Customer Experience Crossroads

The social media paradox: you can put carpet on You Tube, but it will keep you busy

This is the third of a three-part interview with Christine Whittemore, creator of Flooring the Consumer, a trade blog in the carpet industry, and Carpetology, a consumer focused blog on everything carpet. Read part 1 here and part 2 here.

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Pushing further into social networks

As Ms. Whittemore has continued to learn more about the social media environment, she and her colleagues have reached into new areas.

In 2007, and again in 2008, she participated in writing the Age of Conversation, a collaborative book created with bloggers around the world. Each author contributed a chapter, and the book proceeds have been donated to the children’s charity Variety.

Being involved in that project was what led Ms. Whittemore into other online sharing tools, including Facebook and Twitter. “We had a reason to experiment with some of these tools to figure out whether they make sense and how to use them.  I’m in admiration over Wiggly Wigglers (here on Facebook) and The Engaging Brand (here on Facebook) and how they use Facebook to nurture their community and business.”

She has now started experimenting with Facebook for Wear-Dated, and has a video series called A Foot’s Perspective on YouTube. True to form, both these properties are cross-linked and linked to the Carpetology Blog. There are Flickr sets for Wear-Dated, Solutia’s brand of carpet fiber. “These are long term projects that allow me to keep on learning and experimenting.”

Ms. Whittemore also describes herself -- accurately -- as an "enthusiastic participant" in the Bathroom Blogfest, an annual event that I was involved in instigating that created many opportunities for additional blog profile through cross-linking.

The "social media paradox"

When asked about key learning and missteps, Ms. Whittemore says, "The biggest misstep is not experimenting and trying these tools.  They are efficient and powerful and here to stay.  So, not becoming familiar with them puts you at a disadvantage."

Unfortunately, as many new media practitioners know, time pressures often expand with involvement in social networks, something she calls "The social media paradox".

"My biggest frustration is not having enough time.  I bet you are familiar with what I term the social media paradox: you get involved because you have a bit of extra time.  Before you know it, the social media project has snowballed and taken on a life of its own. 

"You develop a community.  You must nurture it, but that leaves less time to be looking outward at what others contribute to the conversation, and keep up with other new developments." 

The challenge becomes to "still be aware of what’s going on outside your immediate circle". If you don't maintain this connection between the online and offline worlds, she believes you become "too insular".

Another key area of learning has been in keyword placement and search engine ranking. "I knew nothing about SEO when I started out.  As my writing has improved, I’m developing more sensitivity for how to position ideas and keywords for greater benefit.  The Carpetology Blog has helped tremendously as all postings have some relationship to carpet."

She still wishes she had more time for formal training in online copywriting principles and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), as well as Google Analytics and other tools. All in service to meet the goals of the entire exercise: "understand what matters to web visitors".

Trends: social media is growing, and the consumer is in charge

Ms. Whittemore believes that blogs and other social media tools are becoming more accepted, even in traditional industries. "I’m seeing more exploration taking place with LinkedIn groups forming", she notes, and "Corporations are getting increasingly involved in social media which means that acceptance is growing."

What isn’t changing is that the consumer is in charge and begins research at a web browser.  "The only way to be discovered is by participating in the online conversation and creating content that is authentic, trustworthy, relevant and valuable. And that will only become more true going forward."

Christine Whittemore is certainly one of the people actually driving change in traditional industries. I have no doubt that Solutia's competitors are wondering how to catch up to this two year lead in online conversational presence. They could take a lesson from her, and just get started.

The development of these online properties certainly shows the potential impact available from new media involvement for any industry, no matter how traditional, or even low-engagement the category might seem.

Testing the new blog authoring tools in Word 2007

I'm having fun with productivity tools this week. Got the new Dell desktop last Friday. You know the routine, of course – move files and settings, reinstall software, ask yourself if you should have partitioned the hard drive differently, and keep changing the location of the new giant screen. It's an odd combination of daunting and exciting, with most of the excitement done and gone about an hour after you turn it on, and the daunting part that continues for weeks.

Our computers, for some of us, are such an extension of our fingers and brains that even relatively minor changes can be tremendously disruptive. Which is one reason I stayed with XP, and didn't give in to the temptation to shift to Mac. 

The shift to Dell was one I resisted, but ultimately, they were the only ones who would let me configure online. And their online configuration/ordering tools were wonderful. They have even made the unpacking process much more attractive than I was expecting. The boxes actually look nice when you open them up, all neatly packed and white inside. [I know, some of us are hung up on aesthetics.]

I did get the new Office Suite software, and even though the ribbon is kind of neat, it's still a change, and therefore a disruption. There seem to be two big bonus items here, however, that are very cool.

1. Changing fonts and styles shows up instantly! Yes, this is amazing, fun, and incredibly useful. At least it is if you are type-design junkie like I am, constantly tweaking.
2. Built in blog authoring tools mean I am actually typing this post from inside Word! The software is integrating for me, and has a whole new menu bar that replicates several functions inside TypePad. If it works [and since you are reading this, it must have worked] this will be a nice addition to my life, and end a lot of annoying formatting problems that are tricky to resolve inside TypePad.

I bumped into a neighbor today who is in her 50s, and is retraining on computer skills to get work, after a marital split. I found it hard to believe that anyone can function without computer skills, it seems so rare now. I didn't tell her how many computers we actually have in our home now, between the new desktops, the old desktops, the current laptops, the laptops we are saving for no good reason, the laptop we read the New York Times on in the dining room on Sundays…. To say nothing of the handheld devices [both working and dead], and the peripherals. It's a wonder there is room for human beings.

Our tools continue to expand our reach. And when they do so seamlessly, it's a beautiful thing to see.

Banks Using Podcasts to Connect: First Direct stays on brand with clear communication

First Direct, a UK direct banking organization that is part of the HSBC group, announced that they would be charging customers with dormant accounts a 10 GBP monthly fee. Bravely, they have a podcast  that contains an interview with Chris Pilling, the CEO, explaining what is going on:

This podcast contains key information about the new current account proposition.
  Our Chief Exec, Chris Pilling, talks in detail about exactly what is happening and how it will affect our customers.

It's short, and worth listening to. He comes across as calm and clear, and provides a reasonable explanation of what is going on.  Whether or not you agree with what he's saying, this is such a great approach, to speak directly to your customers about what is going on. Way to go!

When I looked around their home page, you can see that the podcast is totally on brand for these guys: "jargon free service."

A couple of other things that caught my attention:

• imagery that is fun and friendly
• Pet insurance -- pets are big, and getting bigger. Plus they're cute and friendly for a bank to show on its home page
• "Most recommended" -- a much more compelling statement than the usual, "we're great." And it reinforces the customer focus

Customer Experience Coach Tips:

• Translate the core values of the brand into everything you do, including how you handle announcements of service changes and bad news in particular

New Survey Results on Blogging and Communication

Nora Barnes, Professor of Marketing at U.Mass. Dartmouth and Eric Mattson have just released the results of their second study of 80 business bloggers:

Thinking Like A Blogger: Is Blogging An Attitude That Can Be Taught?

I was happy to participate in the study, the focus of which was the communication style of bloggers, and what implications it has for corporate bloggers, and corporate communications in general.

A few of their key conclusions that resonated with me:

"An overwhelming majority of the bloggers believe the attitude and behavior associated with having an effective blog can be taught. The challenge, they say, is teaching a business to speak in an “authentic voice” regardless of what communications tools it chooses to employ. These bloggers believe that if businesses practice open and honest communications consistently in all their activities, they will be successful, regardless of whether they blog or not."
...

"To the final and important question of whether your business needs a blog, our respondents primarily argue that blogs are not a silver bullet but instead are merely one of the best current communications tools for humanizing a business. They advocate for honesty, transparency, authenticity and two-way communication."

If you want to read the whole study, get the charts, etc. you will need to buy the Journal of the Society for New Communications Research here. The Society's website is here.
 

If you don't want to buy the journal, here's the big takeaway in my view:

The value to your customers of open, transparent and authentic voice, real listening and acknowledgement, has never been higher. The popularity of blogs and other emerging social media is testament to this. Ignore this trend at your peril.

Corporate Blogging: Just a fad, or built to last?

Companies are still wondering if they need to enter into an uncontrolled conversation with their customers. Well, the indicators are all there that this trend is not going away any time soon. (Remember the Cluetrain Manifesto, way back when in 2000?  An earlier indication of this trend, perhaps even the tipping point.)

Typepad has now launched Business Class service, designed to support large scale enterprise blogging efforts. I'd say that's more than a straw in the wind, given how good these folks are at meeting customer needs and wants.

It's really about content management that is not centrally controlled. It's not about blogs, per se. But of course blogs, per se, are not scary -- lack of central control over content, on the other hand, is very scary. Or I'm guessing that's how the average executive in most organizations reacts to this idea.

But you don't have to say no. You can start with the tiniest little yes, and build on that.

Companies that should have a blog

Buzz Canuck nominates several companies and some whole industries, like banking, that really should get blogging.  I can only agree with this excellent list.  A few others I'd love to see (not all Canucks, but that's the flat world for you):

• Home Hardware -- all those things I need to know to keep my house going, like how to replace the spring on my screen door. [But don't make me give you my postal code just to look at your site.  That's just cheesy]
• Ikea -- how do I make my livingroom look as good as your showroom?  Why isn't Akrobat available in the beech finish anymore? These guys have passionate customers, they're a natural for blogging
• Dremel -- I bought one of these cool tools recently, and am just dying to know what all the gizmos are for, and what other projects I can do with it.  Perfect blog material.

As for the banking industry needing to blog, it's a great idea, I've suggested it myself to a one of the best, but they haven't acted as yet. [I'm still hopeful] The mutual fund industry could probably have a go as well. 

Anyone care to add to this evolving list?

What blog readers want

Dave Pollard's Blog -- How to Save the World -- contains some of the most insightful writing online.  Here's a list he has posted about what blog readers want to see more of.  Several of these items make sense for any communication, such as a web site, user guide, marketing brochure, or sales conversation.

Take point #13, "relevant aha graphics" for example.  Don't you wish everyone used more of these, especially in user manuals?  [I try. And so should we all.]

Point #6 refers to political opinion, but many of us would appreciate clever concise opinion in other places, like from our broker or our IT supplier.

Point #8, personal stories resonate through so much of human experience. Stories are better than explanations, anytime.  Plus they are more fun, more interesting and more likely to be shared.

Dave's List

1. original research, surveys etc. 
2. original, well-crafted fiction   
3. great finds: resources, blogs, essays, artistic works
4. news not found anywhere else
5. category killers: aggregators that capture the best of many blogs/feeds, so they need not be read individually
6. clever, concise political opinion (most readers prefer these consistent with their own views)
7. benchmarks, quantitative analysis
8. personal stories, experiences, lessons learned
9. first-hand accounts
10. live reports from events
11. insight: leading-edge thinking & novel perspectives
12. short educational pieces
13. relevant "aha" graphics
14. great photos
15. useful tools and checklists

Cautionary note: Dave's blog has a tendency to draw you in and keep you reading, with his mix of the highly personal, spiritual, theoretical as well as practical stuff. 

The Indie Virus: What will those bloggers think of next?

The Indie Virus is an experiment in linking cooked up by Chris Pearson at Pearsonified. [I have a lot of links to the Indie Virus here... hint--> they don't all go to the same place.]

I found out about it from the ICE blog, a very good customer experience blog, that talked about The Indie Virus.  And I'm exceptionally grateful for having finally received a clear explanation of the difference between tags and Typepad keywords, as well as finding this excellent tag generator!

Another guy who would appreciate The Indie Virus is Karl Long, who has some stellar material from time to time.  Plus, Karl agrees with me about the co-creation trend, and it's always nice to know a kindred spirit.

Grant McCracken, generally gifted in the brainfood department, might be interested in The Indie Virus, as he was recently deconstructing Web 2.0. He has a lot of subscribers, and doesn't really need my help, but what the heck, eh?  

Dave Pollard, at How to Save the World, needs the help of The Indie Virus even less, but his material is so consistently worth reading that I must suggest a visit.

Ethan Johnson would likely appreciate The Indie Virus, if only for the potential to promote his interesting new online magazine, Vision Monthly. [I was very chuffed to be asked to contribute.]

You may be getting suspicious about these wierd links with the same name, and you've guessed right. The Indie Virus is really a devious plan to raise the rankings and awareness levels of lesser known blogs, such as this one.  However, each of the links takes you to a post worth a look, and all the authors are worth a visit.  The experiment seems to have worked -- you can check out Chris's statistics tracking on the link.

This kind of thing will eventually become just so much more link-spam, but it's fun while it lasts.  Happy Friday!  And if you're in the Northern Hemisphere, like me, yaay Spring!

Technorati Tags: The Indie Virus, Karl Long, Chris Pearson, ICE blog, Dave Pollard, content co-creation trend, Vision Monthly