According to Fred

The musings of a marketer and tech geek.

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My Favorite Twitter Chats

Twitter Chats

It’s no secret that Twitter can be seen in a few veins from a complete waste of time to a pulse of the world to a highly effective marketing tool.  It all depends on your perspective and more importantly your goals for using the platform and social media channel.  I will admit when I first started using Twitter back in October 2007 I gravitated to the idea of this short message bullhorn that allowed me to just share small messages to a big audience that wasn’t Facebook.  I treated it differently too.  Looking back, I’m not sure I really understood the best use of Twitter.  That probably also explains when I took a multi-year hiatus from it.  Turns out that was a mistake and now I’m playing catch up.

Catch up?  Yes.  See, when used effectively, Twitter in combination with other tools like Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin, and your own site/blog you can build a great personal brand.  Now I’m playing catch up.  I would also chalk that up to not having focus.  I thought Twitter wasn’t worth my time.  That’s because I was going about using Twitter the wrong way.  Jumping back in the game earlier this year, I discovered the power of Twitter chats.

What’s a Twitter Chat?

For those not acquainted with what a Twitter Chat is.  According to Ann Smartly on Social Media Examiner:

A Twitter chat is a public Twitter conversation around one unique hashtag. This hashtag allows you to follow the discussion and participate in it. Twitter chats are usually recurring and on specific topics to regularly connect people with these interests.

Twitter chats are great to converse, learn, contribute to a shared topic whether at a regular time or just on a common hashtag.  I’ve connected with a ton of great people on some Twitter chats over the course of the last few months.  I’ve been cited many of times in write-ups from the chats hosted by organizations such as Adobe as well.  So what are some of my favorite Twitter chats?  Here’s my list.

When are Twitter Chats?

There is practically a Twitter chat for any topic and happen pretty much every day of the week.  Some are less frequent, but you can find plenty that occurs weekly.  Need a list?  Check out the list of Twitter chats at Tweetreports.com.

My Favorite Twitter Chats

Updated: September 2017

So what are some of my favorite Twitter chats?  Here’s my list:

#BlogChat

Hosted by @MackCollier and @Blogchatnews on Sunday nights from 9-10pm EST.  #BlogChat covers blogging topics for personal and professional use.  What I like about Mack’s format is that sometimes he brings in great guests and other nights it is Open Mic night which lets anyone and everyone give advice and ask questions.

#AdobeChat

Hosted by @AdobeExpCloud and @Adobe this is my favorite chats of the week.  I’ve been an Adobe Experience Cloud fan ever since I implemented part of it at a previous organization of mine as well as my current organization.   #AdobeChat is on Wednesdays from 4-5pm EST and covers a variety of topics around customer experience.  While it is hosted by @Adobe, it is not an Adobe fanboy/fangirl club.  The topics are wide and far and while Adobe is referenced at times, it is not the premise or focus.  You don’t have to be an Adobe user to gain a lot of insights and knowledge on this chat.

#TwitterSmarter

Hosted by @madalynsklar on Thursday afternoons from 1-2pm EST.  Madalyn is one of the queen’s of Twitter and when it comes to running a Twitter Chat, she’s your best “go-to” source on how to do it effectively.  Each week Madalyn has a guest that covers a variety fo topics on how to use Twitter more effectively.  She has a great podcast that is associated with the chat as well.  This one goes by fast as there are a lot of participants, so hold on…it’s a wild ride.

#CustServ

Hosted by @MarshaCollier on Tuesday nights from 9-10pm EST.  #Custserv is the original Customer Service chat, on Twitter since 2009. Weekly discussion on the Customer Experience for professionals and enthusiasts. Always insightful and a great rotating set of topics and guests.  The hashtag gets a lot of other traction during the week, but for that hour, it is all about the Twitter chat.

#CXChat

Hosted by @annettefranz ‏ and @SueDuris on Wednesday’s from 2-3pm EST.  #CXChat covers topics around customer experience every week with a guest.  But Sue and Annette have ties to the Customer Experience Professionals Association (@CXPA_Assoc).  This is a relatively new chat, but so far have had great topics and great participation.  Looking forward to more of these every week.

These are my favorite right now.  There are plenty more that I could participate in if I had the time.  I’ll update this list as I get more involved with others.  Check these out, you won’t be disappointed.

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Diet of Customer Relationships Shouldn’t Include SPAM

Last week I was scrolling through LinkedIn and caught this post by Charlie Cole, Chief Digital Officer, VP at TUMI.

LinkedIn Post

As marketers we are always under the pressure to build a pipeline, a funnel and get leads, convert, etc. However, if we take the premise that we need to build Trust as a foundation, first engagement doesn’t mean open the floodgates on them!

So here is what often happens, and I think Charlie is spot on.  You get a person to give you some Personal Identifiable Information (PII) and it is like you hit paydirt!  Clearly they want to hear from us.  They gave us their information.  So let’s subscribe them to EVERYTHING.  I’m sure it has happened to you.  It happens to me all the time. I want a report from a vendor, I fill out a form and then I’m hounded for MONTHS.  I go to a trade show, I get scanned at a few booths.  I get HOUNDED for weeks or months.

It’s wrong and we can do better.

Every Relationship Takes Time

If you are married, think back to how the beginning of your relationship started.  I’ll wait a minute.  Got it?  Good.  Did you pop the question on the first date?  Did you start asking for their financial background, credit history, and medical records?  No.  Chances are you started with some big, broad questions to get to know them.  Personality questions, life goals, politics (or not…if you want to get to date #2).  Information that is going to start to paint a picture about them, their life, interests, and compatibility.  As you talk, text, video chat, and go out on dates more, you build more information about that person.  You get secrets, regrets, stories about their childhood.  You meet their friends and get a different perspective from them.  A trust is built.  Each time you get a little more information.  That is how we need to re-approach marketing.

It takes time and we need to build content, interactions, engagements that build a profile of a person.  What are their interests?  What are they reading?  What did they “like” from our posts on social media? Did they follow us?  Did they see us at a trade show?  Join a webinar?  Just like dating, you aren’t going to meet the parents on the first date.  So spend time to get to know them.  Gather a little bit of information at a time.  Start with an email address.  Get a company name and a title.  See if they follow you on social media.  These are low barrier tactics to building a profile.  Do some customer research.  How big is their company?  Who are the decision makers?  Are they?  Or are they an influencer?  This will take time.  Weeks, months, maybe even a year.

Know Your Customer and Their Journey

A relationship takes time and it is a journey.  I won’t say it is impossible, and that nobody buys services on a whim, but in reality, the buying cycle is a journey that can take months or years.  More often than not, I want to be left alone in my research of an issue, problem, or new piece of software I am looking to evaluate before I get a demo or interact with someone.  My biggest pet peeve is when I do the first engagement and I get inbound calls and emails CONSTANTLY like Charlie.  Trust me, you aren’t going to get far if you take this approach. You might get lucky, but I bet ore often than not you are striking out.  I get what many called marketing fatigue.  In fact, it is showing that we are trying too hard.

So be smart.  Know when to back off.  Know when to engage.  Have patience.  If you are providing the right information when the person wants it, they will ask for a phone call.  They will ask for the demo.  They need to go through their journey.  That isn’t to say be completely hands off.  You still need to know what they need to make an informed decision, that includes your products and services.  Know their journey, and when to step in when needed.

Provide Value Along the Way

Value.  Let me repeat.  Value.  That is what we need to do as organizations and marketers.  If we can’t deliver value to our prospects and customers in time of need, we are just greedy and hungry for a sale to meet a quota. To this day, I still get daily offers from an airline I flew twice to Canada last year.  Daily.  I should unsubscribe, but I know I’m going to get that call that says I need to go back to our Toronto office and I’ll be back buying a ticket.  Might as well get it for 30% off.  But, it doesn’t make it right.  In fact, my tolerance is probably higher than most (byproduct of being a marketer…always checking out what people are doing).

If you know that a relationship takes time and you know that there is a journey to be taken, be ready to provide the value along the way.  Have the journey mapped out as best you can.  Create content, test content, find what works and iterate all the time.  Know when it is right to pick up the phone and when it is time to back off.  As soon as you seem too aggressive, they will go to your competitor.  Then you are stuck with an annoyed cold lead that won’t convert.

So What Can We Do?

So what do we need to do to change all of this? A few suggestions. Not all are achievable, but worth a discussion.

  1. Change the KPIs we are measured on. I’m going to say it, we should be focusing on quality, not quantity.  I understand we need to try to move leads through a process.  And we have quotas to meet every quarter and every year.  However, remember, the customer is in control, not us.  We can only be there when they need us and give them the best content and value we can as they make up their mind.
  2. Focus on the parts of the buying journey that are most influential. We really need to get in the heads of our customers and those who influence the buying process.  That means we need to know exactly what we are offering and how it benefits our customers.  We need to spend time in the field with our customers.  When we are learning about our prospects, we need to understand that different points of the process are important to different people.  Be ready to be individual.
  3. Get sophisticated, but not pushy. There is a lot of technology at our fingertips to engage with prospects.  Be smart about using these tools to track, evaluate, and engage.  If you need 13 touch points during a sales process, make sure they are the best 13 touch points, not just 13 touch points in a timeframe that you think they need to have them.  Let them tell you.

Let’s get back to basics.  We have so many tools and pressures to meet expectations.  Don’t take every first engagement and turn on the firehose.  Don’t SPAM your prospects because you think they want to know hear everything from you. Be smart.  Know what works.  Measure along the way. Know the journey, and if you don’t, figure it out, quick.

If you rush a relationship, you may end up in a divorce pretty quickly, or no relationship at all.  Better to have a long lasting customer who is your advocate than one who will have a bad experience and share that with the world.

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Google is Trying Too Hard to Beat Amazon Echo at Commerce

Google Home
Google Home (Photo Credit: Fred Faulkner)

The battle for the home personal assistant is in full force.  Amazon came out of left field with the release of Echo and the Alexa assistant over two years ago.  Since then, everyone from Google to Samsung to Apple to Microsoft has been scrambling to come up with their digital assistant or in-home connected speaker.  Each has their own strengths based on their originators background.  For the Echo, the core is about commerce.  It is what Amazon is best at and while there is content from Amazon Music, it is really about enabling more purchases on Amazon Prime.

Google, on the other hand, comes from a pedigree of search and ads.  Without a display, getting ads into the mix of Google Home will be a tricky topic.  We’ve already seen the feedback from when Beauty and the Beast was coming to theaters.  Commerce isn’t really a strong suit of Google’s, but it’s not stopping them from trying to monetize the in-home device.

For me and my wife, the best feature of Google Home is the ability to manage our shopping list.  We (and the kids) would add items to a shared Google Keep list and it really became a part of our weekly routine. Well, that’s about to change.  This week Google unexpectedly changed how shopping lists are managed with Google Home and shifted the lists out of Google Keep and into Google Express, Google’s commerce tool.  Needless to say…I, and many others, are not happy.  It’s not so much that Google wants to push Google Express on me.  I just think they did it in the wrong way.

First, just over a month ago, Google added commerce capabilities to Google Home.  Using Google payment options, you could enable shopping to Costco and Target.  While I set up my payment options, I never actually went through the exercise to set up products to be purchased, or re-supplied, through one or several of the partner companies.  Regardless, the feature of commerce existed.

Second, the collaboration of adding and managing our shopping list, a weekly routine for us, has now been disrupted.  We can no longer manage the list easily.  Google Express is a website for me to log into, and I have to go through what seems like more steps to even see my list by going through the Google Home app, into a slide out menu, to my shopping list, to then fire up a browser.  WHAT?!  Before it was as simple as open Google Keep, tap on my shopping list, which was my first list.  Easy.  So the user experience got worse…big time.

Third, how this was all communicated was horrible.  No transition period.  No, ‘hey, we are looking to change the experience and here’s why this benefits you.’  None of that.  Just switched this week without warning.  Poor customer experience.

Finally, I think Google is trying too hard to be like Amazon.  I know they think they need commerce to make this tool profitable for them because they know putting ads into Home will really piss people off.  And they are right.  However, I will say, I went with a Google Home over an Amazon Echo because shopping wasn’t the primary driver for me.  My primary driver was the Google ecosystem that my life was already committed to.

Google needs to play to its strengths on this one.  Be different.  Don’t try to copy everything Amazon does.  In fact, it is going to screw up the product if you do.  Play to your search pedigree.  Play to your strong ecosystem of mail, calendar, reminders, mobile, and more.  I’m happy to have Google Express integrated. I’m happy to shop through it even though I have Amazon Prime.  Frankly, I just don’t shop that way with Amazon.  I’m not sure I will with Google Express either.  Shopping is not the reason I bought a Google Home.   Ron Amadeo says it best from Ars Technica Op-Ed…they are ruining a good product to push a inferior service.

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The Little Things About Customer Experience

Cascata golf clubYesterday I flew to Las Vegas to attend the Adobe Summit conference.  The last two years I’ve flown out early so I could go golfing with my Father-in-Law who lives out there before the conference starts and I’m heads down in work related activities.  This year, my FIL wanted to take me to a place that required me to bring my clubs.  Like all flights with oversized luggage, you hope nothing gets lost.  Unfortunately, for me, my clubs didn’t make with me on my Southwest flight.  I was leaving straight from the airport in Vegas to go play golf so you can imagine I was a little upset that my clubs were nowhere to be found, only to think about all the things I’d need to pay extra now (club rentals, balls, glove, shoes, etc).  After confirming there was no more luggage coming out of the carousel I headed to file a claim.  Here is where Southwest exceeded my expectations.

First, they said, we apologize for the inconvenience.  Likely TSA held up the clubs as they open all of them for security purposes.  OK,  I can understand that.  Then they told me they would pay for my rentals, two sleeves of balls, and $50 toward shoe rental/purchase.  Just bring the receipts back on my way home and they would take care of it.  Friendly, courteous and made what I thought was going to be a disappointing day.  I came out early just to play golf.  Additionally, if/when my clubs did arrive, they were going to deliver them to my hotel.  While I was on the golf course, sure enough I got a phone call and email that my clubs arrived and they were taking them to my hotel.

Overall, Southwest made the experience better than it could have and exceeded my expectations.  And I shared a little #LUV on Twitter.

We all have choices to make when it comes to customer experience.  How do we react to a situation?  What can your team members do to fix a problem on their own?  Southwest has set another example of not only rectifying a situation, which wasn’t even in their control, and made right by the lost clubs.  I’m sure this happens all the time and the allowances given me are standard for them.  But, it just made me feel like I could enjoy my day after being annoyed my clubs didn’t arrive with em.  Additionally, even though I’m sure whoever was manning the Twitter account didn’t look up my incident report, still took the time to respond.  Just adding to the continuity of the experience.

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The Future of Marketing Isn’t the Next Shiny Object

Shiny objects

The iPhone and iPad. Facebook. Twitter. SnapChat. Artificial Intelligence. Machine Learning. Chatbots. What all of these devices, sites and technologies have in common is that they were all dubbed “the next big thing.” They were going to revolutionize how we communicate, engage, interact, learn, personalize, etc. And to be frank, they have all done that and more. Each with their own successes in their own ways. For marketers, we continue to get a plethora of tools in our tool belt to connect with existing and potential customers. It seems like every year we start to hear about “the next big thing” that is going to give marketers an edge, revenue to go higher, and champagne to be popped. The reality is that the future of marketing isn’t the next shiny object or technology.

Technology is a Tool, Not a Means to an End

Marketing has advanced more in the last 5 years than the last 50. It’s a simple statement, but true. What used to be the yellow pages and 3 main television networks has become the Internet, mobile phones, streaming TV (yeah, cable is dead) and digital signage. Technology advancements have given marketers the ability to understand, connect, and communicate with customers in more ways than ever before.

Yet, technology will still advance and we are going to see a crazy future of augmented reality, virtual reality, bio-technology, 3D printing and more that is going to allow us to create amazing experiences. Personal experiences. Utilitarian experiences. It will be here faster than we think. And in some ways, it already is. It will be exciting and also really scary.

Reminding Ourselves of the Basics

Which leads me to one of my points about the marketings future. I still argue that we get caught up in the tech and forget about the fundamentals. Where marketing used to be about push, blast and bombard people with advertising and messaging, today we have to be smarter. We have to build relationships. We have to be ready to engage when the customer and prospect wants to engage with us. Everyone says it, but it is worth repeating. We are not in control anymore.

So we have to be smarter. Smarter about:

  • the data we collect and how we use it
  • the profiles and personas we build
  • the relationships we need to establish, build, and nurture
  • the messages we send and the content we create

We need to constantly remind ourselves that without a solid foundation of trust a consumer or customer will go somewhere else. If we don’t deliver messaging that is rooted in empathy, personalized with informed data, and not “creepy” to overstate what you know, it will not resonate. If we don’t deliver value in the time and place of need, they will get it from someone else.

Building Great Experiences

We need to use technology, data, and the power of messaging, empathy, and value to drive the next generation of marketing. It’s not ads. It’s not apps. It’s not video. It will be a brand who can put together a value proposition that communicates and demonstratesthat they understand their customer through the use of technology. It will be multi-channel, omni-channel, and in realtime. It will be non-invasive. It will be not one singular shiny object, but the right mix based on how individuals want to connect with that brand. It will combine digital and physical experiences that are in sync. We are closer than we think. Companies like Marriott and MGM Resorts, where experience is fundamental to their business.

There Will Be Another Shiny Object

Undoubtedly, there will be another shiny object. It will be the next version of Google Glass which is sexier built into glasses. Or a super-powered contact that gives us Heads Up Display in an always on mode. We will find the next technology that will distract us and every marketer will want to find the way to monetize it. And we will. We will find a way. We always do. We need to experiment. Fail fast. Find what works and blend it into our strategies. We just need to remember that we should be adding it to our tool belt, not using it independently because it is “the next big thing.” The future of marketing will be rooted in the basics: Trust, Relationships, Empathy, and Value. Not technology for the sake of technology.