Brand Loyalty: It’s an SMB Online Marketing Tool, Too by Kevin Dwinnell

Image by TerryJohnston via Flickr

Brand loyalty is nothing new, but we usually think of Coca-Cola or Nike. Huge global behemoths that consumers ask for by name and wear proudly on their heads, lips, body and feet.

But online marketing has changed the way brand loyalty is acquired and earned.  With the explosion of social media, businesses are making a solid attempt to be honest and open in their marketing communications. This plays to the strength of the small or medium business (SMB) since SMBs don’t have the deep pockets for huge marketing spends and agencies leading the social media charge. We do it ourselves and we’re the most knowledgeable and open about our products and companies.

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Posted in Commentary | Tags: American Marketing Association, Brand Keys, Brand loyalty, browser theme, Coca-Cola, Nike, online marketing, smb, Social media | No Comments »

99.6% Conversion, Teach Your Old Browser New Tricks by Brand Thunder

Image by brandthunder via Flickr

Marketing Sherpa gave an in-depth look at how the Ohio State University and Fathead used an interactive browser theme to engage OSU fans and offer them a special chance to win an OSU Fathead.

• 99.6% clicked when promo button was added to browser theme
• Active users of browser theme grew 52.7% month-over-month

Compelling data for using the browser to create a persistent communication channel with your audience.

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Posted in News | Tags: brand thunder, Browsers, ecommerce, fathead, internet marketing, Ohio State University, Social media | No Comments »

The Magic Ratio of Business Relationships by Kevin Dwinnell

Psychologist John Gottman explored positive-to-negative ratios in marriages and defined the magic ratio of 5:1.  By scoring positive and negative interactions in one 15-minute conversation between newlyweds, Gottman and his team of researchers discovered that they had predicted divorce with 94 percent accuracy.

Five positive interactions for every negative one.

If you’ve done any business training on troubleshooting or problem solving, you’ll find that the methods used for creating a positive relationship within the business world are no different than those used in the personal world.  To look at Gottman’s data, you need to show your clients, customers and business partners five positive experiences to every negative one.  (Remember, we’re talking relationships here, not product quality.)

That’s a lot of interaction, and that’s the appeal of social media.  The potential is there for more frequent interactions because you’re not waiting for your customer to come to your site, you’re meeting them at theirs. And it’s an interaction, whereas your normal marketing message is an impression or a spot.  It’s a pitch and not an engagement.

So, my self serving question is, what other tools are available that can give you the frequency you need to ensure your getting the volume of interactions you need to build that positive relationship?  Yes, I think we have a good one and I know there are others whether you use KickApps or an iPhone app.

What are your favorites?

Posted in Commentary | Tags: business, John Gottman, Marketing and Advertising, Persuasion, Ratio, Relationships, Social media | No Comments »

Creating Community for a Small Business by Kevin Dwinnell

I had the opportunity to speak with Owen McGab Enaohwo at Hire Your Virtual Assistant to discuss how to create an online community and how small businesses can get started using “community” to help their business.  You can see the full interview and an outline of the discussion at hireyourvirtualassistant.com/blog.  I don’t want to repeat that discussion here and detract from Owen’s efforts.

Still, it’s a great topic, because so much attention is on social media and the encouragement of brands to join the conversation with their consumers. The idea of online community goes back to the earliest days of the Internet, and the foundations of what works are not that different from what works in offline relationships.  Community is a powerful and persuasive communication channel and there’s no doubt companies need to have this as a part of their overall go-to-market strategy.  Yet, how, where and when you participate are all up for debate.

A small business is often resource constrained and the time commitment to building a community can be overwhelming.  There are better places to start and work toward the benefits without over committing. We go into those details in my discussion with Owen.

As much as I’m a believer in Brand Thunder’s interactive browser themes, it’s not the place I’d start – in fact, you still don’t see a Brand Thunder browser theme available (though you may notice www.ThunderThemes.com is a working URL and pointing to our gallery for an indicator of other efforts, but I digress).  While the browser theme is a powerful communication channel, it does well as an affinity marketing tool allowing brands to leverage the audience they’ve aggregated and deepen those relationships.  Small businesses need to be focused on creating those relationships and leveraging the platforms that can help with that, but in a manner that allows those community-building efforts to be inserted amongst the thousands of other necessary tasks for survival.

There are a lot a small steps a small business can take to make community building a part of their business building. Check out the discussion with Owen for those details, and there is a written outline if you don’t have time to watch the video.

Where do you think community falls in the priority of a small business and what are the best ways to leverage its power?

Posted in Commentary, News | Tags: brand thunder, browser theme, marketing, online community, Owen Mcgab Enaohwo, Small business, Social media | No Comments »

Brand Thunder to Bring Custom Browser Experience to Comcast Customers by Kevin Dwinnell

We talk a lot about the power of a browser in staying connected to your consumer and fan base. It should come as no surprise that a company able to define the standard of using social media to support its members would gravitate toward offering a Brand Thunder Boom! to its users as well. So, while we might claim a lack of surprise, there’s no lack of joy about working with Comcast.

We’re building a browser experience that helps Comcast subscribers find and access the breadth of content and functionality available from Comcast.net. While the product is still a few weeks away, we’re excited by the prospects of bringing the Boom! to a new market. Comcast is one of a handful of companies offering a fusion of entertainment, information and communication. We’re looking forward to demonstrating how the browser is an effective gateway to what they offer and what the end user needs.

Posted in Commentary, News | Tags: brand thunder, Branded Browser, browser boom, Comcast, custom browser, Mass media, Social media, Web browser | No Comments »

Elaboration on Earning Customer Loyalty by Kevin Dwinnell

Customer Loyalty: How to Earn It is a commentary over at MediaPost. Guy Maser gives some simple and straightforward ideas to help you better serve your existing customer. The fundamentals often aren’t that complex. His suggestions are geared for a certain type of business, but his premise is applicable anywhere – do something for the benefit of your current customers.

I’d take it a step or two farther. What can you do for your customer today? How much of your time was spent working on tasks focused on revenue for you as opposed to experience for them? When was the last time you focused on figuring out what would “wow” your customer? Do you have a daily “to-do” task that focuses specifically on the customer?

Questions like these drive a set of behaviors that can benefit your customer and ultimately your business. Just picking up the phone and calling a customer can have a very positive impact as well as offering a chance to get first hand feedback. Reviewing message boards and comments, on your sites and sites related to your product can be very insightful, but also give you an opportunity to respond and learn. I found a comment in Mozilla’s Add-ons that warranted a reply, but Add-ons doesn’t offer a reply option. Fortunately, this member had an email address in his profile and I was able to reach him. I can’t vouch for this instance, but in the past, these extra steps have gone a long way.

Think of all the other touch points available through the Internet. What if some of the viral-video energy went into service videos? Pictures and text also works. I completely disassembled my laptop to fix a cracked solder joint and couldn’t believe the number of parts. I found a step-by-step guide, however, that allowed me to do it myself in about the amount of time it would have taken just to drive it to a repair shop. It was awesome.

We mention frequently the items we often include in our browser Booms! News feeds, RSS, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and more. These are all easy to implement touch points with your consumer. Some of these elements get the news to your customers as effectively and more timely than any email campaign can. You don’t even have to do the bulk of the communicating at sites that offer a dialogue. Listening goes a long way, but you will have to say something, just so your customers know you’re there.

The list can go on and on. There’s no one path to earning your customer’s loyalty, but it clearly requires pursuing some path.

Posted in Commentary | Tags: brand thunder, Branded Browser, browser boom, custom browser, Facebook, Internet forum, Mozilla, MySpace, RSS, Social media, Twitter, Viral video | 1 Comment »

Helping Brands Leverage Social Media by Kevin Dwinnell

Ben Elowitz made a compelling argument for brands connecting with its fans in his Online Media Daily commentary. He details examples of how brands have created sites that engage their user base and create a dynamic exchange. It’s by serving these fans that the majority of brands will see their success in social media.

I’m thrilled to see this kind of discussion because Brand Thunder plays an enabling role in this scenario. When you have an engaged community with a steady flow of news, information and discussion – the best thing you can do is keep that community aware of the activity going on. Fortunately, there are a number of methods and tools that help brands maintain that connection. I’m biased as I think we have one of the better ones.

When you have the connection to your end user in the browser, it’s a persistent connection within the primary vehicle for interacting online. The results of mixing a tool like a customized browser with the exciting news and events on a brand’s community site can be staggering. We’ve seen an 8x improvement in visits by users of our product over the average visitor to our client’s site. Most of the products that contribute to these gains can be implemented with a low level of effort by the brand.

There is a promised land for brands in the social media world. There is an engaged audience that a brand can appeal to and create the desired connection. When you think of these sites and the destination they can become, don’t overlook the vehicles that will help deliver that audience on a frequent basis.

Posted in News | Tags: Ben Elowitz, boom, brand thunder, Branded Browser, custom browser, Social media, Social network service | No Comments »

Why Brands are Still Afraid of the Social Web by Kevin Dwinnell

Skittles made a daring move a couple weeks back and illustrated beautifully why, despite a strong willingness, brands can’t open themselves up from a social web standpoint. Brands are built on trust, and consumers and fans have an expectation of how that brand will treat them. It’s no different than personal relationships.

The web is an accelerator of information, sharing, connecting and lends itself to relationship building. With the rise of social media, why can’t brands insert themselves or leverage the discussions that are occurring? They can, but it has to be restrained because there’s a fundamental piece that remains unsolved about how communication occurs on the web – and communication is key to relationship building.

The anonymity and the lack of physical queues on the web create a significant break in the norms of communication. You don’t see someone’s feelings getting hurt if you write a flaming comment. You don’t have to take personal responsibility because no one knows it’s you (in many cases). This makes it too easy for communication to deteriorate. You’re no longer in a place of trust but somewhere that feels unsafe – a breach of trust.

There are ways to minimize this risk, and that’s why you see moderated discussions, the ability to report “inappropriate” behavior and so on. Some level of oversight can help guide community behavior, but usually aren’t real time so you’ll see inappropriate comments or events surface. That’s why it’s not a good idea to put an open, unmoderated discussion on your homepage if you’re a family friendly brand.

As a result, brands need to manage when and where dialogue occurs. And that’s why we tout we’re the “official” Boom (branded browser). The look, the tone, the message is all sanctioned and controlled by the brand. This doesn’t mean it’s a mechanism to talk “at” the consumer. It’s just a more controlled environment.

Controlled can also be very valuable. The real-time, communication news and content integrated into the browser is a powerful tool. There’s an honor to be on the “first-to-know” list, and brands that make an effort to get the latest news (emphasis intended) to their audience can create a stronger bond and a more engaged fan.

There’s never a single solution that’s right for everyone. The trust/relationship structure will change with brand and audience. But, there’s usually a sweet spot where the odds are in your favor. And when it comes to finding an engaging means to communicate with your consumer, we can deliver a very sweet Boom.

Posted in Commentary | Tags: brand, brand thunder, Branded Browser, communication, custom browser, Social media, Social network, Social web | No Comments »