thinks

Great comment the other day from John Johansen on the discussion of when marketing becomes sales. John talks about “…the dichotomy of the social media focus on authentic content and conversations that don’t include marketing and the ease of using these channels for sales…”

He then goes on to ask, “Beyond just the blurring of sales and marketing, how do companies engage in authentic discussion with their audiences while at the same time looking to include their call to action that will lead those audiences towards a sale?”

It’s an interesting question, but a loaded one. Here’s why. Somewhere along the way, we’ve all come to believe the following:

Sales and marketing doesn’t represent authentic dialogue with our customers.

Why is that? Why can’t social channels allow for sales and marketing? Social channels allow for more honest dialogue, not less. The problem in John’s question is that he’s really asking, “How do companies use these tools when they have traditionally sold to people by pretending to be their friend?”

They can’t.

As this video shows, the rules of the game have changed.

For too long, marketers have built their promise around the idea that they’re here to be a friend, a pal, a trusted resource. Social channels require that you actually be that or stop pretending.

And that’s a very good thing.

After all, sometimes, we’re actually here to sell things.

What surprises many companies is that customers will often agree to let you.

@delloutlet - which Dell only uses to sell discounted, refurbished inventory - has over 1,200 followers on Twitter, more than “authentic person” (and good guy), @richardatDELL - and more than any other Dell business persona that I’m aware. HR Block has over 800 fans on Facebook. You might think, “‘Fans’ of a tax preparation company?!? For real?!?” Yes. For real.

Why do these - supposedly inauthentic - companies or marketing initiatives capture attention? Because they’re honest about why they’re there. They don’t hide behind fake personas. Notice, none of these pretend to be your friend. They’re authentically providing a service or offering you a sale, most likely information you can get somewhere else. But by going where their customers are and providing an authentic presence, they’re finding success.

So, really, the question is, when you use social tools, what’s your reason for being there? And do you authentically tell customers why you’re there or are you trying to hide the fact you’re selling something?

All right, Big Thinkers. Your turn. Tell us how you’re using social tools to grow your business in the comments below.

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Is social marketing overblown? Some critics claim that we’re reliving the late ’90’s, with hype replacing reality in choosing marketing channels. More importantly, is social marketing the right choice for your business? Probably. But let’s give the critics their due. Let’s consider why it may not be first.

Most conferences or discussions these days concerning social media ask the same question: “Is anyone making any money with this stuff?” And the answers often sound something like this: “Well, it’s more about customer engagement than revenue…” or “No, but, you should see how many ‘friends’ we’ve got on Facebook.” Hmm… not very encouraging, is it?

Worse, it’s fair to ask whether these tools are even ready for primetime. Whether it’s Facebook’s Beacon issue some time back or Twitter’s recent outages, it’s certainly understandable that some would think these tools provide limited value as a service and would question their utility and their business value.

These questions represent legitimate critical thought, legitimate concerns. What’s important is understanding the difference between constructive criticism - critical thinking - and what Bryan Eisenberg calls “BPU’s” or “Business Prevention Units.” BPU’s are folks who want to stop you from moving your business forward. If the people you’re talking to - like your partner, attorney or accountant - want to know how social media will benefit your business, that’s a Good Thing. If they’re telling you, “it’s stupid,” or “it will never work,” they’re probably functioning more as BPU’s than critical thinkers.

Here’s one example. This past weekend I watched an outstanding documentary about Pixar Animation. And one of the key moments in the company’s history revolved around hiring John Lasseter. Disney fired Lasseter because traditional animators were concerned computer animation put their jobs at risk. The animators - and their supporters in management - thought their job was drawing pictures, not telling creative and compelling stories using any variety of tools. That’s a common problem. For instance, Seth Godin had a brilliant observation about putting tools ahead of your business about a week ago. So Lasseter left Disney, got hired by Pixar and went on to rule the animation world as writer and director of the huge hit films Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life and Cars. Oh, and when Disney acquired Pixar, they made Lasseter their new chief creative officer.

All that said, it still doesn’t answer whether social marketing makes sense for your business.

It’s true that few companies are making much money through social marketing tools. But Dell has sold $500,000 using Twitter. Search Engine Land often shares success stories of small business owners, most recently here. Hell, even my company has had modest success with Twitter, and other social tools, too.

The point is, these things are tools. You’ll get out of them what you put into them. So, understand where your customers are, set your goals, then look at the tools and techniques that work for your business. You can test the viability of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, widgets or what-have-for very low cost. It takes limited investment of time and limited investment of money. Track your results. Find your own answers. And don’t let “the critics” get in the way of doing what’s right for your business.

Still up in the air about tools like Twitter? Not sure if they’re right for your business? Sure, I’ve been a big fan for some time. But social media guru Scott Monty and I both learned a fair bit more about using Twitter as a sales and marketing tool last week. Scott Monty tells this story about using Twitter to find a hotel last week. My company helped him find the hotel. Now, I didn’t originally follow Scott on Twitter to sell him - or anyone else - hotel rooms. He didn’t follow me on Twitter to buy hotel rooms. In fact, he didn’t follow LuxRes - who got him the hotel - at the time he sent out his call for help:

Scott simply reached out to his network and found a number of folks willing to help him. Notice the number of people Scott thanks in his post.

And that’s why we use Twitter. Because it’s a great way to learn from each other and from the community at large. It’s a fantastic way to make new connections and deepen the relationship with old ones. And, every so often, someone will give you inspiration for ways to grow your business. Read Scott’s tweet one more time. “This would be a great time for the hospitality industry to establish a @hotels account and shoot me some available properties.” How many times a day do your potential customers shout out loud, “Why can’t someone in <insert industry here> help me solve my problem?!?”

Trick question. Your customers ask for help all the time. Tools like Twitter simply help you listen more effectively.

Not sure where to start? First, search on Summize for things that matter to you, for instance, marketing, small business strategy or customer service. Read the results. Then sign up for Twitter and follow a handful of people who most interest you on those topics. (Don’t be afraid to branch out, either. You can even follow people who talk about your favorite sports team or, yes, cool travel destinations). Join the conversation. Talk about what interests you. Ask questions. Listen. Learn.

The point is Twitter is a great tool. And like all tools, you get the most from it when you use it well. Sometimes you’ll get new friends. Sometimes new information. And, every so often, new customers.

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Not long ago, Michael Arrington wrote about his experience getting support from Comcast after mentioning their service - negatively - on Twitter. Well, it seems I’ve joined rare company. Er, on the Comcast front. Chickens, not so much.

I, too, recently maligned Comcast on Twitter, due to a series of partial and complete service interruptions (mostly of my television service. Internet was sluggish, but more or less functional). And within a couple of minutes, I got a response from a Comcast representative, giving me an email address (we_can_help@cable.comcast.com) for me to get help with my issue. Since then, I’ve had continuing contact with Comcast field supervisors, office personnel and service technicians hell-bent on resolving the problem. And they did. Not only is my cable service now whole again, but my Internet service is faster, too.

Maybe the Comcast folks hoped I would say something positive. Maybe not. They never asked me. But, two things impressed me throughout the whole situation:

1. The dedication of the people I talked to at Comcast. I don’t know if these are the regular customer service reps. I don’t know if they’re specially trained. I do know that each one focused on addressing my concerns and did so with grace and consideration.
2. Comcast clearly has their finger on the pulse of where customer complaints take root. That’s not surprising given their history. But, they’re clearly trying to improve that perception. The reality behind that perception, too, I gather. I only hope they provide equivalent service to customers who call their support lines, not just those of us with bully pulpits.

The lessons here:

1. Tools like blogs, and Twitter - when it’s working - provide your business with an “early warning system”, a place to hear what’s on your customers’ minds. And a way to engage with those customers to resolve their issues. Both big points in Arrington’s original post. Using tools like Tweetscan, Comcast has put their emphasis on dousing these issues before they turn into raging fires. Maybe Comcast hopes those customers will say something nice. Maybe not. But the negative comment a customer doesn’t make carries its own rewards. Not least of which is the likelihood you’ll retain that customer.
2. Want your employees to do their jobs well? Give them a clear mission and get out of their way. The Comcast employees I dealt with seemed to place my satisfaction above all else. And satisfied, I now am. Whether that would have happened if Comcast put its focus on traditional “customer service” center metrics like talk time is doubtful. These people knew they were supposed to make me happy. And they did.

My “Twitter friend” Brian Solis has an ebook about using social media to improve customer service and, ultimately, marketing. It’s worth the read.

What’s your customer service story? And does your team know how much value you place on customer service? Let us know in the comments.

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I’ve been tracking the business value of Twitter on thinks repeatedly. Now CNN has a story highlighting its power in a life-or-death situation. What’s most important about tools such as these is not the tool. It’s how you use it and whether it’s used by the people you connect with - whether customers or friends. The key to social networking, social media, or social tools is not networking, media, or tools. It’s social. Without the people, the tool is useless.

Willie Sutton famously explained his reason for robbing banks: “That’s where the money is.” As you plan your social strategy, have you given enough thought to where the customers are?

John Jantsch over at Duct Tape Marketing looks at the value of LinkedIn for increasing sales, which poses an interesting question:

What social networks do you use and which ones work for your business?

For instance, on this blog I get a fair bit of (qualified, meaningful) traffic from:

• Twitter
• StumbleUpon
• LinkedIn
• MyBlogLog

What works for you? Tell us in the comments below.