“The Customer Is The Company”, my first NYC event
Here’s something to think about next time a customer service line puts you on hold: Online networking is quickly making happy customers a top priority for media companies.
- Adam Auriemma, mediabistro.com
On Tuesday, I attended my first industry event in NYC. It was a panel discussion hosted by mediabistro.com, and it was fittingly titled “The Customer is the Company”. The event was at Tribeca Cinemas, a place I’d heard a lot about – it’s home to the Tribeca Film Festival. It brought together an impressive group of panelists to talk about how social media tools (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.) are significantly changing advertising, marketing, PR and ultimately, customer service.
These tools are making companies more transparent and allowing customers to have a much bigger impact on a company’s success. Companies like Zappos.com have chosen to embrace this transparency and encourage its employees to openly interact with customers via social media.
Panelists included:
Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com
Craig Newmark, Founder of Craigslist.com
Jeff Howe, Contributing Editor at Wired magazine
Lynne Johnson, Senior Editor & Community Director at FastCompany.com
Saul Colt, Head of Magic at Freshbooks
Thor Muller, CEO & Co-founder of GetSatisfaction.com
Keith O’Brien, Editor-in-Chief of PRWeek, moderated the discussion.
It was a great event that appeared to very be well planned out. Before this, I wasn’t too familiar with mediobistro.com’s offline activities but now I’m sold – I’ll be a regular at their events.
As far as takeaways go, here are a few of mine:
Zappos.com is going to be around for a long time and they’re only going to get bigger & better. Whatever they do, they make sure they do it right. In Zappos’ case, nothing can beat that. They’ve already got loyal customers they’ll easily retain, and this will allow them to reach out and connect with new ones. (opinion)
Public Relations professionals are going to have to adapt to these ever-changing “social media” technologies that are becoming more and more prevalent in our everyday lives. (O’Brien)
For businesses, social media is a way to connect and handle relationships with customers. But it takes a lot more than “just sprinkling a little Facebook on it.” (Colt)
Company culture & training is a key component of successful new companies. This is what will separate the men from the boys. (Hsieh) — note: Zappos even trains employees to use Twitter. Not only does it enhance the brand, it helps employees create relationships with eachother.
Journalists of tomorrow need a social media skill set. They need to be on the cutting edge when it comes to online tools. (Johnson)
It’s important to show customers you care, and there’s nothing wrong with going out of your way or being innovative about it. Sending flowers to a customer after you’ve read their Twitter status might sound bold, but it’s surprisingly thoughtful. (Colt)
It’s widely known that companies have problems with managing customer relationships. Just Google “Comcast internet problem” for an example. Companies like Comcast and Dell are now combating this and trying to turn it around using social media tools. (Muller) — note: Muller also stated this amusing fact: “Google is everyone’s homepage.”
When using Twitter, Facebook & other social media, the important thing is to use it intelligently. This applies to both personal and business use. (All)
“People love real people.” Personality, value and access are all important to customers when they’re interacting with a company through social media. CEO’s conversing with customers on Twitter is a powerful thing. (Colt)
Where is this “Social Media Revolution” heading?
You’ll be able to contact decision makers instantaneously. “Walls will be knocked down.” (Colt) It will change the way marketing works, creating broader target markets. (Newmark) Companies need to embrace it and adapt in order to be successful.
Great quote thrown out by Thor Muller:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” –Charles Darwin
Anyway, just thought I’d share. It was a fantastic event and I’m glad I attended. Though I did feel a little odd wearing a nametag that said “Jeff Brunelle, Co-Founder, LacrosseAllStars.com” while I sat right inbetween a big wig from a PR company and the CTO of a leading social networking company. Crazy, but a good feeling.
Here’s a recap of the event by Adam Auriemma from mediabistro.com.
