RRLA » B2B http://blog.redrocketla.com Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:06:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 en hourly 1 Social Media – Rules of Engagement http://blog.redrocketla.com/2010/05/25/social-media-rules-of-engagement/ http://blog.redrocketla.com/2010/05/25/social-media-rules-of-engagement/#comments Tue, 25 May 2010 18:16:15 +0000 Scott Posner http://blog.redrocketla.com/?p=426 social mediaIn Brian Solis‘ book, Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate and Measure in the New Web, he outlines 21 “rules of engagement” or best practices that will encourage thoughtful interaction between brands and customers. Here’s a look at the top 10. For the complete list, view his post on Mashable.

1. Discover all relevant communities of interest and observe the choices, challenges, impressions, and wants of the people within each network.

2. Don’t just participate solely in your own domains (Facebook Fan Page, Twitter conversations related to your brand, etc.). Participate where your presence is advantageous and mandatory.

3. Determine the identity, character, and personality of the brand and match it to the persona of the individuals representing it online.

4. Establish a point of contact who is ultimately responsible for identifying, trafficking, or responding to all things that can affect brand perception.

5. As in customer service, representatives require training to learn how to proactively and reactively respond across multiple scenarios. Don’t just put the person familiar with social networking in front of the brand.

6. Embody the attributes you wish to portray and instill. Operate by a code of conduct.

7. Observe the behavioral cultures within each network and adjust your outreach accordingly.

8. Assess pain points, frustrations, and also those of contentment in order to establish meaningful connections.

9. Become a true participant in each community you wish to activate. Move beyond marketing and sales.

10. Don’t speak at audiences through canned messages. Introduce value, insight and direction with each engagement.

Click for the complete list.

]]> http://blog.redrocketla.com/2010/05/25/social-media-rules-of-engagement/feed/ 0 And the award for best customer service in 2009 goes to… http://blog.redrocketla.com/2010/01/13/and-the-award-for-best-customer-service-in-2009-goes-to/ http://blog.redrocketla.com/2010/01/13/and-the-award-for-best-customer-service-in-2009-goes-to/#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:37:34 +0000 Scott Posner http://blog.redrocketla.com/?p=361 Each year, American Express sponsors The Customers’ Choice Awards to honor retailers who deliver top-notch customer service. For the third year in a row, L. L. Bean took first place. Check out this year’s  other winners as just announced at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show.

]]> http://blog.redrocketla.com/2010/01/13/and-the-award-for-best-customer-service-in-2009-goes-to/feed/ 0 Making trade shows work for you http://blog.redrocketla.com/2009/11/13/making-trade-shows-work-for-you/ http://blog.redrocketla.com/2009/11/13/making-trade-shows-work-for-you/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:18:17 +0000 Scott Posner http://blog.redrocketla.com/?p=274 tradeshowTrade shows are a great way to build business, network, and experiment with new cocktails. But they do require your time and money, so it makes sense to try to get the most out of your investment. In a recent post on Skyline Tradeshow Tips, Michael Flavin highlights five key strategies for increasing the effectiveness of your trade show participation.

  1. Choose a trade show that offers the possiblility of success. This means rolling up your sleaves and doing some research. You’ll want to find out what shows will appeal most to your target, how many people have attended the show in the past, how well the show is promoted, related costs, etc.
  2. Set your goals. What do you want to get out of the show you’ve selected? Are you there to make sales, build a database or just network? Decide on this prior to attending so you can determine afterward if the show was a success.
  3. Put the proper people in place. All that money you spend on fancy booth graphics, the slick DVD and stylish brochure won’t matter if the people you have behind your table don’t know how to work the show. Make sure your people know how to qualify leads so they’re spending their time with viable prospects versus someone who just after a free key chain.  Which brings up the next point…
  4. Make your promos memorable. Really, how many key chains do you need? Consider doing something more conceptual that ties in to your product or service. And don’t rely solely on a giveaway to promote yourself. Prior to the show you should be contacting attendees/exhibitors via email or direct mail to let them know you’ll be at the show and why they should care. Many shows allow you to purchase a list of attendees for just this purpose.
  5. Follow up. If you put in the effort, you’ll likely capture some great leads during the show. But if you don’t follow up with them, it’s all a waste. This is where discipline really comes into play. Have a clear system in place for following up so after the show you’re ready to strike while the iron is still hot. Wait too long, and they may forget about you.

Read Michael Flavin’s original post here.

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