Wet Seal is a clothing store geared towards teenagers who want to follow the latest trends. The company has a unique social media strategy. Teens can create their own outfits and rate other outfits. Additionally, they can talk about current styles with their friends. Bernie Brennan and Lori Schafer use Chapter 6 of Branded! to focus on this strategy and the success of the company.
Wet Seal's customers are very familiar with social media and mobile technology. In 2007, Outfitter, Wet Seal's online social community, was formed by chief executive officer Ed Thomas and chief information officer Jon Kubo. Outfitter allows users to create outfits that are placed in virtual closets. Also, these outfits can be voted on by other Outfitter users. This allows users to see what the most popular outfits are. Also, if a user creates an outfit and it is very popular, it is likely other people will buy it, because it has been approved by others.
The Facebook presence of Wet Seal is growing quickly. In its first year, Wet Seal's Facebook page had close to 650,000 fans. Fans get exclusive coupons, check out behind-the-scenes photos and videos and interact with other fans. The newest tool is the "Shop with Friends" app. The app allows customers to shop with friends and family online in real time, as both parties view the same Web page. The parties can ask and answer questions during a shopping session. This is a new idea that could be successful in other stores.
Twitter and YouTube are also used by Wet Seal. While Twitter is not as popular, there are many tweets about Wet Seal that can be seen daily. The company has a YouTube channel with videos from photo shoots and fashion contests. Also, fans can post videos that show their "Wet Seal Haul." Fans can show off what they recently bought.
I think Wet Seal has a good social media strategy that is appropriate for their audience. The Outfitter app allows fans to create and vote on their favorite outfits. The "Shop with Friends" app lets a customer get insight about a possible outfit from a friend. "Wet Seal Haul" videos are a new way for fans to interact with the company. Also, people watching a "Wet Seal Haul" video may be interested in an outfit and want to buy it, resulting in more sales for the company. As time passes, I believe Wet Seal will continue to add new mobile apps and grow their social media strategy.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Zappos Strives to Wow Customers
A lot of companies do not share their culture with the world. One exception to that is Zappos. Chapter 5 of Branded! explains how Zappos is adventurous and creates family spirit to give customers the "wow" factor. This company culture results in positive employees who treat customers the same way they are treated in the company. Zappos is now a leader in social media.
There are ten important values in the Zappos company. They are:
1. Deliver WOW through service.
2. Embrace and drive change.
3. Create fun and a little weirdness.
4. Be adventurous, create and open-minded.
5. Pursue growth and learning.
6. Build open and honest relationships with communication.
7. Build a positive and family spirit.
8. Do more with less.
9. Be passionate and determined.
10. Be humble.
It was interesting to learn the values were not created by just the management team. Chief executive officer Tony Hsieh allowed every employee to help develop the company's values. This showed Zappos as a united team with internal communication and dialogue between customers and vendors (p. 82).
Zappos is well known for using Twitter. The company started using Twitter in 2007 as a text messaging service between employees. The company eventually realized outside people could listen to these conversations. As time went on, people retweeted tweets from Zappos and interacted with Zappos employees. This helped create open communication, which is part of a key value of Zappos.
Zappos has found a way to "wow" their customers. Zappos employees treat customers the same way employees are treated. If a customer has a question on Twitter, an employee is able to answer that question. The core values of Zappos directs what employees should do and how they should do things. These work together to intrigue customers, who are more likely to use Zappos in the future.
There are ten important values in the Zappos company. They are:
1. Deliver WOW through service.
2. Embrace and drive change.
3. Create fun and a little weirdness.
4. Be adventurous, create and open-minded.
5. Pursue growth and learning.
6. Build open and honest relationships with communication.
7. Build a positive and family spirit.
8. Do more with less.
9. Be passionate and determined.
10. Be humble.
It was interesting to learn the values were not created by just the management team. Chief executive officer Tony Hsieh allowed every employee to help develop the company's values. This showed Zappos as a united team with internal communication and dialogue between customers and vendors (p. 82).
Zappos is well known for using Twitter. The company started using Twitter in 2007 as a text messaging service between employees. The company eventually realized outside people could listen to these conversations. As time went on, people retweeted tweets from Zappos and interacted with Zappos employees. This helped create open communication, which is part of a key value of Zappos.
Zappos has found a way to "wow" their customers. Zappos employees treat customers the same way employees are treated. If a customer has a question on Twitter, an employee is able to answer that question. The core values of Zappos directs what employees should do and how they should do things. These work together to intrigue customers, who are more likely to use Zappos in the future.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Social Media for Your Business
In today's world, many people shop online. Chapter 1 of Branded! talks about bringing your store to your customers. This requires companies to utilize social media pages, such as Facebook and Twitter. Bernie Brennan and Lori Schafer also use the chapter to talk about customer engagement and the importance of social media for companies.
The Internet is a powerful tool for customers. They can write product reviews, share their positive experience at a store, vent about a negative experience and so much more. This gives customers the ability to be in charge and share their thoughts on a store's products and experience. Companies should be interested to learn what people have to say. By listening to customers, companies can engage with customers and try to remedy any problems quickly, before they get bigger.
It is important for companies to use social media. Companies can monitor their social media pages to find out what people are saying about them. This includes positive and negative comments. Today, it is very common for an unhappy customer to post a rant on a company's Facebook page. If a company notices this post, an employee can respond to the post and try to help the customer. Not only does this show a human side to your company, but it also lets the customer know that someone cares and wants to fix the problem. On the other hand, if a customer posts a great experience, you can publicly thank that person for the compliment.
When social media is used by a company, the brand is being amplified. If there is a post about an upcoming promotion, fans can share that post with their friends, who can share it with their friends. The message is being shared with more people, and as a result, more people could come into your store. These people would then be likely to share their experiences and thoughts with their friends through social media.
The Internet is a powerful tool for customers. They can write product reviews, share their positive experience at a store, vent about a negative experience and so much more. This gives customers the ability to be in charge and share their thoughts on a store's products and experience. Companies should be interested to learn what people have to say. By listening to customers, companies can engage with customers and try to remedy any problems quickly, before they get bigger.
It is important for companies to use social media. Companies can monitor their social media pages to find out what people are saying about them. This includes positive and negative comments. Today, it is very common for an unhappy customer to post a rant on a company's Facebook page. If a company notices this post, an employee can respond to the post and try to help the customer. Not only does this show a human side to your company, but it also lets the customer know that someone cares and wants to fix the problem. On the other hand, if a customer posts a great experience, you can publicly thank that person for the compliment.
When social media is used by a company, the brand is being amplified. If there is a post about an upcoming promotion, fans can share that post with their friends, who can share it with their friends. The message is being shared with more people, and as a result, more people could come into your store. These people would then be likely to share their experiences and thoughts with their friends through social media.
Social media is a powerful tool for businesses. They learn what customers are saying. Employees can help customers who experience a problem. Plus, the company's brand gets amplified when content is shared. While it may be overwhelming at first, companies can figure out if what they post gets a positive response, or if they need to change their messages.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Twitter as a Service Channel
Since March 2006, Twitter has grown into a main online community. Chapter 7 of Delivering Effective Social Customer Service talks about Twitter as a service channel. It is a great tool for companies to help customers when they have problems. Carolyn Blunt and Martin Hill-Wilson discuss how Twitter is used by people and companies.
Many people use Twitter on a daily basis. Blunt and Hill-Wilson provide some interesting facts. One in three people check Twitter during their commute. One in four use Twitter while shopping. Also, people who use mobile devices are 40 percent more likely to access Twitter multiple times in one day (168). These statistics do not surprise me. Twitter is a great way to get real-time updates. We want to stay informed, whether there is breaking news or a friend shares good news.
There are a number of tips that Blunt and Hill-Wilson give to companies, but three tips really stuck out to me. The first tip is for companies to acknowledge issues quickly. When we have a complaint, we want an answer now. We do not want to wait for hours or days for a response. Another tip is to be as human as possible in the response. People do not want a generic, automated response. One way to show a human side is to use initials or first names to end a response. This shows a personal side of the company. The final tip is for companies to be empathetic. You want to show customers that you understand how they feel. The phrase "I am sorry" is very important.
Twitter is a great way to assist customers with their questions and complaints. In today's world, when we have a question, we want an instant answer. When we get that instant answer, we are more likely to thank the company on Twitter and other social media sites. By including a name or initials in the response, it shows a human side of the company. I think Twitter will continue to be a main service channel for many years to come.
Many people use Twitter on a daily basis. Blunt and Hill-Wilson provide some interesting facts. One in three people check Twitter during their commute. One in four use Twitter while shopping. Also, people who use mobile devices are 40 percent more likely to access Twitter multiple times in one day (168). These statistics do not surprise me. Twitter is a great way to get real-time updates. We want to stay informed, whether there is breaking news or a friend shares good news.
There are a number of tips that Blunt and Hill-Wilson give to companies, but three tips really stuck out to me. The first tip is for companies to acknowledge issues quickly. When we have a complaint, we want an answer now. We do not want to wait for hours or days for a response. Another tip is to be as human as possible in the response. People do not want a generic, automated response. One way to show a human side is to use initials or first names to end a response. This shows a personal side of the company. The final tip is for companies to be empathetic. You want to show customers that you understand how they feel. The phrase "I am sorry" is very important.
Twitter is a great way to assist customers with their questions and complaints. In today's world, when we have a question, we want an instant answer. When we get that instant answer, we are more likely to thank the company on Twitter and other social media sites. By including a name or initials in the response, it shows a human side of the company. I think Twitter will continue to be a main service channel for many years to come.
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