For those unfamiliar with how social media works, it can be unclear if and how it would apply to your business. Today I'll show you how it can, in an unexpected industry.
Yesterday I had an interesting realization while talking to a potential client, a winery that was built sustainable from the ground up, creates top wines, and is now readying to launch a tasting room with innovative green building techniques embedded. Before the call, they wrote the dreaded words, "I don't think we'll be able to do anything this quarter. Our budget is way too tight and we'll have to focus energy on more traditional media."
I of course thought otherwise, but it wasn't until our call that the true motivation behind their shift in thinking arose: They did the numbers, and despite all their new school green cred and lack of history to tether them to tradition, their main customers were empty nesters in their 50s.
They said that was likewise confirmed at other wineries they spoke to. Their thinking was that people of that age didn't use the internet as actively as younger generations, and weren't avid readers of blogs or users of social media. So the logical step in their mind was to focus on traditional media outlets and PR avenues, reaching them in the ways they always had.
And then it happened:
I was listening to him, and then I looked over at Twhirl, the client I use for Twitter. On it were not 20 something hipsters, but the C level head of two venture capital companies, an author, and a 20+ year veteran of BusinessWeek, all at or near that age. It was clear to me, and I made it clear to him: Twitter, unlike other flavor of the month social media portals, is used by a broad range of people, and getting broader. People from all over the spectrum are using it to learn about, engage with, and share to others what they find out, are experiencing, and are excited about.
This got his ears.
But what really drew his attention was when I relayed how my own Twitter account has gotten a self perpetuating momentum, with 8 to 20 new followers a day - Really interesting, talented and influential people and businesses, with no effort on my part. He said, "I'd like to have 8 to 20 new people listening to us a day. We get that much in a month." He was beginning to understand.
He also felt that people younger than that bracket, the perceived heavy users of blogs, social media, and other web 2.0 services were impossible to nail down, and prone to straying from brand to shiny new brand. He used himself as an example, saying wines he'd been fanatical about 2 years ago were completely off the radar. Definitely an accurate assessment, under some circumstances. We in our 20s and 30s are much less prone to anchor ourselves to one product, one service, one way of doing things.
But I'd like to propose another scenario: Given a path to get to know who's behind the product they buy, be able to interact with them, know why they do what they do, how they're like you, and how much they are truly committed to creating both a green and quality wine, I see fertile territory for strong brand identification, and deep loyalty.
Yes you have to work harder to gain our loyalty, but once enthusiasts, our ability as brand evangelists is much greater then those that do not utilize social networks, blogging, and microblogging. Whereas their message is spread in person, one to one, at home or events, the social media user can do that, both in person and online, and also quickly get the ear of thousands. And in the case of Twitter, each of those people likewise has their set of followers who receive, talk about, and "retweet," or pass on their broadcasts to their followers.
So do I think they should continue focusing on the current core customer group?
Absolutely. And they have the capability to build on and broaden that foundation, becoming an even more profitable and sustainable (in the economic sense) brand, with the smart use of blogs, Twitter, and things like the free, SEO enhancing, completely customizable Facebook "fan pages" which allow you to do what you cannot elsewhere on there: Have an account that's more then for an individual. The video on this article makes a compelling case for the value of these online outposts, and shows you how to start.
Are you on there yet?
There's a lesson here for companies of any kind: Don't let the historical trends of your industry dictate or shape what you do in the future. Particularly in challenging times. Just because a certain group of people have been the cash cow and another group appears to not be worth your while, does not mean that will always be the case. In some cases, most I'd wager to say, it just means they have not been reached out to where they are, in a way that is credible, and speaks to what they value and seek in what they consume.
What customers are you missing out on?
Readers: So what's your thoughts? Am I on target, or off my rocker? How do you reach older, sophisticated users of the internet? How do you see creating brand loyalty in younger generations? Is it even possible, beyond Apple?
Paul Smith is a sustainable business innovator, the founder of GreenSmith Consulting, blogs weekly on green start ups of note at Triple Pundit and has an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco. He creates interest in, conversations about, and business for green (and greening) companies, via social media marketing.
