DC Interactive Group’s SmartMarketing Blog

Craig’s List has been in the news recently, and not for the wholesome side of their site.  Rather, it’s simplicity in connecting buyers with sellers has led it to be one of the major sources nationwide for peddling prostitution. Other more wholesome sites have also done well to connect serious relationship-minded people with others who match their tastes simply because they offer safe and easy ways (”safe” meaning you don’t have to leave your home) to narrow down the dating prospects without having to sit through one bad date after another.  Most of these virtual daters spend a great amount of time communicating online with serious prospects before taking the big step and meeting in person.  It just makes sense.

So what do online romances have to do with advertising or selling?  Well, a lot.

Thanks to the power of the internet, people today are not responding to direct messages (meaning, they’re not ordering a product or setting up a sales call) unless the product is inexpensive and deemed worth the risk, like a Shamwow or those blankets with arm holes.  In those cases, people understand they’re taking a risk and simply hope it will work out.

But with bigger purchases, like anything from electronics to homes, people are researching — online — and they’re collecting info in order to limit the number of stores they visit or the number of salespeople they see.  Like the online dating sites, they want to know that you have what they want before they step forward and declare to you that they are a sales prospect.

So what’s a good marketer to do?  Romance them.

It’s not hard.  Like an online suitor, you need to demonstrate online that you not only have what they want, but that you’re an organization that is worth their time and attention.  And the only way to do this is to build an online relationship where you are not only selling your products and services, but also providing helpful information in areas related to your business (think Macy’s in Miracle on 34th Street).

First, you need to ASK for viewers of your sites to opt-in to your communication.  Do this everywhere you can, without looking desperate.  Getting someone’s email address for future communication is like getting a phone number.  It’s worthless unless you use it — so use it, and give them a clear picture of how much you know about your industry and how easily you can help them.

With frequent eblasts that link to blogs and special offers, you will be giving people more than they expect from you, and that’s good.  You will be seen as an expert that loves your industry, and that passion cannot be underestimated.  Think of it:  who wouldn’t prefer to buy their home theater system from a company that passes along cost-saving tips, model ratings and reviews, customer testimonials, and even special offers and events?  Sure, cost matters.  But consumers also know that a responsive company often matters even more.  And that’s the image you’ll present when you communicate often.

And don’t be afraid of unsubscribes or even complaints, although complaints must be looked at closely to see if there is a pattern.  Instead, focus on those who regularly open and read your eblasts.  Those are your most likely short term customers.  It’s a little like focusing on the people who laugh at your jokes, rather than the ones who are always checking their watches.

Also, send online surveys via Survey Monkey or a few other sites that do this for you.  While surveys can provide good information about your market, they also present a strong statement about your firm’s interest in satisfying customers and prospects.  So for little cost and little time, you’re building a better brand in the minds of your customers.  Don’t ask more than 5-7 questions though.  Research shows that lengthy surveys can actually harm your brand, rather than help it.  So keep it short, and simple.

So now as you move forward in this strange economic time, remember to romance your customers.  Gone are the days when you can say how much something was and people would buy it.  Now you have to get them to allow you to “talk” with them — and then you have to talk your way into a sale.

Best of luck as you move forward.

My mechanic just saved me about $4,000 or more.  No, he’s not my friend nor a relative.  He’s my mechanic, and he’s been up to his elbows in my autos for about 10 years — which is exactly why he saved me the money.

You see, I know nothing about how cars operate and I’m not afraid to admit it.  Heck, I was forced out of my small engines class in high school due to the 2nd and 3rd degree burns I got on my hand from grabbing a hot muffler (who knew that mufflers could get so hot?). I was also removed from woodworking class for similar reasons, but that’s a different post.

The point is, I’m helpless with cars.

But my own lack of knowledge, skill, expertise, and even common sense mean little when you know someone who can fill that void.  The truth is I don’t have to know cars — I just have to know someone who knows cars.  And I have to trust the person and get them to trust me because only then will we both benefit financially and mentally.  We need loyalty, and lots of it.

Over the years my mechanic has called me with repair estimates that I admit seemed excessive.  But my car was in the shop and needed only a few hours for the repairs to be finished, so I would nervously give my approval, hang up and hope the mechanic on the other end wasn’t laughing to his buddies about how foolish I was to believe him.  Fortunately as time progressed, I realized the internet could validate my mechanic’s claims — and prices.  And wouldn’t you know it, the guy was legit.  Expensive maybe, but certainly legit.

Over time, he’s become my car guy.  He’s right up there with my coffee guy, my home repair guy, my restaurant guy, my money guy, my decorating guy and my legal guy.

These “guys” have earned my trust, so they get my business — without scrutiny.  Sure, they could take advantage of me, but it’s not that likely.  I know how they work.  I know many of their other customers. And I know they care.  These guys are not looking to risk a good relationship just to make a few extra bucks in the short term.  So it’s not worth my time or even worth the worry for me to even begin to doubt them.  And that adds years to my life.

Now here’s the good part.

In showing my faith in them, and my loyalty, they have all returned the favor over ten-fold without my even asking — and not just for my benefit, but also to the benefit of my clients and staff.  While they certainly aren’t the cheapest “guys” out there in their respective fields, the money I spend on them and the faith I have in them has certainly either saved me or made me more money than what I’ve spent on them.  Really.

When you look at the big picture, one “guy” saved me $400 in concert tickets by introducing me to one of his “guys”.  Another saved me over $1,000 by knowing someone who had a refurbished fuse panel instead of selling me a new one (as he explained, the fuses and wiring are new but the metal is old — and who cares if the metal is dinged up a bit if you save a bunch of money?). My accountant guy stopped me from buying a certain car and told me to buy a different, far more luxurious car because it would actually cost less due to the new 9/11 tax laws.  I calculated it out and my guy’s advice saved me about $40.00 — plus I’m driving the car of my dreams. And my mechanic guy?  He not only gave me advice on what type of used car to buy for my daughter (possibly saving me thousands), but he also offered to find me one that he services so I can be sure it is problem-free (again, saving me thousands) AND he also agreed to mediate the sale so that both sides would be comfortable — because that’s what this guy does for those who consider him their guy.

So now as the business world gets more desperate and people make more pitches than ever for your business, remember to trust those who’ve earned your trust.  They might not tell you what you want to hear, but their role is to be honest and look out for you just like they have for years.  And they may not be the cheapest source for you right now, but they do provide the best long term ROI.  They’ve already proven themselves.

Last, knowing and using someone who is loyal to you is pretty stress-free for you — at a time when we call all use a little less stress in our lives.

Someone’s watching you — and who you are determines what they’ll show you.

In malls, health clubs, gas stations and even grocery stores, small cameras are being embedded in the screen or hidden around it to track the viewer’s gender, approximate age range and, in some cases, ethnicity - and can change the ads it displays to those ads that are aimed at that demographic.

That could mean hardware ads for men, cosmetics ads for women and video-game ads for teens.  Crazy, huh?

And even if the ads don’t change to match the viewer’s demo, the technology’s ability to determine and record this info in general market terms is important for advertisers who want to know how effectively they’re reaching their target audience at any given location.

While the technology remains in limited use, advertising people say it is finally beginning to live up to its promise. The manufacturers say their systems can accurately determine gender 85 to 90 percent of the time, while accuracy for the other measures continues to be refined.  With hair styles on today’s youth, the system is probably more accurate than I would be.

Demographics, but no individual information

Remember “Minority Report”?  Tom Cruise’s character enters a mall where a retinal scanner identify him and greet him by name.  Well, it’s a little like that, but people are not identified by name.  They’re just categorized by how they look.

Using this technology, a screen might show a truck ad for a group of men but switch to a minivan ad when women and children are spotted in the frame by the hidden cameras.

Anyone concerned with privacy?

Because face tracking might scare people (think “big brother”), manufacturers are hurrying to offer reassurances. When the systems capture an image of a person watching the screen, a computer instantly analyzes it for specified variables. The systems’ manufacturers say that nothing is ever stored and no identifying information is ever associated with the pictures, thus making the system less intrusive than a surveillance camera that records what it sees right now.  At least that’s the manufacturer’s take.

How does it work?

In general, a sensor or camera in or near the screen identifies viewers’ faces by analyzing shapes, colors and the movement. The concept is similar to the way consumer cameras now can automatically make sure faces are in focus.  Yes, those little boxes that make pictures so good are now coming back to haunt us.

When the system focuses in on a face, it compares shapes and patterns to those that are already identified in a database as male or female, thus allowing the system predict the person’s gender almost immediately.

“The most important features seem to be cheekbones, fullness of lips and the gap between the eyebrows,” said Paolo Prandoni, chief scientific officer of Quividi, a French company that is also developing the technology. Others include Studio IMC Inc. in New York.

The companies say their systems have become very good at determining a viewer’s gender, but age is not so simple. Currently, the software can group age in only the broadest terms - teens, younger to middle-aged adults and seniors. The companies developing this technology acknowledge that determining a person’s ethnicity is more challenging than figuring out his or her gender and age range.

Is It Accurate?

It may never be more accurate than it is now, but we should never say “never”.  And anyway, even 70% accuracy is better than what is out there now.  Think about it:  If you’re advertising housing to empty-nesters, you can choose to have your ad seen in a mall by everyone who passes, or take a shot at targeting the ad to those in your demo.  Even if you miss 50%, the other 50% will see your message — and only they will see it.

Google has just introduced expandable ads — and the best part is that they’re not annoying like the ones you may be familiar with. Personally, I love this idea because it gives the advertiser more real estate for the ad without taking up a bigger footprint on the page. When a user clicks on an ad (I wish it expanded upon rollover) it expands into a larger size, displaying more information and larger pictures without taking the user to a whole new page. Google’s new AdSense expandable ads can even show a video clip. That’s pretty sweet.