Posts Tagged ‘customers’

• Get ready for the next generation of Twitterati

  Thursday, March 1st, 2012

  For 5 years, Twitter has somehow escaped the notice of the younger generation, with many quite happy to reside on Bebo, MySpace, and then Facebook. However, one has to wonder whether the decline of the latter of these three social networks may begin when the teens grow bored, and move on to pastures new, as they did with MySpace (now almost exclusively the haunt of bands) and Bebo (is it still the place to be for anyone?). If so, then the tipping point for Facebook may have been reached as there seems to be a growing realisation amongst the yoof that Twitter offers a cheap and simple way to communicate. Not only that, but it gives these youngsters a chance to be noticed and a remarkably quick way to share information.

  A classic quote from this evening’s investigations as to why the younger generation are leaping aboard the Twitter ship was, “Be warned, Justin Bieber and Glee will be trending before you know it.” Whilst this may strike fear into the hearts of many, especially those who have enjoyed the relative obscurity of Twitter to date, for youngsters, the ability to use Twitter to be heard through something as simple as power in numbers causing global trends, (as was the case with the Arab Spring etc), may prove a bigger pull than even the simplicity. And for marketers targeting the pockets of an increasingly canny set of customers, ignoring Twitter for much longer may carry a costly penalty.

  IF, and it is a big IF, the trend towards Twitter amongst teens continues at its seemingly increasing pace, it is likely that shortly the de facto place for youngsters will not be on Facebook, but in 140 character texts and twitpics. At that point, it is likely that Facebook will lose its appeal for many. Just as Pinterest appears to seemingly cater mainly for women of a certain age (but that demographic is rapidly skewing as Pinterest takes advantage of being the de rigueur site for now), Facebook may end up a wasteland without the youngsters to keep us all entertained. After all, how many people over 30 are on Facebook simply because those younger than them made it the site du jour?

  Marketers and brands who have omitted to work a Twitter thread into their strategy may find themselves playing a fast catch up, and will also need to understand the fickle nature of this generation. “Everything is only a click away” means that unfollowing a particular brand or company really is incredibly simple, far more so than Unlike on Facebook where so few companies have actually mastered social engagement that your Feed is not constantly cluttered with marketing messages. If a brand ceases to be the flavour of the month, be prepared for your number of followers to decrease rapidly as peer pressure and possibly even a certain type of bullying could take place if your Tweetstream is seen to be full of RTs of the wrong company.

  2012 may well be the Year of the Younger Tweet, and we are currently carrying out a survey of 13-18 year olds to determine what is the trigger for the mass move, aside from two which we have heard all too often recently, “Facebook is boring” and “All the good stuff happens first on Twitter”. Some of us oldies knew that a while ago, but it seems the realisation has dawned amongst our teenagers and the sooner internet marketers realise that the downward shift is occurring in Facebook, the sooner it may become obvious that the next budget and strategy meeting of the Marcomms team should probably include a long, hard look at Twitter. After all, Gen Y may not be your customers today, but is is highly likely that they will be in 5-10 years time. Alienate them now at your peril……

  Tags: bebo, customers, facebook, gen y, marketing, myspace, Social network, teens, tweets, twitter, younger generation
  Posted in Blog, Social Media, Stats & Trends, Uncategorised

• 5 Tips on How to Respect your Customers

  Monday, June 8th, 2009

  There has been a massive sea change in marketing because of the internet. As the internet becomes even more real-time, consumers are becoming prosumers in a way that means the olde worlde marketing models are defunct.

  It is no longer about CRM and discounted products or deals. Customers are looking for better value products, not necessarily cheap, but definitely the product must be worth the money the consumer is willing to spend. Before making a purchase decision, customers are getting on the Net, seeking reviews and recommendations, looking at what other customers say about the whole purchase experience, and making decisions not on price but on respect.

  Do you RESPECT your customers? Do you offer the best product for the price? Do you offer add-ons such as free online support, how to use manuals, information on upgrades? Do you avoid tacky marketing emails that clog their inbox long after the purchase was made? Have you dealt with customer complaints swiftly and efficiently? Are your customers happy with their dealings with you?

  Do you know how your customers feel about you? If you don’t regularly seek feedback from customers and listen to what is being said about your company and products on the Net, how can you ensure that you are winning the customers you deserve?

  Today’s tips will allow you to track some of what is being said about you, much as the press cutting services used to do with traditional media.

  1) Set up Google alerts for all your brand names, company name, products and industry sector.

  2) Use Tweetdeck or similar to regularly scan Twitter for mentions of your company and product names.

  3) Watch your traffic stats and analytics for referrals from review sites and/or forums where your company may have been mentioned.

  4) Google your company name and individual product/ brand names regularly. High traffic sites will inevitably come up in the first 1-2 pages of SERPs and may give you an indication of any mentions being made of your products.

  5) If selling consumer goods, keep a weather eye on all the comparison shopping sites, which often include reviews, to check for your company and product names.

  What other suggestions do people have for monitoring mentions of your company? What tools do you use?

  

  Tags: Customer relationship management, customers, E-Commerce, marketing, press cuttings, website analytics
  Posted in CRM, E-Commerce, Small Business Resources, Social Media, Tips & Tricks