10. 10
• Who are they?
• How do they find you?
• Where do they find
information about you?
1. Know your customers.
11. 11
TIP:
• ASK your current Customers
where they heard about you?
• Why they shop with you?
• ASK for feedback on your
products and services!
12. 12
• What’s most important to
them and their situation?
• Build your messages
around their biggest needs
or aspirations
2. Create a message that connects.
13. 13
TIP:
• OBSERVE what your current
Customers buy today and when
they buy
• Free service consultations or
product samples are great
incentives for new Customers to
try you out!
14. 14
• If your customers are online
and on the go, you need to
follow…
3. Be easy to find.
15. 15
TIP:
• BE ONLINE and be SOCIAL with
your business
– Facebook
– Twitter
– LinkedIn
• ALL feedback can be used to your
advantage
– Share positive comments with others
– Recognize constructive feedback and
resolve issues right away!
16. 16
Don’t be afraid of being social.
It’s just the NEW word of mouth.
www.facebook.com
www.twitter.com
www.linkedin.com
Good morning/afternoon everyone and welcome.
I don’t know about you, but after listening to Leonard, I’m pretty excited to be part of this new era that we’re living in. To think of how far the world has come in a mere decade or two is quite amazing … albeit even a bit daunting at times for all of us who are trying to run a business.
My goal today is to take what Leonard talked about and bring it even one step closer to your daily lives.
We all see and feel that the world we live in is changing … and it’s changing fast. Before we talk more about how to manage a business in this new digital world, here’s a quick view into some of the things to consider.
And for you to contemplate what you will do …
[play video]
Seeing all of the stats and the fundamentally different ways people interact today leads to one very real conclusion …
The rules have changed.
Information that was once limited, is now free and completely accessible.
The online world has opened doors to information like never before, and it’s available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The information itself has also changed.
Before, YOU were the one that created and controlled what you wanted to say about your business. You decided when and where it was available.
Now, your customers hold the reigns. With the introduction of social media sites, blogs, ratings and reviews and community forums, your customers can decide what they want to say, who they want to share it with, and when they choose to do so.
All of this said, the first way to really take advantage of all this change is to be a part of it.
New Rule #1 … Be present.
In today’s world you HAVE to be online. It’s no longer an option. Many would say that if you’re not found online, you don’t exist.
How many of you have a website or have some form of online presence for your business? For those of you that raised your hand, congratulations. For any of you that didn’t … don’t panic – you’re here! – and there’s lots of folks here today that can help get you started.
Today, having a website is virtually the equivalent of the bricks and mortar of your storefront, or the service truck you operate from.
The first step is to have it live and functional. You’d never open your retail location without a store sign and a working cash register … so don’t build a website without the fundamentals of what people look for when they’re looking for you online.
- what do you sell?
- when are you open?
- how can I pay you?
and, most importantly … how do I get in touch with you. You’d be surprised how many people forget about a phone number when building a website.
And just like your storefront or your landscaping truck … you need to keep things looking good, up to date and use it to tell people about your business. Bill Barnes from Mediative will talk about some of the fundamental ways to take advantage of search engines to get your website noticed, so I’ll leave that opportunity to Bill.
What I’m going to focus on is New Rule #2: Be part of the conversation.
We talked before about a shift in control. Your customers are now often the ones making decisions on the type of information that’s being shared about your business.
Despite how daunting this may seem, the introduction of social media into our lives has actually given us more and faster ways to connect with our customers than ever before. And personally, I think this is what’s most exciting for business owners today, as it’s a medium that’s completely accessible to you. You don’t need millions of dollars in your marketing budget to participate. Just become part of the conversation and you’re well on your way.
Of course, the big question is how do I do this?
When it comes to figuring this out, Zipcar is a great example of how it’s done.
When it comes to marketing with social media, Zipcar’s success is unparalleled.
This was a company that started out as a small business in 2000, and now, it’s the world’s largest car sharing service in 49 U.S. cities, as well as Vancouver, Toronto and London, England.
The one thing that Zipcar nailed right from the beginning was the importance of creating a community. Like the way they don’t just call the people who rent their cars “customers” – they call them “Zipsters”.
They go beyond what customers expect when it comes to building relationships. For example, on Zipcar’s very active Facebook page, they encourage members (or Zipsters) to send in stories and pictures of activities they’ve done while they’ve been out in their Zipcar.
One couple posted a picture of their baby that was born after they drove their Zipcar to the hospital. Another posted a picture of the Zipcar they took on their camping trip. Yet another Zipster posted a picture of a balloon-filled Zipcar on its way to a surprise birthday party!
Zipcar is also very active on Twitter… actually, let me correct that… they’re very PROACTIVE. What I mean by that, is not only are they responsive to anyone who approaches them directly, they also track comments from other Tweeters about Zipcar and its service. If they find out that someone wasn’t happy, they respond and take action.
Can you imagine that? Where in the real world could you ever complain to a friend about a company’s service and have that company then call you up and fix the problem?
THAT’S the true power of social media… and that’s what Zipcar understands and is getting right.
The thing about this new world is that there’s a lot more media “noise” out there than ever before...
What I mean by that is that, when you’re trying to get your message out there, you’re also having to compete with thousands of messages in a multitude of media.
Because the fact is, today’s consumers have turned into media multi-taskers. They’re watching TV while their surfing the net on their laptops. And they’re probably talking on their cell phones at same time!
This is what you have to compete with. This is the changing world of media.
So right now, I want to give you 3 simple tips that will help you break through that clutter.
- First, know your customers.
The more you know about the type of customer you want to go after, the better.
For example, think about a busy young executive versus a stay-at-home mom: The media channels they use (not to mention how they use them and how often) will most likely be quite different.
For one thing, your executive will most likely be permanently attached to their smartphone…
Second – create a message that connects with the people you want to connect with.
People are going to take the time to read your message if it’s relevant to them or their situation.
That stay-at-home mom will pay closer attention if you tell her how your product or service can help her save time.
Build your key messages around your customer’s biggest needs or wants.
And lastly – be easy to find.
It’s no longer necessary to be at home or at work to look up the nearest restaurant or hardware store. And there isn’t just one website to find information. Knowing your customers means knowing where they are looking for information – and your job is to be there.
In other words, if you’re trying to go after that stay-at-home-mom, be on that parenting community page and be sure that your website appears when they’re searching for ‘things to save me time’
By understanding your customers and having something to say that’s important to them, the final step is making it easy for them to reach you when they need you.
Which brings me to a couple of your local business owners who are getting it right.
Both from Vancouver, I feel these businesses are doing a good job of building a strong web presence, and I think they are successfully breaking through and being heard above the ‘noise’. They understand their audience, and they’re using our new digital world to their advantage.
This is a website for bow wow haus, a dog boutique and daycare based in Vancouver.
Now, I want to show you why this is more than just a website, how it enables bow wow haus to connect with their customers.
First of all, they have an Events link (which they keep up to date). This is going to keep customers coming back to the site to see what fun activities the company is going to be holding next. And as it turns out, we missed the Small Doggie Mingle, but we can still catch the Howl-o-Ween Costume Paw-ty on the 29th!
-The other thing that’s going to keep visitors coming back is the blog. When you constantly have fresh content on your site, people will keep coming back on a regular basis – which can also mean more opportunities to buy products or services from your site. But if they come back to your site and it’s always the same old thing, they’re likely to go looking for something more interesting.
- Down here in the lower left hand corner, they open the door to engagement, asking for an e-mail address so they can send out an e-newsletter.
When you get to the blog page, you’ll also find links to their Facebook and Twitter pages. This is how they maintain their relationships with their customers and it’s possible they’ve built new relationships virally, as well.
Now these guys are REALLY ahead of the curve...
This is the ethical bean coffee company, also from Vancouver. [NOTE: we didn’t want to use Toronto examples in case those business owners happened to be in the audience. We thought it would be kind of weird... and felt the Vancouver examples would be different and far enough removed.]
So they’re also on Twitter... And if you go to their contact page, they also offer an e-newsletter that you can sign up for.
But look at this! They have an iPhone app that you can download that uses a technology on their packaging called QR coding.
Certain Smartphones have apps that can scan these QR codes – sometimes these codes just have a simple text message, other times they send you to a website...
- In the case of the ethical bean app, it tells you more about the product. What type of roast it is, taste ratings, there’s even a roast chart for the people who get downright analytical about their coffee!
- Now, this is part of a bigger wave that’s coming... a more profoundwave, or should I say Tsunami, that will completely transform commerce as we know it.
These are exciting times... And I’m excited for you, as business owners, because you’re the ones who are going to really benefit from all of these innovations. This new online world is not only a game-changer, but it’s levelling the playing field.
No longer are big budgets and big marketing teams the things that will make the difference. Taking advantage of these new opportunities is merely about taking the things you already know about running your business and connecting with customers, and transferring it to a new online space.
You already know how to create long-lasting relationships with customers – now, take the opportunity to have conversations and learn from your customers more often.
That’s really what this new world is about – connecting … creating conversations ... and building relationships.
So really, if you think about it, this isn’t just a new digital world. It’s a digital world that’s designed for YOU.
Of course, there’s often a need for some help. At Yellow Pages Group, we too have realized that there are new digital spaces where you need to be to run a successful business in today’s world.
Our media experts can now create a customizable 360 Solution that’s specific to the needs of your business. If you’d like to learn more, please visit yellowpages.ca/360 or I’d be happy to talk with you after today’s seminar.
Good morning/afternoon everyone and welcome.
I don’t know about you, but after listening to Leonard, I’m pretty excited to be part of this new era that we’re living in. To think of how far the world has come in a mere decade or two is quite amazing … albeit even a bit daunting at times for all of us who are trying to run a business.
