The Mesh - Lisa Gansky [37]
A discussion in business that has annoyed me outright over the last ten years is about who owns the customer. Often this emerges when two companies are negotiating for a partnership or copromotion. One company will typically claim to “own the customer.” Even the phrase strikes me as absurd. In my view, the true “owner” is no one and everyone, but ultimately . . . the customer! A business has to earn the right to the relationship with each new transaction. Customers’ histories with the company provide valuable information about what is likely to make them happy. That gives the company a leg up over the competition. But it doesn’t ensure you of anything once the person leaves your store, online or on the street.
nurture big mouths.
Recent studies have confirmed what many of us have known now for some time—advertising is significantly less effective in cultivating new customers than word of mouth. WOM, as it’s known among marketers, is the powerhouse behind winning over new hearts and wallets. The biggest and best introduction to any business is always through family and friends. Other customers can also be very influential. If somebody who genuinely likes a company or service shares that feeling with people in his life, that’s a huge business driver. Social services like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Hyves, Bebo, and orkut and platforms like Elgg, Drupal, and Xing have turbocharged a historically effective way to enhance a brand, expand a market, and drive new sales.
As noted earlier, certain people act as discoverers or influencers among their social circles. Typically, someone deep in music or food or gadgets is out in front, researching, exploring, and recommending them to friends. Discoverers who are early affiliates of a business may come to feel that their connection to the brand is part of who they are. They have a sort of spiritual ownership. They become very natural spokespersons for the business, and serve as a trust filter in an authentic way.
At Ofoto we often noted that the people who took the photos, uploaded them, and shared them with their friends were not the same people who printed the most books or cards. The photographers provided beautiful scenes from parties and trips and inspired their friends to indulge, further share, and spend time creating photo books. Our “authors,” as we called them, were extremely loyal to our business and brand. They continually demanded and then were pleased by upgraded tools available to enrich and share their photos. These authors, especially in the beginning of our business, were our lifeblood. They pushed us into their homes and into the hearts and minds of their social network.
Mesh businesses should engender an appreciation and love of the brand, or service, with these key influencers. Encouraging these discoverers to act as trust agents on behalf of the business is a smart strategy and one that often flows naturally from early adopters’ engagement of the service and support of the brand. Any business can create rewards for a person who’s acting in that role.
Social networks and influencers in friends and family networks can help Mesh businesses get out of the gate. They can kick-start customer trials that generate genuinely good feedback. “Brand echoes” can be prolific and phenomenal. A product