TNG Blog

The appearance of social media has brought a revolution both in business and our private lives. Each of us, whether we wanted to or not, has become a part of that machinery in some fashion. On one side, there are those who are complete opponents to the revolution and continue to refuse assimilation because they ‘do not have time’ or ‘do not want to share information and news with anyone’ or ‘do not want to be victims of the greatest conspiracy theory in history’ or ‘already have an established position in the market and their old fashioned methods are proven’.

Then, there are those who are just opening their first account on the most secure platform that they could find and contemplating each status / update / info before sharing. These rookies would rather communicate with their friends and acquaintances live, and clearly have no interest in what is being read or what meetings are being attended by people they don’t know. Even when they try to become more involved, these users hold a meeting with a handful of colleagues to even approve anything that should be posted…and to debate whether or not to add a disclaimer for each post.

And, of course, there is that third and final category of individuals that have already mastered (some have even doctored) a novel shorthand language for more effective communication with limited space. These power-users swear upon their ‘home page’ as a bona fide news source, and without thought share with the whole world each and every occurrence from their work and personal lives.

This entire revolution brings a mound of experts that devote themselves to researching the ‘to share or not to share’ phenomenon, as well as the eternal topic of privacy…in fact, what does privacy even mean today? Social media has redefined the meaning of privacy in a society that was built upon family as a pillar where that which happens within a family sphere stays in the family and where issues and problems were solved within the family…that used to be privacy. Now, that same family structure is no longer needed, as each individual has an opportunity to find someone ‘out there’ on some social media network that better understands them, approves of their actions, and / or gives better advice than a family member ever could. Social media is also redefining privacy in the business world. While a once distant corporate atmosphere used to look at business as simply doing business, strictly formal and defined without delving into emotions or topics not directly related to business, it is now beginning to show care and opening discussion forums for employees and other stakeholders through social media platforms. Wow! What a major shift, whether we accept it or not.

For me, over time, it has become quite interesting to follow the activities of those around me more and more as a social experiment. What is important enough for someone to ‘tweet’ about, or to publish as a ‘status’, or to announce in some other public way? Is that which is published done so without reason, is it simply straightforward information, or is it perhaps a means to transmit something between the lines? The trouble lies in finding the true meaning and decoding each ‘say it loud and say it proud’. Here are three examples of posts / status updates that I’ve had a difficult time decoding.

It’s a wonderful world

The most harmless post is one related to the weather; for example, “it’s a beautiful day”. When used for personal reasons, it is positive…a signal that someone is in a good mood and a “let’s get together” call for action. However, it also very frequently used in the business world, where it leads to confusion as most people wouldn’t understand the logic…why would anybody waste space and write about weather on business platforms? In my opinion, it is almost a human touch to doing business, showcasing a regular person who wants to go out for lunch in the park…and maybe talk business. More importantly, it is a simple reminder that you are in someone’s network, ensuring that your name pops up before others and perhaps encouraging them to show interest and begin clicking away…on your name, website, blog – the key destinations you wish to direct these ‘incidental visitors’.

Show me the money

“I love my work” although I always love to see that someone is satisfied with his or her work, I am often suspicious of statuses like this. Such comments could be interpreted in a number of ways…someone could like his or her job because he or she really enjoys the work, has the flexibility to leave work early, makes a lot of money, or because he or she has a hot boss…or secretary. Don’t you find yourself wanting to click and learn more about that person, where he or she works, his or her position, and job description? Of course! This leads us again to a ‘yes, please click on’ result because this post is only here to encourage this action. Rarely does your clicking lead you to truly understand why this person loves his or her work.

“We heart [love] our customers” is another frequent comment that I seem to run into more than I would like. It seems like the worst way to say to customers that they are loved and their loyalty appreciated. Aren’t there more sophisticated and more effective ways to communicate gratitude and sincerity to valuable customers in today’s world? Do you think that your customers would continue to click further after reading such a simple and meaningless post? Some customers might be even insulted and start thinking about what you have really done to thank them for their loyalty. Think twice before sharing, as different people could read differently between the lines of your post.

Me, me, me

Every now and then I see some self-proclaimed ultra-professional sharing posts like “your profile has been viewed by 187 people in the last day…yesterday, you appeared in search results 538 times” via a business platform. This ‘ode to self’ and self-praise could be a double-edged sword. Yes, such a post may help generate many clicks from curious users wanting to know who is the man or woman behind the update. At the same time, this kind of self-representation could indicate an insecure and amateur braggart attempting to market oneself and his or her business...”see how popular I am” or “everyone wants to be my friend” or “everyone views my profile”. Different users could read different meanings between the lines, a risk that everyone must consider.

These are just a few examples of how social media and networking via this channel are still young and contain rules / guidelines that are open to interpretation and not well defined. The early adopters are the ones who are paying the price of following this trend, so be careful not to overpay. Ok. Think again. Yes, now you can ‘share’!

P.S. What are some of your ‘favorite’ statuses / posts where you’ve read something between the lines?

Recently, I was touched by a potential business partner who flew an extra 400 miles, incurred an additional $1,000 in expenses, and went through the hassle, which is priceless…all this, for a business deal that was was neither 100% guaranteed nor necessarily profitable. A bad move, some of you would say. I was enlightened by his simple explanation – “I don’t want to be just a number, among hundreds of other accounts. I wanted to meet the people who would represent and sell my product in this market. I wanted to see if they would have the same passion and attitude to promote my products here the same way that I would.” Wow! Such a simple statement and so unconventional nowadays in a business world where more and more communication is through email, where websites do entire audio/video presentations, where blogs serve to provide evidence that the company has a live person who communicates and cares for website visitors.

Did we forget the ‘human’ touch in doing business? Because business is business and it is not supposed to be a personal thing. We all wanted to separate those two things for such a long time and now it has finally happened. But! Interestingly, it seems that trends are repeating. When a market becomes oversaturated with one business model, it craves for a new one. In the past, business was often very personal, relying on honor, trust, and references. At one point, doing business shifted towards a new model of standardization and hiding behind a corporate wall that seemed so cold and afraid of the word ‘personal’. Now this impersonal business model is succumbing to a new/old trend and once again business is getting personal. Is the human touch becoming a powerful weapon in the hands of small businesses that are fighting back against ‘the big guys’? Could we simply revert back to our ‘mom & pop’ roots? Here are three easy ways to start making your business more personal:

1. Believe in what you are selling by carefully choosing your product offering
2. Educate yourself about what you are selling so that you can educate others
3. Show yourself, both to your manufacturers and your customers

Believe. Let’s get something straight – you DO NOT have to offer a huge selection of products. You DO, however, need to execute initial research and discover the needs and buying preferences of your potential customers, while simultaneously researching products that are being offered to the market. Such research should help you limit your exposure to products that you believe in and those that will best represent your business and philosophy.

Barilla (Italian pasta manufacturer) is a perfect example of this philosophy. Barilla is a family owned business that primarily targets families, especially working families with small children. Barilla knows that the best promise it could make to this target segment is that their products are good for children. Because Barilla knows that every parent wants only the best for their children, it promotes products as being nutritious for children. The number one tenet of Barilla’s strategy is that Barilla believes in what it sells. Barilla communicates this philosophy through a compelling television commercial and conveys a promise… that they only sell products that they would serve to their own children.

Let that be your guide as well. Do not offer something to your customers that you do not believe in and that you might not ‘serve to your children’. You are the master of what you order and carry and you have to believe in every single product that stands on your shelves. Don’t just fill them.

Educate. After you decide on certain products, I would recommend that you educate yourself about them. How do you plan to sell any of your products if you do not know what you are selling?

Godiva is the gold standard for good Belgian chocolate. In many if not all Macy’s department stores, you can buy prepackaged Godiva chocolates, while in some stores you can also pick and choose individual chocolates at a counter. This season, Godiva is offering a new winter collection filled with fancy names that end up confusing consumers to the point that they can’t tell what’s in each chocolate truffle. On a recent occasion, I was curious and asked the ‘chocolate expert’ at the counter about what was inside one of those fancy named truffles. The ‘expert’ and his colleague, both of which couldn’t have been more than 20, were not educated about their selection. They grabbed a brochure and started searching both for the name and the filling. Too late! I was already headed out.

Next on my path for good Belgian chocolates was a small neighborhood store that exclusively carries chocolates by Leonidas, a Belgian chocolate manufacturer similar to Godiva. The ‘chocolate expert’, perhaps the owner, was already educated about every chocolate that he was selling. In contrast to the Macy’s ‘expert’, he was able to describe not only every product, but also the process of making those tiny Leonidas truffles, as well as all the spices and fillings they had inside. Bingo! I’m sure that every person who walks into that small chocolate store will buy even the chocolates that they were not planning on buying – just because they learned so much about Belgian chocolates and heard so much about the great taste and phenomenal ingredients.

Wouldn’t you rather be more like the Leonidas expert?

Show. Your name is MI09576. Really?

We want to simplify business, so reality nowadays is that we all have, and we all are, account numbers. But nobody said that you have to stop there. Are you afraid of getting personal with your manufacturers? Do you fear that your customers would think that you were weird if you asked them about their preferences? Is that getting too personal?

There are many ways to become more acquainted with manufacturers and to encourage them to partner with you, helping both your business (and at the same time theirs) in generating success. Show yourself to some of your most important manufacturers by participating in tours of their facilities, learning more about their production processes, and learning more about their key ingredients or raw materials. On the flipside, you could invite a key manufacturer into your business for a presentation on their products or for interaction with customers and offering of samples.

Show yourself to your customers and show that you care about them, product / service quality, and the fact that they are receiving the best possible value for their money. Building this bridge on both sides (manufacturers and customers) will give you more transparency and visibility, as well as place you one step in front of your competition, bringing more trust and loyalty to your business.

So, do you finally understand why a manufacturer would fly an extra 400 miles and spend an additional $1,000 to meet a potential partner? In his eyes, this extra effort went a long way in helping me believe in his business and become more educated about his products. In my eyes, our meeting helped me ensure him of my dedication and passion – that I do believe – and that I wish to become educated about his products. Along the way, a bridge is build between him (manufacturer) and me (small business). It is now easier for me to extend the bridge to my customers and help them believe in my business.

It’s time to say your name out loud. It’s time to get personal again.

Not so long ago, I saw ‘Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant.’ An irresistible urge pulled me into the movie theater to see what else remained to be said about vampires and what new products could be launched in this ‘year of the vampire’ (this is how I refer to the period of time following the release of ‘Twilight’), a year that has seen incorporation of the vampire trend in everything from nail polish (e.g., black, dark purple) to television series (e.g., The Vampire Diaries) to foods and drinks (e.g., Vamp Energy Drink). I would lie if I did not admit that I was attracted by the fact that the director of ‘Twilight’ (and the soon to be released ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’) is brothers with the director of ‘The Vampire’s Assistant.’ Oops! Is this simply a family’s obsession with vampires or an insider’s tip about how profitable it is to make vampire movies; either way, there is a clear message – do it as soon as possible and as much as possible (that is why both brothers have left their respective movies open ended). An alternative concept is that the director of ‘The Vampire’s Assistant’ just wanted to follow the latest trend, one set by his own brother.

Whatever spurred on the brothers Weitz, it seems that an old family recipe was followed: start with a mix of good and evil vampires, add a few friendship issues, spice it up with a little romance, and top it off with a dash of teenager – put them on the screen and serve the movie to an audience that is guaranteed to chew it up (since they can’t go to clubs, bars, or other venues of entertainment). In this ‘year of the vampire’, making a movie about vampires or incorporating ‘vampire’ ideas into mass products and services is a sure profit, or at least some directors and companies appear to think so. But wait, there is enough money to go around for everybody; the mass market can consume the entire ‘vampire’ offer and leave room for seconds. Just one magic word: Twilight. Voilà…the trend of 2009! Should we consider ‘Twilight’ as a trendsetter? While ‘Twilight’ did not invent the ‘vampire’ flick, this reinvention was a nicely done piece of work that drove many industries to ‘vampirize’ their offer and suck in a little bit of extra money by exploiting this new trend. Why then would you just sit idle and let someone else ride the wave and steal your share of this ‘trendy-money.’

I am a complete supporter of leveraging popular trends for your company’s own benefit. Moreover, I urge my clients to always keep up with the current hype as well as ongoing and new trends. Why shouldn’t you extract the utmost benefit from the ‘year of the vampire’ if you have the opportunity to incorporate this trend into your company’s product or service, or perhaps simply into your marketing mix, to attract an entirely unexpected group of ‘bonus’ customers or clients? However, the current ‘vampire’ trend could be too bold of a move for some small businesses – I find that my dark purple nail polish is not viewed as trendy or professional and vampire images on my invoice definitely do not appear creative. If you also are not prepared to take such risks, I offer you an alternative approach inspired by the same logic as that used by the Weitz brothers…three words – Generation Y, Universal Themes, and Real People.

Generation Y. This generation is both casted for the movies described above and targeted as the audience for these same movies. They are teenagers – old enough to know what they want and yet immature enough not to think about the consequences (by the way, I am not encouraging you to take advantage of them). Do not ignore this age group. The brothers Weitz didn’t. Through your offer, brochures, promotions, and/or ambient music, try to get closer to this group and show them that you acknowledge their existence, their expectations, their taste. Show them that your business takes them seriously and that you are willing to reinvent yourself because you want their business. This generation can be quite demanding, because they are growing up ‘multitasking,’ they live on ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter,’ and they are the preamble for Generation Z, who will be even savvier customers. You and your business want to remain on the market and will do so only by immersing yourself in evolving trends. Don’t forget to make them loyal, because you will be flying sky-high as this segment of the market is just about to start earning and spending money (and you want to be in that circle).

Universal Themes. Your customers want to know that you are present in the moment, partaking in the same recession crisis as they are, looking forward to the first snow, and acknowledging October as ‘National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.’ While you and your business follow the trends and the hype, ensure that you play intelligently and adhere to the universal themes of love, friendship, spring, and harvest. Look up to both of the Weitz brothers who aim to create global hits – refrain from religious issues that can be misinterpreted, refrain from incorporating nationalistic pride, and refrain from discussion of politics or other sensitive topics. During a financial crisis, you want to attract as wide a range of customers as possible and not unnecessarily alienate customers or limit yourself to any one segment (as far as niche marketing goes, we will discuss that at another time).

Real People. We are living in an era where power is presented to the ordinary, real person…also known as the ‘era of reality shows’. Did you ever think that one day an ordinary person from your neighborhood would be paid thousands of dollars just for allowing cameras to follow him through a mediocre day? Worse yet, did you ever think that someone (turned millions of people) would actually watch that mediocre person? No glamour. The power lies in real people. Both of our case-study movies follow lives of ordinary people (i.e., not an extremely wealthy heiress, not a celebrity) who face something extraordinary; both movies have some fresh faces in their main cast. The Weitz brothers glorify a regular person and separate them from the masses. You should do the same. You don’t need a Paris Hilton to come to your business to receive motivation to offer exceptional service – you should provide exceptional service to any customer who walks through the door. Do not waste your time daydreaming about what you would say to Oprah should she walk into your store, rather say something nice to each of your customers. That real, ordinary person (your beloved customer) has the power to research your business on the internet, write a good or bad review about your business, and stimulate or prevent their friends and family from being your new customers.

In summary, the ‘year of the vampire’ trend or the ‘baby boomers’ trend, or the ‘green’ trend are not the only ways that your business could earn an additional profit. There are so many ways to show your clients that you are present in the moment, aware of current problems and trends, living in the same world with the same idols and the same dangerous repercussions of global warming. Doing so and doing so consistently will ensure that you eventually become part of the trend and not only a follower.