experience matters

You sir, are not my friend.

I picked up my voicemail messages on Sunday evening to find a call from a nice sounding man trying to sell me some sort of holiday package. He stated that he got my information from one of my Facebook friends. This angered me. I quickly deleted said “friend”.  I have to admit that I had a quick moment of nostalgia when I received the message, but I quickly checked the irritated box once I heard why and how the silver voiced man had reached me.  Needless to say, my experience was not a positive one and I lost a “friend” in the mix.
Experiences – we all have them. Hundreds of them. They define our likes, our loves and our lives. Some experiences are good, some bad, some are even questionable, but what we care about are the valuable ones because they happen on OUR terms.  We (consumers) have come to expect the instant provision of service, information and entertainment on our terms and not on the marketer’s terms.

What’s a marketer to do?

Listen to your audience. Get to know what they really feel about your brand. No, what they REALLY feel. You may be surprised what you hear – good and bad.  There are some free social monitoring tools that can help with this process, but if you only listen for a small amount of time you will find yourself back at square one sooner than you can tweet about the experience. Build a solid foundation for the future. Take the time and invest in a tool that will help you get ahead.

Mr. Silver Voice may have irritated me no matter what, but what if he changed up his approach and spoke to me in a different channel using a different message? I just got back from a wedding in Oklahoma and tweeted about it. If he was listening and approached me in a different manner, I may not have had the same emotional reaction. Being equipped with the right messaging in the right place when the consumer chooses to engage is being ON DEMAND.

The creation of an On Demand Framework is essential

Without a framework, most marketers tend to start with the tactics, focusing on the hottest new channel, tool or gadget, without thought into how, who and why they are there. So where should you start? We here at Critical Mass have outlined seven principles for being an On Demand brand to get you started.

Be…

1. Insightful – Know your audience. What do they like? What is their online behavior?
2. Remarkable – Stand out from the crowd. Use emotion to connect with your audience. Let them know you understand them and can make their lives easier and/or more enjoyable.
3. Valuable – Getting someone to engage with your content is the first hurdle, but how do you get them to return or engage with you again? Give them something of value. Make it about them, not you.
4. Dynamic – “2.83 million pieces of new content are posted every day.” (Nielsen BuzzMetrics) Don’t be part of the clutter; create a path that is uniquely yours.
5. Portable – Engage with the consumer wherever they are, at any time. Consumers are looking for you – be there to greet them.
6. Conversational – Online media has transformed into a social and interactive experience. Brands must participate in the conversation. Consumers now expect it.
7. Everywhere* – Consumers don’t see the difference between channels. They do not care nor do they want to understand your online strategy.  They just want to find what they are looking for when they want it. Simple. Be where your consumers are. Use insights to make these decisions.

Do I really need to be everywhere?

No, not at all. If you want to have a long lasting relationship with your audience, then you must understand where they spend their time online, how they use each channel and why they use each channel.  We use the three P’s as a reminder.

Penetration – What’s the penetration of a channel against the target audience?

Perception – What is the consumer perception of a channel among the target?

Potential – Can we successfully market to them in a particular channel?

If you always start with the customer, use the On Demand framework and consider the 3 P’s, you can place your bets and win every time.

Hopefully you won’t be getting a call from Mr. Silver Voice, but if you do, let him know that he needs to brush up on his 7 principles. He is definitely not On Demand.

For more on the 7 principles to ensure your brand is On Demand, check out our deck on Slideshare

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