In an era with so many options available for promoting your company, some choose to take the easy route or simply follow the masses. That’s not an indictment of their attitude or effort, but it’s typically not the best way to accomplish their business objectives. For IT professionals who get their revenue from delivering systems and solutions that their customers want and need, marketing is simply not an area of expertise. It’s not a comfort zone for most and, while some follow the lead of peers or experts, it can be dangerous to assume their business and their customer needs are similar. In many cases, their perception is either wrong or the selected option simply won’t work for their organization.
As author and strategist Scott Stratten emphasized in today’s CompTIA AMM 2015 keynote, the goals of marketing are much different now than they were in the past. The President of Un-Marketing stressed how social media and viral marketing have changed the way business connect with their core audiences. With a higher focus on creating repeat customers rather than enabling one-time transactions, building brand loyalty is critical. Stratten’s presentation made the channel audience reconsider their customer acquisition and retention methods with a host of social media viral examples, including online presence.
“People spread emotion so to get word-of-mouth, your video or message must be viral,” he said. “Many people get it but don’t know how to do it themselves.”
He highlighted the story of Yoshi, a stuffed animal that a family accidently left behind after a stay at a Ritz-Carlton. Employees took a series of creative pictures of Yoshi enjoying a little spa time with cucumbers over his eyes, relaxing by the pool wearing sunglasses, and a variety of other fun activities. They even made him an official ID badge before sending him home to the family.
The subsequent article went viral, reaping Ritz-Carlton tremendous, positive brand exposure and a boatload of good will. The emotional element is huge.
Social Media Isn’t Always The Answer
Despite the hype, social media might not always be the answer for your business — especially if you’re not able to respond in real-time.
“Timely responses matter. Immediacy is huge in a customer services arena where you need to acknowledge their issue first and then let them know they’ve been heard,” Stratten said. “Then you keep them posted until there’s a resolution to their problem or complaint. If you’re not in the real-time game, stay off Twitter. It’s not a great option for many businesses, so be careful if you hang your shingle on that platform.”
Stratten stressed that companies have to know what they’re doing before jumping into viral marketing and social media.
“Everything they need is out there. Client loyalty isn’t what it used to be so you need to do something worth talking about and that’s what makes viral marketing happen,” he said. Of course, you have to remember to connect the positive messages to your business, or the effort will be worthless. His AMM presentation was filled with examples of companies that did it well, as well as a few who didn’t.
Brian Sherman is founder of Tech Success Communications, specializing in editorial content and consulting for the IT channel. His previous roles include chief editor at Business Solutions magazine and senior director of industry alliances with Autotask. Contact Brian at Bsherman@techsuccesscommunications.com.
