digital marketing Archives - Page 11 of 14

The power of simplicity

By Patrick Gant

I’m recent customer of Netflix, an American-based online service for movies that was only recently introduced here in Canada. For a very modest monthly fee, you can stream films to your deskop, iPad or TV. Just as important, it remembers where you were in a film, should you decide to pause and then pick up later on a different device. It also has a pretty intuitive way of suggesting movies you might enjoy, based on the feedback you provide. Just as important, it doesn’t feel like work to use this service.

Granted, they don’t have the same selection of new releases as you might find at the local video store. They also don’t seem to excel at having all the typical mainstream films you’d typically expect from a brick-and-mortar operation.

But that’s okay. And the reason why it’s okay is that Netflix does one thing, really, really well.

It makes it easy to find a good movies to watch.

Daring Fireball zeroed in on that today with a choice quote from the Chief Product Officer at Netflix who summed up what they’ve learned about delivering an online service: “simple trumps complete.”

Simplicity is a passion that I share, too.

Simple is hard. It doesn’t trivialize a complicated problem. Rather, it means that you have thought long and hard about that problem and have found a way of solving it that will meet and even exceed the expectations that people have.

Simple means more than just minimizing steps. It means you have taken the time to figure out what matters most to your customers and delivering unfailing on that need, versus trying to deliver many promises and being just adequate most of the time.

Be nice to your back: buy a good office chair

By Patrick Gant

This came up in a discussion I had the other day, and the advice I offered is important…the kind that’s based on “don’t make the same mistake as me, folks.”

If you spend a lot of time in your office, buy the absolute best, most comfortable, most adjustable office chair you can find. Put “low price” at the bottom of your list of must-haves.

You are going to spend more—maybe even a lot more—than you would by buying the chair featured in your local special-of-the-week flyer. But take it from me: don’t buy a cheap chair. I’ve gone through a legion of them over the years, and there are only two things you can count on: a cheap chair will kill your back and you’ll be back at the store again soon looking for a replacement.

Lots of folks have great things to say about Aeron chairs. I liked them too and nearly bought one until I discovered Steelcase’s chairs. Two models in particular: Leap and Think.

Better range of adjustments, solid parts that fit into a sensible sustainable development strategy, plus a good supply chain and service network. Those are all pluses…but the key benefit is that these chairs are really comfortable…even in cases where you’re sitting for extended periods.

The value of your existing customers

By Patrick Gant

Earlier this month, I attended a small business forum and the discussion there soon turned to finding new markets for products and services. There were plenty of great ideas about finding new customers, and yet surprisingly there was little said about how taking care of your existing customer base can help boost that bottom line.

Finding and landing new business is still the most expensive kind of activity that an organization can engage, whereas reaching out to those who already know you is virtually risk-free.

How expensive is it, you might ask?

Flowtown’s infographic geniuses are all over this with some eye-popping facts about attracting and retaining your customers:

it’s up to seven times more expensive to acquire that new customer than it is to retain an existing one
you risk having a 50% attrition rate on dormant accounts
even just a 5% increase in retention rates can yield substantial boosts in profits.

So what’s the best way to capitalize on that loyal base of people who are already sold on the great work that you do?

My good friend (and long-time client), Colleen Francis offers rock-solid advice on going well beyond the piecemeal approach of calling people haphazardly. The right way is to engage a client retention system. Make it a habit in how you do business.

Don’t confuse what people buy with what you are selling

By Patrick Gant

“What people buy and what you sell are not the same things.” This is something I’ve believed as a marketer and copywriter for a very long time.

I was reminded of this recently while re-reading Cory Doctorow’s criticism of the iPad, way back when it was a brand-new thing.

His argument, in essence, was that the iPad failed because it’s not a computer.

Well, he’s half right. There’s nowhere that I can see in the box-copy or in Apple’s online material that says this device is a computer.

That’s not an oversight. And it’s not that the iPad isn’t a computer (it is).

It’s just not important.

Most people don’t want to buy computers. They want things to help them do stuff.

It’s no different than what we see with cars. Sure there are some who love to tinker and pull things apart and revel in the technical details of how the car operates. Then there’s the other 95 percent who just want something that runs well, looks good and gets them where they want to go and are entirely uninterested in the technology making that happen behind the scenes.

Realizing this is what fuelled a lot of the deep thinking that went into designing the iPad. Really…what would be the point of a MacBook Air minus a keyboard other than just being a MacBook Air minus a keyboard?

It’s not a coincidence that in 2007 Apple quietly pulled the word “computers” from their corporate name. It’s not just because their product line has outgrown the word. It’s because the meaning behind the word is not all that relevant to a large segment of the population.

They build and design computers. But what their customers buy are devices that help them do things.

What you are selling and what people buy are two different things.

The secret behind the rise of Singapore and Hong Kong as world centres

By Patrick Gant

Just finished reading Stewart Fraser’s Global Financial Centres report 2010 (PDF), which looks at what attracts people to locate in various international financial centres across the world.

My attention is particularly drawn to Asia, where Hong Kong and Singapore continue to cement their third- and fourth-place rankings as world financial centres (click on chart at the bottom of this article to view full sized). Not only are they credited for having rebounded faster from the recession than their counterparts in London and New York, they also get better marks (Singapore in particular) for the quality of the people they have on-hand.

Look a little deeper and you can see what’s behind that: a steadfast focus on innovation and education.

The old maxim is true: money goes where it’s most welcome, but it applies to people, too. Smart people go where they’re given the budget and resources to take great ideas and do amazing things with them.

(Chart: Global Financial Centres report 2010)

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