april 2008

Every day the news is enough to send you spiraling into depression. We’re deep in recession, gas prices are sky high, businesses are shutting down left and right, and the airlines are either going out of business or merging every day.

But what if you focused on your customers instead of focusing on your problems? What if you gave them the extras - and charged them for it - but made it so much fun it was worth paying extra for?

Movie theaters have been having a hard time over the past few years. I know several in our area that have gone out of business. But a new one opened up in December that’s filled every time we take in a movie. They charge a couple dollars more than other theaters in our area, but they have a self serve area for popcorn and soda. The seats are leather and are very comfy. You can even by VIP loveseats for a few dollars more, and you’ll have a waiter serve whatever you want from their cafe.

Great customer service giving their guests exactly what they want - and what they complain at with other movie theaters (high prices for popcorn and sodas) .

What about the airlines? What if they gave you free Internet service while you were in the air? What if they gave you a free movie for your kids to watch? What if they gave you free drinks and a great snack? What if you could get a pass to go through security faster? What if carry on baggage was easier to carry on and stow?

People are willing to pay for things they put a value on - mainly time savers. Be up front. “Yes, you’ll pay a bit more, but we won’t nickel and dime you on the back end. Get exactly what you want.”

What can you do to improve your customer service? What are your customers willing to pay more for to receive the best quality service available?

I bet I know what your day is like.

You get up and check email. Then you work on client projects, answer phone calls, meet with prospects, and have lunch. Then you start all over again after lunch.

You may spend a little time with family and friends, then back to the computer to check email, do a little more client or office work, and call it a night.

So when are you supposed to learn about social networking AND put it all into action?

Social networking isn’t meant to take up your entire day. It’s meant to be a complement to your other marketing tactics.

With your traditional marketing, you may attend one or two lunches or after hour business meetings per week. In a couple of hours, you may get a handful of leads to follow up on in the coming week.

It’s the same with social networking. Only with social networking, the work you do today can help you build way into the future because it doesn’t disappear from the online world. It creates a presence, and allows you to build from there.

The important thing is to make time for it. Dedicate a few minutes each day, or a half hour a couple times of week, and just do it!

For those of you that follow Twitter.com, I found a fun new application that allows you to watch live twitts as they are posted from around the world. TwittEarth Thought it was a fun way to celebrate Earth Day today.

If you’ve never been to Twitter before, you can check out my profile:

Twitter LoriOsterberg

And  you can also follow Andrew

Twitter PhotoshopTips

Well I did it. I put down my reservation to be the proud owner of a Smart Car.

It’s funny how things work online. I’m on all the time. So when my surfing led me to the Smart Car last week, I was amazed to see that a dealership had opened up here in Denver at the end of February. So after a meeting last Thursday, I stopped by to take a look at them. And I fell in love with how cute they are.

It’s not like any ordinary dealership. You have to make an appointment for a test drive because they are so busy. So today at 4 we headed over to test it out. If you haven’t sat in one, I highly suggest you give it a try. It’s amazing how big it is on the inside, and how roomy it feels for a little two seater.

So we looked around, tested it out, and chose our color. (Can you guess? )

I love the idea of small cars - in fact I can’t stand big ones. I like being able to park quickly, and buzzing around town quickly without a lot of “bigness”. But I was worried about the safety.

Well you can head over to YouTube and see the videos of crash tests, and its amazing what it can withstand. I was sold.

You can’t order it at the showroom. Instead you have to head online and put in your reservation fee. Right now they are looking at up to a one year wait; but they will call you if someone turns one down and you’re next in line.

So I guess now we wait.

Imagine sitting at the computer at 11 am on a Friday afternoon. You surf to a site, and a 5 second audio commercial plays telling you about a special you can get at a pizza place just a few blocks from you. Your hungry. Pizza sounds good. So you head over and have lunch.

That’s the power of audio ads. Pay Per Play Media (in beta) has created a new way of advertising to people in your target market and in your community. You choose when and where - they do the rest.

Or if you have a high traffic site, maybe this is a way to monetize it even more. Sell ads on select pages. The ad will only play once per page, and only once per 3 minutes on any page they click on within your site (that way you don’t overwhelm your audience with a ton of audio ads).

Sounds interesting - anyone tried it?

I love reading about the success stories in the world of marketing. And today I found a very interesting site that really amazed me.

StuffWhitePeopleLike.com is a tongue-in-cheek look at, well, what white people like. The authors have strong beliefs, share their opinions very well in their various posts, and have received a huge amount of exposure.

Like over 23 million hits since they started in January 2008.

Like a book deal by Random House that will be available in August.

All by talking about daily things.

Why can’t we all think of things like this? Don’t you wonder that sometimes?

What it really comes down to is creating an idea, and having it go viral. By some twist of fate, they hit on something perfect, someone finds their site, and turns it into an immediate best seller.

It may sound easy, and it may sound like luck. But what really happens is they have a great idea that they are passionate about, and that they can share that passion with their followers.

Last week at Disney, we ate dinner one night at Fulton’s Crab House in Downtown Disney. After we were seated, our waiter brought out a basket of crackers, and a wonderful spread called Fulton’s Crab Boursin. After we tried it and enjoyed it (yep, the bowl was clean) our waiter shared the recipe with us. On the back of our reservation card was the complete recipe which we could take home and share with our friends.

And guess what - it worked. Because I’m not just sharing it with my friends at my next party. I’m also sharing it with you. The card is sitting here on my desk, and I’ll be making it for my next book club here in two weeks. And of course I’ll share the recipe - and where I got it - with anyone who asks.

The next time your in Disney World, maybe you’ll recognize Fulton’s Crab House and give it a try. After all, you have already enjoyed one of their appetizers.

Hmmmm…. sounds like great marketing. Give a little bit for free. Invite people to share it with their friends. And get a bunch of new clients in return.

Lori

P.S. Maybe it’s time to learn even more about marketing your business.

Have you ever been to Disney World in Florida?

I must say we lucked out. It seems our spring break week was a little later than most. So the crowds weren’t too bad as we strolled around the parks of Disney.

But there still were the crowds for the popular rides. And if you wanted to eat at a popular restaurant at a normal hour, you could still plan on a 2 hour wait.

If you’ve ever stayed at Disney, you know you get a bag of goodies when you check in. Lots of coupons and maps. Plenty of enticing promotions trying to get you to go here and there.

I sorted through them pretty quickly. After all, we’ve been to Disney World many times, and I know the ropes.

But I was intrigued by one stack of coupons. Paper clipped to a Downtown Disney map was a few coupons for the large restaurants, Planet Hollywood, Wolfgang Puck, The Crab House, etc.

Most were for a free appetizer. Which is okay, but nothing that will motivate me at 6pm with a 2 hour wait. But Planet Hollywood offered me a Preferred Guest status. Just by presenting the card, I received a free appetizer AND 1st available seating - at the head of the line! Seating in a few minutes instead of a few hours? Now that’s a deal. And something that will make me take action.

Isn’t that what small business marketing is all about? Thinking beyond what the normal is, and offering what your customer truly wants. Appetizers are great. But when you’ve been out playing all day, the thing that means the most is to just sit down and have a nice meal with your family. Quickly.

What a great idea!