So, blog posts are a little bit like Twitter in that you can tell quickly if it’s something you’re interested in. How does this happen? Well, titles are a good start. If you can tell what the post is about from the title and it piques your interest, chances are, you’re going to read the entire thing. Still there? Good. But, what I want you to do is read this entire post, and with so many things on the web grabbing at your attention (IM’s from friends, Inbox (3), Skype ringing, etc…), it’s easy to understand why your attention might get diverted elsewhere. So, what is the magic pixie dust that’s going to keep you reading?

For one, a Jedi mind trick like the one I just played on you. Ask a rhetorical question, and it’s likely your reader will continue on in search of the answer. Also, just like seven is the magic number when it comes to deadly sins, it’s the same with a person’s attention span on the internet, only this time, we’re talking seconds…not sloth, gluttony and so forth. If people are into your post and will stick around for at least seven seconds to read it, chances are, you’re going to have engaged them enough to stick around for seven more seconds. I’m no math wiz, but if you keep up with these seven-second intervals, eventually, they will have read your entire post. That’s just one Bill Nye the Science Guy trick, but there are more!

A great way to keep readers with you is to use a subheading (you know, Heading 2 under ‘paragraph’?). When you break-up text like this, it makes it much easier for a reader to scan larger blocks of text and pick out what they’re interested in reading. Bullet points are another way to achieve this, and both of these tactics lead to another tactic themselves: white space. People love when things are at-a-glance, and white space allows the eyes to dart around more, keeping your reader engaged.

Switching to Bullet Points Now

• A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: If you’re a wordsmith who gets great satisfaction from identifying dangling modifiers, maybe pictures aren’t your cup of tea. But for 90% of the population, a little color and graphic representation go a long way. Images are like an attention magnet. If you don’t believe me, look back at blogs you read and see how many people use an image right at the top of their posts. Coincident (that there’s one on mine too)? I think not.
• Word Count: Word count is a gem of a tool in Word, but it’s equally important when it comes to blogs. Keep them short, sweet, and to the point. This blog is currently 520 words long…approximately 20 too many.

The irony is, people can change their minds about following you on Twitter though too. Maybe they saw something that initially piqued their interest, but you went dormant on posting and you’re no longer on their radar screen. #fail.

There are actually some compelling reasons why people delete those they’re following on Twitter. So, if you’re aware of them, you can help protect your following. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Do you have a bio as part of your Twitter account? Knowing who I am following is not only fun, but also informative. If I can’t learn more about you, chances are, I won’t be marching with cyber allegiance behind you.

2. How about a photo? While Twitter may be primarily focused on character counts and words, there’s a space for a photo and you should use it. We are all voyeurs at heart and it’s totally natural to want to put a face with a name, or in this case, handle.

3. Make sure your Twitter account isn’t locked. If you’re hiding your Tweets, how on earth am I supposed to follow you?

4. Tweetbots. If it’s obvious that there is no physical respiration or hand-eye coordination being used to disseminate information, you can bet your bottom dollar I don’t want to hear from you, and other people likely don’t either. Ciao. Au revoir. Sianara.

These are just a few examples of why people may shy away from what you have to say on Twitter. And these are all quick fixes, minus the Tweetbot issue. Twitter can be a fantastic way of creating a social presence, so keep your profile relevant and clean, and the line behind you long.

So many people make the mistake of not proofing the information they’re disseminating to millions of people on the interweb, which is not only embarrassing, but also calls into question your credibility as a company or author. Take this for example: say you’re an advertising or marketing company who is touting your ability to create strong brand messages, build enticing web content, offer professional copywriting, and design effective collaterals, yet your website is wrought with typos and errors. To me, it’s a matter of “which of these things don’t belong” and an instance like that certainly doesn’t make me want to pick up the phone and solicit your services.

After putting up the obviously erroneous Modernism Week logo on Facebook, I knew full well that my fellow proofreading cronies would find the humor in it. This was by far my favorite comment of them all:

“No, it’s okay. A common misconception. This is actually an old English spelling, not often used but can still be seen being used in some tribes of the Febrau clan.”

The lesson here is that taking a few minutes to proof and edit the messages and information you put up online can offer insight into your capabilities. Yes, accidents happen and nobody is perfect, but that’s why spell check was invented. Click it. And click all of the links you put up on your website while you’re at it. It’s your responsibility to make sure the message you’re broadcasting is sound and compelling, otherwise, you might be the next butt of my joke on Facebook.

Michael Porter, a brilliant author and Professor at Harvard Business School, does an excellent job in this short video explaining what strategy is, or more appropriately, what strategy is not. If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, I would suggest reading Competitive Strategy – a very insightful book by Mr. Porter…

The entire article was utterly fascinating in its explanation of how consumer brands are still very confused in their usage of social, their objectives and false sense of achievement.

When chatting with people who are actively involved in the social media realm (in a business role), I am still surprised to hear that the focus on their success seems to coincide with the number of followers or fans they have.

Here is a perfect of example of why more isn’t always better and why quality is ultimately more important than quantity….

The Numbers:

• Dunkin’ Donuts has 80% fewer followers on Twitter.
• Dunkin Dounts has roughly 1.5 million “Likes” on Facebook, while Starbucks has 7.9 million.

The Truth:

• Dunkin’ Donuts fans/followers are 30% more likely to recommend the brand to a friend, family member or colleague.
• People are 50% more likely to have heard something good things about Dunkin’ Donuts than Starbucks.

So What?
Having thousands (or in this case, millions) of fans and followers is pretty cool. I won’t dispute that, but what do these fans and followers really mean to your business?

Are they finding value in your service or product offerings? Do you provide an enjoyable and memorable customer experience both on and offline? Have you created engaging events, forums or initiatives that allow these people to interact with you and your brand and differentiate you from your competition?

In Starbucks case, the answer would be no. The percentage of people recommending their product proves this. When a person is passionate about your brand, they WILL tell people about it. You know, that feeling when you’ve discovered something new or had a wonderful experience and you can’t wait to tell all those close to you about it.

Numbers can be deceiving. In turn, businesses should not solely look at the number of fans, followers, blog subscribers, etc. and be fooled into thinking that they have some type of a competitive edge. Knowing how the consumer really feels about your product/service is imperative. Behaviors, attitudes, competitor positioning, past experiences and future expectations are all important components involved in converting followers, fans and customers into loyal, lifelong advocates….areas in which even the most aesthetically pleasing Facebook Fanpage or social media “strategy” can fall short in addressing.

It’s easy to “Like” something on Facebook – just a simple click of a button. It only takes a moment to follow someone on Twitter. But, as a consumer, actively taking the time and having the passion to convey your allegiance to a particular business or brand is a completely different story.

Is Social Media the sizzle that’s fading? (definitely a loaded question for a group like ours)
Thoughts from the group…

Non-RE – a watched pot never boils, Long term investment, news source, branding tool,

Sizzle fads when the work comes in. Reality settles in. Maintaining the relationships established is where this comes in.

Can’t be everything to everybody=fail

Social Media Similes:
Social Media is like a Chamber of Commerce meeting – just a way to meet a lot of people. More people in one place (ease of accessibility). Still need to meet them in person, get them in the door

Social media is like life: Some things will remain in existence and others will become extinct. It is all one big experiment!

Book Recommendation: Switch by Chip and Dan Heath (Thanks @melaclaro!)

Social Media Analogies:
People are scared to experiment – they don’t want to be a guinea pig.

Elephant v. Rider

Elephant – emotional, pictures (show them)
Rider – Logical

Social Media isn’t always just about one person -  it’s more of an organizational change.

Side Note: A few people have the new EVO….everyone is very excited! (My iPhone is not looking so great right now…)

SEO Discussion:
Hyphens in SEO – the use of dashes? Not the greatest approach. Our brain doesn’t necesarrily think in terms of hyphens.

Things to consider – PR Ranking with Google, value of links coming into the website and linking out from the website.

Page Ranks – Trivia question
Q: Where does page come from?
A: Larry Page – Google’s founding CEO

Out of 1 Trillion sites on Internet only 150 are PR 10 .

Areas that can increase your PR:
Fresh content all on similar topic

People linking to you = domain authority

No follow and canonical links?
No-Follow Links:  Very important if you have a lot of content on your site that isn’t directly relevant to your site. Use the following no-follow link: A rel=”external nofollow”. For example, I used the following for the Larry Page link above: a rel=”external nofollow” href=”http://www.google.com/corporate/execs.html#larry”

Canonical Link: Include this when working with content that may appear on another site. Engines, in turn, note this URL and apply link popularity and authority to the canonical version instead of applying them to duplicate URLs.
Example: <link rel=”canonical” href =”http://www.example.com/product”/>

Importance of monitoring who you are linking to. If they suddenly started placing spam on their site, you’re site’s Page Rank could be affected.

Don’t use cross-linking strategies? Link to me, I will link to you. Although this may sound appealing, it is never a good thing.

Social Reputation = $ = SEO
Investment – acutally like working with currency. Social – retweeting people care about (building currency) SEO= linking and writing relevant content.

The Idiot Principle: No way to people who don’t know what they are talking about…now there is! People call people out on Twitter – it’s actually part of our “responsibility.”

How to handle combative comments posted to blog or Facebook?
Do you remove these? React with words? Let other members of the community self-manage?

I will be heading out of town this weekend for RE BarCamp St. Louis, so SMMOC meeting minutes will resume Saturday, June 19.

Hope to see you then!

Owens cites Prof. Eric Clemons from Wharton “The problem is not the medium, the problem is the message, and the fact that it is not trusted, not wanted, and not needed.”

Of course this transition didn’t take place overnight. It has been gradually gaining momentum over the years. Look at Amazon. It took them years to take over the retail book industry. But the change is impetus and nobody is looking back with nostalgia.

The question many people might be asking is, “Okay, so advertising has no linkage to business growth and increased revenue. Now what?” Social media might be the answer that immediately comes to mind. But, what specifically is important about social media?

Companies such as Starbucks and Zappos could probably attribute the majority of their growth to it….word of mouth. Social media allows people to talk in real time without filters. If a product is terrible, they’re going to say it and nobody is going to stop them. If they had an amazing experience with a service, they’re going to tell their friends, not via phone or email, but in arenas such as Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and FourSquare.

There is no control for businesses to stop or edit what customers are saying. Of course, if they’re smart, they are monitoring these conversations and can step in to extend a “Hey, thanks for the kinds words. We’re happy you liked our product.” Or, on the flip side, “We’re sorry to hear you had a had a negative experience. We want to make it right, so please email me.” Monitoring conversations and engaging is a great strategy, but at the same time, proactive measures can be taken to assist in decreasing negative word of mouth (Detractors), increasing the number of cheerleaders (Promoters) and tapping into the customers who aren’t saying much of anything (Fence Sitters).

In launching a data driven customer loyalty survey, businesses are able to reach customers they’ve already done business with. These people are familiar with the products and services. Regardless if they’ve been using the product/service for as long as ten years or for a mere two days, their opinions will be heard. In reaching out to them directly and asking the one simply question (of course additional information is preferable, i.e. why did you answer the way that you did?) “How likely are you to recommend X to a friend or colleague? (X being the company, product or service), companies have a baseline to start working from.  From this data, root cause analysis can begin –understanding where in the process things are going right, wrong or just mediocre, is there a particular demographic that seems to be happier than others, is there a core component of the business that is causing clients to leave and flock to competitors? With answers to these questions, work to amend the unsatisfactory and to expound upon the positives can begin.

Owens lays a great foundation for discussion. The role of traditional advertising has forever changed. Through creating self propelled Promoters (those highly likely to recommend your company, product or service), businesses are in essence creating free advertising messages that peers, family members and colleagues take more seriously than an advertisement in a non-relevant newspaper. As the use of social media continues to augment, so will discussions about product and service experiences, both positive and negative.

What I found particularly interesting in reviewing these surveys (and numerous case studies) is that companies are setting strategic and pivotal benchmarks to gauge the customer experience throughout the entire experience.

For example, Apple inquired if I was greeted upon entering the store, if there were ample staff members to assist me with questions while selecting my purchase and if when checking out the return policy was explained to me. Basically these are particular moments in the transaction when I might be significantly impressed or severely disappointed. Either way, Apple wants to know, as this information and, more importantly, what is done with it, can make or break a businesses’ reputation.

For example, if I walk into Apple and am satisfied with the greeting I receive (we’ll give it a 7 on the NPS scale, which = neutral), I am extremely happy with the attention I get when trying to select the correct DVI-VGA cable (we’ll give it a 9, which = promoter), but I am extremely unhappy with rude attitude I receive from the cashier who takes my payment (2 on NPS scale, which = detractor). And the ultimate question: How likely am I to recommend the store to a friend or family member? I give an 8, which categorizes me as a neutral customer or fence sitter and is not calculated into the overall NPS score equation. Apple now has the ability to deduce why my answer to the ultimate question is only an 8.  They can then analyze the various points of contact and my experience in each allowing them to see where their shortcomings and strong areas of service reside.

Based on this example, it’s easy to see how this methodology could be directly carried over to a real estate. From individual transactions to daily operational procedures…  A broker might be interested in learning why the company is receiving so many inquiries and leads, yet actually closing so few transactions.  An agent team might want to understand why a buyer who seemed thrilled with the overall experience and planned on purchasing a vacation home in six months never came back. NPS questions can (and should) be structured to address these very issues, i.e. Was there a breakdown in communication? Was thorough follow-up conducted effectively during the transaction? Obviously there are an endless number of questions that could potentially be asked, but the key in the early phases of launching an NPS survey is identifying key areas in which barriers to higher customer satisfaction might occur.

In identifying these focal points in a transaction, there are questions that must be asked and answered – obviously unique to the business model and its past track record. More importantly, it’s important to step outside of the inside, such as having an outside party evaluate these components.  This can be evidenced by a recent study that stated 80% of CEO’s think their brand offers a unique experience…only 8% of their customers agree (Bain & Company, 2007).

Some food for thought: Through the eyes of your customers, what aspects of your business might not be up to par and may be resulting in the creation of individuals neutral about your company or worse, detractors? Are there specific procedures that occur in your business that differentiate your company from the competition?  Answers to these questions can assist in creating a customized survey to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your current operation.

In the next NPS post we will discuss ways real estate companies have used NPS to enhance the overall transaction experience and, in turn, have enhanced relationships with clients.

Prior to joining 7DS, I’d heard about NPS, but didn’t have an in-depth understanding of its operating model. Upon hearing more about it, I was intrigued and immediately started my own NPS Research Project. What I discovered, in a nut shell, is that it’s an extremely powerful, yet simplistic system.

Unfortunately, many industries aren’t tapping into NPS, including the real estate world. There’s an immense amount of information out there, so that’s not the issue. It’s currently being used by hundreds of companies worldwide, including GE, Apple and Verizon Wireless, so it’s not due to a lack of proven success or credibility. So, based on a few recent conversations, I think the challenge is people just aren’t sure what NPS is, how it directly correlates to an increase clients satisfaction, why it makes sense for RE professionals, etc.

So, let’s start with the basics….

What is NetPromoter Score®?

NPS was first developed by Fred Reichheld, the founder of Bain & Company’s loyalty practice group and author of The Ultimate Question, the book in which he discuses NPS and its direct connection to growth and long-term profitability. The core question used in NPS is “Would you recommend me to a friend?”. It’s a surprisingly straightforward, yet deceptively authoritative, tool for measuring customer loyalty to a brand, a company, a product, or a service.

NPS is clear-cut. It doesn’t involve lengthy questionnaires that most individuals won’t take the time to read, let alone answer. It asks one single question (although several additional questions are welcome): “How likely are you to recommend XYZ to a friend or colleague?” where XYZ is a company, product, or service. The responses are collected on a 0-10 scale where 0 is “Extremely Unlikely” and 10 is “Extremely Likely”. Someone giving a score of 9-10 is considered a Promoter, score of 7-8 is considered Neutral (or Fence Sitter), and score of 0-6 is considered a Detractor. The score is computed simply by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters. The graphic above provides a clear illustration.

Here’s a quick example:

• You survey 1,000 past clients with one question, “How likely are you to recommend our agents to your friends?”
• 250 answer 9 or 10 (Promoters); 600 answer 7 or 8 (Neutral); and 150 answer from 0-6 (Detractors)
• Your NPS is 25% – 15% = 10%. This is not, by the way, a good score. You will likely want to find out why your NPS is so low and start looking at ways to improve your customer service experience

Category characteristics:

• Promoters (Give you a 9-10) These are the loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying from you and working with you. They’ll passionately refer you to others and fuel your growth.
• Passives (Give you a 7-8) These folks are satisfied but unenthusiastic customers. Their score isn’t calculated as they are unlikely to tout your product or service to others.
• Detractors (Give you a score of 0-6) This is the group of unhappy customers who can damage your brand and impede your growth in a viral manner…quickly.

Why Would NPS Be an Asset to Me and My Business?

The whole point of NPS is to gauge customer loyalty by matching the survey responses to the specific client and then to their unique behavior and experience with your product or service, i.e. repeat purchase and referral patterns over time. A little bit more about The Metric That Links to Growth.

In real estate, customer loyalty and viral marketing are essential components of the business. Given the utter simplicity of NPS, it’s an ideal solution for most real estate companies, since a good number of agents, teams and brokerages lack the kind of marketing departments, discipline, and budgets to conduct truly scientific customer loyalty studies.

In the next post, I’ll share a few case studies and more information about how real estate professionals could directly benefit from using NPS.

In the meantime, these two books are excellent reads for anyone interested in learning more about the process and psychology involved with Net Promoter Score: The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth (where it all began) and Answering the Ultimate Question: How Net Promoter Can Transform Your Business (the methodology behind answering the question).

[NOTE: NetPromoter Score® and NPS® are both registered trademarks of Satmetrix, Bain & Co., and Fred Reichheld.]

Originally posted on 7DS Associates by Rachel Rusnak on February 1, 2010

One particular piece of information that caught my attention was a reference to The Yellow Arrow Project.  This was the first time I had heard of the project, and I immediately wanted to learn more. Yellow Arrow is a global project that allows participants to explore cities through mobile phone SMS. The basic concept is centered around the fact that every individual brings a unique perspective and experience to a particular region, location or object.

Here is how it works:  a person positions a distinctly coded Yellow Arrow sticker to catch the attention of other individuals. Once the arrow is posted, the “poster” sends a SMS to Yellow Arrow with a unique code and a personal story about the spot where the arrow is posted.   Yellow Arrows are often posted at local businesses, on a unique bus stop billboards or spots where breathtaking views of a city can be observed.   When another person encounters the arrow and is interested in learning more, he sends a SMS with the unique code and instantly receives the previously recorded message initiated by the “poster.”

I love this. I find it intriguing beyond words and, again, very telling of how individuals are creating history and meanings through personal experiences and technology.