Input adds dividends
ollege students complain…a lot. Auburn students are no exception. The student activities center does not make them happy. There are waits to use cardio equipment, girls are too intimidated to use the male-dominated weight room, there aren’t locker rooms nearby…and the list goes on.
Renovations and decisions seem to move at a snail’s pace in the higher-education arena. Mostly because decisions are so political and rely so heavily on alumni donations. Finally, Auburn University has decided to build a new recreational facility for its students.
Realizing the need for student input, the Student Government Association (SGA) was awarded the task of finding out what the students want. Surveys were sent to students asking for ideas and asking them to rank their interest in different activities including a rock climbing wall and more aerobics classes.
A substantial increase in the recreation fee would be necessary to complete the project. The current fee of $7 per semester will climb to $200 by 2012.
In a vote on Feb. 12, 2009, 74-percent of Auburn students elected to build a new student activities center. Construction for the 360,000 square foot building is set to begin this fall and should be completed during the 2011-2012 academic year.
Auburn demonstrated an effective use of the groundswell: It embraced it.
Embracing the groundswell means consumers are ingrained in the innovations to both products and processes in your organization. It helps to progress at a more rapid pace. You can avoid debates that halt progress.
Consumers are willing and will quickly tell you what they want. You can immediately begin to develop a plan of action. With their continued input, you can continually make alterations as needed.
Auburn did this by asking for input before construction began and even letting the entire project be a decision for the students, rather than mandating “this is the way it will be.”
Given the student vote took place in February and construction is set to begin this fall, there is time for protest from the community, students, faculty and alumni before a single shovel breaks ground. Conflicts can be resolved ahead of time and pro-active behavior can help predict possible issues.
Asking for someone’s opinion is empowering. It makes the individual feel valued. When consumers of a product or service they are already fans of are asked for their input, they feel their support has been recognized by the organization. If you thought they were advocates before, just wait until they see their suggestions put into play.
people, people who need people
“People, people who need people are the luckiest people in the world.”
“No man is an island.”
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Take your pick. Conventional wisdom says people should help people. Fair enough. There are those that not only help others because it is the right thing to do, they do it because they enjoy it. I’ll give you a moment to absorb that.
Since the dawn of the Internet—all Al Gore jokes aside—people have not only grown more connected, but it has also helped link the needers with the helpers, the givers with the takers. It has done more than benefit people; it has benefited organizations, too.
Take, for instance, petfinder.com, a website for which I have a somewhat disturbing obsession. This site allows users to search from horses, dogs, cats, etc. in need of adoption. Search criteria include age, sex, breed, size, geography and more. Pet-searchers can find their perfect, new, fuzzy friend without visiting countless foster homes. Shelters and foster parents benefit from a fast turnaround on adoption. The fewer animals in kennels, the better it is for everyone.
Moreover, people trust each other more than they trust Corporate America. Talking to someone who can attest to Proactiv’s ability to clear up even the most severe of acne is going to be more persuasive than what a paid sponsor will say.
Especially in the current economic climate, consumers are weary of businesses, both big and small. We’re not sure who to trust so we huddle together and become a single unit. For example, bartering has increased in popularity with sites popping up to support the traders. Check out Web BarterBee or SwapThing. These barter sites tend to be focused on a particular demographic or specific product or service.
The desire to cut out the middle man is growing as people are learning to become more co-dependent. It’s not to say no business is to be trusted, but it may take a little more warming up by a non-employee to draw in new consumers.
Heard it through the grapevine
In 2007, a group of Apple enthusiasts and critiques noticed a mysterious 12th icon on the iPhone in a commercial. This group congregates on a website called macenstein.com. It’s a site where information on Macintosh, “Macs”, is collected and “pieced together into an unholy monster of a site.”
As Dr. Macenstein posted a blog on June 7, 2007, he believed, “Well, it looks like we may have gotten Apple’s attention when we pointed out that mysterious 12th icon a couple days ago.” After postings raising questions into the unknown icon increased, Apple altered the commercial. The bloggers theory? “Well, while we’d LIKE to think this means Apple still has some mystery app hidden for the June 29th launch and just doesn’t want to blow the secret, our Spider Sense is now telling us that perhaps those skeptical commentators on the original story had it right; some ad exec thought the extra black space of 11 icons ‘looked odd’ in the close-up, and figured it would ‘look better’ with 12 icons to fill in the space. Besides, who would notice? Well, for an Apple ad exec, they certainly don’t know Apple fanboys very well!”
Here are some links demonstrating how customers can alter the way a company is operated.
What the airlines don’t want you to know.
Help me, help you
OK, you know you want to reach your market, you’re willing to try new social media but you’re not really sure what is the best fit for you. Should you post a viral video? Participate in social networks? Get involved in the blogosphere? Or would it be best to create your own community? Each of these methods for talking with the groundswell necessitate an examination of your public.
There is a marketing funnel of sorts which can help you identify where your publics lie on the awareness/loyalty spectrum. It begins with awareness then consideration, preference, action and finally, loyalty.
If the problem you’re facing deals with awareness, then posting a viral video may be best for you. Remember the “It” advertisements a few years back? Now, I can’t even remember what “It” was, but at the time people would jump from couch to computer just to find out more about this mystery product.
Social networks are helpful when there are word-of-mouth problems. Word-of-mouth promotion is more effective than any media promotion will ever be. The problem is, you have to find out if your customers are in social networks and if they’re the type of people who will help forward your brand. For example, Starbucks customers are going to be enthusiastic about the provider of their venti, non-fat chai tea lattes. They will form and join social networks to support their caffeine dealer. If, on the other hand, your company is a paper provider (a la Dunder Mifflin, Inc.) then you’re less likely to find a slue of supporters.
For some reason, the idea of some companies having blogs is just entirely laughable. I don’t see a whole lot of reason behind discussing other uses for the little plastic things at the end of shoelaces. Blogs are ideal for companies with complexity problems, meaning an array of customer profiles or complex products or services. They should be treated with extreme caution. Remember, what starts on a blog can quickly lead to a media frenzy. You need to know who you want to reach and what you want to accomplish. Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” pokes fun of the Twitter-craze with reporter Samantha Bee. Why are members of congress “Tweeting”? What does it do? WHO KNOWS?! Have a reason, a purpose for your blog. Don’t just do it because “all the cool kids are doing it.” If the majority of your customers are over age 50, they are probably not going to be interested in yours, or anyone else’s blog.
Finally, you can create a community to solve accessibility problems. Are you a fat-cat that customers find untrustworthy? Are they taking advice from each other rather than you, the manufacturer? It happens. Social communities allow companies a way of assisting its customers by way of connecting them with other customers who may have faced similar obstacles.
Is anyone listening?
PepsiCo, parent company to Tropicana orange juice, definitely is listening. After releasing a new packaging design only a month ago, PepsiCo has already decided to return to the old design following a customer uprising. The well-known orange with a straw was a replaced with a simplistic large image of an orange, a sideways “Tropicana” and a new screw on cap resembling an orange. It was criticized as looking like a generic brand and making it more difficult to distinguish between the Tropicana products.
This is just one of the most recent and publicized examples of organization’s listening to their consumers. New technologies are making it easier to receive feedback and make changes more quickly.
Facebook faced a similar situation recently when users were outraged by a change in the site’s terms of service of which they were not directly notified. The change was quickly revoked and an apology was issued by Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg on its homepage.
In an article in the NY Times, Peter Shankman, a PR executive specializing in social media said, “Twitter is the ultimate focus group. I can post something and in a minute get feedback from 700 people around the world, giving me their real opinions.”
There are ways of finding customers’ opinions without waiting for response in blogs and chat rooms. Marketing research can do that for you. The problem, however, is the expense and its inability to tell what people are actually thinking versus trends–research can answer questions, but not offer insight.
In fact, there is growing evidence to indicate that with the proper measurements, online word of mouth is a leading indicator for sales.
All the cool kids are doing it
“We got Twitter!”
“Why?”
“Well, um, everyone is talking about it.”
Yes, it is a cliche and yes, it is something your mother would say, but if everyone jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?
Not all social media is alike and all social media is not necessarily for everyone. There are some things that need to be considered before adopting social media.
First, examine the people. Think about the demographics you’re hoping to attract. How likely are they to engage in online activities? What appeals to them; blogs, news feeds, chatrooms?
Second, know your objectives. Are you hoping to learn more about the consumer or to alter their opinions? There are five primary objectives companies successfully puruse according to Li and Bernoff’s “Groundswell.” The first is to listen. Listening is a form of research to better understand your customers. Talking is another objective in that messages can be spread. There is also an energizing objective to encourage customers who already fond of the company to spread the good word. The supporting objective is a way of helping customers support eachother. The final objective, embracing, is the most difficult to exectue. This objective is to integrate customers into your way of business.
Then, examine your strategies.
Finally, determine the technology available to you.
The client for our campaigns class is an interesting casestudy for these strategies.
There’s surfing for everyone
Everyone has their reason for spending hours in front of the computer or looking at it like Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in Zoolander (”it’s in the computer?!”). Some are natural joiners, creators and critics while others are more spectators or all together avoiders.
When developing social media, developers must keep in mind what level of techno-comfort their consumers have. If they’re market ends up being mostly spectators, designing a site around a message board probably won’t generate the respsonse they would like.
Forrester Research has come up with a classification system to group people based on the groundswell activities in which they participate. The used what is called the Social Technographics Profile to group into six categories: creators, critics, collectors, joiners, spectators and inactives. Spectators are the largest of the groups making up about 48-percent of total consumers. They consume what the rest produce. Creators make up about 18-percent of online consumers. They publish a blog, video or article or maintain a webpage at least once a month.
I find the NPR crowd to be an interesting cross-section of these groups. When you think of NPR listeners you picture the over 40 crowd–not exactly who you’d consider to be techno-savvy. But in fact many of NPR listeners are heavily involved in opinion-giving. They call in to the shows all the time to ask questions and let them know what the “people” are thinking. Is it so far fetched to think they might do the same online?
The NPR web designers don’t seem to think so. On NPR’s website, you can find podcasts, blogs, a 24-hour program stream and more. You can get news updates on your phone or find an NPR channel while traveling. There is also an online community which allows users to comment on stories. Or choose to have news feeds sent to your computer. The possibilities are endless. If the over 40 NPR crowd can get into new social technology, the odds are good that every company should keep up.
That’s not to say every company should implement the same social medias, but rather explore options then tailor them to your audience. NPR, for example, knows there aren’t going to be many creators in their audience so they have concentrated on offering information and opinions so surfers may comment or critique what already exists. Offering news feeds is a good way to draw people who would otherwise not use the Internet to their website. These people may not want to chat, blog or any other kind of techno-talking, but they might enjoy receiving news updates on their desktop or knowing where to find an NPR station when they’re on a business trip.
What a tangled World Wide Web we weave
Trying to be a responsible college student-and avoid nagging parents-I began my job search months ago. First I tried just doing Googlesearches using search terms like “public relations Atlanta.” At the top of the results is a link to yellowpages.com offering various PR agencies contact information as well as directions care of mapquest.com. Under the directory listings, search results returned websites of some of the larger PR agencies in Atlanta as well as job postings on sites like Yahoo’s Hot Jobs. The search results, I’ve come to find, are not just randomly ordered but rather ranked by the number of tags attached to the site-evidence of the groundswell. The more a site is referred to or mentioned on other sites, the more tags it will have. This explains why Wikipedia, such a reliable source, almost always appears at the top of a search. The groundswell is uncoordinated. By pursuing their own individual interest and connections, people’s interactions are helping to form the groundswell. Find what you like, blog about it and it may prosper.
Most job search sites offer to send e-mail alerts when new positions open in your area of interest. This really simple syndication (RSS) enhances the groundswell by providing people the opportunity to explore more social content. During one of my many job search sessions, I discovered a new website mediabistro.com. It’s a social network dedicated to people in the field of media. Users can take advantage of online classes and tutorials, job postings, an events calendar and a slew of blogs. I loved the idea of being connected with some of the industry giants and maybe even picking up some job tips. They hooked me. I took the bait and signed up for the weekly newsletter. Intrigued by blurbs in these newsletters, I became a frequent visitor of the site because I just had to find out more! I’ve even shared the site with friends which is exactly what they hoped I would do.
Mediabistro should be proud. They’ve followed the criteria Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff outline and developed a successful new technology. First, it allows users to connect with each other in new ways. Second, it is free and requires minimal information to create an account meeting the “effortless” criteria. Next, it empowers people through its premiere membership association, AvantGuild, bypassing institutions and relying on each other. Members receive health insurance, an array of discounts, magazine subscriptions as well as insider information. Job listings, blog postings and a freelance section account for much the content, but there is still so much more. This adheres to Li and Bernoff’s requirement that a network community must generate enough content to sustain itself. Finally, mediabistro.com is likely to flourish because it is an open platform that invites partnerships. There are 12 separate blogs linked to the site as well as the countless links to magazine pitches. It invites online courses and tutorials as well as potential employers. Yes, it’s clear: Mediabistro has the potential to become a social media sensation like Twitter and Facebook. Take a look and see if it interest you. If it does then welcome to the groundswell.
Public Opinion-Whether you want it or not.
The Internet is changing our way of life. We’re more informed and more connected. We get it.
It’s no secret that at the click of a mouse awaits a new car, the art of feng shui and just about anything else you could ever hope to know or own. While most realize all that is available through the Internet, few others have learned how powerful the individual can become when linked via the Web. Browsers are capable of altering the way a business-or even a country-operates. When these browsers turn to each other instead of corporations, they are mandating the individuals’ voice be heard.
This idea of using technology to get what you need by connecting with people rather than corporations is a social trend Forrester Research’s Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff have named “groundswell.” eBay, for example, is a way consumers can get what they want by bypassing the stores they would typically shop.
In their BusinessWeek bestselling book “Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies,” Li and Bernoff describe a link between people, technology and economics. People have always been interdependent especially in opposition to institutional powers. New and vastly expanding technologies have changed how people socialize. Instant messaging allows people to chat immediately and with several people at once. With people’s attention shifting to the Internet, advertisers have also made the move and are now purchasing online advertisements. Combining these three elements we have entered into a “new era.”
According to their book, as of 2006, 73-percent of Americans were online. Facebook, the online social network, was founded in February 2004 and already has millions of users. That’s a lot of networking and a lot of potential to improve consumer relations.
Li and Bernoff outline how GM employee Bob Lutz used the Internet for just that purpose. Lutz started a blog called FastLane which opened the lines of communication with consumers and allowed GM to test new ideas without spending much money. This new approach can also be applied to areas other than sales.
Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia realizes the potential the Internet has to shape our way of life. In a recent interview for National Public Radio (NPR), Rep. Cantor announced a recommendation to promote transparency he had proposed to President Obama. He recommended that Pres. Obama, “post online every bit of public expenditure that he is proposing because there is no quicker way than to engage the American people in a national debate than by putting it online.”
Moreover, Obama has vowed to overhaul the White House website (whitehouse.gov). Macon Phillips, the White House Director of New Media, was quoted in and AFP article saying, “citizen participation will be a priority for the Administration, and the Internet will play an important role in that.”
America’s government of the people, by the people, and for the people is finally becoming just that. Utilizing such a popular social medium allows the new administration to pursue a more forthright and open relationship with its constituents.
Here is the interview with Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor on Nation Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” which aired on Thursday, Jan. 15. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99426433 and a link to the article featuring Macon Phillips http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g-9gs6qegRiD9itzB_i0YYyEoTyQ.