Every social complaint or question is the “low hanging fruit” of a brand’s chance to interact with consumers.  But it’s not just ANY chance – it’s a chance to interact when you have the consumers full attention “and” PUBLICLY, to engage in a way that can, and often will, catch the attention of an entire audience. These kinds of comments are visible, relevant and actionable, and brands need to have a plan to engage.

Unfortunately many brands are ignoring or simply not taking full advantage of this opportunity and falling into one of the biggest social media mistakes… Not Being Social.

Makes me think of the old adage “if a tree falls in the woods…” except here the problem is that people are hearing the tree fall but no one is responding (or even aware)!  Consumers are speaking their mind, asking for answers or information, and they won’t wait long for you to pay attention before going elsewhere. The effects of this negligence can be detrimental to the brand at best.

Brands and retailers need to recognize this fundamental shift in consumer expectations – the expectation that their comments/tweets/posts will be noticed, acknowledged, and addressed.

I admit it is a challenge to see the “raised hands” of the tough-to-track Google searches, but let’s not use that as an excuse to not try!  Use this an incentive to get to know your consumers better by building relationships with them BEFORE they “raise their hands” in a Google search… so your brand will be a step ahead as the answer consumers will select first in a list of Google search results.

A raised hand is a request for attention, which, last time I looked, was exactly what we marketers want.  Start calling on your consumers who raise their hands before it is too late.

Macaroni Kid has close to 400 amazing “Publisher Moms” who get help from Macaroni Kid HQ to start their own local newsletter/web ad business, providing news on the kid- and family-friendly events going on in local communities.  Community members sign up to get this information for free, local advertisers pay for ads on the website, and the ad revenue goes to the Publisher Moms.  Brilliant!

Macaroni Kid provides this amazing opportunity for Moms around the country to own and run their own home-based business, and it is all based upon being a Mom in their community.  It’s Moms just doing what they do (looking out for their own family), and using it to help other families get the most out of their family time and local community.   AND they make money and get special discount deals from it.  The advertisers, on the other hand, get access to a broader audience through a trusted source (the Moms).  That’s a pretty clear Return on Relationship from both directions.

The Publisher Moms themselves have also formed an amazing community.  They are a group of like-minded women working apart, but together, helping each other to build something they can be proud of and benefit from financially.  This community was so clear to me at the #MKmeetup – the women attending the event were sponges for information about how they can do this work better and how they can better serve the community, their families and each other.

The Macaroni Kid HQ has set up the basic tools for each Publisher Mom to easily gather and receive information from individuals in the local communities, which empowers the Publisher Moms to build relationships with community members through sharing and valuing of similar information.  So it’s not just about what the Publisher Moms gain from the business, it is about what the whole community gains!

It is amazing what can be accomplished when women join together in authentic connection around a common interest and goal.  Spend just a few minutes on the Macaroni Kid website and you will sense the real people behind the words and likely find you want to know more about the people and the business.

Actually, the company itself is a Return on Relationship, with the idea resulting from two friends (Joyce Shulman and Nicky Hemby) “sharing a good meal and a great bottle of wine.”  Joyce had the idea to start a community newsletter for Moms and Nicky immediately saw the value in it.  What started that day as a collaboration between two friends turned into a collaboration between and among dozens of communities and Moms.

Clearly then, as a business model, Macaroni Kids works… and as a Return on Relationship™ model, Macaroni Kids ROCKS!   Let’s learn from them in each of our businesses.

As with any marketing campaign using social media, a contest needs to be part of an integrated media strategy, using a blend of social and traditional media as appropriate for your brand’s consumers. And as always, remember to keep your message consistent.  A great contest that does not match your brand message is a waste of your resources and does little to add long-term value. Many are using strictly social contests to grow Facebook “likes” and Twitter “followers,” and this is ok if that is your objective, but keep in mind those are very targeted initiatives and offer little value to the brand experience.

When you are planning the social part of your strategy, remember that you have the power of influencers on your side… and tap into that at each phase of the contest. They can be a valuable asset to spread the word and attract new consumers.

To get as much participation in your contest as possible, focus your initial outreach on consumers who already believe in your brand and give them a reason (like additional chances at winning) to bring along their friends, family, and colleagues.

Once people show up, make absolutely sure that participating in the contest is EASY and make sharing of the contest experience (before, during, and after) as easy as possible.  Two very important caveats: #1 – a contest will only be a one-shot wonder, at best, if not followed up and added to with continued relationship-building experiences.  #2 – a successful contest relies on the strength of the connections between you, your contest participants, and their networks… so facilitate interaction with their networks at every stage!

Avoid the “one-shot wonder” by building a database of influencers and participants and continue the conversation after the contest concludes.  Not a simple email list used to broadcast information, but facilitate interaction and engagement in social environments. The opportunities there are endless!  Analyze the demographics and behavior of the participants… but don’t assume you know their needs.  Ask them questions, listen, ask again, then ACT based on their feedback.  Not only does this give you invaluable information to guide your brand innovation, but you also begin building longer-term relationships that can turn your contest participants into customers (if they are not already), bring them closer to the brand, and build them into an army of advocates.

When you put resources into building relationships with your advocates, they will reward you with loyalty and recommendations that bring new consumers to your brand.  The Return on Relationship is high with valuable growth of your database and the subsequent interaction and engagement… leading to increased visibility, social conversation about your brand, and higher sales.

So use your contests to grow your brand, but use them wisely, remembering that even with a contest, it is still… ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS.   

Originally posted at Collective Bias

How many of you use “air quotes” when you say so-and-so is your Facebook “friend”?  That’s exactly my point.  The word now, more often than not, just means that you exchanged a keystroke with someone.

To be clear — I am not saying that connecting through Facebook is a bad thing; I’m saying that few of us actually take the time to connect in the ways that a real friend would.  We are missing the chance to use social media as a tool that facilitates real relationships and instead using “friends” as points in a popularity contest.

So how do we change this?  Let’s start with breaking completely out of our online world for a moment and do something really cutting edge: pick up the TELEPHONE and CALL someone.  Make someone feel special by connecting voice to voice with them and having a real-time conversation.

Then take everything you know about face-to-face relationships and bring them back with you online:

1.         A friend is not just an audience. 

Friendship is not a one-way information push; it is a two-way interaction loop. Ask questions, listen to and HEAR the answers, ask more questions.  It takes ongoing interaction to get a clear path through the digital noise out there!

2.         A friend is not just a number.

Think about how many times you hear television ads that end with “to us, you are not just a number, you’re a person”  (except for SleepNumber Mattresses, who play with that and say “to us, you’re not just a person, you’re a number!”).  The point is to remember that each interaction involves a real person.  Yes, I do have over 2800 Facebook friends, but I do pay attention and respond to all comments and postings on my walls and photos.  Does it take time?  It sure does, but all real relationships take time, so I would expect nothing less!

3.         A friend has shared interests.

Friends connect around shared interests, which attract additional friendships that turn into communities of interest.  YOU are the hub of your personal social media “community of interest,” so consider it your responsibility to provide content relevant to your friends interests.  Hint: if you are authentic in your online and offline “profiles,” what you are naturally inclined to share will automatically be of interest to your friends.  Save yourself some effort and just be genuine from the beginning!

4.         Friendships require maintenance.

We are all calling these tools “social media,” yet we are becoming LESS social!  Facebook status updates do not count as a relationship.  Back and forth conversation ABOUT your status update, however, is a much more social interaction.  But don’t let it end there.  Take the initiative to reach out and GIVE value rather than expecting everyone to come to you…remember, friendship requires an ongoing flow of giving and receiving.

5.         Do unto others…

The way you engage with people makes an impression no matter what tool you are using.  Look at your own behaviors and ask yourself, “Would I want to be my friend??”  Are you noticing and affirming the value of individuals and groups in your network? Are you genuinely interested and paying attention to the people behind the texts and words on a screen?  Are you going out of your way to be of service to others in your network?  That’s the kind of friend I would want to have and to be.

A real friend is not just a number and a photo on the screen.  Remember that next time you’re on Facebook (or Twitter or Google+ or blogging or ANYtime!) and do what it takes to be a friend.  One by one, we can take back the word “friend”!

‎”Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” ~Anais Nin

Note:  I will be speaking on this topic (Let’s take back the word “Friend”) with Peter Shankman at Social Media World Forum Nov 1st (10:10am) .  Hope to see you there!

You might think that with a life so focused on social media, my business travel would be limited…    but I practice what I preach about balancing online and offline presence and spend a LOT of time  traveling.  I just returned from a fantastic trip to Colombia for Social Media Week in Bogotá  (SMWBOG), and while falling in love with the country, I also fell in love with my new best travel  friend: Briggs and Riley’s Excursion Field Bag.  Lucky me I got to order and test this awesome bag  due to a Briggs and Riley initiative with Collective Bias.

In my business, I can’t afford to lose connection with my networks.  I need to still be able to  respond quickly to the questions and conversations that keep my existing relationships going, not  to mention capturing information and memories to start and build new relationships as I travel.    Think about it for a minute – what does a social media marketing guy like me need to carry with  him at all times?

-       iPad

-       Laptop

-       Smartphone

-       Camera

-       Various items needed for speaking events, plane rides, conference attendance, etc. etc.

-       Snacks J

The challenge is finding something that allows me to EASILY bring all these items along, with access to everything… and of course it has to look good on me.  I have a reputation to uphold!  J

I gave the Briggs and Riley Excursion Field Bag a solid field test – literally — this week in Bogotá.  I had the incredible opportunity to tour three coffee-production farms, experiencing first-hand the dedication, heart and soul that goes into Café de Colombia.  Imagine my excitement when Juan Valdez (yes, THE Juan Valdez) appeared from behind one of the coffee fields … I almost dropped my bag!  (That would have been ok because it is weather-proof and can apparently handle the shock of seeing Juan Valdez better than I can!).  Interesting side note: Juan Valdez carries a bag that looks a lot like an excursion field bag.

 Not once during a day full of tours and time in and around conference sessions was I  annoyed by the bag, which is really the telling factor for me.  Sometimes it’s not what  you notice, but what you don’t notice. When I am at face-to-face social events, I want  to focus on people and conversations, not on my “mobile office.”  I never felt weighed  down, didn’t have to worry about a bulky bag slipping off my shoulder (and there’s a  quick-grab handle on it if you’re not a shoulder-bag person), and still had all my  relationship-building tools easily accessible at all times.  Seamless integration of  offline and online interactions!

It really is all about relationships, but in this case, it’s also all about the excursion bag  that frees me up to build those relationships wherever I travel.  I am very particular  about such things and who knew a bag would become one of my key networking  tools??

I had the honor of spending time in Colombia as part of my involvement in Social Media Week in Bogotá (#SMWBOG), sponsored by Café de Colombia.  My colleague, DJ Edgerton, co-founder & CEO of Digital Innovation Firm Zemoga asked me to speak at the event, and provided this amazing opportunity to visit coffee-grower farms and directly engage with Café de Colombia representatives.  This was one of those “MUST write a blog post!!” experiences!

First, some history and a few important facts … then on to what Juan Valdez and Café de Colombia are doing so very right from a branding perspective.

• Colombia is the world’s largest producer of mild-washed Arabica coffee.
• Early 20^th century, large coffee plantations broke down and smaller farms began producing coffee…. the beginning of what has now become the norm.
• 95% of Colombia’s coffee is produced in plantations that are 5 hectares (~ 12 acres) or less.  In other words, SMALL.
• Independent growers are organized by (and committed to) the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), which was established as a response to the need of better ways to access int’l markets and gain greater stability in producer’s revenues.
• The FNC is an NGO that supports coffee growers and sustainable coffee-growing methods while positioning Colombian Coffee as the best coffee in the world.

So what is Café de Colombia doing to gain ubiquity and such impressive market share?  Focusing on relationships and human factors in their business and in their marketing!  Following is a sampling of what Café de Columbia does so well.

They are a beautiful example of an incredibly high ROR (Return on Relationship). .  .

• The slogan, 100% Colombian, has strong national (in Colombia) and international appeal.  This instills pride and a sense of ownership in all aspects of the coffee production/distribution/sale cycles… which comes across to the consumer as QUALITY.

• 100% Colombian is not just a slogan – it is a lifestyle of living 100%.  In other words, they are not just selling a coffee product, they are selling an experience.  Consumers worldwide share this “living 100%” lifestyle experience and feel a sense of relationship to other consumers and to Colombia.

• Juan Valdez gives the slogan a face.  The soft-spoken, gentle Columbian man (and his mule) is familiar to Colombians and Americans alike.  Colombians identify with the culture and lifestyle suggested by Juan Valdez, and Americans have a “person” to associate with Colombia, making 100% Colombian a personal experience.

• The 100% Colombian slogan suggests “it” (the coffee and the lifestyle) is the real thing.  Nothing added, nothing taken away… just authentic and authentically 100% Colombian.

• Juan Valdez is wearing traditional, clothing, has a weathered look, and is always shown with his mule.  Nothing about this visual seems contrived or “manufactured” – just authentic.

• The FNC is known as a highly democratic organization, a fact that scores high points for authenticity by giving the people behind the brand a voice.

• The brand is strongly associated with an organization (the FNC) that genuinely cares about serving the growers by supporting them with a social structure for collaboration and sharing of their ideas and resources.

• Every person in every part of the coffee commodity process, each relationship, is valued – and Café de Colombia consistently tells the story of its growers, product, and country to the market.

• The Café de Colombia industry is built on leveraging networks and each part of the supply chain serving other parts.

• Juan Valdez and Café de Colombia understand the value of social networks, sharing stories and information through Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.  See more about those networks (called “the family”) here.

As you can imagine, the ROR (Return on Relationship) for Café de Colombia has been profound, reaching all the way into the nation’s social stability:

• The Colombian Coffee Sector represents 25% of Colombia’s agricultural GDP;
• The Colombian Coffee Sector represents 27% of its agricultural employment;
• Two million Colombians directly depend on the income generated by coffee.

So what was it like, visiting the “grass roots” organizations of this incredible brand?  Here are a few highlights from my trip:

• Juan Valdez!   Meeting Juan Valdez was a shocking surprise. When Santiago Echavarria, the representative for Cafe de Colombia who so graciously spent the day with us and gave us the tour, brought Juan Valdez from out of a coffee field at our last stop we were so excited. It truly was like meeting an icon!

• DJ Edgerton (@wiltonbound), my host who introduced me to Cafe de Colombia and Juan Valdez, took the wheel of a Willys Jeep, with me and the inimitable Carlos Pardo (@pardopaux) in the open back, and provided the thrills of the trip with a heart pounding drive up the mountain to a farm owned by Evelio Herrea.  There we experienced Chaqueta, an original fresh morning brew sweetened with sugar cane, picked our own beans (you never know … in the future, the cup you drink may have a bean I picked!), and were walked through the process of preparing the beans for roasting, testing the coffee and best practices.  Truly amazing.

• We were treated to a traditional Colombian lunch of Bandeja Paisa (a huge plate of varied delicious foods) at a beautiful open-air restaurant nestled in a scenic mountain location.

This truly was a remarkable trip, made possible by the amazing and brilliant Zemoga team including… Operations Director Carlos Pardo who watched over me and saw to my every need, Co-Founder Alejandro Gomez, Head of Social Media Briana Campbell, Tatiana Gonzalez, Jennifer Puglisi and Carlos Ferro.

If you EVER get a chance to spend time in Bogotá, do whatever you can to take part in the 100% Colombian experience!

There is a great television bank commercial that highlights this issue. In case you haven’t seen it, it shows a couple approaching a roped off entrance of a bank building, where they are stopped by a gatekeeper asking what they think they’re doing.  The couple replies that they want to go inside and speak to someone… and the gatekeeper laughs and says something like “but that’s what the Internet is for!”

Technology is definitely becoming more integrated with our daily activities, but it has not replaced consumer’s needs for face to face interaction and bricks and mortar experience. The challenge then for marketers is to find the appropriate balance between online and offline channels for their specific consumers.

Chances are your consumers will use multiple channels and switch in and out of those channels several times through the purchase process.  They might see a television ad that references a social media channel for those with a specific interest or need.   They then spend time using social media to build connections with other people sharing that interest/need, and – if the marketers are wise — with brand representatives.  From there, they may take coupons, deals, or recommendations from brand advocates and purchase either online or at a physical location.   Follow up might go back online to social media as consumers share their purchase experience.

There are, of course, many different ways to leverage both online and offline tools and interactions, so how should marketers decide what combinations to use?  Follow the “Lose, Gain, and Give” process:

1. LOSE your assumptions

You know what they say about assuming…. (hint: it includes the first 3 letters of the word).  Do not assume that you know your consumers’ preferences.  Assumptions quickly lead to marketers telling consumers what to do and even forcing them down a particular communication or action path – a sure way to lose the consumers you are hoping to attract.

2. GAIN understanding

Without your assumptions, you can now pay careful attention to your consumers to gain an understanding of what they really want and need.  Build an ongoing relationship with them by asking them questions (social media is a great tool for this), listening to their answers, then asking more questions for clarification.  Not only will you gain understanding about your consumers, you will also gain trust – a key ingredient in consumer purchasing decisions.   When you give them the chance, your consumers can help you find the right online /offline balance for them.

3. GIVE consumers what they need, want, and are asking for

Action is the external proof of understanding.  Consumers want to be heard and understood, and the way to prove that to them is to take their feedback and implement changes to your marketing campaigns, products and services accordingly. Consumer-influenced action quickly builds brand advocates who are so delighted by their experience of your brand that they can’t wait to tell their networks about it.

No matter what tools and tactics you choose, make sure your message and the consumer experience is consistent across all points of contact and interaction. Your online customer service needs to be as good as your face to face customer service… and vice versa.  What you promise online needs to be the experience you actually give consumers offline…and vice versa.

Consumers’ online and offline worlds are becoming more and more integrated, and the purchase path they follow will be the one that meets them both online and off.  Where will your brand be when shoppers step on that path??

Originally posted at Collective Bias

The concepts are similar to traditional media marketing, but they each have a different twist when you add in the social factor.

Awareness = Revenues

Obviously, if shoppers don’t know your products and services exist, revenues will be hard to come by.  What is not so obvious is the way awareness is created through social media – it’s all about building relationships and connecting to people and networks in meaningful ways.

The first step of awareness is recognition – which means you need to catch someone’s attention more than once. When focused on building relationships, you will naturally be providing repeated exposure to your brand through ongoing interactions with consumers.

Awareness breeds familiarity… familiarity breeds relationships … relationships breed trust … trust breeds recommendations… and recommendations breed purchases.  Therefore, awareness=revenues.

Differentiators = Margins

What sets your brand apart from others?  I’m not asking what you SAY sets your brand apart from others, I’m asking what ACTUALLY DOES set your brand apart.  Social media has flooded the cybersphere with words, so the only way we can prove we are different is to BE different.  Shoppers need to have a good (or great) experience with your brand, whether it’s with your product, your customer service, or any other interactions shoppers have with your brand.

When you are able to truly set yourself apart from your competition, you can price your products and services accordingly.  A high quality product that works better, holds up better, meets a customer’s needs better, and also addresses their wants has higher shopper perceived value and allows greater profit margins.  The key, though, is to price within your own knowledge of the product value or shoppers will sniff out the price-gouging… a huge hit to your credibility.  Remember, negative differentiators don’t get you very far with shoppers (or anyone)!

Authenticity = Loyalty

Social media has given so many people quick and easy access to so much information that shoppers no longer tolerate sales pitches, empty promises, or anything less than a genuine brand message of quality, consistency, and authenticity.   If their experience with your brand suggests that your words are selling something more than you can deliver, they will go elsewhere in a heartbeat.  There is no such thing as a captured audience any more!

Loyalties only get built when shoppers know you are being honest with them and are willing to engage in authentic conversation with them (even if it means hearing things they don’t like about your product or service!).  Before they will “tell it like it is” you need to model that behavior to show them you are willing to take the risk of openness in order to better understand and address their needs and wants.

Authenticity is worth the risk because loyalty in this social media world can quickly grow from one person believing in – and purchasing from – your brand to entire networks supporting and recommending you.

Earn awareness through authentic differentiators, and your reward will be a clear Return on Relationship (ROR):  increased revenues, margins, and loyalty – all measurable directly, or in resulting sales as dollars on a spreadsheet.

It’s time to turn your social media results into a line item; don’t settle for less!

Originally posted at Collective Bias

1. Bloggers are committed to building a business around what they love.

This unto itself is admirable and inspiring because it takes courage, skill, and determination.   Add to that their openness to opportunities and you quickly see the potential powerful collaborations they can form!

2. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google+ are only platforms; Bloggers are the true power of social media.

Without real people effectively using these platforms, they hold very little value.  Bloggers turn the platforms into multi-stream connectors which bring together people with similar interests and connect them (and their networks) to relevant products, services, and brands.

3. Bloggers maximize their strengths.

Of course not all Bloggers do everything well, but what they do well, they are smart enough to keep doing over and over again.  Wise repetition and consistency are a welcome relief in a constantly-changing digital world!

4. Bloggers tell it like it IS.

Bloggers have no problems opening up and telling you what they think – positive, negative, or somewhere in between.  They review products in order to share information and honest opinions / recommendations with their audiences, so through them you can get important REAL feedback about your brand, products, and services.

5. Bloggers value, and excel, at engagement and interaction.

Because Bloggers know how to engage and interact with their readers — and place a high value on just that – they have the potential to be amazing marketers, brand advocates, and facilitators of relationships.

6. Bloggers are typically OPEN, POSITIVE, and SUPPORTIVE.

Each of these qualities separately attracts people… when you put them all together, the magnetic power grows exponentially.  If you want your brand to get noticed amidst the “crowd” of information out there, a healthy dose of magnetism could be just the thing to do the trick!

7. Bloggers know how to build relationships with their audience.

Is this social media age, relationships are key to effective marketing.  Bloggers know how to express themselves in a very authentic and genuine way, so their interactions go well beyond a one-time impression – their readers keep coming back because they TRUST the Bloggers and are HEARD by the Bloggers.  This is a marketing goldmine for your brand, so make sure you handle the Blogger relationship as the incredibly valuable resource it is!

8. Bloggers have their finger on the consumer pulse.

Bloggers, through their ongoing reader relationships, are able to relate to consumers’ lives.  They understand consumers concerns, what motivates them, and how they can be best served.  Wise marketers will actively invest in this incredibly valuable form of “field research” that effectively gets at the underlying reasons/needs/desires that influence consumer behaviors… and how it evolves every day.

9. Bloggers know how to build and nurture communities.

A well-written, relevant, timely, entertaining and accurate blog becomes a prime slice of digital real estate for a community of readers with similar interests.  Bloggers put time and energy into not just writing their blog posts, but also encouraging and facilitating conversation between and among readers.   This in turn creates communities that are great places to solicit valuable honest feedback, as well as many other valuable opportunities.

10. Bloggers have true influence

As Bloggers build relationships with their audience, they become a trusted information source to many of them.  Consumers frequently turn to their social networks (blog communities included) for product and service recommendations, and as a trusted source, Bloggers have the power to greatly influence purchase decisions.

11. Bloggers create static/searchable content

Let’s not forget that there are some advantages to static content – like searchability! Although Bloggers frequently update information, it is still considered static content, giving it a boost with search engines and allowing it to live and keep on giving well into the future.

12. Bloggers ARE the future of scalable, relevant, and “social” media.

Bloggers have multiple tools at their disposal, and know how to use them well within the context of human relationships.  That skill set will be highly effective and influential no matter what the next great technology is.  Invest in the Blogging community and you automatically invest in your future marketing success.

Originally posted at 12Most.com

As shoppers are bombarded with information, they have become resistant to intrusive advertising.  Advertising that is poorly-timed, irrelevant, and/or interrupts a current task quickly becomes an annoyance rather than an incentive to pay attention.

So how can we get shoppers’ attention? We need to understand shopper mindset — the “need states” and “shopping modes” that determine what, where, and why they buy – then speak to those needs!

This process requires time and energy, but it serves a dual purpose.  It…

1. Provides key information about shoppers’ underlying unmet needs
2. Builds a relationship with shoppers

Shopper behavior is complex, changing sometimes from hour to hour based on current underlying needs, and to get to an understanding of this behavior, we need to speak directly with shoppers.  We have no valid excuse for not connecting directly with shoppers now that Social Media tools give us a multitude of ways to reach individual and groups!

Ask specific questions, and then ask follow up questions for clarification and additional information.  In other words, engage with the shopper(s)!  This type of real interaction speaks more loudly for your brand than a standard (impersonal) survey or a flashy (intrusive) online ad.

When you take the time to invest in ongoing conversation, to discover what is really needed and really wanted, you are investing in a relationship… the foundation of shopper loyalty.  Relationships pave the path to purchase, so when you invest in them, you are rewarded with a high Return on Relationship (ROR)!

So do you want your brand to truly stand out?  Don’t ignite shoppers spam filters by trying to short-cut the process with intrusive advertising.  Instead, take the time and effort to learn what they need and want, then make sure your marketing efforts are relevant, timely, and meaningful.  They will notice.

Originally posted at Collective Bias