November 25, 2009

A Time to Give Thanks

The past several months have been a time of uncertainty in my professional life. In April it was announced that my company was to be acquired. Since then I have been watching and waiting to see what will change at the company and how this will affect me. Throughout this time I have experienced stress, relief, frustration, and sadness. I have watched colleagues leave and still I wait. I have worried and waited. It has given me time to think and to read and learn. And as the days go by, I have to continue to work in the face of a wavering future.

In addition, I have had time to re-evaluate where my career is today and where I want to steer it tomorrow. Self evaluation and contemplation has always been a learning experience. As a child I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up, but as I have gotten older my goals and aspirations have changed – at times drastically. In 2006, I decided to leave a successful career as a commercial airline pilot to return to graduate school and study business. This time of self reflection has not led me to such a drastic change, but helped me refine my goals and ambitions.

In addition, less than a month ago my husband got a new job in Washington DC. This has added a new element of change – and excitement – to our lives. And it has also provided me with some much needed distraction from the uncertainty of my current company's position. A cross-country move in less than a month is a tiring prospect! But, I am excited about moving to a new place and living in the nation's capital!

With this move comes new and increased professional opportunities for me. I have been focusing on gathering information and networking to be ready when we arrive in DC.

This brings me to the reason I am sharing this with you. Thanksgiving. Since April stress and worry have often been at the forefront of my attention. I have often emphasized the uncertainty of the future over the good fortune I have had throughout my career and currently still experience. So, this Thanksgiving comes at a perfect time to remind me to be thankful for what I have achieved, my continued good fortune, and my future opportunities. In addition, I am thankful for the people in my life – both personal friends and professional connections. And lastly, I am thankful for my family.

Thank you. And happy Thanksgiving!

October 29, 2009

The Right Words and Pictures

Recently I was asked what I consider the most important aspect of a good marketing campaign. A simple enough question at face value – but really a very complex debate beneath the surface. I wanted to give a clean, precise answer but one does not really exist. It could be argued that the most complete answer to this question is my favorite answer – “It depends”. However, in this situation I wanted to be more specific than that. So, after a few minutes of thought I said that I thought the most important thing in any marketing (whether it be a complete marketing campaign, a single advertisement, or a direct marketing message) is good messaging.

Why do I consider good messaging the most important aspect in marketing?

Marketing is about persuasion. And it is about communication. The goal of every marketer is to convince the audience to either change – or continue – a certain behavior.

Buy this product. Eat at this restaurant. Shop here again. Read this newspaper. Watch this television channel. Drive this kind of car. Wear that brand. Go to this salon. Take this drug. Aspire to look like this. Vacation in this country. Visit this museum. Drink this brand of bottled water. Register to vote. Get this credit card. Save your money at this bank. Look more beautiful. Attend this school. Report crimes to the police. Serve your country. Go to this church. Read this book. Believe this philosophy. Want this object. Shop at this store. Spend your money here.

People all over the world receive many different – and often conflicting marketing messages every day. The goal of the marketer is to create a message (or advertisement) that will cause his or her audience to do what he or she wants (change – or maintain – a certain behavior). In other words, the marketer's goal is to create a message that is memorable and stands out in the noise. So, he or she must create a good message, one that resinates with the audience. That brings us to this question –

What makes a marketing message (or advertisement) good?

Answer? The right words and / or pictures. Sounds so simple, but in practice is extremely difficult. The right words form a unique message and communicate the idea clearly without any confusion or possible misinterpretation. Finding the right words and tying them together to create the right phrase is challenging – but it is essential for excellence in marketing. The right pictures create a spark in the mind of the viewer. Together good words and pictures create lasting memories.

October 1, 2009

Customer Service via Twitter

In most cases customer service is the most important part of a business. This has always been true, but now with the internet it is even more so. Satisfied, happy customers are not only likely to be repeat customers, but they may also make positive comments about and support a brand both through word of mouth and online. On the other hand, unhappy customers will spread the message about their discontent. The internet has empowered customers to share stories and experience of poor customer service easily and quickly. That said, customer service is very challenging and few organizations get it right.

A quick web search for “bad customer service reputation” brings up lots of contenders for the worst offenders list – airlines, telephone companies, cable companies, grocery store chains – in the first few pages of results. There are lots and lots of blogs sharing horror stories or rants about bad experiences in great detail. However, a search on the term “good customer service reputation” brings up many articles analyzing why good customer service is important, how to articles for improving customer service, and consultants promising to have the magic key, but few mentions of corporate brands or industries. And when I read these articles I noticed that they generally contained more lofty ideas than concrete details. I thought about this a bit and deduced it down to this:
  • good customer service reputation search – lots of advice, few examples
  • bad customer service reputation search – lots of examples, little explanation
Interesting. So, what are people really doing to bring better customer service to their customers?

I want to share a story (with concrete details) about an unique way to provide good customer service from a company with a not so good reputation. Last Wednesday evening my husband and I tuned our cable to the Travel Channel to see what was on and instead were confronted with a message:
  • ONE MOMENT PLEASE
    This channel should be available shortly.
So, instead we tuned to KQED and decided to watch PBS instead. On the following evening the Travel Channel showed the same message again.

I had called Comcast customer service in the past and the experience had almost always been frustrating. But, more recently I had heard about the @ComcastCares team's efforts to improve the company's customer service reputation using Twitter. (Here is an article about the company's use of social media to help customers – BusinessWeek: Comcast's Twitter Man.) So, I decided to give it a try. Before going to be Thursday evening I posted this tweet from one of my Twitter accounts (@Jessica_Travels):
  • @ComcastCares - The Travel Channel has been out at my house (94107 area) for 2 days - Can you please check why? Thanks!
Early Friday morning a public reply was posted on Twitter by @ComcastBill:
  • @jessica_travels dm me acct phone number [For non-tweeters, dm is short for direct message, a private messaging feature on Twitter.]
I contacted @ComcastBill and after a short exchange (all via Twitter) my issue had been resolved and the Travel Channel signal on my cable was back to normal! In addition, the communication I received from @ComcastBill was pleasant and the responses prompt. It was the best customer service I have received from a cable or telephone company ever!

So, what can I learn from this? I think it is a great example of a customer service team that really wants to turn around their company's reputation. Rather than trying to change the whole system, this team has decided to started communicating with customers and helping solve customer's problems via social media. While this may not replace or negate the need for improvement of the traditional contact channels for customer service (like telephone or in person), it is another way to help customers and companies that really care are starting to catch on.

An interesting side effect of solving people's problems on Twitter comes from the public nature of the forum. Except for the direct messages I sent to @ComcastBill containing my account number, most of our communication was in public. This allows other customers and potential customers to see how employees communicate with and help customers. And, most importantly, the public can see that my problem was resolved and I thanked @ComcastBill for his help:
Not bad publicity.

So, thank you @ComcastCares and @ComcastBill! If I need customer service from Comcast again I will definitely contact you via Twitter!

September 25, 2009

Be Authentic and Engage!

Social media can be overwhelming. Especially when using the platforms for marketing. Which platform, how to participate, what is expectable protocol? Lots of questions. And there is lots of advice from lots of different experts trying to tell you which answer is right.

Let me start by saying this: I do not consider myself an expert; I am still learning. Social media is a rapidly evolving landscape. As new platforms emerge and new communities form every day.

So, what do I think is most important when participating in social media? Audience engagement, content, messaging, timing, what?

Choosing the proper place to communicate with your audience is essential. Content is important. It must relevant and valuable. The information must be presented in a manner that is appropriate to the forum (wording, images, level of formality). The timing of a message can be very consequential to the outcome of the campaign. In the world of social media information can spread virally or get lost in the fray. All these things are necessary to consider, as are other traditional marketing factors.

Be authentic and engage! Social media forums are where people go to engage in conversations and share information. People expect two way dialogue when they react to something. This is not the place to polished, one-way advertisements and then walk away. It is a place to share information in an honest and authentic manner.

Be you. Be true to your brand. Engage in the conversation.

September 19, 2009

Anonymity in the Facebook Era

If the trend of social media and the web is to create more transparency in just about everything what about a company whose product is valued on anonymity?

Today we often hear about upcoming news and developments by companies, organizations, and governments often before they reach fruition. Sometimes this is occurs through contrived and orchestrated communications campaigns intended to create buzz. Other times it is a result of leaks or just plain open conversations – there is no need to hide.

So, back to the company I am thinking about: Michelin. This morning I read an interesting article in the New York Times about the tight-lipped company's new campaign and communications plan to promote their guides. As stated in the article, Michelin has long prided itself on only having anonymous guides and never releasing information about their guides until they are published and on store shelves. Not exactly the model for an internet era business! The company's new campaign, which includes advertisements talking about their “famously anonymous” restaurant reviewers and a communications campaign on Twitter. At Michelin's first Twitter accounts – @MichelinNY and @MichelinSF – fans can read about restaurant news, dining experience comments from their “famously anonymous” reviewers, and small tidbits of information about upcoming Michelin guides. A big step into pulling back the opaque curtain of their operation.

But this raises another questions, is anonymity still valuable? In the internet world of instant gratification and instant communication, is being secretive still a good idea? And is there a difference between anonymity and secrecy? Is there a place where either is appropriate.

I am going to start with the last questions. I perceive secrecy and anonymity very differently.

SECRECY from Dictionary.com and the American Heritage Dictionary:
  1. The quality or condition of being secret or hidden; concealment.
  2. The ability or habit of keeping secrets; closeness.

ANONYMITY from Dictionary.com and the American Heritage Dictionary:
  1. The quality or state of being unknown or unacknowledged.
  2. One that is unknown or unacknowledged.

To me, secrecy is associated with intentionally hiding or giving misleading information about something. The events that come to mind in recent history when I think of secrecy are the attempts to conceal abuses at Abu Ghraib prison and recent cover-ups on in the banking industry regarding real loan losses and the potential risk of certain investments.

On the other hand, I associate anonymity with more honest dealings, such as journalistic sources and witnesses of crimes. To me, anonymity is used to protect an individual (either a witness, a source, or – in the case of Michelin – a restaurant reviewer) not to warp the truth.

Therefore, I believe secrecy is dead. Those who still attempt it are opening their business to a great deal of risk. However, when used wisely, anonymity can still add value and protect individuals who hold important information, but feel threatened to speak openly.

September 8, 2009

More About Twitter

I wanted to talk a little more about Twitter and world events. In the last few months we have seen the power of social media affecting the flow of information and, possibly, outcome of events and world affairs. From the disputed elections in Iran to the deaths of pop star Michael Jackson and Senator Ted Kennedy Twitter becoming an important destination for information sharing and gathering.

During the disputed elections in Iran, the opposition supporters quite successfully used Twitter to communicate and organize in protest of the incumbent's supposed victory. In addition, the outside of Iran the rest of the world watched the drama of ballots, deceit, inquiry, and protest ending in the authorities quashing independent voices via Twitter. Even after the Iranian government blocked the Twitter website people found other ways to access the messaging service to stay in touch with friends, comrades, and the outside world.

When Senator Ted Kennedy lost his battle with cancer again Twitter was a central place for people to share their thoughts. Friends, colleagues, constituents, and journalists all shared their feelings, opinions, and reactions to Senator Kennedy's death. Many people used Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets to thank the senator for his service to the country. It took me a long time to decide how to thank you in 140 characters or less but finally decided to use the senator's own words:

  • "The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die." - Senator Edward M. Kennedy, 1980.

In the more distant past, both the Obama and McCain campaigns used Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets to share news and information with supporters. The Obama campaign also incorporated social networking features into BarackObama.com (now Organizing for America). This allowed supporters around the country to more successfully connect and organize with their neighbors.

So, is Twitter just for news, politics, and culture? Most definitely not! Increasingly there are more and more brands that are joining the Twitter conversation. The Comcast Cares team is working to help customers and improve their companies image at the same time! Brands have been creating fan pages on Facebook for a while and are only recently learning how to be effective on Twitter.

A trend that I find particularly interesting is how small businesses are using Twitter. Owners of cafes, ice cream shops, and food stands are starting to use Twitter to share menus and special offers with their customers. Some of my favorite examples of this are:

I expect to see more and more individuals and companies creating interesting ways to communicate using Twitter in the future.

September 1, 2009

Why Twitter?

Recently my mother posted a question as her Facebook status: “Why should I Twitter, too?!” That got me thinking; who should tweet and why?

I first signed up for Twitter in the beginning of 2008 and enthusiasticly jumped into the conversation. However, I quickly became frustrated by the limit of 140 characters and frequent appearance of the now infamous fail whale. My commitment to frequently checking Twitter and posting tweets quickly faded. But, my interest in the concept of Twitter remained. I randomly reinvigorated my curiosity and returned to investigate how things were going in the Twittersphere. Then I started reading about the numerous Twitter-based applications entering the marketplace.

Since I posted my first tweet over a year ago the site has grown at an astonishing rate. Between February 2008 and February 2009 the unique audience that visits the site has increased by 1,382% according the Neilson Online. (Read more at Mashable.com.) In addition, the site has become much more stable during this time and sightings of the fail whale are decreasing. Twitter is rapidly becoming part of our everyday information and communications channels.

So, brings me back to my original question: Who should tweet and why?

The simple answer to that is anyone with information to share. However, I think the better is anyone who has information to share that will add value to the community. This of course raises the question of what information has value to the community. My answer to that question is the ever ambiguous it depends. And, this brings us to the same argument that can be raised with spam and junk mail in email and postal mail. Of course there are many sides and opinions in this debate.

The interesting thing with Twitter is the collective community answers the question of value through their actions. Each individual decides which Twitter users he or she finds interesting and follows them. Twitter users who post interesting and valuable information get rewarded with lots of followers. Users who post boring, senseless, useless, offensive, or otherwise bad information do not get followers and can get blocked from following other users.

That brings me to another point – Twitter is not just a place to post your information, it is also a place to learn. Some people participate in the conversations by sharing information and others by reading, digesting, and learning. Personally, I use Twitter to share information that I find interesting and hope others do too and to gather information. The interesting thing about Twitter is that not only can you read news headlines – you can see what people are saying about the news real time. This has gained momentum with recent events, such as the elections in Iran and the deaths of Senator Edward M Kennedy and pop singer Michael Jackson.

Back to my mother's question, should she “Twitter, too”? The only thing I can say is it depends.

August 12, 2009

My Thoughts on Transparency Today

I have been thinking a lot lately about social media and transparency. Before the internet was so prevalent around the world, it was easy for companies, public figures, and just about everyone to be private and / or conceal (delay the release of) information that could tarnish a reputation or be misunderstood. However, as news moved from just the printed paper and nightly television newscasts to include constantly updated news websites, RSS news feeds, blogs, SMS messages, social media platforms, and more, hiding or delaying the public release of information has become more difficult. Now news and information can travel and spread at rates unimaginable in the not so distant past and one blog post or tweet can set off a firestorm of discussion and debate, often without intention.

But, I think this is a good thing and brings me to why transparency is so important now. Being open and transparent actually reduces risk. Truth and honesty have been a successful way to build relationships, businesses, and reputations for centuries. That has not changed. Now there are just more forums to communicate in and the importance of being honest and truthful – or transparent – has increased.

Controlling information has often been equated with power, but it can also be connected to risk. With the rapid speed of information transfer with social media the risk of leaked information and creating a crisis situation increases. Transparency is more important than ever.

August 11, 2009

A Beginning

I would like to introduce myself. I am a former military and commercial airline pilot, turned communications and marketing professional. I am passionate about creativity, innovation, and success.

I enjoy writing and sharing ideas. I have a blog about food and travel (Through My Eyes) and a blog where I post photographs I take (Pictures of My World); I have decided it is time to create a space to share my thoughts about communications, marketing, public relations, and business in general. So, this is it! Welcome!