The best way to show our readers that a serious, planned approach to social media as a key marketing channel can lead to success (when integrated with offline channels), is to provide case studies or corporate examples of triumph and prosperity.

Today’s post is going to do just that. In 2008, Starbucks (YES, I am one of their devotees ) found themselves in some serious hot water. Sales were down, there were major corporate management changes (which included Starbucks former CEO Howard Shultz returning and some management being let go), store closings, and some of the rapid rate expansion was slowed so that the company could go back to basics. The challenge? “How do they get back their relationship with their customer — the one they had when they first began?” Shultz claimed that, “Starbucks had lost its soul.”
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A friend called me today and asked me to watch the Oprah show—something that I don’t do during the day. The topic was about an up coming CBS show where Presidents/Owners of companies go undercover to see what it is like to work out in the field.
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Haiti had another aftershock, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, that resulted in no immediate damage. But this poor country is still in need of so much support. The Red Cross has raised more than $25 million with its text message campaign I wrote about on Jan. 13, 10. I just received a text from Rogers Wireless for those in Canada: you can text HELP to donate $5.00 and Rogers will pass through 100% of the proceeds. This is not the focus of today’s post, but we here at SHARE do want to SHARE our blog to support the people of HAITI. Thanks for all your help!

There was much talk at the end of 2008 of the Barak Obama Presidential Campaign and how he used social media to build a movement for change. It has been a marketing study for many. The power that was leveraged by sweeping a country one person at a time and using individuals as community organizers to build what became a global movement was cutting edge.
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I remember one of the highlights of being a kid was when my parents allowed us to walk to the Quick Shop. That was the name of the closest corner store—where we would buy candy, chips and soda. The Quick Shop owners knew us and it was always such a thrill when we were able to go there unaccompanied by our parents! There were other corner stores close by, but we always went there. All the kids in the neighbourhood did.
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Social media is no longer a phenomenon for most businesses. Many have yet to jump into the mix, but we no longer need to spell it out for them. That’s progress people! As for where social media is going, we’re looking at web video and mobile, from my perspective. I love videos. They are funny, you get to see someone in real-time, and you can connect with and share them so easily. Many videos are funny or inspiring—and can’t we all use some humour or inspiration now and then?
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One of the keys to sharing information is telling a story. A story about who you are; a story about a product or brand; a story about a country or a culture. I write in our own blog that in defining a brand—everyone has a story—people use those stories to identify not only with one another but also in reference to the products and services they choose to use. In our “About Us” section of this blog, I ask “is your story being told“?
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One of the big questions out there for many marketers is—what kind of advertising and marketing could be and should be leveraged from social media sites? How are our customers using these sites and how does it relate to our brand? I have spoken before about the maven circle we all have in our lives. I do believe that social media really allows brands the opportunity to reach those mavens and use them to tout their experiences to their perspective circles. We all have those “go to” people that we seek out for specific things in our lives. Now that circle is beginning to expand with blogs, twitter and Facebook all providing opportunities for people to talk about the products and services they like—or dislike.
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We are proud to say that one of our core business strengths in the world of digital advertsiting and communications is our great design. As with everything in life, first impressions count. How you look, how you present yourself in that first 5 to 10 seconds, sets the tone for one’s perception of who you are. Same thing in business. Now-a-days, almost every business has a website or at least a landing page. This page is the gateway or first impression for your presence on the world wide web.
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The time has arrived where  brands have jumped on the bandwagon  to engage the consumer. In the case of some of the BIG brands, they are now ready to engage their customers in realtime via video. As per comscore media in January 2009, Canada had an online reach of  88%, United Kingdom had an online reach of 81%, Germany had an online reach of 82%, France had an online reach of 82% and the United States had an online reach of 76%. These are definitely numbers worth paying attention to!!!!!!!
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We want to hear your thoughts on how you feel about customer loyalty.

What are you doing to keep your current customers and let your dedication to customer service shine through when you gain new ones?
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