ForbesOnTech

Management Secrets of the Grateful Dead-- an Atlantic Monthly Article that Beats Most Books by Social Media Consultants

In between bouts of weeding my two vegetable gardens and preemptively fighting leaf curl on my Avalon peach trees, I read a lot. My goal is to read two books a week. And while much of what I read is to prepare me for a book project I want to begin later this year, I remain intrigued by books attempting to link business practices with social media and customer-centric marketing.

I was deep into blogger/communications consultant Brian Solis’ new book, Engage, when I came across this month’s Atlantic Magazine, which has an all-too brief article on the business practices of the Grateful Dead. Written by the Atlantic’s Joshua Green, the piece is a must read for anyone who is professionally or personally involved in using social media to engage customers. Green suggests that in the age of customer centric marketing and direct connections with consumers, many businesses could benefit from how the Dead engaged its fans/customers. He also believes that the Dead Archives—which are at the University of California, Santa Cruz’ campus could be mined for future marketing books.

Green’s examples of how the Dead directly engaged its customers and profited from that experience is a good tale. More importantly it beats just about anything I’ve read recently that’s been written by any of the self-anointed social media gurus.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/03/management-secrets-of-the-grateful-dead/7918/

The Dead as management models? Dude, they just keep on trickin’—Jim Forbes on 03/05/2010.

Using Twitter For Call to Action marketing-- Way to Go Lenovo!

 

Finally, a sign that some portable computer makers realize that social media can be used to drive sales.  Just this morning, I jumped on twitter to answer a direct tweet for something I wanted to post on cloud computing here and there was a tweet from Dave Churbuck, Lenovo’s social media and web marketing guru with a call to action and a discount click this puppy on two specific Lenovo labeled Ideapad Y430 notebooks.

My reaction is simple: it’s about time.

Much more than YouTube—the home of numerous corporate-sponsored b-roll marketing videos, Twitter may be the perfect social media outlet to proof marketing campaigns.

At the moment Twitter is good method for monitoring brand and corporate program awareness or attitudes.  But, on the outbound side, it’s much more suited for shotgun, than it is precision marketing.

Looking at Twitter today through the eyes of a former Demo event producer, I’d love to use it in a closed setting such as the Demo to give presenters instant feedback on their value propositions, products or pitches. In this use it could become a mortar that binds attendees to the show and its selected companies.

Social media is an evolving experiment. There are A-listers who scream “platforms must remain open to all” and there are implementers who want to use it precisely,  choking out background non-contributors who have little or nothing to add to a conversation.

Until recently there’s been very little call to action marketing on Twitter. I hope other companies jump in when they realize applications like Twitter can help extend tightly budgeted marketing programs in dour times.—Jim Forbes—02/13/2009

Tech Support Shouldn't be Like A Tale of Two Cities-- The Best and the Worst of time.."

            Why do so many customer support experiences seem like they’re out of Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities: either the best of times or the worst of times..?

            In the last two weeks I’ve discovered both extremes: The former with my cell network provider and the latter with the manufacturer of my new desktop computer, Hewlett Packard.

The Worst of Customer Support Experiences

 

The bad news first: I tried to connect my ThinkPad X300 to Verizon’s National broadband network. I started by going to Verizon’s web-based help pages.  That turned into a enormous time waster, so I went for my backup plan: dialing 611 on my new Palm Centro, which is on the Verizon network. They at least answered the phone, but could not help me with my problem connecting to Verizon’s broadband wireless network. But she did connect me with another operator, who then asked me the exact same questions and who then transferred me to a third person who proceeded to try to tell me that the phone number I had just provided “was not a high speed DSL phone number.”

When it became apparent to the Verizon representative that she couldn’t help me, she kindly offered to transfer me to another tech support specialist  I quickly asked her for the direct dial phone number for that service center and wrote it down on the scratchpad next to my keyboard. As soon as the rep said she was transferring my call, the connection dropped.

I was now 20 minutes into one of the most abysmal customer support experiences of my life and it had just gotten worse, much worse

So I dialed the number I had been given before the call dropped and discovered it was for high speed Internet (DSL) service. I smacked my forehead, and began patiently explaining that I wasn’t calling about DSL, but rather about wireless Internet connectivity.  I asked for the number for wireless Internet connectivity support, the operator transferred me.

           Once again, the call dropped.

Only slightly deterred I dialed the number and to my surprise, discovered that I had actually connected with the correct group at Verizon.   I patiently provided a thoroughly understanding tech support representative all  the information I thought they would need to help me resolve my problem (the broadband modem’s phone number and its ESN) and listened as the rep worked through their script. After about five minutes I was saddened to learn that Verizon had quietly dropped its

Day

Pass

option for laptop owners whose machines are shipped from the factory with an integrated broadband cell modem.

I hung up with Verizon after an experience so bad that I was ready to switch to Sprint and pay the early termination fee. Restated: my experience was so bad, I am willing to pay to get them  out of my life.

The Best of Customer Support Experiences

By comparison I had one of the best ever tech support sessions last week when I experienced a minor problem with my brand new HP Touch Smart IQ 506T desktop. When the tech support rep in

India

picked up my call, they very politely took down all the pertinent information and gave me a service ticket number associated with my call. Having recently experienced the tech support experience from hell, I became apprehensive when the HP representative told me support for the Touch Smart line was handled by another group. The rep made sure I had the phone number for that group and then transferred me directly.

I spent about 90 seconds confirming basic information with the Canadian tech support specialist group for HP’s Touch Smart line. It was immediately apparent that the HP rep had the information associated with my call so we quickly went through basics troubleshooting associated with me specific problem.  Very quickly we solved the problem by moving the wireless USB dongle that connects my mouse and keyboard to my Touch Smart  all-in-one to a free USB port. The total time spent on the phone with HP—including the initial call—was less than 12 minutes and I hung up the phone feeling very pleased with the experience and vindicated in my initial purchase decision.

Like other technology-oriented businesses with consumer products instinctively recognizes  that a good tech sup[port experience can  help build lifetime relationships with customers. It’s use of a global enterprise-based software system cut down on the amount of time its tech support people spent wringing information from customers who are (most often) already frazzled by the time they reach an appropriate tech rep. And, the level of professionalism of the individual tech support specialist was deep enough to quickly resolve my issues.

Tech support, it’s a good way to attach your company and products to consumers for a long time. Screw it up, and consumers such as myself will go to great lengths to severf their relationship with your organization, even if it means the customer has top pay a little extra money in early terminations fees.—Jim Forbes 09/22/2008.

Collaborative Computing, Protecting Your Smart Phone and Adding Fun to Planning Travel--More Great DemoFall08 Companies

Securing Your Phoneand, its Data While Making life a Living Hell for Thieves

Maverick Mobile Solutions’ Secure Mobile was one of the best mobile technologies at DemoFall08. Designed to protect strategically critical and personal information on your mobile phone, this company’s software thwarts cell phone thief’s efforts to rip off you data and adds a delicious dark twist to cell phone security. Unlike most cell phone security software, Secure Mobile doesn’t live in the SIM, but sits in a cell phone’s hidden mode and supports data replication, device tracking, data retrieval, mobile phone disablement and a clever feature called “Spy Call.”

            Secure

Mobile

is one of a handful of technologies I revisited in DemoFall’s pavilion several times. Every time I left their demonstration, I was smiling.

            What I really love about it is its abilities to mess with a thief. Specifically, once you use activate Secure Mobile from a remote device you can physically track your phone, see what calls and SMS text messages have been made and received, and remotely disable the device.

            But the frosting on this technological cake is a feature that remotely turns on the microphone and speaker of the stolen phone and lets you listen on to the thief’s calls or view their SMS and text messages. But wait there’s more!

            When you’re ready to escalate your personal war against the thief, you can send an SMS to the stolen phone that makes it play a very loud siren or customized message/sound. Secure

Mobile

will begin shipping in mid September initially for the Symbian mobile phone operating system and will be available on Nokia’s and Maverick Mobile’s website.

            Although mobile commerce has yet to take off in the

US

, it’s an important component driving sales of smart phones in most of the world.  I believe Secure Mobile will go on to become a Demo-launched technology that raises a new standard in an important technology.

Furthermore, it’s difficult to imagine why a mobile network operator would not offer this company’s technology as part of a premium or basic replacement policy. Organizations with enterprise contracts with network providers would be pleased not only automated back up[ of data on smart  phone, but also mechanisms that maintain the sanctity of that data.

Keep your eye on Maverick Mobile Solutions, they could be the DemoFall08 company to watch in the mobile category.

            But, I really love the idea of mobile phone technology that protects my data and which also allows me to also play with a theif’s mind and lifestyle!

TravelMuse—A new Way to Organize and book Travel

TravelMuse was another company at DemoFall08 I liked. Designed to help you organize vacations or ay other type of trip according to your personal needs, TravelMuse incorporates booking, social media, and organizational tools that let its users gain tighter control over travel.  I liked this site’s interface and capabilities, both of which are powerful and instinctive.

            Most of my travel plans today are of the “it would be really nice to go to…” type.

Like millions of other people if I want to take a recreational trip, I have to plan it months in advance and put up with the rigid structure of existing travel sites. What Travel Muse does that I like is that it lets me save and share the various disjointed things that motivate my desire to travel. A real world for example: I have a life-long interest in

Colorado

and

California

gold mining. Expedia can get me to

Pueblo

and

Saguache

,

CO

, very easily, but what they don’t do is let me readily share the hundred or so megabytes of historical research I have with someone I want to accompany me on that trip this fall. TravelMuse reaches into my address book and lets me share my arcane information very easily, communicating updates and other elements of my trip with minimal user intervention.

            But more importantly TravelMuse appears to be able to help me stay within my extremely tight budget and still have an enjoyable trip.

            The sheer amount of useful destination information onTravelMuse.com reduces much  guesswork in making travel plans. The reservation and booking side of TravelMuse is through Travelocity.

            My reaction to TravelMuse is very favorable. I wish it had been around a little sooner, before I was locked into my current arrangements for a fall trip to

Colorado

’s

San

Luis

Valley

and mining district towns on the west slope of the

Rockies

. Be that as it may, I have about 300,000 air miles banked and a compelling interest in castles in the

UK

.  I’ll probably try travel Muse to organize and plan that trip early in the spring of 2009.

OpenACircle Blows Open the Concept of Collaborative Computing

While I’m on the topic of products with great user interfaces, OpenACircle.com just blew me away. OpenACircle.com is a collaborative environment designed for small and mid-sized groups. Unlike other collaborative software or web-based applications, OpenACircle.com is simple enough that anyone can begin using it within minutes and easily track presentations, conversations or other elements of a collaborative project. Up to three cameras and one desktop can be displayed onscreen at  once.  Adding users, including their video input is a snap and requires a minimum of user intervention.

     But what I really love about OpenACircle.com is its ability to archive information and its extreme flexibility, features that help groups track commitments to overall tasks or discrete projects associated with specific tasks or projects. As conversations evolve in this collaborative environment individual users have the ability of initiating and participating in one-on-one video sessions.

I’m unaware of any collaborative environment that has the same feature set as OpenACircle. It sets a new standard, it’s free, and it can be put to work in minutes.

            It’s not difficult to imagine OpenACircle.com quickly finding large groups of users in small business or medium-sized businesses, not-for-profits, college study  groups (where I think it would be an instinctive natural application  for law school or other specialized graduate school curricula).  The only problem I have with OpenACircle.com is trying to imagine a single category of people working on a common task that can’t or shouldn’t use it.

            And I’ll be among the  people that use it vey shortly as I organize a group of like-minded

California

amateur historians interested in studying post Gold Rush immigration patterns and related economies in 19^th Century

California

.

            There are a great many other DemoFall08 companies I intend to look at and write about  as well in the coming days.—jim Forbes, 09/12/2008.

Watch Out, Google May be Terraforming TV Advertising-Hot Analysis from Churbuck.com

Dave Churbuck’s Real Life with Google’s Media Server

David Churbuck, one of the preeminent voices on all things interactive, starts off a post on Google Interactive television advertising methodology with:

Last fall and early this year I’ve been exposed to an interesting beta test at Google involving the insertion of television ads into the Dish satellite network using Google’s auction model and browser interface. The results have been very interesting, but the process carries some ramifications for an entire ecosystem of agencies, media planners, clients and broadcasters.

Immediately read the rest by clicking here

David Churbuck’s post on Google’s abilities to change an existing business model is incredible. First, Churbuck isn’t merely regurgitating talking points from a canned Google presentation. He’s speaking with the voice of an “informed consumer” and as one of the countries leading interactive marketers. Moreover, Churbuck’s weekend post has the authority of someone who is objectively observing an ongoing ad serving test from inside the box.

After reading Churbuck’s post several times this Sunday, I want to know why none of the other so-called Google “authorities” (those who have written books, countless articles and hundreds blog posts about Google) haven’t come as close to detailing the impact of a Google revolution on television advertising as Dave Churbuck?

If there’s one thing you need to read to gain a basic understanding of what’s beyond “disintermediation,” Then Churbuck’s “The 30-Second Spot Ain’t Dead Yet” is the piece to read now.—Jim Forbes 01/10/2008.

(Mandatory disclosure: David Churbuck and I were coworkers at PCWeek.  We are friends.—jmf)

A Professional's Observation on Social Media Marketing--And Some Student's Observations

Dave Churbuck on the state of Social Media Marketing here

If one were to chart the arc of corporate blogging – aka Social Media Marketing, aka SMM – overthe past three years, I suppose some consistent milestones could be identified, something like Erikson’s Eight Stages of PsychoSocial Development. Right now I’d say SMM has reached its majority among technology companies within the early adopters like Microsoft, Sun, IBM, Dell and Lenovo. And elsewhere, probably is entering puberty, cracked voice and zits included.

When Lenovo's master of Web marketing and social media riffs on interactive media marketing (SMM) I listen.  In this case Dave's message is particularly relevant to me as I go over my notes from college student plans for web-based businesses. Churbuck is dead on when he says that technology companies are right at the forefront of SMM. The reason they are leading the parade, however , is because they are letting pros do the baking with fresh ingredients and not relying on Johnny Come Lately third-party marketing consultancies to provide canned solutions derived from fetid smoke stack marketing/technological buzzword casseroles.

Over the last year It's been my good luck to watch a couple of groups of college students grapple with the concepts of Social Media Marketing. Mostly, I think they're on track, they fundamentally understand several key concepts: Interactive marketing is by definition a multi-path communications channel; It can't be adopted or used effectively when management insulates itself from consumers; Best practices in this emerging category are emerging but require two-key traits--ideological flexibility and the ability of an SMM-oriented organization to bind consumers to a brand.

After discussing the student business plans with teams of authors, a couple of SMM issues quickly surfaced:  What internal organization would drive the adoption of SMM; And, what metrics can be used to measure the ROI.

Complex questions indeed. They are also some of the key issues Churbuck identifies in his post over the weekend.

My first reaction to reading several student business plans was their instinctive ability to pick up on the potential success for products aimed at enthusiasts.  One of the ones that stood out was for a SMM attempt aimed at owners of a brand of decades out of cars that can still be found in large numbers putting about Southern California's labyrinth freeway system. The assumptions for this business plan were so well grounded that I believe it to be on a par with the best of companies ever picked for shows such as Demo. First and foremost, the team assumed that its audience wanted information on life-extending and performance enhancing technologies and parts that would help an investment that sometimes verge on  lifestyle choices. In case you haven't figured out what the student business plan was about, I'll open the kimono a bit: it was aimed at the large community of 60's Volkswagen owner/drivers residing in California. What made this plan unique was it's point of view-- that of an parts supplier and manufacturer, not that of a user club.

Another stand out idea I saw approached from two different angles was an advertising driven site for retiring boomers listing events, classes, volunteer opportunities and other activities for people who suddenly find themselves with time on their hands. Again, the intended audience is bound by affinity and enthusiasm.

I was also particularly intrigued by a  SMM pitch aimed at ag-businesses. Among real life business professionals it's difficult to imagine a group of people with deeper roots in their chosen business than farmers and ranchers.  And the information they need to make educated decisions about crops, transportation and weather is pretty complex. Moreover. within each of those categories are big pools of potential advertisers and sponsors. Again, when  I read the plan I thought "students get your degress and get an appointment with Sunkist, Calavo, John Deere, or Archer Daniel Midlands now" If I were still working as a producer of Demo events this is exactly the sort of business technology I'd chose, providing they were able to show me partial commitment of a sponsor, a deep understanding of the demographics of the market and how such an operation could be integrated within the existing or chart of a company, trade group or other entity.

This brings me to a couple of other observations relative to finding SMM savvy future employees:

1.    SMM professionals need to recruit beyond brand name universities, some of the best talent I've seen is at the State College Level, where the emphasis is on learning by doing, not on learning old dusty theories from the previous eras.

2.     Students may need to be convinced that SMM-based programs have the full endorsement of senior management.

3.    Companies that are serious about recruiting SMM employees may want to provide appropriate executives for advisory panels.  Furthermore, why aren't nascent SMM trade groups boot strapping day pass scholarships for events like Demo or other shows so that students can have first hand experiences with the executives and entrepreneurs in this growing category?

Finally under the category of "out of the mouth of babes" this query about SMM: "If Apple is so close to its users Why isn't it active in social media marketing?" Dudette, like totally on track question!--Jim Forbes m01/20/2008