When someone’s mind is made up and they have a negative experience with you in any form, that experience can spread like wild fire. Today’s post from Marketing Prof’s “Get to the Point” is a perfect example. This post is spreading like wildfire across the internet as I write this. There is enough business out there for all of us. You never have to force anyone to do business with you or listen to what you have to say. Focus on the people who are dying to hear from you and have them spread that to other like minded people! The reward will be never ending!

Best Nicole

How’s This for Passing the Buck?

One year ago, Lynda Partner wrote—but did not publish—a blog post that eviscerated a software company for taking liberties with her email address, and then treating her complaint with stunning indifference. “Why publish it now, you ask? This week I got more spam from this same company,” she says. “It made me so angry that I dug up this post and I hope it gets wide distribution.”

It all began with an email, purportedly from the company’s CEO, that invited Partner to become an “ambassador” for the company, a role filled by “its biggest fans, best users, and closest friends.” There was only one problem: she had never heard of this CEO and couldn’t figure out why he had her email address.

“It took me a while,” she says, “but it turns out that when I opened a Web-hosting account recently, the hosting provider offered a free download of [the CEO's] software. I did not download it. So how did they get my email address?”

Partner wrote a brief note saying she never opted in to the company’s campaigns, and requesting confirmation that her email address had been removed from its list. The person who replied continued to insist she had downloaded the software and that the only way to stop receiving messages from his company was to cancel her account.

The result? Partner’s scalding post now travels the Internet.

The Po!nt: Use common sense. Pushy tactics like these are nothing more than self-destructive.

I can’t stress enough the value that is waiting  for all of you who are hesitant to dive in. Connecting and engaging with your customer is only going to enhance your relationship—which in turn will turn into increased sales, repeat sales and additional sales to your customer’s friends. Are you  ready to gain the sales you have lost and build upon that to get more sales in this new economy? Let us know. We want to hear from you.

Best Nicole

In a post at the Viral Garden blog, Mack Collier discusses why so many companies struggle to launch and maintain active online communities. To find success, you’ll need more than a message board and good intentions, he says. Here’s some of his advice:

• Communities grow and thrive when you offer members something of value. “[They] do not form around the idea of being monetized,” he says. “Want to make money off your community? Fine, but you can’t monetize something that doesn’t exist.”
• They don’t materialize out of thin air. “One of the biggest myths about online community building is ‘if you build it, they will come,’” says Collier. He suggests reaching out to your target audience and explaining why they’ll benefit from participation.
• They benefit from the enthusiastic support of key participants. Some members will take a natural lead—identify these evangelists and show your appreciation. “Empower them to promote your community to others,” he says. “Showcase their contributions. And above all else, say thank you.”

The Po!nt: Don’t take anything for granted, and have a clear purpose. “[B]efore you start your online community-building effort,” advises Collier, “think about where you are, and where you want to be. Is the goal to make money, or is the goal to create a group of happy people?”

Source: Viral Garden. Click here for the full post.

So many people feel that if they put up a facebook page and create a twitter account that they’re off to the races with a social media campaign that will lead them to an instant increase of their goals. (For some it may work, but even those people have a plan in mind in regards to how they connect their campaigns.) For most, an “increase of their goals” arguably means sales. As social media and social networking are now allowing consumers to take control—to have a voice and be able to choose to speak to, and with, the products, services and people they care about—there is no more hiding from this marketing channel. What truly makes this channel great is when you have a strategy that partners with the offline channels as well. Email is terrific. But what happens when that customer who received your email goes to your bricks and mortar business? If there is not a seamless integration and continuity of that online message (we all remember it takes 5 to 8 replays of the same message for it to resonate) you risk the chance that your message will be lost or never received.

It is creating a strategy—a plan that includes your online, offline and in-store marketing channels—that will ensure that your message never gets lost. The post below from Marketing Profs, Get to the Point, gives you a few ways to see how this works.

What’s your plan?

Best Nicole

For too long, too many marketers have underestimated the value of email’s impact on offline retail,” say Lisa Harmon and Alex Madison in a post at the Email Experience Council blog. If you focus entirely on generating online sales, they argue, you might be missing out on bricks-and-mortar opportunities. They’ve seen retailers use multichannel “noteworthy tactics” like these:

In-store discounts that are unavailable online. The pair cite an email offer from Betsey Johnson touting a special perk for in-store shoppers: a gift card worth at least $25 for those who spend $250 or more.

Images and copy that heighten the appeal of an in-store visit. “Apple reminds subscribers … of their great in-store service by including a picture of a blue-shirted expert alongside store offerings,” they say, “and also by using beautiful store photography to make subscribers eager to experience in-store shopping.”

Personalized invitations. Have your sales associates write personal emails with an invitation to a special in-store event. Nordstrom, for instance, did this when inviting its most loyal customers to a special sneak-peek ahead of an anniversary sale.

The Po!nt: Link your 2D and 3D. “Remember that there’s likely much overlap between your most loyal email subscribers and your loyal store visitors,” say Harmon and Madison. If you haven’t leveraged that crossover, try using strategies like these to help make it happen.

Happy 2009 everyone! I thought I would start the New Year on a personal note. As many of our readers know we love technology and the many social media tools such as our blog, that grant a forum for us to speak about the things that we feel are relevant, interesting and educational.

But I do love a personal note. It is so easy to send an email. The environment tells us to save trees so this year instead of writing out holiday cards I emailed one. Thought it was a great way to let people know that I was thinking of them and save a tree at the same time. This action made me feel good but I also felt that I was missing an important part of the message. A personal note from Nicole Mckinney. Hand written – with the nearly extinct ink or a felt tip pen. Enclosed in the note is a thought that reflected the person that I was sending to. I try to always send thank you notes to my friends and family when I receive a nice gift or enjoy a great meal, a party or something that I experienced that I felt was special. The idea that I took the time to think of them, share something special about the experience that I enjoyed lets them know how much it was appreciated.

In my “Get to the Point” daily 60 second new bulletin they talk about just that. Getting personal—in the whirl of technology that surrounds us at every turn. See below to read their take.

This Time, It’s Personal

Everyone likes personalized attention, and it seems that a handwritten note might be worth the time it takes to write. A post at the Neuromarketing blog cites an interesting study discussed by Robert Cialdini in the book Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive. When researchers sent a survey to busy doctors with three different cover letters, and each produced a dramatically different result:

• A printed letter generated a response rate of 36 percent.
• A printed letter with a handwritten message boosted this by one third to 48 percent.
• A printed letter with a handwritten message on a Post-it note pushed the response rate to 75 percent.

“It seems that what is causing the boost is a ‘reciprocity’ effect,” notes Neuromarketing. “The recipient recognizes that the sender apparently put some personal effort into the mailing, and is more likely to reciprocate with some effort of his own.”

Interestingly, the blog notes, responses to the survey with the personalized Post-it note were also more thorough and prompt.

The Po!nt: “[T]he effects of personalization and apparent effort on the part of the sender have to be weighed against the desired action,” says Neuromarketing. “[But] making even difficult requests in a more personal manner can’t hurt.”

I hope that as you begin this New Year, you will take some time to remind yourself that sometimes it is great to go back to basics and Get Personal!

Best Nicole