Wire Up Your Customer Base

People (we) make excuses about not having enough time. Really, we just have to prioritize better. If Mick has the time to engage and connect the way he does, so do we. If Zappos has the time to respond to @ replies (as do you), then so do we.

We just have to prioritize our time better.

I really like success stories like these using Twitter, coupled with Keyword Branding. Showing pics and blog articles on Twitter is a more refined way of saying “Buy My Product”lol And yes, all helps in long run for search engine indexing, now the Big 3 getting direct feeds from Twitter. What I just discovered tonight, twitpic now allows tags for each pic, going back to list, inserting.

There are 9 coffee shops within 2-5 miles of my home. Except for one, they all have free wireless, play indie or alternative rock music, roast their own coffee, and have comfortable seating. But the one that I get my daily coffee from has no seating, no music but serves up great coffee and fantastic conversation. The owner roast his own beans and is always up for a conversation about our favorite drink. He's gotten to know me over the years and always has something new he can recommend I try. I think he knows my coffee tastes betty than me.

Hi Chris

I get how important the regularity of contact is. I frequently provide copies of articles, weblinks, etc. to folks …but until I read your post I hadn't realized the importance of regularity of contact.

Sigh …now I have to come to grips with one aspect of my entreprneurialness I've been trying to avoid for ages …I don't handle routine well! Time to 'grow up' in that area of my business functioning, perhaps.

Thanks for the wake up call.

Another great post, first the Bar B-Ria tips now down to the local level with free tools and segmentation (keep the good ideas flowing). I am presenting on local marketing tomorrow and will use @toysoldiergames as an example of relationship marketing that works! Thanks for sharing

I think Mick is good at what he does because he likes what he does. I don't know how long he has been in business, but it seems he has learned how to connect with SM, as well as in person! That, I think, is the secret. Show that you really care. It has always worked for me. Many years ago a wonderful “repeat” guest at our inn was talking to a “first timer.” She assured them, “Dennis (my husband) is a talker, but Judy is the communicator!” That, I believe, is what good business is about. Now it is almost always on-line marketing, but remember the printed word and USPS served us well for a long time. The secret was making it be all about the “guest!”
P.S. In case you missed this http://www.denofgeek.com/television/258102/8_wa…
It will make you smile.

what i love?
That he'll throw a very brief polite non-intrusive gchat my way if i am on
to let me know if something is in
WAY better than a phone call
phone calls take time and effort on my part
i *hate* phone calls
it's accessing me the perfect way

AND
he involves the family
ya *gotta* involve the family if at all possible
if you respect someone's kids?
you have a customer for life who tells all their friends with kids about the store

he keeps chris connected via twitter
cause chris is on twitter
he keeps me connected through gchat
cause that's where *i* am

if he didn't do this stuff?
i'd never remember to go back in
i'd not know if the next issue of the comic V loves is in
the place would simply fall off the map for me
that would be 50% less of our business

But OTHERS can handle routine. You can find someone who THRIVES on that.

So happy to see a local guy getting the spotlight for doing something so simple and so smart. Reaching out to your best customers — where they are— and in ways that are meaningful to them. That's what it's all about. And always has been. I'll make a point to stop in at Mick's shop, and tell him you sent me. :)

Now I want to visit Boston and hang out at THAT comic store. *inner geeky girl* I am loving the fact that more small businesses are getting connected to their customers through twitter.

It's the ones that offer special perks for us people that love them so, even better the ones that are going way out of their way to make us come in. Such as with the comic books, I have had a local business here in Tampa send me pictures of food with my name on it.

How many times do you go inside a mall and see salespeople bored at kiosks or inside stores? They could be taking this time and connecting with people through the web, it's not hard all you need is an I-Phone. A little short video of the once dusty piano and organ store playing a special song for a twitter user and bam.. you've got me at least stopping by to thank them.

Kudos to people like Mick!

-Miss Destructo

Oh definitely he sells more than most people who don't do that. The fact that he can really personalize and “inspire desire” in others is a killer selling tactic just in itself.

Love this. Dead simple, but brilliant nevertheless. Taking a few minutes to be personal will really set you apart. Thanks for sharing this wonderful example!

This is why I love my favorite neighborhood restaurant. Not because they have the best food (though it's pretty good), but because the owner and every server in that place knows my order. Because the bartender walks out from the bar and over to our table with a beer for my friend before he can even sit down. Because they know my wedding anniversary and remember what table my husband and I sat at the day we got married. Because they CARE. (A little shout out to the Bone Garden Cantina in Atlanta, GA!)

But does he do this for every regular customer?

If yes, kudos to him as he has it figured out.

If no…then I guess kudos to him too because he figured out how to get Chris Brogan to talk about his store. :)

Great to see! I try and do the same kind of thing for my customers with beer and wine. When I'm doing my ordering I love thinking “_____ is going to LOVE this!” and as soon as it comes off the truck they get a twitpic of it. Simple, effective, and it my customers appreciate it!

Joe
@blatzliquor

I think Mick has a clever idea, but I'm guessing his market niche is a small one. And then there is the time element in how often he can continue to maintain the promotion. Has he gotten any feedback? Whatever, the case, I suspect he is better with it than without it.

I’m defiantly going to use this as reference. Great resources.

Bryan, you're absolutely correct about the website. The only real use I've made of it is for the forums (how most of my customers interact with each other and set up gaming dates at my store).

I'm working on a plan to revamp soon. Once I figure out exactly what I want to use my website *for*. Thanks for checking me out and giving great freedback.

I think this shows how passionate his about not just his business, but also his customers. He goes the extra mile and lets them know that they are special to him. He makes the time to connect with his customers and that's awesome.

So his niche is small. Does it change the tactic?

We're friends. He doesn't have to “get me” to talk about his store. : )

Or convincing them to sign up. Man, no vision. It's the same as getting people to sign up for an email list.

Is it really THAT tricky?

But isn't that the point Chris? He's building his community one by one. Lot's to learn from your friend.

Right, but that's not really a marketing effort, he's already acquired you as a customer, it's more customer relations than anything. Using a fishing analogy; he's keeping you on the line (keeping you updated with items of interest), but I'm sure his ultimate goal of online marketing is to bait a flow of NEW customers.

And instead of one off catch and release customers he does have a clever way of keeping customers on the line, just needs some heavier duty ammo.