Word of Mouth Mouse and Mobile
A Sequel of Five-Minute Marketing with More Quick-Read Insights to Leverage Your Story in an Accelerated World
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Chapter 1: Generating WOM, publicity and leveraging social media We are all connected. Never before in history has this statement been so true. Whether it’s online or off, the platforms to share stories are readily available to leverage your business. This fact was driven home to me recently when, with the assistance of Facebook, mobile phones and friendship, I was able to locate and have my lost luggage returned. You can read all about this crazy tale in the chapter-opening article. I use this signature story in my presentations to not only demonstrate the incredible power of word of mouth, mouse and mobile, but to also demonstrate how I have leveraged the story for business publicity. Leveraging social media and publicity is the theme for the first chapter. I hope you’ll be inspired with some ideas for your own business! How Facebook found my luggage and a lesson in how we are all connected I was recently travelling on business, and had the occasion to be transferring planes in Toronto on Friday Feb 8th. That’s the day that Ontario and the whole east coast where hammered by one of the worst snowstorms in decades. Arriving from snowless Vancouver en route to Montreal, I knew immediately that my connecting flight would not be taking off anytime soon. I based this intuitive grasp of the obvious on the sight of the 401, normally a 16-lane freeway that appeared as a single lane, two-track path, without a vehicle in sight. Most flights in and out of Toronto were not going anywhere anytime soon. Looking like it had been pulled from the screen of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, the departures board listing “cancelled” beside most flights, didn’t look promising. Twelve hours and numerous delayed, cancelled and rebooked flights later, I was on my way to Montreal. While I always travel with a carry on for business, I had checked a bag of gear for a day skating on the Ottawa canal with a friend during the return leg home Monday. I had tagged it well and secured the handles together, a key factor, as you’ll see later. Of course no Air Canada flight experience is complete without a delayed flight and lost luggage, and on both counts, the airline delivered. With no bag in sight in Montreal, I filed forms, got my reference number, and headed to the hotel, now 24hr since departing Vancouver. But that’s when the story deviates from the usual lost bag tale. The following day a friend departed Vancouver bound for Toronto also with Air Canada. While we learned of her time imposition on Facebook with flight delays, it was the photo that she posted that caught my eye later that evening. She had taken a picture of hundreds of bags pulled from the carousel in Toronto without an owner in sight. While I was out having dinner, prior to seeing the post, a lengthy discussion had broken out on her wall musing whether one of the bags could possibly be mine. I picked up the thread later that evening, and was quite amazed to see what was most certainly my bag – the blue one, now marked in the photo, with the handles tied together -remember? What makes this story so memorable to this point is the fact that prior to having gone out for dinner, I had logged into Air Canada missing luggage site, and had been greeted with the message that my claim had “no matching record” meaning the name and claim number did not match and the bag did not exist. To now see my lost bag in Toronto airport via Facebook, was quite something! Of course my initial euphoric call to Air Canada to share my news was met with a guarded response. Just how many bags get claimed via a Facebook photo ID? But I decided to call back an hour later and re-frame the story, stating, “I have managed to track my lost bag in a rather unconventional way, and I would like to MAKE YOU THE HERO of my story.” Simply by adding a personal touch and involving this person in the tale, they became engaged and wanted to help. They promised to see what could be done. When I arrived at Montreal airport the following day to catch my flight to Ottawa, I checked on my bag status. It still officially had “no matching record”, however my ticket name reference had a field note that said a bag had been put on a Toronto – Montreal flight and should arrive in time for my connection to Ottawa. Clearly the hero of my story had something to do with this! While the bag missed that flight too, it did eventually reunite with me in Ottawa. And I can say with certainty, that although it did have a name and address attached to it, it’s quite likely it would have been days before that bag would have seen Vancouver if not for Facebook and my friends photo. The technology of smart phones and Facebook certainly facilitated the exercise. But in the end it was the power of storytelling and involving others in the message, that helped spread the word. I think there’s a powerful marketing message there. While we should certainly keep up with technology and utilize the latest tools, they in themselves are not marketing. It is the human touch and storytelling that should be at the heart of your message. And yes, despite the routine customer service issues that seem rife at Air Canada, there is a hero there with a story to tell! I have since been able to leverage this story into coverage by Global TV, articles on customer service, and speaking engagements on the power of social media. One simple random event and a connected world yielded a huge publicity opportunity. What story could you leverage for business gain using word of mouth mouse and mobile?
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About the Book
A powerful story leveraged through word of mouth, mouse, and mobile is the secret to connecting with customers in our time-starved and media-fragmented society. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned veteran, these easy-to-read-and-apply five-minute articles will enhance your efforts. As a sequel to Mary’s first book, Five-Minute Marketing, this book includes the best of her published columns, entries from her popular blog www.fiveminutemarketing.com, and other previously unpublished work. Dip in or read it cover to cover and ramp up your marketing quickly. You will learn how to • generate WOM, publicity, and media interest in your business; • track trends and take advantage of marketing opportunity; • use social media to your advantage; • brand your business, your ideas, or your products; • model winning approaches to advertising from industry leaders; • leverage your story; and much, much more! “Mary Charleson’s 5-Minute Marketing columns consistently provide entrepreneurs with valuable advice about marketing their products, their companies and themselves. This book includes the best of her recent columns along with insights from her blog and previously unpublished work.” —Timothy Renshaw, Editor, Business in Vancouver “Today positive WOM may be the single greatest influencer of a brand’s future success. If you want to know how to succeed Mary’s book is a great place to start.” —Lance Saunders, Executive VP, Managing Director, DDB Canada “Engaging, entertaining, and a born teacher, Mary makes learning fun. From the classroom to the boardroom, she offers up great marketing insights. This book is simply an extension of her style to the written page.” —Charlene Hill, Department Chair, School of Business, Capilano University
About the Author
Mary Charleson, MBA, is a marketing educator, speaker, and strategist. She is president of Charleson Communications, a consulting company she established in 1991. Mary’s career spans over twenty years in media sales, advertising creative development, production, marketing management, and research. She is the author of Five-Minute Marketing, the ultimate marketing how-to guide for the time-starved. Mary passionately delivers keynotes and workshops to help business leaders manage their strategies in an accelerated world. She has taught marketing for City University of Seattle, New York Institute of Technology, UCW, Acsenda School of Management, and Capilano University. She’s been entertaining readers of Business in Vancouver with her pithy comments and astute observations on marketing trends since 2002. Marketing Magazine, Strategy, Marketline, and the Toronto Star have also picked up her writing. For a list of clients and projects, visit www.charleson.ca or, for a sampling of her 5-Minute Marketing insights, visit her blog at www.fiveminutemarketing.com. Mary is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) and the voice of Five-Minute Marketing radio podcast. Her first book, Five-Minute Marketing, was published in 2010.