Social Media

Olympic Hockey a Case Study in Second Screen Usage

February 23, 2014/1 Comment/in Marketing, Social Media/by Heather-Anne MacLean

As I sat watching the Gold Medal Hockey Game for Sochi, my thoughts on Second Screen usage were really front and centre. After all, I had my tablet while watching the game. Olympic Hockey is a real case study in Second Screen Usage.

Even though the Game started at 4 a.m. Pacific and 8 a.m. my time, my Facebook newsfeed was filled with friends that were pumped up and primed to watch the Game. There are six time zones that cover Canada. Some had not been to sleep yet while others had gotten up early. A significant amount of the near 40 million people in Canada were talking about hockey — live while the game was on.

While research shows that only 42% of consumers try synchronizing their content experience to live TV, I would love to know if anyone was monitoring and researching activity today in Canada. A number hashtags are trending in Canada even an hour after the game:

#CANvsSWE
#Toews
#kunitz; and more!

On both Twitter and Facebook #anythingforhockey is pretty active and full of great moments.

In terms of Second Screen however, I think that a challenge remains for Marketing Practitioners like me. How do Marketers take advantage of these conversations and provide meaningful content? How do you interject yourself into conversations and create real engagement without intruding? And when I talk about engagement I am speaking more about true conversations where relationship building is happening versus just “Likes” and “Shares”. How do you use your content to build relationships versus just pushing your message?

Speaking for myself only, I don’t want to be inundated with advertising when I am watching TV to be honest. Yes, I realize what this sounds like considering that I am a Marketing Practitioner. But, I think that I am not unlike the rest of consumers. Of course we are used to ads when watching, but there are two important components to this. First and foremost, clever ads get our attention and we do tend to like those. On the other hand, networks like Netflix are changing the way that we look at advertising, or no advertising.

I believe that the best bet for Marketers is to focus on Second Screen through Community and Community Engagement. I am talking about real engagement here. Depending on whom you speak to, engagement is defined differently. For me engagement is not a goal, but a result. (and I borrow this from people like Jason Falls). Engagement is definitely not about how many likes you can get or how many shares. Not at all! It is about building a community of people who actually talk to each other, share information with each other and get to know each other. Talk about relationship marketing! This is it at its best. Companies like Radian6 were excellent at it. In some ways they were some of the best at it.

I am hoping that with the importance of Second Screen companies will realize the value in this approach and either get back to basics with Community Engagement and/or implement it the way it was intended. I believe that companies that do, will see great value for their respective brands.

This is my take on Second Screen. I would love to hear your thoughts. Agree or disagree, tell me what you think.

6 Tips to Market to the Start-up Entrepreneur (& the #1 Way)

February 19, 2014/0 Comments/in Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media/by Heather-Anne MacLean

I don’t care where you are located, start-ups and the people who do start-ups – the entrepreneurs – are all the rage. Everyone wants to be a part of the next great start-up. And, why not? It can be pretty damned cool working for or with a start-up. But start-up entrepreneurs can be hard to reach. How do marketers reach them? Here are 6 tips to market to the start-up entrepreneur.

Like all marketers I had assumptions and beliefs about what works and what doesn’t. So, I wanted to test my theory. I asked 20 start-up entrepreneurs to take a short survey. I wanted to know where do they look for information, who influences them and what influences them.

6. What type of advertising do you notice

This is an interesting question in and of itself. I didn’t ask what influences them, but rather what do they notice.

Interestingly enough in this group it was ads on buses. In fact, 71% noticed these ads. Online pop-up ads were second getting the attention of 43% of my sample group. Tied for last place were ads in local newspapers and/or in newsletters. In fact, only 14% noticed these ads.

5. Do Ads Influence Entrepreneurs?

Now, this is the question that is really important to all marketers! Are my ads influencing you? Will I woo you to my brand versus my competitor with my clever and witty ads? Sadly the answer is a resounding no from my sample. Nearly 72% indicated that ads do not influence them.

4. How about trust? Do Entrepreneurs trust our ads?

Again, I was pretty certain about what I would get for answers to this question. In the words of Erik Qualman, only 14% of consumers trust tv ads. My survey was more focused and 58% acknowledged that they don’t trust advertisements in general.

3. How do you feel about promotional materials (hats, t-shirts, pens, etc.)

I have my own personal feeling about promotional items and it is quite strong. For me, unless it is something amazing, I likely don’t take it. If I have to take it and I am travelling I leave it for housekeeping. As a marketer, I always hope that people are not like me in this regard, but they are. In fact, 57% felt that promotional items were a waste of money. And, most importantly marketers, not one person indicated that promotional items had any influence on them when it came to wanting to work with one brand versus another.

2. So, where do Entrepreneurs go looking for information?

Well, according to my survey nearly 72% visit blogs. Surprisingly for me though, is that 57% also go to government sources. Perhaps this should not be too surprising as many start-ups are seeking funding grants and programs for such things as payroll, and yup, you guessed it: marketing funds!

1. So, what is the best way to reach Start-up Entrepreneurs and better yet, influence them?

Are you ready for it? As a marketer if you are surprised by this, we really, really need to chat. The #1 thing that influences the start-up entrepreneur are referrals by peers. In this instance, entrepreneurs are not that different from the rest of us. Check out this great survey result from marketingcharts.com. Their results indicate that 84% of respondents trust peer results. My survey netted 100% results.

Second to referrals were…and a drum roll and again if you are surprised, we need to talk……blogs. Nearly 72% said that they are influenced by blogs from peers and/or experts.

Social media discussion groups were third at 43%.

So, if you want to reach and influence start-up entrepreneurs, dump the traditional marketing approach of push, push, push the message and adopt a solid content marketing strategy. Be sure to make Influencer Relations a part of that overall strategy!

10 Ways to Avoid Looking Silly on LinkedIn

January 22, 2014/1 Comment/in Human Interest, Human Resources, Social Media/by Heather-Anne MacLean

LinkedIn continues to grow in popularity and is used by more recruiters than any other tool right now. While you might not be looking for a job, you might want to use LinkedIn to enhance and maintain your personal brand. But the question is: where do I start? Or, I have a profile, but don’t seem to be getting anywhere, what am I doing wrong? Here are 10 ways to avoid looking silly on LinkedIn:

Image courtesy of swishdesign.com.au

10. Not Completing Your Bio

Be sure to put substance in your profile. Don’t just list your employer. Actually give context about “what” you do and “what” you are responsible for. Don’t be afraid to show some of the professional interests that you have.

9. Talking about Yourself in the Third Person

I have to admit that practitioners find this odd when people do this. This is your profile. You own it and maintain it. I don’t know many people who speak about themselves in the third person when having a normal conversation. So, the question is, why in the world would you choose to do that with your LinkedIn Profile? Advice: don’t. It is that simple.

8. Not Using Recommendations Correctly

Like connection requests, giving LinkedIn Recommendations should be carefully considered. Remember, Recommendations are public and visible on your profile as well as the profile of the person for whom you have written the recommendation. Sure you can manage visibility, but why bother giving a recommendation if you aren’t willing for it to be public. You have to manage and develop your personal brand. That being said, not giving anyone a recommendation also sends a message and not a good one.

7. Over Sharing

Depending on your contacts and your network, the level of sharing will vary. It is important to remember that LinkedIn is not like Twitter or Facebook. Sharing one or two really good pieces of content/advice a day would be more than appropriate. I only share a couple of pieces of content per week, but tend to like or comment more on the content shared by others.

In addition, LinkedIn is not the place to share what you had for dinner, where you are going on holidays, etc. Remember that this is a professional networking site. Keep it professional.

6. Not Using Groups Appropriately

Groups are a great source to make connections and learn from others. It is important to join groups that you have some interest or connection with. Be sure to contribute to the conversation when you have something to add. Don’t use it as a source to spam people with your services and/or products. It is also important to be professional.

5. Don’t Show Your Birthday

Some practitioners might disagree with me on this one, but this is not Facebook. Why in the world would you show your birthday on a professional network? Are you looking for birthday wishes? Do you really want that level of personal detail available to your entire network, the public and possibly recruiters?

4. Connecting with People When There is No Obvious Connection

Choosing whom to connect with is something that people should give great consideration. Different people have different criteria for who they accept when new people reach out to them. Some for example, will only accept LinkedIn connections from people that they know well and are in their respective industry.

Others, including myself, will accept LinkedIn connections from people in my industry as long as they are connected to other people I know. I do not connect with individuals whom I don’t know and there is no obvious connection. I also don’t accept connection requests from people who either don’t have a photo of themselves and/or it is a logo or some other odd image.

3. Spamming People

One of the greatest pet peeves that I have, and I know that others feel this way too, is having someone ask to connect with me and then when I do, they start spamming me with:

Vote for me to win or be recognized for X
Endorse me for X
Recommend me for X
Buy my product and/or service

I did not accept your connection to be bombarded with requests or sales pitches. If you want to ask a question or have a conversation, that is one thing. The action or reaction you will likely get from me is a disconnection.

2. Not Having a Professional Photo

Ensure that you actually have a photo for your profile. You should even go one step further and have a professional photo. The photo should only be of you and not you and your significant other and/or a buddy. This is YOUR professional profile.

1. Not Being truthful

Remember that this is a public profile and someone will call you out for using a more important title and/or claiming that you had a team of 50 professionals reporting to you when you in fact had no direct reports.

Of course there are other things you should/should not do. And, if you still have questions, let me know.

Sex, Drugs & Rock n’Roll? How About Smart Technology, Ethics and Privacy?

January 21, 2014/0 Comments/in Communications, Human Interest, Marketing, Social Media/by Heather-Anne MacLean

Sure, sex sells and drugs and rock n’ roll still elicit a raised eye brow from many, but I have a question that is much more important to the masses. Are we really ready for where smart technology – specifically related to appliances – is taking us? Do we have the ethical issues identified? What about privacy policies for vendors, industry ethical standards, laws and regulations? Have we really thought out the implications and considered the ramifications?

Image courtesy of digitaltrends.com

It has been less than a week since a refrigerator has been identified as the source of more than 100,000 spam email. Seriously…yes, a fridge was used to spam people. It was spam this time, but my point is that someone was able to get control of the computer in the appliance – a fridge that was located in someone’s home or business. We have been so focused on virus protection and firewalls for our computers, mobile phones and tablets, but what about all this great new technology that is already in our homes and yet to be in our homes – fridges, microwaves, and even diapers – I kid you not diapers.

Technology is emerging so quickly that we just can’t keep up with the implications and ramifications. Regulators and legislators are still struggling to catch up with social media and all the issues around privacy that have emerged. Ethically, we are still working to deal with online bullying and distribution of child pornography as well as what rights employees have to privacy, and the rights of employer to access to social sites and information of their employees.

This is not to say that all this technology is not great. Just the opposite actually! I love technology and the things that it can do for us. Technology has enabled us and empowered us to reach wider audiences and to have a voice. Prior to social media, individuals didn’t really have this ability…not without a lot of expense and time. Additionally, I believe that there is some great work being down with Smart Grid technology with a significant focus on protection and privacy.

The issue for me around all of this smart technology in terms of appliances is really centred on who is the gatekeeper? Who is helping identify all of the potential land mines that come with having access to so much personal data? Who is ensuring that the right people have the information versus protecting it from the wrong people? As more and more smart devices enter our homes, there are countless companies that will have access to our activities including food and drink preferences and consumption, brand preferences and by extrapolation spending habits, when and what rooms we use and how, the frequency of cleaning and on and on and on. In addition, who has the access and power to take control of our devices ( and information) and use it they way they want to use it? Can our access be cut off?

As we become increasingly dependent or reliant on our technology, how long will it be before we are rendered incapable of caring for ourselves? What are we doing as individuals to ensure that we protect our data, our privacy and our ability to think for ourselves?

What are your thoughts on having “smart” devices in your home? Are you ready to jump in with both feet?

Marketing Advice or Snake Oil: When to Walk Away (or Run)

January 20, 2014/0 Comments/in Human Resources, Management, Marketing, Social Media/by Heather-Anne MacLean

I have worked in the management consulting/marketing/PR industry for a long time know. I have seen many trends emerge and die. I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. My colleagues and myself have also shaken our heads more than a few times when self-professed experts or gurus have emerged offering a one-sized solution. This is the modern-day version of snake oil. In fact, there are some signs that you need to watch for in order to know when to run away from the expert when he or she recommends the following:

Image owned by TaylorMade Solutions

Outsource All of Your Marketing

If a consultant recommends that you don’t need a marketing presence within your organization, this should be a red flag. If your business needs to understand and build an audience, have data and research to develop products or solutions, you need a marketing presence internally. You might not be able to have an entire team based on your size and revenues, but you need at least one person who has the knowledge and real marketing experience to guide your organization. You need someone who has a vested interested in the long-term success of the business and who thinks about the overall strategy versus just tactics and campaigns.

Metrics

If either your consultant or your marketing team informs you that it is not necessary to measure your marketing efforts, run! Yes, run. While there are many thoughts on how to measure marketing and just what metrics need to be in place, they are absolutely essential. They key of course is to have a marketing leader who understands the fundamentals of marketing and also how to align those activities to the overall KPIs of the business. Not connecting the two is a big miss.

You Don’t Need To Be In Social Media

If a management consultant advises you that you don’t need to be in social media, first laugh and then run away. In this day and age, to still hold this belief is like telling a business that they don’t need to answer the telephone when it rings.

The issue at hand with social media is that far too many consultants, including those that specialize in marketing still approach social media as a push tool. They don’t understand social media and/or the power.

You Need To Have A Presence in ALL Social Channels

If you are told by your marketing team that you need to have a presence in all social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, etc. etc.) you need to evaluate your marketing leadership. This approach will fail and fail miserably. This is neither practical, nor strategic

Public/Customer Comments

You Should Turn OFF the Ability for the Public to Comment

If you are going to go this route I would recommend not bothering to venture into the world of social media. Social media is intended to be social. Your customers and prospects aren’t interested in push communications. They want to engage.

You SHOULD Delete All Negative Comments

If you want to create a problem and possibly an online backlash, this would be good advice. The only reason I would recommend deleting a comment would be if it was containing threats, profanity or a personal attack. Before deleting any comment you should have a policy in place and publicly shared that outlines the reasons that a comment would be removed.

You Should ALWAYS Respond to Negative Comments

While we might all have the urge to respond to negative comments, stop and think about it first. Will responding to the comment give the person a bigger audience than he or she already has? Is this a justified negative comment? Can you take the conversation offline?

You Should NEVER Respond to Negative Comments

Again you need to apply some logic and common sense. If you never address the issues at hand, you need to question what your purpose and objectives are for social media.

Regardless of the situation, businesses need a social media playbook to be able to quickly, consistently and accurately navigate social business. A good social media management consultant will be able to give you the skeleton of such a tool or develop one for you. Your budget will determine whether it is a skeleton or a full-fledged playbook.

Blogs

If your consultant and/or marketing team tell you that you need a blog, think about this carefully. The same applies for if you are directed that you should not have a blog. While blogs are all the rage, do you have a good understanding of content marketing? Do you understand SEO, how to write a blog headline, or know which platform you should be using? Do you have the time to do it properly? If you say no or are not sure, do you have someone leading your marketing team that has this expertise? If you say no or you don’t know, you need to engage the right person to lead you and your organization through this.

As you can see, there are many indicators that business leaders and owners should look for when getting marketing advice or hiring marketing leadership. It doesn’t need to be a frightening experience, but hiring the right people in the early stages is important. Hire for experience and knowledge immediately. Hiring resources that you think will learn or gain experience as they go, is not the way to build and protect a brand. What do you think? What has been your experience in hiring the right marketing resources?

6 Marketing Trends to Watch in 2014

January 15, 2014/0 Comments/in Content Marketing, Influence, Marketing, Social Media/by Heather-Anne MacLean

Every day marketers are looking for the next big thing. Knowing what will be “the” next big thing is hard to say. From experience I can say that there are a few things that I am watching very carefully this year. In fact there are 6 marketing trends that I am watching in 2014:

Image courtesy of esol.britishcouncil.org

1. Social Media Is Part of An Integrated Solution

Since social media emerged, different disciplines have been battling to take ownership. In 2014, I believe that most organizations will mature enough to realize that the disruption that has been experienced is throughout the organization and not just in one area such customer service or marketing. Rather, social should and must be looked at as a part of an integrated management solution and not in a silo.

2. Mobile is No Longer An After Thought

There is no question that I believe 2014 will be the year of mobile. Despite this it wasn’t that long ago that companies were putting mobile second or as a next phase in their online strategy. In fact, I can think of at least one very innovative and leading company who unfortunately opted for social to be an after thought when launching a new website. Despite warnings, the plan was not changed. Sure enough, their customers called them out on the faux pas. It was a lesson that they will not repeat.

3. Second Screen Gains More Importance

Adding to the importance of mobile, the second screen is going to continue to gain prominence. The question will be how well marketers leverage the use of second screen. With approximately 88% of U.S. consumers using a second screen, what will be the potential impact be for online purchases, social channel conversations, etc? There is great potential.

4. Hyperlocal Comes Full Circle and Community Will Re-Emerge

Mobile and second screen further enhances the opportunity that is presented by being able to be hyperlocal. In fact, with the opportunity for focusing on local markets, I believe that many organizations will come to the realization that they need to renew their focus on building and maintaining online communities. In 2013 some companies veered away from their communities. If they really want to leverage hyperlocal, they need to rethink that missed move.

5. Video

Video consistently proves to be the most clickable and sharable content. What some companies miss however is that it does not have to be the high production that we once loved. As long as it is easel digestible people will look at it. Think short quality content and/or messages. Flashy high production might lead people to miss the message or question the validity of what you might be trying to accomplish.

6. Trust/Influence

Marketers have a lot of tools in the toolbox. What marketers will need to come to terms with sooner than later is that the average consumer is becoming harder to influence and as a result they have become less trusting of both traditional and non traditional marketing. Marketers of all sizes and shapes will have to work harder to ensure that their actions don’t result in mistrust and lawsuits such as some that Facebook has been experiencing.

Do you agree with my observations? What would you add to the list?

My 6 Must Reads from 2013

January 14, 2014/1 Comment/in Communications, Influence, Management, Marketing, Social Media/by Heather-Anne MacLean

I don’t make New Years resolutions. I don’t believe in them. However, I do use this time of year to take inventory and edit. So far I have removed over 100 pounds of paper from my house and have laundered and prepared three large bags of clothes to take to one of our local charity shops. My next stop was my library. I realize that I amassed a lot of new books in 2013. Despite being in edit and purge mode though, I can’t get bring myself to ever dispose of books – except text books. My collection of books tends to be heavy on biographies followed by business books. Of course there is a bit of the fiction types that take me away into another world and time. Thankfully being a part of a book club forces me to have more of the latter. That is a good thing. In reviewing and organizing my new additions from 2013, there were definitely six books that stood out and, if asked, I would recommend. Here are my top picks from 2013:

Audience: Marketing in the Age of Subscribers, Fans and Followers, by Jeffrey K. Rohrs

This is a great book that really helps organizations to understand and value the role of an audience. @jkrohrs uses great stories and examples to get the point across.

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell

I really loved this book. It did make me stop and think about a lot of things. @Gladwell did a masterful job of looking at things differently. I had more “aha” moments reading this book than I have for a long time.

Influence Marketing: How to Create, Manage, and Measure Brand Influencers in Social Media Marketing, by Danny Brown (@DannyBrown) and Sam Fiorella (@samfiorella)

This is another one of my favs of 2013. If you are interested in Influencer Marketing, then this is the book for you. It is a great source for the history and evolution of the topic. The book also gives great information for your strategy. For more detail on this book, check out my review by clicking here.

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg

Of all the books on my list this is no doubt the book that has been discussed the most. To be honest I needed to take time and reflect about this book. There was so much hype about it and its author, I almost unfairly dismissed it and left it off the list. That would have been unfair. It is a good read and one that should be read by both women and men.

WTF (What’s the Future) of Business, by Brian Solis

@Briansolis gives good insight into metrics and the changes that need to occur to keep pace. Having worked in more than six industries, metrics is one of the common themes. What are the right things to measure and how best can organizations achieve the right ROI? Great food for thought can be found in these pages.

Youtility: Why Smart Marketing is About Help Not Hype, by Jay Baer

@jaybaer is one of my favs when it comes to marketing advice. One of the things that I like best about his advice is that he is just so grounded. His advice is based on what most would say is common sense. That being said, very few people have common sense and so many people complicate things unnecessarily.

There were a lot of great books released in 2013, what books would you add to the list?

What Canada’s New Anti Spam Law Means For Marketers (Even in the US)

January 13, 2014/3 Comments/in Communications, Influence, Management, Marketing, Social Media/by Heather-Anne MacLean

Do you have customers in Canada? Do you email your customers? Thinking about setting up an email campaign for your customers? Now is the time to learn about the new Canadian Anti Spam Law that comes into effect this July (2014) in Canada, and yes this applies to companies based in the United States.

Image courtesy of www.inboundsales.net

This new law is expected to have the most severe penalties in place for those who violate. The maximum penalty for an individual that sends out spam is $10,000 and $1,000,000 for an organization.

With email marketing making a resurgence of sorts, this new legislation will make it far more difficult for companies to employ new marketing tactics to reach customers and even more difficult to reach prospects. With 2014 really being the year of mobile (in my opinion), this will definitely throw a wrench into the mix. Marketers are going to have to come up with new ways to get the coveted attention of the audience.

Here is a synopsis of what you need to know:

1. Existing Email Lists

If you have an existing relationship, it is expected that you will have a very clear process for opting out if the recipient decides that he or she no longer wishes to receive email.

Implications: If you do not have a very clear (and easy) process for customers, you are at risk for violating the anti spam law.

AND very importantly the email MUST be relevant to the recipient’s role and/or duties.

Implications: This is an important nuance that marketers must be aware of.

2. Buying New Email Lists

While this new law does not prohibit the buying new email lists, it is very clear that all parties must adhere to the existing Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Additionally, the same rules apply for having express consent and also having a clear opt-out process.

Implications: There will be an extra level of due diligence required for companies both selling and buying lists. The question you need to ask yourself in order to protect you and your organization is: Will you be able to determine if Canadians are included in the lists?

3. Text Messages and “Cellphone” Spam

Think you can still text or reach out by cellphone? Think again. The same conditions for email apply to these marketing/communications tools.

Implications: Your text messages now need to have an opt-out option AND you need express consent. From a personal standpoint I can relate to this. Organizations texting me and I never signed up to receive texts. This will be an interesting scenario for travellers to the US. How will phone companies be handling sending text messages to Canadians when we have not expressly consented? What will happen as a result of unwanted text messages?

4. Does this legislation cover all businesses, including government and not-for-profits?

Like the Canadian Do-Not-Call list, it does not.

Political parties and charities are exempt as long as they are not engaging with people for the primary reason of selling and/or promoting a product. Some might argue that a political party promoting a candidate is selling a product, but it is not clear how this fits into the equation. This might actually be a good test-case for the law. Based on the Do-Not-Call list, I suspect that politicians can still send such email.

5. When exactly does this new law come into effect?

While the key provisions will be effective July 1, 2014, the full effects will not be in place for 36 months. In fact, small business and not-for-profits are being given this grace period to accommodate the changes that this means for them. Realizing that they might have the technology and/or resources of larger and for-profit organizations, the government is providing more time to these organizations to make the change.

Do you have concerns over this new legislation? Are you versed on these changes? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Good Customer Service Includes Having The Guts to Admit You Messed Up

January 9, 2014/0 Comments/in Customer Service, Influence, Management, Social Media/by Heather-Anne MacLean

It takes a lot for me to write a blog post discussing how a company messed up. I don’t like doing it really. Why? All companies make mistakes. After all, they are run by human beings and we all make mistakes from time to time. As a result, we should use mistakes to learn what to do to change future behaviour. Having the chance to learn is the only reason that I write blog posts that highlight poor performance. Earlier this week I wrote about my experience with Keurig Canada. I actually wrote the blog a month earlier, but sat on it. I wanted to give them a chance to rally and fix the issues. Eventually I decided to update it and post it. To Keurig Canada’s credit, they called me. It takes a lot of guts to admit that you messed up, but they did. As a result, I want to give credit where credit is due and provide an update as a lesson learned piece. Here are tips that you can take away from the Keurig Canada experience:

1. Be Active Listeners in Social Media

Reputation remains a top concern for Boards of Directors and quite frankly it is keeping many members awake at night. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that social media is at the crux of the matter. You can choose to employ the Ostrich Effect, or you can be an active listener in social.

Keurig monitors its social channels and as a result when I mentioned them on Twitter, they not only saw my blog post, they read it. They also checked me out on LinkedIn. I am sure that they also looked at the fact that I have more than 4500 followers on Twitter. In other words, I have an audience and some level of influence.

2. Take Action and Move Conversations Off Social

Businesses that care about reputation need to do exactly what Keurig did. They also need to use social media monitoring tools that pick up on any company mention and not just direct mentions. When you have the right tools you can act quicker. Responding to customer service issues early on, is important. The sooner you do it the better the relationship.

I have to admit that when I was answering the call and I saw the area code I wondered if it might be Keurig Canada calling. It was. I was pleasantly surprised and pleased that they would have a Customer Service Manager call me. She was good actually and very professional.

3. Acknowledge Issues

In this case the company is going through a lot of changes and growing pains. The good news is that the Customer Service Manager acknowledged each and every issue that I raised in my blog post and outlined that they are taking corrective steps. I find it encouraging that each issue was acknowledged. I am sure we have all had experiences when a bad customer experience was only made worse when the person or persons representing the company denied that anything unsavoury happened.

4. Live the Brand

The Customer Service Manager that called me was, as I mentioned very professional. She understands the Keurig brand, that was clear. While not everyone thinks about being on brand and following the brand voice and values, I do. I can’t help it. I am a Marketing Practitioner so I value and recognize when companies do this well. Kudos to this Customer Service Manager!

5. Follow Through

The proof is always in the pudding though, isn’t it? During the conversation, some issues that I had, were addressed and acted upon as promised. This is encouraging of course. Change also takes time and I know that they understand and have identified all of the issues that they currently have. Based on this information, I have chosen to again use the online purchasing option through Kuerig Canada. I will continue to monitor the progress that they make with each purchase.

These are all important components of customer service. There are of course more and I would love to hear what you think about.

3 Ways to P!$$ Off Your Customers – Keurig Canada Customer Service #Failure

January 6, 2014/0 Comments/in Communications, Customer Service, Human Interest, Influence, Management, Marketing, Social Media/by Heather-Anne MacLean

Customer service is not something that you expect some of the time. Customers expect good customer service all of the time – period – full stop. Great customer service is what sets a brand apart from its competitors. Unfortunately, some companies are failing at customer service – both traditional AND social. Even more unfortunate is the specific epic #failure of Keurig Canada. Here three things we can learn from this bad experience.

The Issue

For the first time I opted to buy my coffee online direct from Keurig Canada. This is not a complicated process. Create an account, select the coffee you want, check out and pay for it. Check, check, check and check. All was well up to and including the confirmation email receipt. This email stated that I would receive another email when shipped. Days passed, no email. A week passed, no email. More days passed, no email. I checked on line. What did I find out? My payment was taken, but yet there was no status on my shipment. In fact under delivery date, it said: “N/A”. I made my original order on November 30th. After approximately two weeks, I called. In total I called three times. Each time I waited on the line for close to an hour and still could not reach a human. An option was given to leave a message. I left a message with my name and telephone number and asking about delivery. No one returned my call. I emailed Customer Service as well. No one ever responded. I resorted to social media and did get a response and a call from the main location in the US. Unfortunately they were unable to help. They couldn’t see my order because I was in Canada. They were fantastic. In fact, I want to stress that when dealing with Keurig in the United States, their brand representatives are among the best. I love dealing with them. Cross the border and well, that is a different story. Dealing with Keurig in Canada is painful at best and enough to make you rethink your coffee machine purchase. Keurig Canada’s customer service is a failure.

So, how can your business excel at customer service – both traditional and social? Here are 3 lessons learned from Keurig Canada’s epic #fail:

1. Understand the Brand You Represent

It is incumbent on all organizations to ensure that all employees, and particularly customer-facing employees, know and understand your brand – the brand values, voice and how to actually live the brand. If you are going to outsource parts of your operation, this is even more important. It only takes one person to hurt your brand and reputation.

Keurig Canada failed to understand the brand. Their website states the following: “Keurig” is derived from the Dutch word for excellence, which is our standard for everything, from our patented brewing technology to our gourmet brands of beverages and our customer service.”

Keurig Canada if you believe that not returning phone calls and/or email which you specifically point your customers to as a communication channel is “being excellent,” I beg to differ. This is NOT excellence. Failing to keep your customer informed is a fail.

2. Staff Your Customer Channels

There is no question that certain times of the year more busy than others. The business cycle should not come as a surprise. Staff for it. Keurig in the US was able to answer and respond to calls. Their population base is larger. They have more customers. They were staffed appropriately. Jump on a plane and get schooled by the Keurig experts at your head office. Please!

3. Rethink Your Processes and Actually Make Changes

Clearly there was an issue and Keurig Canada realized it. I received notification that there was an issue with unusually high volumes and therefore they were offering a free box to make up for it. Good on them, sorta! This is an opportunity for a second chance. Unfortunately, they have failed yet again. Not only did they require that you make a minimum purchase, it has now been a week since my last order. Guess what? For days there was no information. My delivery date said: N/A. I checked today and my order apparently shipped yesterday. I have not received the verification email that they promise. So, the question is: has it really shipped? I could call or email, but based on my previous experience, I will pass.

What’s Your Experience?

These three items are three easy fixes. If you value your customers, establish processes to avoid these missteps. The next step is mine. Will I continue to be a Keurig user? Or, will I sell my machine and go another route? I am not certain just yet, but I can tell you that I am seriously evaluating next steps.

So, what is your customer service experience with Keurig? Would you choose another coffee system? I would love to hear your thoughts.