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Reputation Management 101 |  | |
Your presence on the Internet is critical to your success. Most companies do not have a proactive strategy to maintain a positive presence or deal with negatives that occur. They react or panic.
Reputation management of your Web presence is becoming an important topic. Even USA Today ran a full page story last month on this topic.
This paper, written by our newest team member, Mark Sprague, discusses what you should consider regarding your on-line reputation and the issues of being proactive vs. reactive.
Read this month's paper. |
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Customer Manufacturing Update
November 2012 |
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Dear Mitchell,
Here is your November Customer Manufacturing Update. As the Internet increases its importance to your company's presence in the market, your "reputation" on the Internet is critical to your success. This month's paper, written by our newest member, Mark Sprague, " Reputation Management 101", provides valuable insights into this area from a leading expert in the field. |
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Hidden Costs
When Mitch was leaving the Ontario, CA airport the other day he decided he needed an ice cream. (People who know him realize this is a regular condition of his.) There are few shops to buy ice cream in the Southwest terminal (just one actually), so he stopped in and picked up a Drumstick from the freezer.
When he approached the cashier she said, "Ice cream is expensive." he replied, "That's ok." She then rang it up at $5.00. Well, that is expensive for a Drumstick ... anywhere. He paid for it, and then asked her if she got a lot of sticker shock from buyers, and if that was why she warned him in advance. She said, "Yes."
He then asked why it was so expensive, since their candy was very reasonably priced. She told him it cost a lot of money to bring food products into the airport, especially frozen food products. They had a small freezer so they did not stock a lot of ice cream, and the truck had to be stopped and searched on arrival at the airport. The actual ice cream was searched at least once more in addition. These costs added up given the small amount of ice cream involved, making the transportation costs significant as a total cost of the product.
One more (albeit minor in the scheme of things) annoyance and cost of the terrorists.
What hidden costs are you having to pass on to your customers ... and can you find a way to cut them? |
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The Power of Social Media
There is no question that social media of various flavors can be a useful tool for marketers. But it for sure makes lots of money for the social media platforms. The more use rs of Facebook, YouTube, et al, the more money those companies make.
This title from an Advertising Age article probably says it all: "Old Spice Killing It On YouTube Again, But S ales Are Down Double Digits."
Professional marketers need to focus on producing outcomes, not outputs.
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Rules: We Spit on the Rules
Ralph was scanning an issue of Sporting News at the doctor's office recently, and they had a little blurb about something from 1985 that passed him by back then. That was the year that Nike introduced the Air Jordon-in black, white and red. Every game Michael Jordon was fined $500
 for wearing shoes that violated the NBA's uniform rules ... and Nike paid the fine over and over, with a big
smile. The controversy and the exposure it generated much more than paid for the fine.
We don't exactly advocate that you break any laws, but you might examine the silly little rules that constrain your own efforts, on fronts from promotion to product development. Some of these rules may be promulgated by others (like the NBA), and some may be of your own making (e.g., "that's just the way we do things here"). But EVERY rule that you adhere to ought to be periodically and ruthlessly re-examined.
Just try to avoid committing any felonies!
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According to an article, Meredith Guarantees Top Advertisers Sales Gains, the print media (or at least some of it) may finally get that is has always been about results. For many decades, print media has been able to offer space, take it or leave it, to their advertisers. "We have an audience, would you like to pitch to them," was the premise. Oh, and, of course our audience is perfect for you. If you don't get the results you need to justify the investment, well then your ads must suck. At least that was their apparent position.
The reality of measurable, Web-based marketing and the decline in print advertising may finally be getting through to the print media companies. Well at least some of them. The article notes, "Most media owners are not excited to do that, for a lot of reasons."
Marketing expenses should be $0.00. Marketing investments should be as much as possible providing they create a positive ROI. To stop spending on marketing and make investments requires you focus on results that matter, not proxies you hope correlate. | It's Always Been About Results
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Free Reading Guide
If you have a copy of our book Value Acceleration, you can download a free reading guide to help you and your team get the most from the book. (And btw, the book has been updated for 2012 and is also available in a Kindle edition.)
We appreciate your feedback to help improve these Updates. If there are others you feel would benefit from this issue, use the Forward email link just below on the left. Sincerely,
Mitchell Goozé
Customer Manufacturing Group, Inc.
www.customermfg.com |
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