I recently wrote about the amount of information that one can gather about users who register for or become members of your website using Facebook Connect. In continuing to read and contemplate writing on the subject I came across a nice article by Augie Ray in CRM magazine. Augie’s article points out that the majority of companies who are using Facebook Connect to allow consumers to connect to their website are doing so without telling the customer what information they are sharing or how the company will use it.

Customers are becoming wary and savvy about the fact that while connecting to a site using their Facebook ID may be high on the convenience side, they may also be unwittingly sharing more personal information and access to their data with that particular company than they would have if they would have signed up in a traditional manner. In a time where Social CRM is about as hot as any area of social software and where companies are beginning to want to capture and utilize the information available about customers and prospects on social networks it is amazing to me that so many companies would rely on Facebook to communicate what information is being shared through Facebook Connect. Let me explain… Continue Reading…

Friend and mentor Paul Greenberg is fond of saying that we may be moving from a time of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to Customer Managed Relationships (CMR). It’s a statement that every company needs to take to heart. The number of channels with which customers engage with your company and each other obey no geographic boundaries and know no time zones. Where companies once had control of the channels and times with which they would engage customers the pendulum has decidedly swung the other way. While your office and customer support may be open 9-5 on the east coast of North America, your customers are talking to you and about you when they feel like it and on the channel of their choosing. Where companies used to have to facilitate the coming together of customers through user conferences, again at a time and place chosen by the company, today that same user base is spread across social channels, forums and connecting with one another without company involvement. How then should you react to this dramatic shift in consumer empowerment?  Continue Reading…

This is one of the best uses of social media in an area (recreational skiing) you wouldn’t necessarily think has embraced social media yet.

Epic Mix has taken the idea of check-ins, achievements, location services, and applied it all uniquely to skiing. Think Foursquare meets the Nike Run app. You really need to watch the video to understand just how nicely this is all tied together.

Tip of the cap to @janicediner who shared this video at Mesh Marketing. Continue Reading…

One of my favorite sites is Trendwatching.com. It is not the type of site I visit daily but I am always sure to download their monthly report on what the latest trends in consumerism are. In the latest report entitled “Half a dozen consumer trends for 2009” there are of course six consumer trends discussed. I will leave it to to read the seven page report but I decided to comment on one of the trends identified.

Feedback 3.0

I recently wrote about the My Starbucks Idea website which solicits Starbucks’ customer ideas about how to improve virtually every aspect of the Starbucks experience. There is no doubt that this type of interaction with consumers is only the tip of the iceberg and companies better get up to speed quickly (see the Motrin Mom’s for an example of why). Called Transparency Tyranny by Trendwatching, the trend was first noted in 2007 where it was “big”, it was “bigger” in 2008 and it will be “even bigger in 2009.”

I called the Starbucks idea Comment Cards 2.0, Trendwatching introduced me to the idea of Feedback 3.0 as quoted below

• Feedback 1.0 (early web) – Saw an outraged individuals posting scathing reviews, feedback and complaints, often to the delight of other netizens Brands remained unaware or chose not to listen, dismissing these outbursts the way they’d dismissed any kind of customer dissatisfaction for decades.
• Feedback 2.0 (where we are today) – Is about these rants — and some raves — having gone ‘mass’. The long-predicated conversation is finally taking place, albeit amongst consumers and not, and intended, between corporations and consumers. Companies have started to take note, but to a large degree still choose to listen, not talk back, trying to ‘learn’ from the for-all-to-see review revolution. Which is surprising to say the least, since a quick and honest reply or solution can defuse the most damaging complaint.
• Feedback 3.0 (which is building) – Will be all about companies joining the conversation, if only to get their side of the story in front of the mass audience that now scans reviews. Expect smart companies to be increasingly able (and to increasingly demand) to post their apologies and solutions, preferably directly along-side reviews from unhappy customers. Expect the same for candid rebuttals by companies who feel (and can prove) that a particular review is unfair or inaccurate, and want to share their side of the story.

With this information in hand I give you a few of my tips for ensuring that your brand does not miss out on the conversation as it is certainly going on.

• Set up Google Alerts – It is really easy to miss the conversation going on if you don’t try to listen. Google Alerts are most certainly the easiest way to track any conversation that is going on about your company or brand. Choose the right keywords and get the digest sent to yourself everyday that way at least you will not go more than 24 hours without knowing what is going on.
• Claim Your Twitter Account – This again is a really simple thing to do and is one that you should do immediately if you have not done so already. There would be nothing worse than someone squatting on Twitter using your company’s name and responding as if they were your company. Jeremiah Owyang has a good article on this you should read.
• Search on Twitter – One thing you can be sure of is that if there are any (and I mean a single one) consumers or people who have interacted with you, your brand or a product produced by your company (including being the ad agency for a corporate brand) it will eventually come up on Twitter. So use Google Alerts to ensure you are on top of the situation daily and use Twitter Search to keep up to date during the day as response time is crucial.
• Gather Your Own Feedback – While your company may not have the money to invest in a large campaign like Starbucks or Dell, there are many ways you can solicit ideas and feedback from consumers, partners and employees. The important part is not to how you solicit the ideas, it is that you act on those ideas and some how (use your blog, employee newsletter etc…) relay the information that you are taking action to those who took the time to give you the suggestions in the first place.

Those are my ideas for you, I do recommend you sign up for the Trendwatching newsletter.