    What ways have you used to develop your community? What would work for you as a consumer? Please leave your comments below, I’d love to hear your story.

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    Category B2B, B2C, Customer Service, Small Business, Social Media, new media | Tags: ,,,, | 33 Comments

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