brand communications

Aug 31 2010

Better Checkins

This is not a story about Foursquare. This is not a story about Facebook Places.

Actually, this is a story about the goofiness that is an airport checkin (or is it “check-in?”) these days.

So, as I write this, I’m at O’Hare Airport, waiting to board a United flight. (I won’t tell you where I’m going.)

Here goes:

At-home checkin.

Sounds like it should be a breeze, right? I have a computer at my home with Internet access. And I have a United Frequent Flier number. And I ordered my ticket on Orbitz.

You can imagine all of the permutations – use my BlackBerry to wire a boarding pass, or triangulate my location with IP address and stuff. (Saying “and stuff” makes it sound like I really know what I’m talking about.)

However…I can’t check in online.

Despite the fact that I have had a frequent flier number with United for what seems like forever, and despite the fact that my Orbitz account probably goes back to 2000, I’m not allowed. My account information has been locked.

Okay, then, I’ll check in at the airport.

Airport checkin.

Here’s where it’s gonna be better. I’m in a great mood, as I travel light and don’t have any bags to check. I’m early, so it’s not that big a deal if I have to hit this little kiosk thing.

First up, I choose to find my reservation by locator number. That’s actually flawless – and, since I haven’t been on a plane in two years (!) I only have to enter a few additional details to confirm that I am indeed me. (I am me, so I’m pleased that the airline agrees.)

But hold the phone (or kiosk) as there’s now the possibility to select a different seat. Good call – I’m in seat 2-million-B, so I’ll be in the middle above the engine and am no doubt going to be between a family of wailers.

I’m given the option to “upgrade” to Economy Plus. More legroom! Another good call. $39 sounds like an okay deal, actually, as it’s about a 20% premium on what I paid for this leg of the flight.

I am violating a Cardinal rule – don’t tell anyone what you paid for your flight. I’m not sure I agree with that rule. I know I paid more, as I bought by ticket two days before departure. Big whoop.

However, I’m torn: the only open seats in Economy Plus are middle seats. Now it’s not looking like the best idea. I’ll pass.

After clicking “decline option,” I’m off to the next leg of my checkin journey – the chance to pick a better seat, for no additional charge. Done: I’ll take a window in the 30^th row.

But after picking my seat, I’m given something murky: the chance to purchase a Mileage Accelerator.

For the low, low price of $27, I am told I can get this package. I’m also told something about 888 miles. Am I buying 888 miles – which is the length of this particular flight – for $27? What does this accelerator do?

I even do the quick math in my head: if a mile is worth, in theory, 3 cents, 888 of them would be worth…$26.64. So I’m accelerating somewhat. I’m buying these miles for what I would be able to cash them in for.

But I don’t know if this is a good deal – really, will I be able to trade these miles? Are they going to be worth 3 cents a mile when I finally do, or 30 cents? Or .003 cents?

I decline.

NEXT, THERE’S MORE: PRIORITY PRIVILEGE

I would happily pay for this – if I knew what it was.

Seriously, I think I was asked to pay another $20 to allow me something that, again, had all the clarity of mud. Does it let me board earlier? Do I get a free ride to my gate on one of those golf carts? Can I get a little toy plane to take home?

Actually, right now, even though I said no, I’m wondering if I made a mistake. Will it restore my ability to check in at home, get me in Economy Plus, add to my mileage account AND give me Priority Privilege?

That, and maybe a great credit card offer, and you got me.

Aug 23 2010

Focus on 3 Things for Social Media Optimization

We are often asked how and where to start for Social Media “Optimization” – We Suggest these 3 Things…

Consistency. It’s important to be consistent with where you spend your Social Media time, and how you look on the social web. If people know to find you, your company, your product or your brand sharing information on Twitter but not really using Facebook — we think that is fine.

We also think that using a consistent voice, look and feel are all vital. If a clown is your company mascot and your brand tweets on behalf of the clown, great. Just don’t have the clown start talking politics on us.

Empathy. Folks like Al Ferretti on Twitter use the term “Go-giver.” Said another way – people who put helping others – sharing information, links, even positive vibes – ahead of their own needs on social media.

When empathizing, remember that you, too, started out somewhere. Maybe you opened up a Facebook account and didn’t exactly know why – but then someone friended you and you were off and rolling.

Fun. I spent virtually my entire social media time this weekend sharing links to YouTube music videos on Facebook. Throw in some back-and-forth with people I have met IRL (in real life), and a few comments with people who I genuinely enjoy interacting with.

Business took a backseat.

Three tips. Quick stuff for a Monday. Go get ’em.

Aug 08 2010

Questions from the Area 224 Mailbag

Here’s a smattering of the mail we receive. We’re calling this “Questions from the Mailbag,” even though our mail does not arrive in bags. Anyway:

Dear Area 224: We couldn’t make your recent “Lame Marketing is So Lame” webinar. Can you give us a synopsis?

Sure.” Don’t be Lame.”

But seriously, one way to avoid being lame with your marketing is to avoid having a lame product or service in the first place.

One of the folks we’ve met along the way to our book called “Nichification” is this guy – http://www.drinkthc.com – whose product is the opposite of lame. And his marketing is pretty clever.

If you don’t have a product that provides value that people will pay for, then you may not want to spend your time on marketing. Spend your time on developing a better product. And on unicorns.

Dear Area 224: Where is “Area 224?” Is it some sort of mysterious alien landing place?

Area 224…sounds mysterious, which is part of the point. But it’s really named after an area code – one that overlays the North Shore of Chicago.

This is the second most common question we receive, right behind “why would you name your firm after an area code?”

(If you want to know more about area codes in North America, this is one of the best sites. http://bennetyee.org/ucsd-pages/area.html. Also pops up early on if you Google “area codes.” )

Dear Area 224: Great site, that area code one. What other sites do you recommend for those who want to be uber-productive?

The list starts and ends with http://e.ggtimer. If you’re not measuring how much time you are spending on various tasks – how long it takes you to write a blog post, how much time you’re spending to respond to DMs on Twitter, etc. – then you’re probably wasting valuable time. The Egg Timer will change your life.

Dear Area 224: Are we there yet?

No.

Jul 27 2010

‘Sanitize Nothing’ – Chris Brogan

Folks: Dave from Area 224 has been working on a book with Jim Alexander, from Socially Mediated. We’ve conducted interviews, written chapters, re-written chapters. It’s coming along…but not as quickly as either of us would like.

Last month, we did a Q&A with Chris Brogan. Yes, that Chris Brogan. Found him to be an extremely accommodating gentleman.

Rather than make y’all wait for the book, we thought it would be nice to let you see what he said now.

Nichification:
We love the concept of the niche within the niche – but, as we’ve been talking to business owners and marketers, it sounds like the “niche within the niche within the niche” or a combination of niches is really where it’s at. (Like Kogi – Korean food, Street food, gourmet.) Are there any examples of this type of business that you really like?

Chris: My friend Doug Quint (we went to school together back in 8th grade in Maine) is a professional bassoonist for the NY Philharmonic, but decided to take his free time in the summer and launch the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. He sells gourmet ice cream, things like olive oil and salt ice cream (I’m not kidding), and gets quite a great turnout by using social media tools like Twitter and Facebook and a blog and lots of photos of his customers to keep it moving forward. He even has merchandise for sale, because people love the concept and how Doug presents it.

Nichification: Dave has a theory – one that Jim isn’t arguing with yet – that the dirtier or less sexy the niche, the more money that’s in it. Recycling, pool cleaning franchises, landscaping, etc. What do you think of this concept?

Chris: Dave’s not wrong. Waste removal is a huge business. Huge. If I had a few hundred thousand laying around, I’d buy up a franchise opportunity in that space, because guess what: we’re making more and more trash, not less and less. Back in high school, this guy we all knew worked as a trash collector. He got teased about it. At the end of the summer, he bought a Mercedes. Cash. Everyone stopped laughing.

Nichification: You work with big businesses and big brands — ones that are not often thought of as niche marketers. BUT…one man’s “niche” is another’s “market segmentation.” Any good examples of niche businesses within bigger companies that you’ve come to really like?

Chris: Take a brand like Pepsico. What I like about them is that they have soda pop. But they have Gatorade, which is being retooled to really appeal to sports athletes. They have Quaker Oats, which is great for the health conscious. They have Sobe Lifewater, which puts them in that flavored water category. I love it, because the storytelling can be totally different for each one. Heck, even talking within a soda pop vertical, Mountain Dew is marketed to the extreme sports crowd where Pepsi is the everyman drink.

Nichification: One theory that is playing out in the book – niche franchises can be the way to go, as buying into someone else’s concept that has already been proven could lead to, in effect, buying a blueprint for success. Do you agree?

Chris: There are two ways to make business work for you: run someone else’s system, or create your own system. Starting a franchise is great, if you are someone who wants to just learn a system and execute it as it’s laid out. There’s not a lot of creativity permitted in most franchising systems. Depending on the size of the company, you’ll find that they’ll want to rigorously control everything (if they’re big) or you might have some wiggle room in marketing (if they’re smaller). Sam Walton started Wal-Mart because Ben Franklin stores got mad at his methods.

Nichification: How valuable is the “personal brand” in niche marketing? You’ve got a solid personal brand – how can niche marketers learn from you to make sure they keep their brand first and foremost in people’s minds (within their niche, of course)?

Chris: Personal brand definitely matters. If I think of soap, I by Glynne Soaps because Gayle & Jenn have spent lots of time building their brand. My favorite hamburgers are in Milwaukee at AJ Bombers, not the least bit because Joe Sorge makes the place a wonderful place to be. If I stay at a hotel in New York City, you can bet it’ll be the Roger Smith Hotel, because Brian Simpson and Adam Wallace make it a very personable place to be.

Nichification: You’ve been at this business thing for awhile — are there examples you can point to of great niche ideas that just didn’t take off? Why? What would you have advised them to do differently?

Chris: I think that most niches that fail usually fail because they’ve misjudged the prospective buyer’s interest in needing their product or service. Someone selling iPod accessories that doesn’t adapt into iPhone and iPad accessories is doomed, for instance, to pick a very simple product set. People selling into the bicycling community will have trouble unless they’re selling something that stands out.

Nichification: Oh, and do we have your permission to attribute these quotes to you in the book? (If there are any examples that we should “sanitize,” let us know.)

Chris: By all means. You have permission. Sanitize nothing. : )

Editor’s note: we are still working on the book. Promise. There’s more gold like this to come.

Jun 24 2010

Perfect is good. Done is better.

Remember that idea you’ve been sitting on?

I’m here with the swift kick in the pants.

While you’re waiting for the absolute right time to launch that business of yours, someone else is coming up with the same exact idea.

Except they are implementing on it.

Ideas are like water, folks. Really. My first startup, U Sphere, was really not anything new — a portal for college-bound students to connect with colleges.

In my case, the right time presented itself and I launched and didn’t look back.

It wasn’t wildly successful, but that’s okay — I learned a ton. Including what not to do next time. How to test and learn. What type of people to avoid working with — and who to gravitate toward.

Groupon? Nothing new, right? People buy stuff at a discount. One deal a day. Part Woot, part coupon site.

Oh yeah, and they probably hit a couple bumps in the road when they launched. But they were — are — first to market. HUGE advantage. Category killer — even though, again, not really a completely original idea. Beside the point.

You. Have. An. Idea.

Implement. Execute.