The Engaging Brand

Blogger Outreach That Engages

Companies are looking for the right outreach program and often falling short because it lacks the personal touch which I wrote about  - Lessons on Blogger Outreach. A while ago 3mobilebuzz sent me a new dongle to try and I have loved it. The trial came to an end, they thanked me and asked me to send the dongle back.

Just as I was sending it back our neighborhood lost broadband connection - still don't know why! - and we heard that we would be struggling for broadband for a couple of weeks.
I emailed Sam and said "Any chance of keeping it until the broadband is sorted" The reply came back within seconds saying "of course....keep it until it is sorted"

Sam has been in constant contact and that has helped me to not just see this as a blogger outreach but as a relationship building program. So much so that I am now going to go out and buy the product. I WANT to be their customer...is it the best? well I haven't tried others but this one works brilliantly so I don't want to look for another company. I want to give my money to a company that cares. Four of my friends have now got the dongles based on my recommendation.

The lesson for me is that blogger outreach works when you "reach out to a blogger" rather than "implement an outreach program to the blogosphere". My only wish is that I could have just started a contract on this one, saving me the time of going to get my own.

The Value of the Human Touch

A visit to my 98 year old Nana gave me an insight into the value of the human touch.
She lives in a home - Nana and her friends sit not speaking, often dozing looking out of the window. It makes me sad at times as I sometimes feel there is an inevitable waiting for death aspect as I walk in. However, I always spend time talking to as many people as possible...many of the ladies get no visitors and are very quiet...until

You ask them about their "story", their history and then their faces light up as the regale stories of their youth. The happy memories bring their faces to life and suddenly they engage with the present world. I sometimes get a few together and start a game of dominoes...and let me tell you, they have not lost their competitive spirit even when they can't see what they have in their hand.

The value of human interaction can be lost in an online world, in a world that seems to be far to busy to have human smiles, conversations, a desire to know the people around you. However, for all the technology...these older people reminded me that the human touch is priceless, the human voice is the greatest engagement tool.....business needs to push the technological boundaries to reach their customers for sure, the ones that will win are the ones who combine the humanity with the technology.

Is the Net Putting 3 Hours on Your Day?

A report in the UK paper - The Daily Mail - quotes a survey that says the internet is putting up to 3 hours extra onto the working day!

• 5% they often work up to 14 hr days because of the "contactability" of the internet.
• 60% says they take their blackberry or mobile phone to bed
• 33% said they make themselves available to work any time of the day

Mmmm I love the internet, I love the way social media allows us to connect at a personal level....however, I always remember Dad saying to me....."to be a leader that people want to work for, you need to be a person first and a leader second. Put time aside to keep the person alive and healthy"

Dad said that before the rise of the internet, however the words are as relevant today as they were 20 years ago.

Lessons on Blogger Outreach

I often get pitched for new products and services and wanted to share some thoughts on how people and companies could make more of this kind of marketing program by way of example. Social media gives you great access to people, however social media should not be used as a vehicle but as part of the brand engagement strategy. Too often people are using social media for quantity and not quality of the networks

1. I was recently sent a new phone - an Orbit XDA. I was sold once I opened the box. I loved it! I used it and blogged about it, not because I had to because I wanted to...this device solved some of the problems that I had with my Virgin contract. I emailed 3 times to say, look I want to transfer to O2, this phone is fantastic...guess what....NOTHING! No one contacted me back, no one followed up...the result I felt that O2 did not want me as a customer. At the moment I remain with Virgin, looking for a new provider. What a wasted opportunity...what a waste of a customer...what a waste of a blogger outreach program! Sure I blogged that I loved the phone but imagine if they had answered my emails and brought me on board. They would have converted me to an O2 evangelist for their brand...now, I love the phone but doubt if I would use O2. Lesson - Don't just reach out, convert the converted!
2. I was approached by 3MobileBuzz to test out the new dongle. I have had trouble setting it up, not sure why, but now it works brilliantly. Throughout the problems Sam e-mailed me, checked on the status, even emailed me to see if it was now working. Truly personalised service. Again, I love the product, it has saved me money and now makes it so easy to work on the move. Again, they potentially have an evangelist for their brand....let's see if they pass the final test by wanting to convert me to a customer. Lesson - Personalise the program because you personalise the brand
3. The outreach has to be relevant to either myself or the listeners to the podcast or the readers of this blog. If it doesn't provide value to me, then I will ignore it. Outreach programs too often just use the technology because ...well they can, but to gain true ROI then you need to target people that you can show you can provide value to. Lesson - Outreach to out value your competitors

Outreach programs should be targeted, be personalised, be transparent, be valuable...but most of all be ready to convert the recipient from a blogger to a customer.

XDA Orbit 2 - Phones can be sexy and not from Apple!

I like gadgets, like the way that they can help me...but a couple of weeks ago I got the new O2 Xda Orbit 2 mobile phone to review - no strings attached .
Firstly, I have to congratulate the agency, VCCP as I think they have done a great job with their outreach program and also the xda blog for the phone. They have kept communication going for instance,  last weekend I emailed Steve with a question - the reply came Saturday night...now that is someone trying to engage me, putting customer serivce first...not just doing his job!

Hmmm I thought well, I need a new phone so let's have a look. What happened next shocked me!

I opened the box and fell in love with this phone....really! I mean this is a sexy, sophisticated phone, sin the mould of the iPhone. I found myself ripping open cables etc to get this up and running. For the last 2 weeks I have been using it and I absolutely love it....It is easy to use, light, functionality is great, setup is easy, it does everything well. Even the battery life is good.

I spend a lot of time on the road and this phone makes it easy to stay productive, but in a way that makes does not make me feel technology because I have to...but because I want to...just showing how an outreach program can convert a Virgin customer to an O2 customer!

My only issue now is how to transfer, I don't find the O2 site easy, I don't find the tariffs easy, I find I have to click on numerous links without ever finding the information that I want! Also, I have 5 months to go on my Virgin contract...so should I transfer? Should I not let my heart rule my head...

(For detailed 4winmobile technical review click here)

Podcasting, Blogging and Small Business

I was recently interviewed by the Business Blog Angel on how I came to start The Engaging Brand and my views on how social media can help both small business and corporations. It felt very strange being interviewed rather than interviewing!

I would also like to thank Claire for her work on this blog - she is responsible for the new look, hope you like it! Her site Business Blog Angel is a great resource for learning all about the social media tools.

I LOVE FEEDBACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok as I attempt to get EVEN more dialogue going on this blog as I love it when people e-mail, comment - leave an audio comment (see right hand column, half way down)...I have been looking for quick feedback tools. Now remember I am no techy, in fact so NOT a techy, but I saw this on Guy Kawasaki's blog and thought I would try it!