Month: August 2009

The Fans Know Best

The Fans Know Best:

“In other words, in their efforts to set up brand communities, companies are missing out on a marketing tool with huge potential, particularly in this weak economy. At a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing programs, a well-designed brand community can be used to conduct market research with very quick turn-around; generate and test ideas for product innovations; deliver prompt and high-quality service to customers with a problem; strengthen the attachments that existing customers feel toward the brand; and increase good publicity through word-of-mouth.”

The Fans Know Best

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204482304574222062946162306.html

“In other words, in their efforts to set up brand communities, companies are missing out on a marketing tool with huge potential, particularly in this weak economy. At a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing programs, a well-designed brand community can be used to conduct market research with very quick turn-around; generate and test ideas for product innovations; deliver prompt and high-quality service to customers with a problem; strengthen the attachments that existing customers feel toward the brand; and increase good publicity through word-of-mouth.”

Untitled

‘“Many marketers are interacting directly with customers and clients through Twitter, Facebook and other social media, which gives them immediate, firsthand knowledge of how the firm’s products and services are perceived and can be improved upon,” Slabinski said.’

I know of some marketers who are finding this somewhat disturbing. Perhaps as Jack Nicholson said in A Few Good Men, they can’t handle the truth.

Hearing that your customers do not universally love you can be difficult. The solution is not to write these people off as a vocal minority of cranks, but to reach out and engage with them. Find out what their issues with your product and / or service are, identify ways to solve these problems, and most importantly, let them know that you are working to fix things.