As we peer out over the edge of the holiday season, in addition to readying ourselves for turkey and football and games, we’re thinking an awful lot about how our business, clients and customers will fare financially.
We’re also thinking about social media, or more correctly, practical applications of social media. Here in my midwestern college town of Columbia, Missouri, the emerging professionals group from the Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel discussion on social media last week.
While I did not attend, several of my clients did.
This seemed to be the consensus of the panel: In social media, there appear to be two kinds of customers: the first set of customers looks strictly for deals and coupon codes and cheap prices and do their best to spread the call of and for the cheapest prices like some kind of virus. The second set of customers appear to act as advocates for businesses who deliver a great experience. They look for – and celebrate and share when they receive – genuine, honest feedback from a company.
Both groups appear to cheer the conversation. It’s the message within that divides the groups.
As I heard this recounting of the panel discussion, I smiled, then laughed.
At Wizard of Ads, my partners and I have been teaching the differences between transactional (the first group) and relational (the second) since 2003. Would you like to see what I mean by relational and transactional? In just 2:27, I think you’ll recognize the characteristics.
2 Types of Customers: Relational v. Transactional from Tim Miles on Vimeo.
That’s an excerpt from a retail presentation we’ve been giving for seven years. It provides some shocking revelations that are just as relevant today – if not more so – when access to most goods (and even many services) is just a few points-and-clicks away.
If you’re looking for something to do over the holidays in quiet moments of tryptophan-induced reflection, I’ll hook you up with some resources to better prepare yourself and your company to quickly get in step with the new conversation. Here’s the first if you’d like a little more today: my partner, Roy Williams, wrote a memo about social media just a few weeks back that worth reading or – for the slightly more daring – giving a listen.
Rest easy. Your family likely taught you almost everything you need to know years ago – when you were a small child.
Yes, the tools have changed. The rules, too. But it’s still a game you can play.
Let me know if you’d like to know more about the presentation.
And, more importantly, let me know what do you think. Do you see the similarities? Can you think of companies who embrace these relational conversations across the social media landscape? Southwest Air – @SouthwestAir on twitter – seems to embrace it as well as anyone.
Leave a Reply