by Scott Seroka. Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago at 09:52. 0 comments
This week there is a poll on adage.com asking people if they think there is anything BP can do to salvage its brand.
I believe there is, but the bigger question is, do the leaders of BP know which steps they need to take?
Most recently we’ve witnessed Toyota and Tiger Woods salvage their brands rather well, all things considered. If we go back a little further in time, Tylenol enjoyed a complete recovery years after seven Chicago-area residents died from taking cyanide-contaminated Extra-Strength Tylenol. The Firestone brand recovered quite well after 174 fatalities and more than 700 injuries from alleged tread separation problems. In fact, both Tylenol and Firestone are near the top in their respective brand categories today.
The BP oil catastrophe is devastating, and the effects will be felt for many years to come. No one knows for certain that negligence played a role in this accident and, if it did, to what extent. But whatever the case may be, the extent to which BP can salvage its brand will be directly correlated to the actions of its leaders from this moment forward.
This incident reminds us why we need to have a crisis communications plan ready to pull out of our pockets at any time. This series of events teaches us that worst-case scenarios are not limited to our imaginations.
In other words, who could have imagined June 10 on April 19?
by Scott Seroka. Posted 2 months, 4 weeks ago at 10:33. 1 comment
What is the difference between meaningless and meaningful social networking connections in a BtoB environment? Seth Godin, author and entrepreneur, proclaims that too many people keep their eyes glued to their “scoreboard” of how many friends, followers or connections they have. The big question is, how many of your connections are truly valuable where there is a high probability of doing business with them? How many of them would go out of their way to help you because you went out of your way to help them?
by Scott Seroka. Posted 3 months ago at 10:58. 1 comment
You may have heard there were a little over 34,000 people who were planning to detonate their Facebook accounts on “Quit Facebook Day,” Monday, May 31.
However, for most people (roughly two-thirds), when it was time to hit the “Delete My Account” button, they just couldn’t, despite all the ranting over recent security and privacy concerns. Plus, when you consider there are approximately 500 million people on Facebook as of the date of this blog, an exodus of 34,000 would barely register on the radar. With Facebook’s rate of growth, that number would probably be recovered before the weekend.
We’re living in interesting times. Ten years ago, the mantra was “None of your business.” Today, 500 million people are willing to risk a compromise in their online security to stay connected with friends. Five hundred million people are willing to give up a little privacy to belong. Five hundred million people are addicted to Facebook.
by Scott Seroka. Posted 3 months, 1 week ago at 11:04. 1 comment
I’ve always been a proponent of understanding your customers and competitors. I’ve always been a proponent of studying trends and I’ve always been a proponent of welcoming change.
However, in order to grow a lucrative and profitable business, your focus also needs to be on those things that will never change.
Today, and fifty years from now, your customers will want speed, simplicity, attentiveness, responsiveness, quality, reliability, affordability, practicality, clarity and human interaction. These wants, or, shall I say, expectations, will never change.
When you focus on those things that don’t change, your customers know they can rely on you. They know they can trust you and that you won’t compromise what you stand for to chase a fad. Most importantly, when you place your focus on what will never change, your customers will be loyal to you – and loyal customers are the best kind to have.
by Scott Seroka. Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago at 13:41. 0 comments
Blogging requires an investment of time, creativity and energy.
The question is, is blogging right for you? Well, I’ve compiled a list of 16 answers to that question and I look forward to reading yours sometime soon…
1. Many research studies strongly support that those who actively blog are more successful at winning new business than those who don’t blog.
2. People are always searching for rich, engaging content on topics of interest. A blog offers a great solution.
3. There are no barriers to entry – anyone can do it.
4. You’ll quickly brand yourself as an industry expert.
5. It’s one of the most effective ways to promote your brand – both corporate and personal.
6. Blogs follow you wherever you go.
7. Authoring a blog builds credibility.
8. Journalists are always interested in interviewing bloggers.
9. Blogs are to search engines as T-bone steaks are to dogs.
10. Blogging affords you the opportunity to connect with customers and future purchasers in two-way conversations.
11. As a blogger, you expand your network with other bloggers in your industry.
12. People love a good story!
13. Blogging forces you to stay on top of the latest trends and developments in your business and industry.
14. Blogging forces you to do more research – you learn a lot when you’re keeping your blog alive.
15. A blog makes you human – you become more than just a photo and a bio on a website.
16. Blogging leads to speaking opportunities.
If you blog, please share your reasons and rewards. If you don’t, I hope I gave you enough reasons to reconsider.
by Scott Seroka. Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago at 10:14. 3 comments
If you spend any time reading blogs, product reviews or forums, you’ve probably seen a few scathing customer comments or reviews. Some of these customers choose to remain anonymous, and they are usually the ones who write anything they wish without hesitation.
We understand that we can’t please 100% of our customers 100% of the time. We understand that there may be an occasional service flaw, human error or a product failure that will light someone’s pilot light. Unfortunately, if the wrong person gets really upset at the wrong time, a malicious blog post or review is only a few dozen keystrokes away.
We may not have any control over what people say about us online, but we do have control over how to tactfully handle harmful or damaging comments if they surface. We need to get involved and control the conversation to preserve the integrity of our brand and to avert a viral nightmare. For those who choose not to participate in social media and online conversations, type your name and the name of your company into Google and you’ll see if anyone is talking about you. For all you know, there’s an angry customer out there who never contacted you, but has sat down and vented about you on a blog or forum; starting an unpleasant conversation.
Some of us may be able to boast 99.9% customer satisfaction, display 20 testimonials on our site and brag about our A+ standing with the BBB. However, enter one rant, one single-star rating or one lengthy story about an unresolved issue blown out of proportion, and it will stick out like a pimple on the prom queen’s nose.
Your best defense is to monitor what is being said about you and learn how to defuse a bad situation before it gets out of control. Remember: At the end of the day, all you have is your brand. Protect it.
by Scott Seroka. Posted 4 months ago at 12:00. 1 comment
The dust has pretty much settled, or so it seems, with Toyota. They took a pretty large bullet with the recent recall, and ironically, customer loyalty has barely suffered a blip on the radar. While Toyota was taking it on the chin day after day, they sold more vehicles that same month than any other automotive brand.
How about Tiger Woods? It seems as if more and more people over a very short period of time are forgiving him. How do we know? The day before the Masters began, Tiger’s online reputation, according to Zeta Interactive, was 51% positive. The day after the Masters began, his reputation shot up to 69%. It’s as if nothing ever happened. Remember the fiasco with Tylenol®? How about Martha Stewart? It seems as if these brands escaped nearly unscathed as well.
So here’s the rub: No brand is perfect. Consumers understand this and hence, they can be quite forgiving when they feel betrayed.
Here’s a mathematical explanation: When a long-standing, powerful brand makes a large volume of “good” deposits in the minds of consumers, it can usually withstand a rare, large withdrawal.
Somewhere, sometime, there’s a better than average chance your brand may take some heat, and unlike Toyota, Tiger or Martha, it may be for something completely outside your control. The good news is that if you have a strong brand reputation with a loyal following, it will be a bit easier for you to recover. The bad news is that if your brand is not very well known, or if people are not quite sure what you stand for, it may be far more difficult to recover; especially if the first time people hear about you is in a negative light.
Don’t ever underestimate the value of establishing and maintaining a noble brand of integrity, character and goodwill. Once you win fans and acquire a loyal following, you’ll appreciate the effort you put forth and it will serve to offer protection from the unexpected calamity you never saw coming.
by Scott Seroka. Posted 4 months, 1 week ago at 14:16. 1 comment
When you read about what Steve Jobs is up to with Apple, you may think, “He has such great ideas!”
When you hear about something ingenious a competitor is doing, you may say to yourself, “Why didn’t we think of that?!”
When you notice a company that always seems to figure out another way to deepen relationships with its customers while attracting new customers, you may find yourself asking, “How do they come up with this stuff?”
Maybe you can’t find the time, or maybe you have too many things on your mind. Maybe you’re too close to your business, or maybe you’re under too much stress. If you don’t have the time, energy or resources to think of new ideas, consider retaining someone who will think of new, innovative ideas for you; the kind of ideas that make people drop their glasses and do a double-take. The kind of ideas that get people talking about you. The kind of ideas that reward you with great publicity because you offer something people didn’t even know they wanted, and now crave.
Victor Hugo one said, “There’s nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” Ideas provide hope. Ideas provide energy. Ideas clarify direction. Ideas give people a new purpose. Ideas get everyone excited and invigorated to achieve a lofty goal.
How much time do you currently invest into thinking of new ideas vs. wasting time trying to figure out why what you’ve done is not/no longer working? How often do you think of an idea and then abandon it because it seems like too much trouble to execute, because you’re afraid it won’t work, because you’re too self-critical or because you heard someone else tried to do something similar a long time ago and failed?
You need a steady, consistent flow of new ideas to outsmart your competitors, to WOW your customers, to be an industry leader and to survive.
Challenge: Think of three new ideas to help you achieve a goal by the end of the day today. If you do this, you will wake up in the morning with energy and enthusiasm.
by Scott Seroka. Posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago at 08:54. 0 comments
Take a few minutes to watch this video and you’ll see that John Nese, owner of Galco’s Soda Pop Stop really has it all figured out. He stays true to his mission and brand – to offer truly unique beverages, many of which would be very difficult to find anywhere else. As you watch this video, you’ll notice the passion he has for his business and you’ll understand why he is so successful. Enjoy.
by Scott Seroka. Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago at 10:07. 0 comments
Risk.
Risk that they are making the wrong decision.
Risk that they aren’t buying the right product.
Risk that they aren’t buying the right brand.
Risk that they may not be getting the best bang for their buck.
Risk that there’s a loophole somewhere in the contract that will come back to bite them.
Risk that they are buying something that will fail.
Risk that the people or company they are buying from won’t do what they say they will do.
Risk that if they made the wrong decision they will be embarrassed in front of their family, friends, peers or colleagues.
Risk that they will not get a decent return on their investment.
Risk that they will get burned because they were been burned before.
Risk that if it doesn’t work, it may make the situation worse.
Risk that it won’t be reliable or that it will break down in the time of greatest need.
Risk that they will find out later there was a better deal somewhere else.
Risk that there will be a no-show.
Risk that the deadline will be missed.
Risk that it won’t perform to expectations.
We don’t always know what’s going on in the minds of the people who don’t buy, but the above list may give you some ideas. The better we do at minimizing perceived risks, the better chance we have of winning the sale.
