What are you selling?

If nothing, then you are not in business. If only commodities, then you won’t be in business for long.

“But wait,” you say “I am a service provider. I don’t sell commodities. So I guess I’m safe.”

Sorry. A service alone is still a commodity. In the brave new world of social business, anything is a commodity to the extent to which it is a) a transaction that consists only of the exchange of a good or service for money, and b) reproducible in every important way.

So a service which is repeated over . . . → Read More: The Social Market: Relationships, Stories, and Desire]]> Share/Bookmark

What are you selling?

If nothing, then you are not in business. If only commodities, then you won’t be in business for long.

“But wait,” you say “I am a service provider. I don’t sell commodities. So I guess I’m safe.”

Sorry. A service alone is still a commodity. In the brave new world of social business, anything is a commodity to the extent to which it is a) a transaction that consists only of the exchange of a good or service for money, and b) reproducible in every important way.

So a service which is repeated over and over again, where the narrative arc ends completely when money changes hands, and which can be replicated by any competent professional the world over, is a commodity. And commodities have no place in the social marketplace.

The antonym of ‘commodity’ in this paradigm, is ‘experience’.

An experience in the context of social business, begins before the customer comes into direct contact with the business, and lasts long after the core transaction has taken place. And each experience is unique.

An experience is the product of a unique interaction between equal players. In the social market, the focus is on the unique relationship between the buyer, the seller, and the environment. That particular relationship cannot be reproduced and is becoming the new USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Social tools, especially those focusing on place (like FourSquare or Facebook Places) create the opportunity to customize interactions for both the buyer and the seller.

An experience is a story. The traditional models of acquisition and retention are losing their definition. Through digital social channels, we become aware of brands long before we click a link or walk through their doors. We are made aware of them through the conversations of those we trust, through targeted ads, and through the directed stream of data that flows around us. Sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, and the shaped offerings and reviews from sites like Amazon provide a near-global conversation about brands, which those brands can participate in, but not control. At mid-transaction, the story continues as business and consumer exchange information, and successful businesses attempt to create a remarkable experience with each visit or purchase. Then after the sale, the digital threads connecting consumer and business remain sticky and elastic. Follow-up, follow-through, return-incentives, and CRM all lose their distinct post-purchase roles and flow backwards and forwards to sustain the relationship and the experience of the brand for as long as possible.

In the social market, desire becomes more nuanced. In 20th century marketing, brands would try to speak to our desires for acceptance, status, fulfillment. But the whole experience had a tawdry one-night-stand feel to it. As soon as you purchased that object of desire: the house, the nicer car, the bigger TV, something akin to post-coital depression set in until the credit-fueled dance of desire started again, focused on a new fetish. In the social market, the seductions still continue, but there is nuance and a deeper commitment. Apple probably understands this better than any other brand. The combination of beautiful objects and a tribal-cliquey sense of being part of a special community is masterfully handled by Apple. Our desires remain, and brands will still seek to fulfill them, but the pace must be slower. The nature of the fulfillment must be richer. As Apple knows, it can’t just be about stuff any more. And I think it is just the beginning. There are deeper and more subtle desires that brands can connect with and act as partners in fulfilling: the sense of belonging, the sense of making a real difference in our communities and globally, a spiritual dimension… In my memory, the Body Shop perhaps best understood and exploited (not necessarily in a bad sense) this. But they were before their time. Lululemon is close. But there will be many more: successful businesses will find ways to act as partners in shared stories that address our needs and desires, and weave together the social, the commercial, the emotional and spiritual into extended, and profitable, shared experiences.

The experience must be truthful. If there is one thing for which tolerance is evaporating rapidly, it is deception in the market. And sustainable relationships and real experiences cannot be built on lies. It will be interesting to watch as the marketing, PR, and branding universe adjusts to the truth that whatever else consumers will demand, it is… the truth. Punishment for deception will be swift and many times fatal, as the social networks (including many of the consumer rating sites like TripAdvisor or Yelp mentioned above) spread bad news at a speed with a reach we have not seen before.

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Unlike various software platforms, Facebook has never really adopted the public version number (beta, 1.0, 1.x, 2.0…) game. It has been more organic and idiosyncratic than that. Certain changes do seem to have been on the ‘new model’ level however: news feeds (that introduction was interesting), fan pages, Facebook chat, the appearance and disappearance of tabbed profiles (Facebook ‘beta’), all might have been seen as new version numbers.

What about . . . → Read More: Facebook 3.0? New Feature Round-Up]]> Share/Bookmark

Facebook is experiencing seismic shocks as it tries one more time to find the perfect fit between our lives and desires, and the larger social (and social business) community.

Unlike various software platforms, Facebook has never really adopted the public version number (beta, 1.0, 1.x, 2.0…) game. It has been more organic and idiosyncratic than that. Certain changes do seem to have been on the ‘new model’ level however: news feeds (that introduction was interesting), fan pages, Facebook chat, the appearance and disappearance of tabbed profiles (Facebook ‘beta’), all might have been seen as new version numbers.

What about this time?

The effort to hold onto its dominance in the face of Google’s relentless attacks is evident. A series of integrated platforms (including Spotify and Netflix) and a huge make-over of the static profile/newsfeed experience means that the changes will be significant.

Here’s a summary:

1. Timeline. This is a significant (and visually attractive) make-over of the Profile that allows you to organize your life, including media, into a time-line of your life. This allows you to access your posts (text and media) by date. The biggest impact of this will be on your ability to retrieve older content that is now very difficult to get to. I am not sure of the business implications here yet, but from a user perspective, if this is done right, it could be a huge improvement in usability and quality of experience. And I can tell you right now it is going to be a HUGE time sink for some people! Privacy implication: not only can you now dig up your past, so can any of your ‘friends’. Once again pruning your profile and micro-managing your privacy settings is critical. 
2. Ticker. Just like a stock ticker, or for most of us more like a Twitter feed in a desktop client, this will be a side-bar with real-time updates of all of your friend’s activities on Facebook.
3. Apps. As users increasingly have their Facebook moments on their mobile devices, mobile apps are going to explode. In the new release there is a lot of talk about greater interactivity between apps and your profile. Basically they are promising a richer interactivity and media content. Privacy note: now more than ever, you should read the ‘permissions’ you grant applications before you install them on your desktop or phone.
4. Gestures. Forget ‘Like’. You will be soon able to ‘Adore’ or ‘Hate’ that comment, picture, video… anything. I can’t wait to see what that looks like when it hits full implementation. Again, the public flow of your tastes and interactions will become increasingly nuanced and paint an increasingly accurate picture of you as a consumer. We’ll see what the privacy implications of this one are!

So, Google +, you’re up. What’s next?

Which stage of cultural awareness are you at? If you are at the most integrated stage, you not only acknowledge the differences and frames of perception, but you are able to move between them fluidly.  Read more…

Does your blog keep readers reading past the . . . → Read More: On Message: The Best of Business Communication – April 16]]> Share/Bookmark

Each week I bring together a few articles that add value to our work of becoming better communicators in business. Short on time? Watch for the *Must Read* where I think you’ll get the best bang for your reading buck!

Stages of Cross Cultural Awareness

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Does your blog keep readers reading past the first page they land on? I know my blog could use a lot of work that way! This article does a great job of illustrating some very effective ways to keep people clicking!  Read more…

5 Tactics to Win Over the Other Side

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How to Succeed in Business Writing: Don’t Be Dickens

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Don’t Rely On Facebook For Your Social Media Marketing *Must Read*

Too often, social media is all invitation, no party. John Jantsch nails it again in an excellent article that puts the whole social media strategy field back into context. It’s about the brand. Nothing more, nothing less. And the ‘house’ of that brand is your website and/or blog. Get that house in order, or spin your wheels. Read more…

A 3-Step Process For Creating Lifetime Customer Relationships *Must Read*

Want to know the real way to build a social media base? This is one of the most succinct, elegant, and practical articles on the topic I have read yet. The main ingredient? Stop using social media to build your core social media base. Go have a cup of coffee with someone. Read more…

The Anatomy of a Referral: Leveraging Social Media to Grow Your Business

If your social media work is not yielding any immediate leads or referrals maybe the problem isn’t Twitter or Facebook. It may be you just don’t know how to use the tools yet. Read more…

Google Builds Social Web by Stealth

Forget Apple vs. PC. A MUCH bigger war is the one brewing between Facebook & Google. Both are looking for the holy grail of search + social to become the ultimate ‘referral engine’. Learn what Google is up to.   Read more…

Want to improve your communication with employees, partners, and customers? I help organizations improve communication through social media strategies and management-level workshops. Want powerful brand development? Try my online 15-week coaching program.