Reply To: Time to Rethink Your Online Social Media Marketing?

[Johny]

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Thanks John.

We are wandering far from the original post topic. Perhaps the Concierge will give us more latitude..

Yes we are. But, I am getting something out of it, and perhaps others may be as well.

To be fair, the full quote seems to be:

“All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.”

Yes, but here is why I don’t agree with that either:-

Ask the average B2B buyer what they think of their actual/prospective dealing with a Chinese supplier. Rightly or wrongly “like” and “trust” are words you will rarely hear, and “know”,…..well, we know by the amount of due diligence that many don’t do, that is not always evident either.

Even from a consumer to business buyer, the world is full of people who “were too trusting”.

While I do agree that “all things being equal” is probably not right, I do believe that the fundamentals of every business are the same. Big or small, online or offline, every business is stuck with the same issues like those associated with making money, staffing, etc., even the need for marketing.

The mere fact that self help gurus/mentors/ coaches don’t restrict themselves to any one business type/size, tells us this.

With respect, it seems you are confusing different marketing terms.

Perhaps, but let me offer a real life example

Over half of the time, when I get take away from MacDonald’s, there will be something wrong. It’s cold, something is missing/wrong etc. When I say something they just say they will do better next time – and don’t.

Another small café I go to, they got my order wrong once. Ever since then, every time I go back they include something extra. (It actually got to the point I had to ask them to stop, and I mean that in a good way)

That may well be a feature, but I am certainly getting a benefit.

If brand =image, which one do you think I have a better image of? (And that is due to the personal nature of their service.)

A brand or logo can only try to set an expectation. The way the business owner delivers his/her products/services will enhance or ruin a brand’s “goodwill”.

That is my argument John. What expectation can a logo provide if I don’t know what it is? That’s why I am suggesting that the “goodwill” of a small business is part of the brand (image). And I have to experience that to be able to decide.

If anything, to me, that Lobster logo is nothing more than an identifier, a sign that I am in the right place. It doesn’t signify anything about authenticity of the product at all.

I say that coming from a point where, Hong Kong prides itself on being a “foodies paradise”, and yet, I would say I am disappointed on leaving a new eatery well over half the time I go to one. There is nothing about the brand, image, logo, review site, website that makes me want to make a special trip to go there, because I expect it will be overpriced and nothing like I am led to believe.

Coincidentally, Hong Kong amended it’s logo a few years ago. What did it do? Much hoopla, lots of money spent, and the result was making the tail of a dragon a little longer.

You are right in saying my opinions are built around my experience/position, to an extent. But I am not just a business, I am also a consumer, and it just happens that I do spend a lot of time trying to understand the different ways people interact, business sells itself etc.

What I find is that, for all the stats I see, reading I do, and discussions I get involved with, quite often my real life experiences tell me something different to the generalisations. Although I do accept the need to generalize as a way to convey a message.

This discussion was started about social media and the need to rethink the strategy. I saw a very similar discussion stared on LinkedIn recently.

My, very basic thinking, is that “social” media, is a social thing. Much like LinkedIn is more or less a digital networking event, “social” media is a group of people sitting around being social, the keyboard/monitor being the equivalent of the kitchen table.

Any real networking isn’t about selling and yet people get on LinkedIn and try to sell, any real networking event includes a social aspect, and yet people complain LI is becoming like facebook.

Just as “social” media is about being “social” (ie telling stories, interacting etc), which is what people do, not companies.

If marketers can’t or haven’t grasped that, then perhaps the theory being used isn’t all correct either. And that is why, while I appreciate all your commentary, stats, references to articles etc, I am not sure they tell the whole story either. That is why I try to get some balance between what I am told, and what I see myself, knowing that my experiences aren’t necessarily representative.

A good example of that would be that I recall you wrote on here a while ago about the use of mobile phones for websites, compared with PC’s. Things like mobile phone usage, payments etc are much different where I am to the position in Australia, I would imagine.

Can I ask, where would you re-allocate your logo development cost? I’d have trouble thinking of a marketing cost component that would be better value than Ann’s $5 logo development.

The family company that my wife now owns, was started in 1987. We don’t even know where/how the name and logo originated. But I can say that, as per a comment from Bert, that much more interest is generated from our name, rather than logo.

I will give you an example of where I spend my money.

About a month ago I posted a discussion on LinkedIn as I was seeking assistance with some logistics in Hong Kong for a new venture I am starting, importing some Aussie foods. One of my connections mentioned a guy he was affiliated with in HK, who was in my current industry, so may know some logistics people.

I was introduced to the guy, we had a chat and decided to meet up for a drink.

Two days ago, he, along with a colleague of his, and I went out for some drinks. We had a chat, I told them I was arranging a tasting event next month, and it so happened his colleague used to be involved with some people I want to speak with, so is now in the process of contacting them for me to see their interest in attending my event.

In addition to that, I now know where they live, which is an area where the people would be receptive to my products, so next time we catch up at the end of next month, I may give them some samples.

All up, this will cost me the equivalent of around AUD 100.

You may not even see that as marketing, but, for me, that is being “social”, and is exactly how social media should work. That is where I spend a good deal of my time (money), promoting myself, my knowledge, which in turn is how people gain an image of who I am.

I am not sure of the time cost to me of all this, as it involves the time of nurturing my network on LinkedIn, but for sure, I will be able to quantify the result from speaking with these people in terms of the numbers that attend my tasting event and if any sales that result from the samples I give out.

I’d have to hear from Ann about the value she gets from her $5 logo, but I would suggest that most small businesses cannot quantify the value of their logo in terms of an RO, with many being compelled to spend a great deal more than $5.

That was a long one. Not sure I’ll be doing that again.