Buzz Builder

United Airlines Finds Path to YouTube Infamy in Broken Guitar Song

I just caught my wife cracking up as she sat in front of her computer watching the latest YouTube sensation. Canadian musician Dave Carroll released a hysterical music video in which he sings the blues after United Airlines workers at O'Hare smashed his guitar and the carrier refused to pick up the $1,200 cost to repair it.

The video, which was only posted four days ago, has already had more than 641,000 views. To learn the details behind the story behind the song, visit this article on the Chicago Tribune's website.

The video is a great example of how we're living in the Age of the Empowered Customer. Companies that ignore customer complaints are now just one small step away from YouTube infamy.

Why Last Impressions Are Essential to Generating Referrals

A few years ago, I wrote about how critical first impressions are to business success. But, a company’s last impression with a customer carries even more weight when it comes to generating repeat and referred business.

Recently, my wife Ellen and I spent three nights at the Trumpeter Inn, a bed & breakfast on San Juan Island in Washington State. During our stay, Geoff and Shaun, the attentive husband-and-wife owners, provided top-notch service which included answering all my inquiries about the best things to do and places to see (no easy feat when you consider that Ellen calls me “The Question Man” for my propensity to grill people for information).

On our last night, we told Shaun that we needed to catch the 6:00AM ferry to the Mainland. It pained us to leave early since breakfasts had been so delicious. Shaun promised to have brown bag breakfasts waiting for us when we left. While other hungry ferry passengers had to make do with stale vending machine food and coffee, we enjoyed a breakfast bonanza which included homemade muffins, yoghurt parfaits with fresh fruit and granola, boiled eggs and juice. We sipped gourmet coffee out of takeout cups that she had thoughtfully left for us next to the coffee machines, which were programmed to kick into action when our morning alarm sounded. The Trumpeter swans that Shaun drew on our breakfast bags made us smile as we unpacked them on the ferry with San Juan Island receding in the background.

Over the years, I’ve left stayed at enough bed & breakfast inns to know that I would have to fend for myself if I checked out before the standard breakfast hour. By doing something completely unexpected in such a classy way, the Trumpeter Inn stands above it competitors and it’s no wonder that it’s the top-rated B&B on San Juan Island according to TripAdvisor, America’s leading customer review website for travel recommendations.

It’s not just B&Bs that benefit from leaving customers with a strong positive impression. With the weather heating up in the Pacific Northwest, I hired a company to power wash and seal our back deck. After I was given the price for the job and the work had started, I asked the owner of the company whether he could spray off our outdoor table while he was at it. Not only did he do this, but the job took longer than expected because he took extra time to thoroughly wash the table and all the outdoor chairs so they look almost new again—at no extra charge.

Professional service providers can also find ways to leave their customers impressed. Whenever we complete an engagement for a client in which we’ve carried out a successful media relations campaign, there is always the possibility that journalists will contact us about a future story. Whether we are billing a client or not, we promptly follow up on media opportunities and respond to queries on the client’s behalf without charging anything. We’ve learned that the hours we work for a client without being paid after an engagement officially ends is a wise time investment because it dramatically increases the chances that the client will reengage our services and recommend us to others.

In these tough economic times, those companies that find ways to leave a great last impression will not only survive but thrive.

When No Price Is the Right Price

Below is an an article from the May edition of my free Buzz Bulletin monthly online newsletter. To subscribe, please sign up on my website.

I can never get enough ice cream so I was chagrined last year when Dreyer’s, which makes some of my favorite flavors, shrunk their most popular container from two to 1.75 quarts. Last week, Dreyer’s cut their standard ice cream packaging even further, from 1.75 to 1.5 quarts, with only a small reduction in price. Pretty soon, we’ll be taking magnifying glasses to the grocery store.

As people reduce their purchases in these tough economic times, Dreyer’s is just one of many companies that believes that shrinking packaging is a smart way to keep prices down while enticing people to buy more. However, other businesses have discovered an entirely different lesson: reduced pricing or even free products and services can be a much better way to engender customer loyalty and create buzz.

As soon as the weather gets nice in Portland, I feel like riding my bike. Invariably my tires are flat or I’m facing other mechanical nuisances. Two weeks ago, I started calling local bike shops to ask how much it would cost to repair a flat and tune up my bike as well as my wife’s. Three places quoted me prices in the $75 to $85 range. However, the Community Cycling Center in Portland, Oregon told me to bring my bike into the shop and they would see what it needed.

Because I was in hurry, I dropped the bike off and told the mechanic to do whatever he thought was necessary to get it working as smoothly as possible. When I returned, the mechanic told me that he only fixed a flat and put cloth tape on the inside of a wheel which is always getting flats as a preventative measure. The mechanic said that he looked over both of our bikes carefully and that there was no reason to do a tune-up on either bike since they were operating without any problems and the brakes were safe. I left the shop after paying a $14 bill, instead of the $150 I had expected to pay.

I had a similar experience recently with our Subaru Outback. After noticing some minor rattling coming from the left front tire area, I took the car to Superior Import Repair in Portland and left it there to see whether they could figure things out. The mechanic said that they drove the car a couple of miles, listened to sounds coming from the car with a stethoscope, and couldn’t find anything wrong with the car. While he was looking at the car, he checked fluid levels, brake pads, lights, and other items. He made me feel great when he said that our car was running so well that he would feel confident driving it across the country. The bill: $0. When I asked why I wasn’t being charged, the mechanic said, “it’s the least we can do for a good customer.”

In their commitment to providing great service first and worrying about pricing second, my bike and car mechanics solidified my loyalty. Why would I shop around for other providers when I have people looking out for my best interests? Furthermore, these stellar customer service experiences have inspired me to buzz about both businesses to friends since they’ve occurred. Surely, some of this positive word of mouth will lead to new sales.

Clearly, in this difficult economy, it’s critical to watch your expenses closely. However, sometimes giving things away is the best way to grow your buzz and your business.

The Story Blog Explains How Banco Provinicia in Argentina Creates Interest with an Edgy TV Ad

On The Story Blog, which the excellent team at Creative Brand Communications produces focusing on bank marketing, credit union marketing and branding, I came across an unusual TV ad that Banco Provincia ran in Argentina.

In the post, which includes a streaming version of the TV ad, Maija Klarin wrote:
"Set in Buenos Aires Province, the spot features an elderly man who is moved by his bank to change the way he thinks about the town’s transgender hairdresser. He realizes that Banco Provincia loaned money to the woman with full knowledge of her transgender status, which causes him to reconsider his past treatment of her. The summarizing statement in the commercial is, 'Your life changes when there is a bank disposed to change'...

My feeling is that it will be a while before we see marketing as 'risky' from a US bank. Like many other industries have already done, I’d like banks and credit unions to tackle social issues and taboos in our country. Purely from a branding perspective, I think it would help financial institutions connect with consumers on a personal level and differentiate themselves."

Last December, my wife and I were lucky enough to spend two weeks traveling in Argentina, a beautiful and fascinating country well worth visiting. Perhaps because of all the old buildings and run down infrastructure, the country didn't strike us as being particularly progressive. But, I agree with Maija's take that advertisement demonstrates a remarkable degree of progressive thinking - particularly for a state-owned bank.

I can't understand why so much marketing for banks and other financial institutions in our country is so staid and safe. Of the billions of dollars that these companies spend, how much is remarkable enough to be remembered and discussed? Clearly, one bank in Argentina has discovered that creative marketing can stir conversations and makes positive impressions.

Tree Maintenance Service Builds Relationships and Business with Savvy Customer Outreach Campaign

This spring, the old horse chestnut tree in front of our house looks better than  ever. A couple of years ago, we were depressed to think that the tree was nearing the end of its life since the leaves were sparse and sickly looking.

A couple of years ago, I met Matt Allen of Pacific Tree Works, which serves the greater Portland, Oregon area, at a networking event. Matt told me that pruning our tree would help it look better and allow it to live longer since the elimination of dead branches would encourage the roots to feed the parts of the tree that were still alive. Based on his excellent knowledge and professional demeanor, I hired Matt to trim the horse chestnut as well as a 110-foot Douglas fir in our backyard. Sure enough, ever since Matt trimmed both trees, they look better than ever. In fact, the horse chestnut has improved so much that our neighbors have asked us what we've done to make the tree look so healthy.

In the first year after he pruned our trees, I referred Matt to  friends who could use his services. However, as time went by, I stopped referring business to Matt because he simply stopped being top of mind. Last month, I received a letter from Matt and his wife Anna thanking me for my business and requesting that I refer business to their company since times are tough for small, family-owned businesses. To attract more clients during the recession, they said that the company is cutting  prices by 20% throughout the rest of 2009. Along with the letter, they included an attractive color brochure which emphasizes the company's local roots and commitment to the community. This savvy marketing effort has put Pacific Tree Works back on my radar screen, and I'm sure that I'll be referring more business to the company.

If you're looking to get more referrals for your business, when is the last time you've told that to your customers in a compelling way? In these tough times, your best source of new business is your existing customer base. If you let people know what you're doing both in your business and community and ask for referrals, the results should surprise and delight you.

It doesn't take a complicated message to impress your customers as you can see by clicking on the letter that I received from Pacific Tree Works.

 

Three Tips for Rising Above the Recession and How to Prepare for a TV Interview

Today I was interviewed on Fox TV in Portland, Oregon about three things things that all businesses can do to rise above the recession. You can watch the clip here.

In preparing for the interview, I followed the advice that I always give my clients who go on television:

1. Visit the TV program's website to familiarize yourself with the show and the person who will be interviewing you.You'll feel more relaxed talking to somebody you know and your interviewer will feel flattered that you know his or her background.
2. Have just a few basic message points that you want to cover.
3. Practice what you're going to say with a friend so can make your points quickly, easily, and naturally.
4. Pretend the interviewer is your friend and smile a lot.
5. Make sure to thank the producer who invited you on the show and offer to be a guest again.

Special thanks to Melissa Moog, founder of Itsabelly (a unique baby concierge service) and regular guest on Fox TV in Portland, for introducing me to a news producer at the station. Melissa, a media savvy entreprenuer, has done an excellent job growing her business with buzz as you'll see from her outstanding online press room.

Rather than Being Bitter, Innovative Entrepreneurs Twitter

The April edition of my free monthly Buzz Bulletin eNewsletter is going out this afternoon. Read it below and sign up for future editions on my company's website.
 

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
Steve Jobs, Founder & CEO, Apple Computer

With the economy mired in a severe recession, many entrepreneurs have stopped marketing because they believe that they must conserve scarce financial resources. Yet, others are increasing their exposure to existing clients and prospects as they embrace online social networking in efforts that require moxie not money.

Today’s newsletter focuses on how you can grow your business with Twitter, a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers). Twitter has grown from 475,000 unique visitors in February 2008 to 14 million in April 2009.

Last October, Andrea Waltz, a friend and successful professional speaker, told me that she had just created a Twitter profile and was curious to see whether it could help grow her business. Having heard few business successes stories on Twitter, I was skeptical. Six months, later Andrea has 2,700+ Twitter followers and considers the service a core part of her marketing strategy.

Andrea told me, “Twitter has allowed me to get connected to the ‘end users’ who are interested in our Go for No!® program. I don't push our books but I have had people buy them because they saw me tweeting about them.  More importantly, Twitter has allowed me to connect with people that are doing similar things. For example, I make a point of following other speakers, authors and experts in direct selling, which is one of our big target markets. One of these people, a direct sales coach/trainer, just had me and my partner as experts on a call for her 10 day teleseminar series ‘Direct Sales Super Summit.’ We gained excellent exposure from being affiliated with her and she offered to share the email list she generated for the event. This is just one small example of how Twitter can be a valuable tool to get to know like-minded people and partner with them on successful projects.”

An interesting 4/13/09 article in The New York Times describes how many other businesses are benefiting from Twitter including large companies like Dell, Amazon, and Starbucks, as well as a small day spa in San Francisco.

It’s impossible to know exactly what Twitter can do for your business. But why not give it a try? Before doing so, I suggest that you check out “The Top Seven Mistakes that Twitter Users Make” on the 10,000 Words Blog.

I would love to follow what you’re doing on Twitter and learn how it’s working for you so please connect to me on Twitter.

Travel Portland's Twisitor Center Lands Some Well Deserved Media Attention

Kudos to the folks at  Travel Portland, the city's official tourism agency, for scoring attention for their innovative "Twisitor Center" in an Associated Press article that is being picked up in newspapers around the country!

The Twisitor Center allows Twitter users to "tweet" or send short questions about things to see and do in Portland, and get short answers back fast.

The Twisitor Center is a cool way to tap into the friendliness of wired Portlanders so they can easily share their knowledge of unique ways to enjoy the city that only natives possess. It's a tool that many companies will find particulalry useful. For instance, real estate and relocation companies can tell their clients the Twisitor Center since it will give them instant access to information that will make adjusting to their new city much easier. I'm sure that Twisitor Centers for other places will soon start popping up like mushrooms in an Oregon forest.

GM and Chrysler Should Learn from Efforts to Build Online Buzz for the Ford Fiesta

Thanks to a recommendation from Brenda Buratti, who blogs about how to minimize stress and create better relationships in her interesting Live Your Better Life Blog, I read an interesting Wall Street Journal article about how Ford has picked 100 young, Web-savvy drivers to get behind the wheel of its new Ford Fiesta subcompact for six months and post their impressions on sites such as YouTube, Flickr and Twitter.

This campaign makes a lot of sense given that it will likely reach the young drivers who will like the stylish and sporty Fiesta (now there are two adjectives I've never used to describe a Ford vehicle) that is still unavailable in the U.S. but continues to rack up impressive sales in Europe.

The article points how leading executives at Ford were reluctant to give away cars for six months when they have no control over what the young testers will say about the car or where they will say it:

From the article:

When Ford first tossed around the idea of loaning 100 cars without the ability to control what the drivers might say, Ford's sales chief emerged as the leading internal skeptic.

"I was like, 'Nah, go to Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica [Calif.], go to Royal Oak [Mich.] on a hot night with the kids out for ice cream,'" said Jim Farley, Ford's global vice president for sales and marketing. "Pull up with 10 vehicles, give away free T-shirts, have people do test drives, broadcast the whole thing on the Web."

Mr. Farley said his reluctance softened when a group of sons and daughters recruited from Ford's largest dealers endorsed the six-month online effort.

"The interest in the Web [campaign] had far exceeded my expectations," he says. "My hunch was pretty traditional."

Today's consumers, particularly savvy young ones, are looking for authentic information about the products that they might buy - particularly big ticket items.Ford's campaign for the Fiesta provides this authenticity. Although some test drivers might make negative observations, their comments will only reinforce the authenticity of the campaign which should be overwhelmingly positive given that the Fiesta provides benefits that are likely to appeal to the young testers.

If American car manufacturers adopt more creative word of mouth marketing campaign likes this one rather than dumping billions into boring car commercials that people skip with their DVRs, they might just survive without government-funded bailouts.

Matt Weinstein in "What Bernie Madoff Couldn't Steal From Me" Video

Last December, my wife and I were extremely lucky to travel in Antarctica for nearly two weeks with a group that our client OCSC, a sailing and adventure travel company in Berkeley, had organized. The trip was even more spectacular that we had hoped. The scale and grandeur of Antarctica never ceased to amaze. But, we never expected to learn so much from a fellow traveller.

On our boat, we met Matt Weinstein, a successful professional speaker and all-around great guy. Midway through the journey, Matt was called up to the ship's bridge to take a satellite phone call from his wife Geneen Roth, an accomplished author and healthy eating expert. Geneen told Matt that they had lost nearly everything that they had saved for retirement since they had invested with the infamous Bernie Madoff.

Unable to rush home since there are no flights out of Antarctica, Matt still had about a week left on the journey. During this time, when we talked with him, we were amazed that he didn't demonstrate much anger or grief. Surely, we thought, he must be in a state of shock which would morph into rage as time passed. But, over the past few months, we've seen that Matt possesses an amazing ability to reflect on what's really important in life. While he and Geneen will likely only recoup a small percentage of the money that Madoff stole, he has earned something of greater value.

Below is a video of Matt presenting an insightful and entertaining speech on "What Bernie Madoff Couldn't Steal from Me." It's the best eight-minute presentation I've ever seen. If you like it, please forward it to a friend. Here's wishing that Matt gets a lot of groups to hire him to speak about what's really important in life!