A few weeks back I was watching everyone’s favourite weatherman, Jeff Hutchison, on Canada AM as he introduced viewers to a recent posting on You Tube from a small book store on Queen Street West (Type bookstore 883 Queen Street West) in Toronto. You can check out this video on You Tube at  http://youtu.be/SKVcQnyEIT8. The video had been viewed over 600,000 times at that point and now is just under 3M views. Over a 24 hour period I saw print and television spots on the content and you can only imagine the media value that this little store created by crafting a unique and inspiring video that captures people hearts, minds and passion for books. Great work at driving awareness and  potential customers by engaging them in great content.

 Lancaster Ltd is another company I have worked with that does this really well. They are a history driven company that creates content that dives into the stories of its partners and then uses social media to drive the interest and engagement to get the message out. Their use of videos, interviews, photo shoots and their garments, often create unexpected results… This past Movember they connected their friend Snoop Dogg with Movember to ’Keep it Neat’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cH8DdsmOow

 Most recently they launched a tribute film to Muhammad Ali on his 70^th birthday. They connected current fighters, legends, and again, Hip Hop Icon Snoop Dogg. You can see it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi0zyAI4GNI

 In an ever changing landscape these guys have evolved into a company that is building great content to engage consumers in a very unique way. You can check out their website and some of the amazing content that they have created to date at www.lancasterltd.com.  They understand that spending money and time up front to authentically engage consumers, in expectation of driving authentic engagement and loyalty, is the way of the future for brands. Pull vs. Push.

 The two examples above really have to make you wonder about the organizations who continue to push their message out to consumers. The push is usually an easier sell to senior management as you can buy GRP’s and show wonderful charts to justify the spend and you don’t have to load up on department of young wizards that know more about social media than most. What the Type book store, Lancaster Ltd. and a few others have done is changed the landscape. They are leading with the consumer value. Giving the consumer what they are looking for (even sometimes things they didn’t even know they wanted) in exchange for their interest and loyalty, not making the consumer pay to allow them to be loyal as a result.

 The future is bright for the consumer and for those businesses that understand the difference and make the effective change of engaging their customers.

 Cheers,

Pete

A good friend of mine and a great writer, had a great customer experience and wanted to share it with the Bomber following. Thanks for writing Caron.

The Ten Spot: How to differentiate your business – both online and offline – in a crowded, price-driven mani-pedi marketplace

 These days, there seems to be a nail/beauty bar every couple blocks in downtown Toronto. Many are popping up in the retail space of new condo developments. With this kind of competition, many nail bars are competing on price. You can get a manicure and pedicure for as low as $35 without tax if you pay cash at some establishments. 

 Then there is The Ten Spot, a beauty/nail bar that charges more than its local competitors but offers an excellent customer experience. A customer experience that’s so great…I’m willing to pay a little extra for it – $30 for a manicure, $50 for a pedicure. 

The best part of The Ten Spot is the staff – they are fantastic! They make an effort to look you in the eye and engage you in conversation, which is unfortunately rare for many nail/beauty bars. I was surprised during a February visit when one of the staff members remembered to ask me about a trip I took the previous fall. Impressive!

 I consider myself to be a social media/social business enthusiast, so I appreciate The Ten Spot’s social media/technology savvy. The Ten Spot offers iPads for customers to use while they are getting their pedicures. When I tweeted about The Ten Spot’s iPad offer, one of my social media contacts Judi Samuels, Director of Marketing for the Fairmont Royal York, retweeted and referred to it as a “purple goldfish” – a reference to Stan Phelp’s book “What’s Your Purple Goldfish: How to Win Customers and Influence Word of Mouth.” 

 Stan’s concept of a “purple goldfish” is “any time a business goes above and beyond to provide a ‘little something extra.’ It’s that unexpected surprise that’s thrown in for good measure. It’s also giving your customers something to talk, tweet, blog and post to Facebook about.” 

 Another example of a “purple goldfish” offered by The Ten Spot is the wrapping of your feet in Vaseline and plastic wrap after a pedicure. This “something extra” ensures your pedicure isn’t ruined once you put your shoes back on for the trip home. 

 The Leslieville location – in a neighbourhood known for its proliferation of moms, babies and strollers – also offers complimentary baby minding service for clients on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is a great way to draw in customers during non-peak hours while offering a value-added service to busy stay-at-home moms or those on maternity leave, who often don’t have the time or a babysitter to be able to attend beauty appointments.

 The Ten Spot is also very active on Twitter. I often tweet about my experiences there, and they are quick to retweet and reply to my tweets. Last summer, I was invited via Twitter to receive a free mani/pedi from one of their trainees. This is a good way to reward your Twitter followers and loyal customers, while providing necessary experience for your new employees.

 The Ten Spot is a great example of a business that can charge a higher price for its services because it differentiates its business from its local competitors based on offering clients a great customer experience.

I had to pass it along  as  it made so much sense….

“Good customer service means having people come back because they want to, not because they have to.”

Thanks Carly!

Cheers,
Pete

Hey Bell Canada, well done in supporting such a great cause as mental health. We know it is out there and we just need to get people talking. Clara Hughes is a great spokesperson for the campaign and someone that people can look up to for what she has overcome and for her honesty about her battles.

“Fighting stigma is critical to advancing Canadian mental health, and it’s the first pillar in the Bell Let’s Talk mental health initiative,” said Clara Hughes, Canada’s six-time Olympic medalist and the smile at the forefront of the Bell Let’s Talk campaign. “By telling my own story, I’m proud to be a part of the conversation that is having such a positive impact on the lives of every Canadian affected by mental illness. We’re really looking forward to topping the more than 66 million texts and calls made on Bell Let’s Talk Day last year – and based on the incredibly positive reaction to Bell Let’s Talk I get from people everywhere in this great country, I know we can do it!”

For those of you who have Bell Canada mobiles, start texting and making long distance calls to raise funds for the casue. You too deserve a round of applause for your efforts!

If you are battling any issues, here is a number to call to get support if you live in Ontario: 1-866 531-2600

For the rest of Canada I was able to find this number: 1-800-448-3000

Take care of eachother,

Pete