Tell me why I should like you

By Adam Proehl

Last week I wrote about blocking and tackling 101 of how a brand should direct a prospect or customer to their social media profiles (click here for article).  It was real simple: show them the link! Don’t just display an “F” or a “T” or a cute little bird.  We need the address.

This week, it’s a little more complex. To use the crude example of a guy in a bar: giving you my phone number is easy – giving you a reason to call me is the hard part.  When I see brands try to build their social media following, I’m reminded of email list acquisition from 1998. Back then, it was about building up the sheer volume of subscribers. It was awesome to have a 100k list. It was even more awesome to have a list of 1 million. Then we learned to go back to good, sound, direct marketing practices and apply them to the online world.  Now, the smart email marketer recognizes the true value of a segmented list based on a variety of different criteria – including the very nature of why this subscriber is on the list to begin with (i.e. newsletter, purchase, free trial, etc).

Fast forward a decade later.  Brands have clearly recognized that there is value in building up their base of followers. It’s currently a gold rush to get the most followers, likes, fans, etc.  In doing so, a handful of brands are clearly stating the benefits upfront of engaging with them. Last week I held up Davanni’s as a good example and they make the grade again this week. When they ask you engage with them, they clearly tell you why you should. See below:

“Free food and really good deals”… Not to mention “whitty rhetoric”. If you’ve been to their facebook fan page, they hold true to their promise and they engage their followers:

Unfortunately for every Davanni’s, there are numerous examples of brands that don’t follow this practice. They expect that you’ll just want to follow them if they pave the road for you. Sometimes they get followers and likes and sometimes they don’t. What’s worse is what happens once that “follow” or “like” occurs.  There’s nothing but broadcasts like “Hey, here’s a coupon for 25% off!” followed by no engagement when someone asks a question.

So, the bottom line  for brands is that if you want me to like you, first tell me why I should. Thanks for reading.

 

Adam Proehl

Twitter: @adamproehl

 

How About Your Number Instead of a Picture of a Phone?

By Adam Proehl

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to attend the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association’s (MIMA) annual summit and hear Gary Vaynerchuck give the morning keynote. At one point, he was talking about integrating social media with other marketing collateral and he basically said that putting a Facebook or Twitter icon on a sign is “as dumb as putting up a picture of a phone instead of a phone number”.  His words, not mine.

When you think about it, his statement is pretty obvious and it makes perfect sense. The funny thing is that I had to go no further than the skyway entrance to the parking ramp to see an example of this. I saw the square “F” and “T” icons on a sign for the hotel. Since that conference, I’ve paid a little closer attention to signs I see and am surprised at how often I see what he described.

Davanni’s does more than Pizza Right

There’s a local pizza & hot hoagies chain in Minneapolis/St. Paul called Davanni’s where my family eats at least once a week. On every table, they have a sign on the napkin holder that clearly gives the address and tells us why we should engage with them on Facebook (below).  They are easy to find and true their word without obnoxious posts 5 times a day (below, second image).

Quiznos Shows me a Picture of the Phone

Contrast that to the local Quiznos.  Now I love a good toasted sub and I hate to pick on these guys because their food rarely disappoints.

On the table we sat at, there was a nice looking sign inviting me to find them on both Facebook and Twitter.  It’s great to see that they recognize the value of these platforms and they have plenty of signage in the restaurants, but………..

……..It doesn’t say exactly where to find them – only that they are there. A quick search on Facebook found more than 100 options for Quiznos (see the image below on the right: the corporate one doesn’t even show up at the top).

Now, when I compare these two instances, there’s one other thing that sticks out: Why should I “like” or “follow” you?

Davanni’s gives me a compelling reason – Quiznos does not.  That, however, is a discussion for another post.

Thanks for reading. As always, I’d love your feedback.

Adam Proehl

@adamproehl