Brick and Click

Derecho Storm: (Missed?) Opportunity to Serve and Inform Via Social Media

The Friday, June 29 line of thunderstorms that tore through the Washington DC metro area was described by a term I'd never heard of before, a rare weather system known as a 'derecho'. A Spanish word meaning 'straight', a derecho refers to the storm's powerful, straight-line winds ... winds in this case that topped 80mph, equivalent to a Cat 1 hurricane. VA Governor Bob McDonnell said the storm "caused the broadest non-hurricane related power outage in Virginia history". It's also one of the biggest opportunities for numerous orgs, media outlets and businesses to super-serve hard hit communities.

I'm thankful we didn't lose power, other than a string of annoying hiccups where power went out for a few seconds to a minute at most.  With temperatures setting triple digit records beginning Friday afternoon, just hours before the storm's arrival, loss of power was and is more than just an annoyance for hundreds of thousands of people - and pets - in the region I call home. 

As I remained glued to my laptop, iPhone and TV throughout the weekend, I noticed a profound difference in the way various entities leveraged social media to inform and 'pitch in' during this emergency. Fort Belvoir, the nation's 3rd largest Army installation, went into overdrive, utilizing Facebook and Twitter  to hyper serve base personnel, their families and extended community with power outage updates and critical info about cooling centers, traffic issues and more. I've been following the VA Dept of Emergency Management Page since the super rare 5.8 earthquake rocked my area in August of last year. VDEM has been churning out tons of impactful info since Friday's storm hit.

WTOP has been leveraging its robust digital presence (read: WTOP restructures newsroom for digital, Dec 2011) to augment an all-news radio voice that's well known to the affected region. Recently launched competitor WNEW made a great move by taking over a sister CBS music station's signal, relaying all-news coverage to enhance its reach during this crisis (hat tip to DCRTV.com). Both radio stations have been weaving social engagement into on-air news coverage and conversation. WNEW is persistently asking its listeners to tweet storm thoughts and situations to @WNEWNews using hashtag #DMVStorm. In some areas, with mobile networks down as well, many are dusting off battery powered radios to get important updates.

One particular traditional/new media hybrid really caught my attention: InsideNoVA, covering hard-hit Prince William County (it lost its 911 service), has been steadily building a vibrant Facebook and Twitter presence. In addition to a steady flow of info, InsideNoVA's active and sizeable community constantly peppers its page with questions, updates and helpful tips, adding a crowdsourced army of citizen reporters to a news service whose roots go back 143 years. Contrast that with other local news outlets who don't have their social sea legs yet ... who still lack the vision or will to fully bridge the digital divide. My county's main news outfit has been in existence for 195 years, and unfortunately, as evidenced by one tiny Facebook blurb since the storm hit, still acts like it's 1817. Many in my county, myself included, are now going to FauquierNow.com, a one year old hyperlocal upstart with double the Facebook fans of its 200 year old competitor. And while FNow needs improvement - a visually appealing, more usable website for one - it's a big step in the right direction.

Those who weren't prepared, who don't understand the long-term value and impact of social media, are missing an incredible opportunity to serve their community, and make lasting connections and positive impressions. I've looked and looked far to see how area businesses have communicated - or not communicated - since Friday's storm hit, and one thing is crystal clear: most missed the train completely. Dominion Virginia Power is not one of those, thankfully. DomVA, literally at the center of the storm with its army of power line crews working non-stop to get the juice flowing again, is doing a superb job communicating via Facebook and Twitter. Home services businesses come to mind as having great potential to be key sources of information and help in this type of situation ... electrical service shops in particular with so many power related issues. Electricians with years of experience and a wealth of knowledge could pass some of that along - not as a marketing pitch - but as a way of helping the community. Does it add marketing value? Of course! But that shouldn't be the main focus.

In times of crisis, drop the pitch, and pitch in. Unfortunately, across the board, nothing but silence since Friday from home services providers, until one blog post I came across today pitching home generators as a power outage solution. Note: I have former and current home services clients. I know very well how busy they are doing their physical jobs each day, and how challenging it is to get people 'socially' interested in their message and services, as valuable as they may be. I've made it a mission to try to help inform the public about, for instance, the value of electrical safety inspections, because residential electrical fires kill and injure scores each year and cause tremendous property damage. But they're not shops or restaurants you frequent or hang out at. You may only use/need them once a year, or in time of crisis. But when that moment comes, you may really appreciate all they do. And if you the business operator are 'social ready and willing' ... all of that hard work, persistence, time and money invested can pay off, for those you serve, and for your business itself.  

I follow a ton of businesses, large and small, near and far, via Facebook, Twitter, blog RSS feeds and such. Part of it is business related, part of it is to stay informed about stuff I like. And while it's nice to know which restaurants are open for business - power on and staff ready to serve - it would be even nicer to see local business communities come together and leverage their collective voices to pass along impactful information ... from Fire/Rescue orgs, police, hospitals, gov't, media and citizen-generated content. When the first thing out of your social mouth is "hey, the power is on, come on in and enjoy a steak dinner!" ... you're mostly just marketing. You're using a crisis as a way to pitch yourself, as opposed to pitching in during a crisis as a way to help people. Did you get that? Do you see the difference? Build a robust digital presence - the 'click' that compliments your 'brick' ... to grow your business. But remember that the hard work requried to build and manage and nurture that digital presence can pay big dividends when that moment comes, in this case blowing in at 80mph at 10pm on a Friday. You'll be ready, willing and able to be more than a business. You'll be a valued member of the community, and you won't miss the train. The community won't forget, I promise.

There will be more trains (opportunities). Will you be ready??

Another reason to dislike birthdays

I received this note and 'digital cake' upon logging into my Freshbooks account today.  It caught me as especially odd and kind of funny, if by funny you mean kind of annoying and pretentious.  Freshbooks is a decent and affordable invoicing and bookkeeping service that I've used since launching Brick and Click in 2008.  But I'm thinking they could've come up with a slightly more impactful way to 'wow' me on my toddler anniversary.  Instead of a message that shouts "Aren't we wonderful?  And won't you please celebrate by telling your friends how wonderful we are?" ... perhaps they could've given me an actual gift, like a month of free service, or better yet, a cupcake in the mail.  The latter would've prompted me to take a picture of said cupcake and post it happily on Facebook and Twitter.  Makes me rethink how I treat customers, and has my mind churning with ideas on how to exceed their expectations in creative and memorable ways.

I'm back

After an 8 month-ish season away from blogging, at least from this personal real estate ... I have returned.  I'm excited and energized and ready to communicate the things that I think are important, relevant, impactful, or just plain interesting to me as I dive back into consulting in ... and analyzing ... the space where the digital and brick/mortar worlds collide.  If what I share interests you, fabulous.  If not, thanks for stopping by and I wish you well.

And while the idea of being a thought leader in any space is attractive, the thought that this will be a one-way street is not.  Don't be a stranger to the comment section.  Please connect with me on Twitter and Facebook and Linkedin.  All for now ... much more to come soon.

~ Jeff 

June 5th Social Media and Online Presence Workshop - last call!

 

I'm hosting a social media/online presence workshop this Saturday, June 5th, at Iron Bridge Restaurant and Wine Company in Warrenton, VA, from 11a-3pm.  We'll be in the reserved Stone Cellar at Iron Bridge ... quite the cool venue ... and quite the fabulous food to be enjoyed as well.  If you would like to get up to speed on anything and everything having to do with the Social Web ... from Facebook to Twitter to Linkedin to blogs to the mobile space and so on ... this workshop will offer a lot of bang for modest buck. Aimed at business owners and business professionals, this hands-on workshop has limited seating, so call or email right away to reserve your seat.  Details on my Facebook Page. 

Fee:  $125 (includes meal and refreshments)
Email: jeff@brickandclick.com
Call:  540.729.2742

Linkedin, 60 million members strong, turns 7 today

In typical fashion, I was first alerted to today being Linkedin's 7th birthday by a quick check to my Google Reader, where I noticed a blog post by Mashable, which referenced a tweet from Linkedin Sr Director of Corporate Communications Kay Luo, who re-tweeted another Linkedin employee, who was apparently the first to reference May 5th, 2003 as the starting point for the business networking platform.

It's always interesting to see what a popular platform looked like on day one, and thanks to this image from Flickr (linked to via Ms Kuo's tweet), we can see Linedin version 1.0:

 

Now, let's compare to May 5, 2010, with a screen shot from my homepage:

 

Linkedin's come a long way.  According to Kuo's Linkedin public profile, it has grown from 50 employees and 8 million members when she joined the team in 2006, to 500 employees and more than 60 million members today.  Interestingly, Linkedin, while not the highest profile social media site, has been around longer than Facebook (2004), Twitter (2006), Youtube (2005) and Myspace (August 2003). One thing is for sure, Linkedin owns the pure business niche, and is a revenue generating machine, pulling cash from three main streams:  premium subscriptions, corporate solutions and ads. Since it's not a publicly traded company, Linkedin's revenue figures are not available. But it's been profitable since 2007, and rumors of a billion dollar buyout began some two years ago.  What does that make it worth today?  Who knows. But I know this: as the ultimate digital rolodex and resume, it's a must for any business professional to have a presence on Linkedin.

You can find me on Linkedin here (linkedin.com/in/jeffcrites).  If you want to connect, use the email jeff@brickandclick.com and the category 'other'. 

How 'digital snowflakes' stick to friends and fans on Facebook

When I'm trying to explain the magical effect social media can have on business marketing or organizational communication (an Army command or installation for instance) ... I like to use the term 'digital snowflakes'.  Each time you post a message on your Facebook personal, group or fan page, you're dropping a digital snowflake into the news stream of each person connected to you. It doesn't mean each thing you share will be seen, but it does mean that over time, some of your messages will 'stick'. 

Consistency and quality of content are key.  There's nothing worse than a dead Facebook Page, where the last update was weeks ago. You have to make it snow enough so those who want to hear from you ... will hear from you.  And you have to refrain from hitting your fans or friends with a blizzard of messages that make them 'hide' you, or worse, unfriend or un-fan you. There's a balance.

So my encouragement is to make it snow each day. Keep dropping those unique flakes into the daily lives of people who have chosen to connect with you.  And make sure to respond to their messages as well. Over time, your snowflakes of conversation will start to stick and make an impression.  Hopefully, it's an impresion that will boost your bottom line. 

Guess Who's Making Vehicles Consumers Will Buy? (hint: it's not GM/Segway)

Great contrast today between two stories.  The one grabbing all the headlines:  GM and Segway announce two-wheeled urban transport vehicle {Crunchgear}.  Reactions were all over the map - from love to hate to laughter - over this multi-passenger version of the Segway Personal Transporter.  Put me in the 'you've got to be kidding' category.  My first thought was "why not just add a small third wheel in front, forget the expensive gyro/stabilyzing gear, and offer the equivalent of a souped up, smallish golf cart for less than half what this baby will go for."  GM will contribute On-Star, so when you run into a hot dog vendor you can signal for help, and the odd, carnaval-ridish thing, according to the press release, "enables design creativity, fashion, fun and social networking."  Social networking? 

It felt like an April Foolish type news story, except it's apparently quite real. Sure, a lot of creative thinking and design chops went into this.  But it doesn't mean for a minute that it'll sell very well.  And I'd bet the farm that it won't.  It'll be too pricey for one. And it's just too odd and unnecessary for another.  The press release says it all:  GM and Segway Join Forces to Reinvent Urban Tranportation. Hmmm. Seems like I've read/heard that before. Yes, I remember, when the original Segway came out.  It was touted as a product that would completely revolutionize the way we humans get from point A to point B.  Let's all count the number of $5,000 Segways we see each day. Show of hands.

Now, let's 'Segway' to another story, this one from the folks at Honda, courtesy of USAToday:  They call it puppy love: Honda's dog-friendly Element.  This story leapt off the page at me because it spoke directly to my lifestyle, and I'm guessing the lifestyles of millions of other people who own and love dogs.  USAToday got a glimpse of the new Element before it debuts at Thursday's New York International Auto Show.  The creative and consumer conscious minds at Honda have added these features:  a fold-out ramp so dogs can easily climb in and out of the rear (this is huge), a built-in bed in the cargo area, a private electric cooling fan, a spill-proof water bowl, a mesh net to keep animals separated from people, and rubber floor mats embellished with a dog-bone design (it's bling, but so what).

And if your first reaction is "so what", then consider these stats from the article: some 63% of U.S. households have a pet, and nearly 45 million of those pets are dogs.  As a dog dad who's more than willing to part with his hard earned dollars when it comes to the furry kids, I"m betting a profit-producing percentage of those dog-loving homes would consider a vehicle that has Spot and Ranger in mind.  From the article:

Hang around at a dog park, and you soon see how dog owners choose their vehicles with their dogs in mind.  One of them is Romy Friedman of Manhattan Beach, Calif., who works in real estate and who is shopping for a new car.

"I am buying the car for the dog," says Friedman, who happened by the dog park with Buster, her golden doodle (golden retriever/poodle mix). She had looked at Hyundai, Lexus and BMW, but prefers the Element. "He's a big dog. I want him to go in the back, not on the seat."

Do you agree or disagree?  Will the new GM/Segway vehicle sell like hotcakes?  Or will the dog-friendly Element be a homerun for Honda?  I say Honda - Toyota too - knows the pulse of the consumer much better than Detroit.   

The State of Starbucks

I'm sitting in a Starbucks, in the Crystal City, VA 'underground' mall, near the Crystal City Metro station.  This particular Starbucks is packed.  It's 9am, and this area happens to be part of Main Street that's not being being pummeled by the continuous rockslide of bad economic news.  Why?  Because this area is a main hub for federal government workers and contractors.   And if there's one big spender left at the economic bar right now, it's Uncle Sam. 

Location, location, location.  And apparently too many of Starbucks' many locations are in areas that are not still flush with consumer cash.  The Seattle coffee giant released more bad news Wednesday, announcing shrinking earnings and plans to further shrink its workforce.  Layoff announcements and cutbacks are dominating the news each day, not to be unexpected, but why can't a company do something unexpected to survive ... and even thrive ... in this nasty downturn? 

An example:  my local hometown Starbucks, literally two blocks from my house, used to open at 5am each weekday.  I live in a commuter town, an 'exhurb' on the fringe of Northern Virginia where numerous workers leave around 5am to miss the bulk of Washington DC area traffic.  But due to Starbucks' efforts to reduce costs, I noticed a sign on the door of my local shop that said hours were being changed:  opening would now be 6am, and closing time an hour earlier.  Here's the problem with this method of coping in a downturn.

By opening an hour later in a distant commuter town, you're telling a lot of customers that you no longer want their morning business.  The few dollars you'll save on employee costs will likely pale in comparison to the short and long term business you lose by pruning off a chunk of your early morning clientelle.  So here's what I would have done if I were Starbucks.

Announce to anyone coming in between 5 and 6am that from now on, they qualify for an 'Early Joe' discount, only for those who come in during that first hour of operation.  Take 20 percent off drip coffee or something.  Not only will you secure those valuable early customers, you'll likely add to the number of people coming in early.  Instead of looking at that first, early hour as a negative, you turn it to a positive, and develop more customer loyalty from those early commuters.

Something like this is an 'offensive' move, as opposed to all of the defensive moves we see every day.  It's also a great marketing move.  A lot of media would gravitate to a story about Starbucks keeping employees and store hours ... while offering consumers new options like an Early Joe discount for early morning road warriors.  

Early Joe.  And maybe open even earlier (4:30am) to catch even more customers.  Otherwise, keep cutting hours and employees and let morale slide even more.  Which option sounds best to you?   

Kicking Things Off

First of all, thanks for stopping by.  This happens to be my first official post at BrickandClick.com.  Hopefully, it'll be the first of many.

I chose the words Brick and Click - short for Brick& Mortar and the Internet/Web - because they  represent the Offline/Online world.  The two happen to be merging at quite a clip, and it's having a profound impact on Main Street.  There are some really, really cool things sprouting along the Internet Highway ... the Digital Road ... call it what you will.  Instead of Web 2.0, I use the term the New Web, or the Evolving Web, because it's changing so fast, it's hard to keep up with it all.  New technology can be one big blur to many folks.  And hopefully, that's where I come in. 

I discover new things, and figure out how they can impact business.  My first thought when I stumble onto a new web platform, mobile device, or software offering ... is "can this be used on Main Street?".   When I first heard about smart phone video streaming (live and recorded), I knew it had serious potential.  I'm about to find out how fun and creative and engaging it can be, as I cover the grand opening of a local Chick-fil-A restaurant. 

Check back ... I'll have some links to my Qik page (Qik.com is a live streaming video platform).   If you haven't heard about Chick-fil-A grand openings before ... they're apparently quite a hoot.  People line up a day in advance, as the first 100 in line get a  year's worth of free food.  And the food is absolutely dynamite.  And so is the service.  Chick-fil-A is one of my favorite examples of how to run a business the right way.  They know how to create Passionate Consumers.