I wrote at length about this within a context of web-marketing mix for your web business. Here is what you should be prepared to answer to assure a return:-

1. Is the overall experience going to be memorable? How?
2. Is the service/product worth the money they will spend? Why?
3. Does your product/service truly satiate the desire that triggered this action? How?
4. Do you have a track record of satisfied clients? Show.
5. What do you understand about my problem that your product/service claims to solve?

The list might seem like an after-sales survey questionnaire to some of you expert market researchers. But you MUST communicate this to your clients BEFORE the sale. This is thousand-times more relevant for online businesses. Here is why you MUST have these ‘assurance’ answers:-

• Explaining these questions will help you in defining your USP i.e. Unique Value Proposition. You need a USP to differentiate from your competitions. It defines your online business.
• Integrating this though process in your sales copy on your website/email shots will answer so many doubts automatically. This will screen and qualify lot more visitors into sales. Remember, in online transactions your customer does not have the opportunity to raise doubts via phone or face-to-face meeting, generally speaking.

I look forward to hear how many of you think this is absolutely vital and how many consider this going too far with sales theory. In my experience, successful businesses by luck or by default find the answers and relay successfully to their prospects to turn them into loyal clients. This is not optional , is it?

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Behind The Glass: Courtesy Flickr

Its happening more than ever. Customers have stopped going to high streets to shop on weekends; kids would rather rent movies online;even pensioners have been given their online PINs to operate their accounts from home.

You’d say whats wrong with little convenience. Life’s getting ever busier. But let me take a step back to look closer.

I dn’t have problems with consumers shopping online,or, researching about their next buy via Kaboodle or Amazon. I have issues with businesses hiding behind that glass wall that’s getting ever thicker.

A typical ’smart’ company generally has a slick website, a blog, a number of Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages, article accounts in at least 5 top directories, YouTube account ( if video marketing is relevant for them)…and the list goes on. And ya did I forget LinkedIn and Ecademy? If I visit this site with an intention to buy somthing, I rely upon their version of the product info that they want to give me, not mine. I can’t ask a question without waiting for several hours or days for an email reply. Sometimes the info is brief, often overwhelming.

When I walk into my local Curry’s store I expect at least a couple of annoying sales people approach me every five minutes. But, at least I have an option, a physical presence to ask for help if I am stuck. Or, may be just discuss why 5 MP camera is enough for my needs, or, the blue ray is actually not that cool. This is amiss on a website, generally. Even the most interactive CMS driven dynamic site can’t replicate the physical experience of window-shopping and then buying. Some say that’s not paramount for a great buying experience online. Some say its actually impossible to imitate that.

But I want to explore products before buying and get the seller’s opinion, dn’t you?

I have no interest in knowing who owns Curry’s, but I do remember the sales guy Tom who showed me around. Is that a bad thing ?

Try refunding stuff you bought online. Nightmare! Lot of buyers end up bearing the return postage. Is it not better to walk up your to local Next store and do it over the counter, no hassles?

I will be the last person on earth to be advocating offline shopping to online. I am fed-up of e-tailers and other online businesses who try to robotise and automate their business for minimal human intervention. People buy people not products.

Where do you say rests a fine balance? Do you know of any examples where the glass wall is thinner or may be with a large window? Why do you think we love high-street shopping? Will it be dead eventually?

Lets hear it.

Best,

Hersh

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Politically Incorrect

One of my best friend has a Facebook account, but only to keep in touch with mates. His engagement is limited merely to exchanging pleasantries. He has a bank job to keep, he says. And under the present circumstances where employers are desperately looking for a reason to fire staff, he can’t be found misplacing a vowel in a hard-learned foreign language.

Big brother is always watching.  In present scenario when even the most reluctant of business owners are drifting towards a social media engagement, whats the limit of political correctness?

A probable scenario can be a case of an Apple staffer ripping apart Windows 7 on a neutral forum. Or, more ,a Windower expressing his disappointment on his personal blog about the newest Microsoft application. Does he have the right to remain silent despite all his resentment only because he is paid by them? How far does that circle of political correctness expand up to? Where is the out-of-prison line?

An interesting case happened when a British police van was photographed by an alert citizen journalist. The van was parked by the police driver in disabled-only parking area. Now, the most embarrasing thing that could happen in that scenario happened- The cop in question asked the snapper to delete the picture.  Surprise, surprise, it was denied and posted online.

So, whats your theory about how far can you go? Can you be your flamboyant honest self when expressing opinion in online social circles? Can you evade the fear of being quoted, or, misquoted being politically incorrect? Would you deliberately separate your personal views, politically correct or not, from that of your company’s? ( we are talking about company owner’s, especially privately held enterprises)

Is web not about giving a face and a personality to your faceless company? So where is the borderline between you-  the opinionated individual, and, your company striving for  that spotless correct image?

Lets hear it.

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I am a big fan of business branding built around the image of founder, or, CEO. Bill Gates and Sir Richard Branson are shining examples.

But it hasn’t been easy for even the most charismatic of CEOs and business founders to actually go and connect to their prospects and customers. Web branding didn’t exist. Blogs were’nt there. They couldn’t generate raves in forums and websites around the world. ( war-time propoganda has existed for centuries though!).

But it has changed with the advent of web 2.0. As my illustrationon the left depicts, that we are surrounded by certain layers of web. To convey your brand through these layers is the way forward. And logical.

Those who read Seth’s blog would know that this post is inspired by his latest post on personal branding . Seth knows that people have learnt to judge you on your web-face- value. So why not tighten up our acts and do a little image makeover.

I am not going to be suggesting drastic changes, such as, re-doing your corporate logo etc. Imagine if a hotel chain thought about re-doing their logo.Massive exercise.

I have this easy list, which you can implement and see the results roll out in an integrated manner over time.

• Website logo and banners- No need to re-think your logo, but may be you can find a way of explaining what a VW in your logo means, in line with your overall brand image.
• Web colours and font:- Again visual input is a powerful branding factor; Virgin’s and Ferrari’s red, Apple’s silver etc.
• About Us/Company Info page:- So powerful, so in-your-control, so underused. Craft your About Us page very carefully and give it some thought.
• Google/Yahoo search results on your brand/personal name:- Always know what the world thinks about you. Google yourself and find out. There are plenty of ways of gaming or architecting your Google image over time. So its good to know what it is in the outset.
• Blogs/Forums sig and comment branding:- This is the easiest bit but again so ignored. I dn’t know how many CEO’s actually read and participate in other people’s blogs and forums. But I certainly know that your company employee certainly do that. They do it on their aliases which are a no-good for anyone. Why not get them to carefully use your company’s branding and spread the word around? Or, if you dn’t trust your employees with your brand image, hand-pick a bunch of guys and set them free in the cyber world.
• Pics of you online:- I use a gothicy pic for me here in this blog, because I dn’t want to pose in a suit and give impressions of a super-serious marketer. But you have to understand and take feedback before you let your pic out on the net. It could be your About Us page, online press release, profile pic on foruns/blogs, or, Facebook/Myspace pic.
• People talking about you-generating reviews and positive news about you:

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Apple Compulsive Disorder

That’s right, for most Apple users it is an obsessive compulsion.  For those who do not own an Apple yet, it’s a desire subtler than sex. The two Steves must have never imagined that this brand name would actually become as mystical as the original forbidden fruit. It not only looks tempting it tastes better than anything you have ever licked. The forbidden fruit I mean!

Why is the Apple brand cheesy and irresistible? Why Apple has no competition? What makes this forbidden fruit so popular?

Lets start with the metaphor of ‘forbidden’. The Apple brand is actually forbidden in a sense to a lot of people. The market segmentation and pricing makes it harder for a lot of lighter-wallet consumers to use Apple. Also, most of Africa, Asia, and, parts of South-America do not have Apple. Some part of eastern Europe has a much costlier pricing strategy. The policy of segmentation was a forced strategy, as initially in the Mac market, Microsoft was such a big demon outside US that nobody dared to share the same ring leave alone locking horns. So, Apple makes it desirable by placing it on the highest shelf in a supermarket cabinet. You want it, you gotta reach for it-deeper in your pockets, farther from your Asian homes!

Steve Jobs with Apple- Image by Sigalakos at Flickr

The timing of this post is interesting as there are talks in the market whether Steve Jobs has logged off. This is seriously important news for Apple. Steve Jobs has been acclaimed as a skillful PR handler and master of hyperbole creating an eternal hype around the brand Apple. That’s how he reckons Apple should be-

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works”-Steve Jobs.

The above kinda summarises Apple. It’s a critical combination of aesthetics and performance that makes Apple machines as good as they are. The great thing about visually stunning gadgets is that people would still use it even if they have to compromise with performance. I reckon this applies to all beautiful things. But with Apple you DONOT have to compromise in quality as well. Its the ‘how it works’ factor that wins the game for Apple and Steve Jobs.

Now lemme find some usable lessons from the Apple story:-

1. A product has to visually appeal to you as a creator first.
2. It has to visually appeal to prospective customers, of course.( check out Dewalts drill- hardly a product that relies  on its appearance for sales)
3. It should work as promised- effortlessly. ( and not be hacked and hang often as a Windows)
4. ‘Open for all, available at all times forever’- dilutes a product’s value in the eye’s of customers. Make it slightly ‘forbidden’, dn’t make it a ‘elite-club’ only product but…you get the point.
5. Segment your market, or, it’ll be segmented for you at a tougher cost eventually.

Now all I am worried about is Apple’s growth without Steve jobs available. Does it mean an end of an era? Or, a change of course in a new direction? Or, space for budding competitors to surge ahead? Has Steve Jobs really logged off, or, simply suffering from after-affects of Apple compulsive Disorder?

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The Matrix image

Do you have a brand identity online?

Let’s reiterate, is your online-business proposition unique? Do you provide a package that nobody else provides?
These questions hold as much value for a web entrepreneur as for an offline brick-and-mortar venture.Maybe more.

Tom Peters in his book BrandYou50 mentions (coins?) the phrase, cubicle slave anonymous (CSA), reffering to Dilbert cubicle workforce who are brandless and faceless entities. I have not read the whole book, only the review by Cody McKibben and I picked up this phrase.

If you remember the film, The Matrix, Neo was a typical CSA.With all his skills and talent he was still confined to his cubicle and a small crappy flat. But he ends up becoming ‘the one’. The process involves rigorous training and hammering by Morpheus who knows Neo is the one.

Neo was offerred two choices, two pills- blue and red. One of the pills would keep him in his present state as a CSA in his Dilbert cubicle, and, another pill takes him on a path of self-realisation.

Some points come out of The Matrix story.

• You always have an option to break free out of the Dilbert cubicle.
• You have to make a choice.
• You only have few choices.
• Once you choose the break-free route, there is no coming back- you have to tumble down the rabbit hole.

Now, translating the Matrix story to web business world, the cyberspace is pregnant with CSAs. Any keyword search on Google would would return thousands of results. Making yourself stand apart out of those thousands web-links requires a science and art to be mastered. Remember, you only have a few seconds to make a mark.

A business website is one of the most cleverest ways to reflect and reinforce your brand. And that’s not all. It’s the fastest way to leverage upon that brand. No other branding medium will get you results this fast. In fact, no other medium lets you measure your brand value in figures. Still its surprising to see so many web businesses following the bandwagon. Every industry has so many brand-less participants. I’ll call them CSAs.

The Agents from Matrix  are there to stop anyone making a decision to stand up. These  signify several factors making it harder to choose a path to brand-dom. Is it lack of expertise for you? Cost factors?  Or just lack of clarity towards the significane of online branding? Whatever it is, Neo has the inherent power to slay the Agents.

Has your web business found a route to tumble down to freedom? Or, are you still following what thousands others do within your industry!

You have to start by making a choice.Blue, or, red.

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