Whether you sell a product or service, are B2B or B2C, one thing we can all agree on is the value of having our best customers as advocates. But is your business taking the steps to make that happen? Bart Cleveland suggests it’s not as simple as asking for a referral or recommendation. Rather, empowering your customer as an advocate requires delivering a high-quality experience from the very start. Check out three tools to empower the share.
Stop trying to make viral happen, Gretchen, it’s not going to happen. If this reference escapes you, may I direct your attention to the highly acclaimed 2004 film, Mean Girls? And also, to this article. Ted Rubin tells it like it is: “[Viral moments] happen quickly and without notice, grow exponentially, and are very difficult to control…” Indeed, instead of trying to make your next campaign go viral, redirect your attention to building relationships with your fans and followers. Boy does that sound familiar!
I spent much of last Saturday winding my way through IKEA. Over a plate of Swedish meatballs, I got to thinking—is this a furniture store or a destination? Observing extended families devour international lunches, children watch Disney’s Pocahontas in a play area, and couples chat on sofas as if they were in their own living room, the answer became obvious—a destination. And that’s just as IKEA intends. Why? Because experiential marketing is built into the brand’s DNA.
I am WOMAN, but does shouting it from the rooftops making us less equal? Op-ed writer Kolina Cicero argues yes. By using gender as a modifier, she suggests, we weaken our message. Do you agree?
