In our previous blog post, we talked about the importance of word-of-mouth marketing and the difficulties related to its implementation by small companies. It is undeniable that word-of-mouth has considerable advantages when it is mastered and used well.  However, it seems that the word-of-mouth strategy itself has a relatively weak impact; its potential is much greater if we combine it with other techniques.

Following the example of various innovative start-ups, ZackBrandit created a model that aims to take into consideration the human behavior and its need to interact and share with others. This will is reinforced by the Social Media “Spirit”; for in reality, that’s what it’s about: integrating the human dimension of clients in our strategy in order to become closer to them and create a meaningful long-term relationship. It is about transforming customers into partners and no longer considering them as just customers.

ZackBrandit’s mission is to make its users into long term partners. In addition to its base model, which is online sales, ZackBrandit integrated a number of Marketing tools. These tools include Affiliation Marketing and Social Shopping, based on the common sense concept where ZackBrandit users (Brands, Brandits and Netizens) communicate with each other to develop and improve product information, prices and consumer advice.

These business models have already proved themselves in the rise of the neteconomy. At this time when we talk about an integration strategy, it’s in the interest of PMEs to know how to combine them, develop the advantages and to broaden their client databases.

Thus, a business specialized in e-commerce could, for example, integrate an Afilliation Marketing strategy to its commercial strategy in order to make its sales grow. And if the company wishes, why not integrate into its online sales platform, multiple tools to share information in order to optimize its user experience.

The customer, the business’s partner in growth, is the key that permits these companies to make themselves known and counter threatening competitors. After all it is the customer that spreads the voice of the business to their own networks, thus turning them into future customers as well. A satisfied customer attracts another and so on. It is necessary then to put themselves in the shoes of the customer, feel what they are feeling and do what you can to become friends.

If you like this article or have other points of view to share, don’t hesitate to the comments!

As social media evolves, we see more and more companies converge, bringing more or less the same experience to their users. The online environment is very fluid and perhaps only a skilled futurist may know in which direction it is going. This of course does not help our fellow marketers who have  already had a difficult time figuring out how to leverage existing platforms such as blogs, social networks and microblogs.

This brings me to today’s topic: Do people really understand the situation marketers face today?

Click picture to watch the video.

I feel like being brave today! A hero is defined by his actions, hence my decision to dare make the following bold statement: Social media is all about bartering! Now I’m done for… Who will ever trust a Web2.0 company saying such profanities?

What about a sales pitch? Wouldn’t you say that it is the result of marketing research and not really a part of a sales transaction? In any case, we shouldn’t forget that selling and trading are social activities to start with. Strange world indeed; things are not what they seem to be…

All this comes to show that social media could bring sales and marketing a step closer to a tighter synchronization, thus potentially creating real synergies. The purpose of this post is to share with you one specific thought:

Not only online sales activities are compatible with conversations when dealing with social media, but they also should be developed and implemented with this connection in mind!

Humans are social beings with a need to interact, and some have a stronger need than others. Even in Hollywood movies we can find a glimmer of true social awareness. “Cast Away” and “I am Legend” are such examples. Tom Hanks found a silent friend in the volleyball, Wilson, while Will Smith had a very strong affinity with his German Shepherd, Abbey, and with the many mannequins used to recreate pretence of human interaction. Both examples show our need to interact with others. Interaction is a necessity and for some, is also a proof that we are alive and have a reason to live.

Our society has been built brick by brick based on the enlightenment of some unique personalities. Before marketers, philosophers have tried for many years to study human behaviour and what it means to be human, through the ways we interact among ourselves and with others. In this respect, Phenomenology has probably had a very strong impact during the last two centuries.

It all starts with our Ego and self-consciousness. From the moment we realize we are, we develop a relationship external to our mind and body. With self-consciousness comes bodily self-awareness. The first-person point of view of the world is always defined by the situation of the perceiver’s body, which concerns not merely location and posture, but action and interaction with other people. The body provides the egocentric spatial framework for orientation towards the world and the constitutive contribution of its mobility. In other words your five senses help you grasp and experience reality; while your mind helps you understand and structure this experience. Nevertheless, though our body contributes to our interactions and its mobility, it still has physical and sensory limitations.

Web2.0 technology is not a revolution of its own accord. However, it is a means to further develop our mobility and in a sense outgrow our physical limitations. Hardware such as mobile phones and computers support our need to interact with an environment that our body does not perceive in its proximity. Social Networks go a step further by helping us get in touch with people all over the world with no time immediacy. Blogs, aggregators and search engines help us gather a huge amount of filtered or unfiltered information wherever we are, when connected.

Although today we live to grow much older than our ancestors, our life is much more fast-paced. We want things quicker and we get bored faster. Many of us have access to technology, clothes, housing, art, but we want to be accepted, reassured and even more, stand out. To do so, some of us invest in expensive trinkets, others come up with an Indie look, and more recently others yet have started blogs or joined an online social club. The most prominent social trend of the last ten years is self-potential, uniqueness and self-branding.

A hero is defined by his actions and when on the Internet, it is all about sharing and being visible, thus selling yourself, trading the image people should have about you. All those are marketing efforts moulded into a long term personal transaction – “I get your attention and you get to know me” (which ideally should be a win-win situation). Social networks such as LinkedIn are used to transform this personal transaction into a professional one, thus enforcing the commercial perspective to the exchange.

The actual social media philosophy has one advantage above all other communication channels when properly used: it will not differentiate sales from marketing.

Let us envision this from another angle: the mission of a company is to increase its revenue and create value for the shareholders by selling products or services. Whenever a person gets in touch with a company, be it through a sales representative, customer service, a forum or the company’s blog, this action revolves around the idea that this person is interested by the brand and its products, and might make an acquisition (or has already done so).

When a potential customer has a conversation with a company representative, he expects to receive information which will help make a decision. Nobody enjoys listening to sales pitches; we all prefer an honest, spontaneous and authentic dialogue. From the moment you give value to the received information you can call it sales, purchasing, bartering or any other word that makes sense to you.

We asked on LinkedIn if experts believe companies should differentiate between their sales and marketing activities online when using social media or if the voice of the company could wear both hats at the same time. We had about 50 answers and 60% believe there are ways to combine both efforts while being open and transparent. It has to be subtle, passionate, humane and authentic.

About 30% of the answers stress the importance of control. The Brand should be open for conversations, but has to protect itself from potential undesired and harmful events.

Luigi LoPresti, SVP, Senior Interactive/Creative Strategist at Draftfcb, tells us that “the outlying personality of the Brand is a dynamic thing that is now, more than ever before engaged in active dialogue with the consumer. A lot of traditional business constructs, like "Advertising", "Marketing" and even "Sales" are merging into holistic business systems that affect one another, and are hinged on each other. A Semantic Business technology would show Management the joining between these things and allow them to continually monitor and adapt the business entity in real time. I see less and less barriers between the traditional constructs and more fluid and seamless relationships between Brands and Consumers.”

Tony Barr, Founder, Managing Member at BrandReasonality , suggests “to guard ourselves from brand schizophrenia which can confuse the audience” and as Mike Rowlands, President at Octopus Strategies Inc, says “subtle is the name of the game, and the control should be left in the hands of the customer.”

All the answers are to be found in this PDF.

Indeed, social media helps to develop a holistic approach to the brand/customer relationship, but it has to be truthful and should reposition control and monitoring in the company’s strategy.

To summarize, we believe there are ways to integrate direct sales activities within the social patterns found in social media, and we are planning to develop a platform supporting this. Social media is a bartering environment, where giving to the community can be seen as part of the trade.

Do you think we’re on the right track or are we too bold?