No more fake communications

If you only spend 45 minutes on your marketing this week, spend these 45 minutes.

Advertising is SO over (and if that sounds like your teenage daughter speaking, please bear in mind that she'll be your core consumer in ten years' time).

The Naked Brand encapsulates everything we have been saying about the future of advertising since HelpHound was founded back in 2006. Here are just some of the words of wisdom...

"Real-time, up-to-the-second, truth."

"Does it happen to [your business] or do you participate?"

"The choice: stop the revolution or participate."



"Turn confrontation in conversation."

"Clear is the new clever - clever doesn't work any more."

"Invest more in your product and less in your advertising."

"Transparency is no longer a choice."

"Change is hard when you are a successful business - but it's a must."

"No more fake conversations."

And: "Ratings and reviews will be projected wherever we want." 

Our review of The Naked Brand

Great video, great research, great talking heads; only one slight flaw: the focus, yet again almost entirely on products. Consumers like product reviews, in some cases LOVE product reviews, but they NEED reviews of SERVICES even more.

There is a time about half way through the video where the core message ('listen and react to what your customers are saying') risks getting confused with the green message, but we loved some of the examples (Pepsi and Chanel - guess who wins that one?) and the way Zappos call-centre staff interact with their customers - and we were delighted to see our old friend United Breaks Guitars make a guest appearance.

But the point comes across loud and clear: engage with your customers and use that engagement to drive your business's success. This video is a must-watch for anyone involved in marketing at any level.

The Power of Reviews 2

If you sell TVs or consumer packaged goods (CPGs), you’d better keep an eye on what customers are saying about you on product review Websites: According to a study of nearly 1,500 consumers by Epsilon, those sites are the most influential source of buying information for shoppers.
Product review sites were almost the most influential source for shoppers looking to book a hotel or sign up with some sort of communication service, according to the survey. People shopping for phones, computers, and credit cards, however, relied more on family and friends, while those in the market for auto insurance said that brand Websites were most influential.
Read full article on Direct Magazine

The Power of Reviews

Blue Cedar's take on what to do about Review Sites.
I think we would wholeheartedly agree.



 More and more consumers rely review sites during their purchasing decision making process.

What should your company do about these directories?

• Be there. As consumers rely more heavily on review sites and local directories, not being present can cause you to be overlooked. List your business with the national  ones –the ones we’ve mentioned, plus HotFrog, Brown Book, and Local.com, among others – and then track down the ones specifically for your local community. If you’re not primarily a local business (for example, you do e-commerce), you can still benefit from local listings. It’s a link to your website, after all.
• Register or claim your business. In many cases, only those businesses that register or claim their listings can respond to reviews, add a link to their website, and in other ways have some control over the listing. Brown Book lets you upload videos and other content. Yelp lets you communicate with those who leave reviews. Merchant Circle hosts a blog for you. Explore the options.
• Encourage happy customers to review your business. Trying to game the system by posting fake reviews will backfire, but asking customers to support you is smart.  Train staff to respond to compliments with, “I’m so glad you liked it! Would you write that at Yelp?”
• Respond to unhappy reviews. You can’t please everyone, but a kind and helpful response can turn a bad review into a good opportunity to show your excellent customer service.  Calm down, if you need to, before you make your response.
• Quote the good reviews. People who’ve made public comments about your company have already shown that they’re willing to share their opinions. Use the things they’ve said as testimonials online and in your marketing materials.
• Watch your analytics. Keep track, with whatever kind of web analytics you use, of the kind of traffic that comes to your site from directories. That information can help you make decisions about advertising and future linkbuilding.
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