Recommend This! Delivering Digital Experiences that People Want to Share

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RECOMMEND

THIS!

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RECOMMEND

THIS!

Delivering Digital ExperiencesThat People Want to Share

JASON THIBEAULT

AND KIRBY WADSWORTH

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Cover image:Cover design:

Copyright 2014 by Jason Thibeault and Kirby Wadsworth. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmittedin any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, orotherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright

Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through pay-ment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive,Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com.Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department,

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201)748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their bestefforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with the respect tothe accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied

warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created orextended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies containedherein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional whereappropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom.

For general information about our other products and services, please contact our CustomerCare Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at

(317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Somematerial included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or inprint-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the

version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. Formore information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

ISBN 978-1-118-83669-9 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-118-87285-7 (ebk);ISBN 978-1-118-87288-8 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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v

CONTENTS

Foreword by Phil Fernandez vii

Acknowledgments xi

Preface: Is Digital Marketing Dead? xiii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Business as Usual is over . . . or is it? 9

Chapter 2 Digital Changes Everything 19

Chapter 3 The Importance of Relationships 43

Chapter 4 How We Connect in the Digital World 53

Chapter 5 Measuring the Value of Relationships 81

Chapter 6 Bridging Digital 95

Chapter 7 Understanding Need 99

Chapter 8 Developing History 107

Chapter 9 Offering Curation 117

Chapter 10 Recognizing Faces 123

Chapter 11 Telling Stories 135

Chapter 12 Being Authentic 147

Chapter 13 Delivering Consistency 163

Chapter 14 Maintaining Credibility 173

Chapter 15 Helpfulness 185

Chapter 16 Nurturing Online Communities 197

Chapter 17 Delivering the Promise 211

Chapter 18 Looking Forward 227

Notes 237

Index 247

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vii

FOREWORD

InRevenue Disruption, I claimed that virtually all buying processes

whether as consumers or businesspeoplebegin well out of reach oftraditional advertising, marketing, and sales activities. At this very earlystage, buyers may have an idea about something they want, a feelingabout an unmet need, a vague sense that there must be something out

there to scratch an itch. Buyers search online, and begin to conductresearchwhether they consciously realize they are doing so or not.They begin to scope out their options. They ask their networks offriends and connections for advice and recommendations. They latchon to helpful content, wherever they nd it. And today, most often thisall happens online, often anonymously, in the vast and ever-changingsea of digital and social media.

In response, I introduced the term Seed Nurturing: the notionthat any organization with something to sell must get to these pro-tobuyers early on, providing useful information to mold the buyersprocess and planting the seeds for a future sale. Yet at this early stageof the revenue cycle model, it is very uncommon for a vendor to havea relationship with these protobuyers, and even if it does, its unlikelythat the vendor knows that these early-stage buyers are considering itsofferings. The organization and the buyer are strangers.

But there is rich pay dirt here. If we can begin to master this earlystage of the revenue cycle, our organizations have an opportunity tostand out, separate from the pack, outcompete our rivals, and drive realprotable revenue growth. To do this, we must redene our market-

ing and sales process. Success is no longer about nding buyers, itsabout being foundby those who might eventually value our offeringsand services.

And once we do attract early interest, the focus must be on devel-oping long-term relationships with prospects, rather than clumsily try-ing to close them. If we hand inbound leadsprecious gems, generatedat this early stage through our compelling content and helpfulnesstoa greedy, sales-driven next step, we risk abject disaster.

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viii FOREWORD

Early-stage buyers are rmly in control of their buying pro-

cess. They dont want to talk to a salesperson, or even register on anonline site . . .yet. And in the digital world they have a most importantpowerinstant and frictionless choice. A better, friendlier, more help-ful, alternative is only a mouse click away.

So we have a gap. Lets call it the relationship gap. Early-stagebuyers areinterested in learning about us and our organizations prod-ucts. They dowant to hear suggestions and advice, and they areopen toinput on how to evaluate solutions and make decisions. They will takeall that, and more, into consideration, if (and its a huge if), ifthey trust

that the information is fair and balanced, and the organization offeringit is attempting to be authentic, transparent, and helpful.

To succeed at this stage we must focus on developing relationshipswith these potential customers, building trust and creating a sense ofcollegial friendship. We must move from ABS (always be selling) to

ABT (always be teaching). Or even to ABR (always be developingrelationships).

Digital is becoming the rst stop in a new buyers journey. Tryingto understand what visitors want, or might want, when they rst inter-

act online with our organizations is hard. But it is not optional. If weare going to build true relationships with these protobuyers, we haveto capture their attention, build trust, and seek to begin a two-wayconversation with them. Technology can help. But technology alonedoesnt solve the core issue. We must transform our entire approachto business. Innovative marketing and sales leaders will dramaticallyrethink traditional roles and processes to embrace the relationship revo-lution. Those who do will grow their networks of buyers and recom-menders. In doing so, they will nd a new source for the true sustained,protable, top-line growth that every company needs.

Throughout their many years in business, Kirby and Jasonhave proven themselves not just innovative thought leaders, but alsoresearchers and guides in our collective journey toward improvedrevenue process management. Recommend This! does a fantastic jobof uncovering and supporting the value of relationships. Moreover, itprovides a clear method for quantifying that valuea method that willcertainly stir debate, and may even spawn a new branch on the mar-keting analytics tree. Finally, the book gives us a set of simple, crispactionable steps to help us optimize prospect and customer relation-

ships at scale using digital technologies.

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FOREWORD ix

Recommend This!is a must for anyone who needs to understand

how digital relationships change the way we do business, who seeks themeans to measure and manage relationships, and who has the determi-nation to drive revolutionary change by focusing the organization on

whats reallyimportantrelationships.

Phil Fernandez

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xi

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to acknowledge the following people for their helpand support in getting this book to our readers:

Jay Baer

Nigel Dessau

Ann Handley

Joe Pulizzi

John Neeson

Ted Rubin

Robert Scoble

Mike Volpe

Tony Zambito

Our relationship gurus, Jane Shannon and Sandy Brisentine atMyExecutiveSolutions; our talented illustrators, Thomas Upson andJosh Carpenter; our social ofcer, Eileen Foran; our air trafc control-ler, Danielle Mitropoulos; our web design goddess, Jenn Moreira; oureditor, Shannon Vargo; and our bail bondsman, James Todd.

And, most of all, our wives and families, who semi-cheerfully putup with our late nights, emergency meetings, angst, and anxiety, and

who provided care, feeding, support, and help during our journey.

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xiii

PREFACE: ISDIGITAL

MARKETINGDEAD?

If it ever truly existed, yes, digital marketing is denitely dead.

Thats because theres no real distinction anymore betweentraditional and digital marketing.

All audience experiences are intrinsically digital by connecting insome way to the myriad of new channels like websites, social media, andapps. These experiences change the ways through which organizationsform relationships with their audiencesall relationships must bridgethe real and virtual worlds. Organizations are increasingly being forcedto accept the new order of things. To form and transform relationshipsthrough digital channels, we must embrace the concept that mattersmost: the sum of the audiences experiences across the entire spectrumof touch points. We must nd ways to translate our stories into real

life experiences using nothing but those digital touch points. We mustengage the audience at a real-life, emotional level almost from the verymoment we touch them. Perhaps equally important is the realizationthat organizations must maintain that real life emotional connectionthroughout the engagement process, while reinforcing the intellec-tual and emotional responses from audience interaction as they visitagain and again . . .until they form an enduring bond of loyalty.

We must transform marketing from talking at audiences to speak-ing with them. We must shift our attention from screaming, Look at

me! to quietly asking, How are you doing?We cannot simply bolt digital stuff onto our marketing plans,

or hire an intern to do something digital. The entire organizationmust evolve to embrace the power that digital channels and technolo-gies provide us. As both consumers and marketers, digital is at thecore of our lives now. We interact with digital tools and technologiesthroughout our day. Employees, processesthe entire organizationalgestaltmust transform so that every interaction, live or virtual, isaligned to translate the brands story into a real-life experience for theaudience . . .but within digital channels.

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xiv PREFACE

Are we suggesting that digital should replace traditional market-

ing? No. We are saying theres no distinction anymore really becausedigital has fundamentally changed consumer expectations. People nowfeel that an organization without a website or a Facebook prole issomehow less than those that have these resources. Thats becausedigital has given people a way, for the rst time in history really, toconnect easily with an organization, be it to laud and praise or vilifyand complain. That digital availability is now becoming an audienceexpectation, which is why authenticity must become our lifeblood.

If the interaction between our audience and our staff, services,

and processes does not align with our story, not only will our audiencenotice, but worse, they will tell each other! There is no getting awayfrom itdigital has changed the name of the game from sell to help

with. People are tired of the vultures.

As an interactive medium through which audiences can connectwith organizations 24/7/365, the stories we tell must be good, engag-ing, and emotional. If we come to this digital party with nothing to talkabout but ourselves, our products, our features, and our benets, they

wont let us past the front door. Our audience members want us tocare about, and be involved in, the issues they face. We must add tothe conversation by understanding the issues and having an opinionon them. We must demonstrate not just on a monthly basis, when themagazine with our ad in it used to hit the stands, but on a daily, hourly,even per minute basis that we belong in the conversation as an activeparticipant . . .not the guy hovering at the door as you approach thecar dealership.

Whatever an organizations underlying purpose, it must learnto listen, empathize, contribute, solve, and evolve as the organiza-tion strives to develop long-term relationships with the audience.

Relationships are what truly differentiate organizations in this new,digitally transformed world. Relationships cannot be copied by com-petitors. Relationships, when cultivated and valued, cant be stolen.

Thats why, more than anything, the rst steps in the journey to buildrelationships must be taken with no ambition other than to do onethingto help.

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1

INTRODUCTION

Sociologists will still be arguing into the next century about whyinvasive and assertive advertising worked, for a while at least, in thelate twentieth century, but things have denitely changed. Websites,social media, mobile, and all of the digital technologies that are rapidlyintegrating deeper into our lives, point to one central thingconsumers

have choice.Consumers arent beholden to their television sets, or magazines,

or radio to nd out what product to buy and with whom to do busi-ness. Choice surrounds them every second of every day. The barriersto nding and engaging with competitors have been destroyed by theease of clicking a mouse button or tapping on a screen, which makes

what this book talks about even more important.

The choice that consumers have today reects another impor-tant changebusinesses cant compete solely on product anymore.

Technology enables competitors to spring up overnight. To consum-ers, product features are all the same.

Thankfully, all this change has left one aspect of the businessworld untouched, the one aspect that, well argue, is the crux of cre-ating a truly successful, memorable organization that people want tolove. To share. To recommend.

Relationships.

The problem, though, is that digital makes forming, cultivating,and taking advantage of relationships difcult.

The concepts, arguments, and examples that follow will helpyou understand the fundamental components of relationshipswhatmakes them good; what makes them memorable; and what makesthem so powerful that people want to recommend them to friends,family, and complete strangers. But we also make the argument thateverything a business does online, every engagement through a web-site or status post through Facebook, builds on the foundation of rela-tionships. When we strip away every brand message and every productfeature, we are left with the one thing that truly differentiates an

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2 INTRODUCTION

organizationits relationships with customers, prospects, employees,

competitors, investors, and any other stakeholders.In addition to providing a proven method for engaging and build-

ing relationships online, the book also provides a powerful frameworkto help measure, and manage the opportunity energy of the relation-ships in a network.

RELATIONSHIPSMATTER

What is at the heart of every business transaction? A relationship.Whether its a transaction closed with a handshake (or a hug)

or one that is entirely electronic, it involves a relationship. It mighthave begun with catching someones eye at a trade show, or steppingup to the counter in a department store. Maybe it was an email, orsocial media exchange. Regardless of the form, when we interact, worktogether, form partnerships, or decide to buy something (or not to buysomething), a relationship is at the foundation. Relationships are themeans to prosperity, success, achievement, failure, peace, and war.

Organizations have long understood the value and need for rela-tionships. Every organization must develop and manage relationships

with its stakeholdersspouses, children, customers, voters, congre-gants, donors, players, fans, rivals, enemies. To be successful, an orga-nization must have objectives and goals for those relationships. Maybethe goal is to attract, to exclude, to liberate, to control, to defeat, or touplift; it doesnt matter. Without clear objectives, the value of thoserelationships goes unrealized (or at least unexploited).

All goals must be measurable, which makes relationship measure-

ment so important as welltransactions, prots, dues, votes, donations,readers, likes, friends, and followers. Without the ability to determineif objectives are successful, and to reset objectives as needed, relation-ship development and management falls to chaos.

Ultimately, these relationship targets and goals must drive everyorganizations strategy, actions, and outcomes. Is the goal of building long-term customer relationships more or less important than growing revenueand prot? Are they mutually exclusive? Can a business succeed long-term

without long-term customers? Our natural reaction is to say, Of coursenot! However, how much time and resources does the business focuson acquiring new customers versus building on existing relationships?



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INTRODUCTION 3

Without measurable goals and executable strategies, the urgencies of the

day will overtake even our best intentions for relationship development.This brings into sharp relief the world embodied and articulated

by AMCs hit television show, Mad Men. Does Don Draper and hiscrew care about relationships? If those heavy-handed marketing prac-tices were in full-force today (and we would argue that many marketersand organizations do still practice them), would audiences really payattention? Does a bigger marketing hammer really make a long-termimpact to the companys success?*

We are in a state of relationship transition. Relationships are, and

have always been, hugely important to us as human beings. They driveeconomic success or failure. Relationships depend on communication.

As the world evolves because of digital technology, organizations mustadapt to a new set of rules and approaches for developing relationshipsusing the technologies we are all adapting so readily.

AREDIGITALRELATIONSHIPSREALLYDIFFERENT?

As we mentioned just a few pages or so ago, the answer is No.

Relationships are so fundamentally human that our need forthemwhether online or at a local coffee shopmay never change.

With that said, the world we live in today has a completely newset of rules thanks to digital technology. Those old methods of build-ing relationships, things like face-to-face communication, and having apersonal history with a customer, may not seem to translate to the way

we interact and engage in the digital world.

Which brings us back to the purpose of this book.

*To encourage our audiences today to take actionwe will use the term audiencewhen

we mean the target groups of people we are interacting with to achieve our goalswe

must engage them in relationships. We can no longer lecture, cajole, fool, or demand

that audiences do as we wish. We must interact, discuss, educate, argue, listen, and

most of all help our audiences in achieving their objectives. Only when we do that can

we hope to achieve our objectives.

We will use the terms real-worldand digital-worldthroughout the book. We get that

the real world is really the digital world now, but we needed a terminology structure

to differentiate online interactions, engagement, and relationships from those we have

face-to-face.



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4 INTRODUCTION

Sure, we want to convince you that the single, most important

aspect of an organizations success in todays (and tomorrows) world isrelationships, but we also want to give you something practical to help

you make online relationships work. That s why weve focused a hugepart of this book on translating the principles of building relationshipslearned from the real world into the digital world. You will nd helpfulhints and takeaways with actions you can take that embody and lever-age our advice. We have also engaged the help of many well-knownpractitioners whose advice is interspersed throughout the book.

Our goal is to help organizations operating in the digital world

build the same kinds of relationships they might have if their audiencescould interact with them in person every daythe same kind of rela-tionships, honestly, that have worked for hundreds, even thousands, of

years, to enable us to connect with one another, whether as neighbor,friend, proprietor, or customer.

However, this new shift to a digital world has not transformedthe basic mechanisms within us that help form relationships, nor hasit completely transformed the processes, tools, and structures thathave served humanity for an eternity of relationship building. SincePeter1 scratched charcoal drawings on a cave wall, we have formedrelationships through a cycle of attention gathering and trust building.

Today, when our kids are texting each other at the dinner table, ortheyre snap-chatting their friends on the other side of the couch, theyremind us that the lines between digital and physical are blurred

when it comes to relationships.

They remind us that the past several years of digital innovation haveutterly transformed the human races ability to communicate and, moreimportantly, have transformed our ability to form relationships with eachother and organizations of all types all the time. While we tend to text andemail a relatively small group of close acquaintances, we share Facebookupdates with an often larger and more public group of online handles

we refer to as friends, we may exchange opinions semi-autonomously withstrangers on community sites, or even Tweet to a universe of millions.

GETTINGATTENTION

At the core of relationship development is the need for attention. Inthe physical world, it might be a glance from across the room, a rmhandshake, or an irritating phone call. In the digital world, it might



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INTRODUCTION 5

be a comment on a Facebook status update. Ultimately, regardless of

physical or digital, if no attention is paid, no relationship is formed.If this issue of gaining attention only applied between two people,

we could probably stop this book right now (or at least relocate it tothe Self-helpsection of the bookstore). Only it doesnt. The same rulesapply to organizations. They are participating within the conversa-tion as our friends dothrough their Facebook pages they are don-ning a persona that is easily mistaken for a regular person.* But unlikeus, they are actively out looking for friends, which makes garneringattention even harder. In the digital world, you dont make friends by

blasting out marketing messages about your product! Audiences onlyhave a set amount of attention available, and they will spend it in waysthat maximize their perceived benet. Just as digital makes it easy fororganizations to reach more people, digital makes it just as easy forpeople to ignore.

The level and length of an audiences willingness to spend atten-tion on a particular subject, object, person, or organization is depen-dent on a vast set of factors:

The relevancy and urgency of the messageif Peter iswaving a spear and pointing at a stalking lion, the tribe is likelyto pay close attention.

The credibility and trustworthiness of the attentionseekerno one pays much attention though if they knowPeter has been chewing the red poppy seeds. Again.

The quality and intelligibility of messageif Peter yellsat them in a foreign tongue, the tribes attention will quickly

wander.

Just as it makes sense to think of audiences spending attention,it is best to think of organizations earning attention by providing atransaction of value. In traditional advertising, the audience receivedcompensation for their attention through access to contentthe TVor radio program, the newspaper article, or the website. This form ofattention hijacking works when the audience has limited content

*Jay Baer, author of Youtility, points out that aside from the presence of applications,there is little differentiation between business Facebook pages and personal pages.



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6 INTRODUCTION

options. However, the audience is not necessarily a willing participant,

so this approach loses effectiveness as soon as there is a choice.When attention is earned and spent, a transaction occurs between

audience and organization. Whether for a split second before grabbinga spear and running for the hills, or for hours at a time learning newhunting tricks by listening to stories around the campre, Peter andhis audience engage and share information, energy, and a moment intime together that adds to their historical bonds.

And when that transaction occurs, or especially when it repeats,relationships develop. Positive transaction after positive transaction

leads to a relationship with positive value. However, as we know, rela-tionships are not always positive. If a chest-pumping Peter takes creditfor another hunters kill, he loses credibility. . .and might even lose hishead!

The key to achieving the organizations relationship goal is trans-lating the audiences investment of attention into positive engagementby using it effectively to provide value, build trust, and earn the rightto further investment of attention. All this happens with an eye towardbuilding long-term positive relationships.

WHYAREWESTRUGGLINGWITHDIGITAL?

The key to effectively engaging online audiences is to understandand leverage the fundamental nature of human connections. Why do

we connect? How do we connect? What works and what does not inattracting attention, earning repetitive investment, and layering con-nections to building long-term habitual relationships?

EVENBIGBRANDSFAILATCONNECTING

Robert Scoble is a technology celebrity. With over 4,000,000 people

following what he posts on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter, he has

some influence. You would think that organizations, adopting digital

technologies at an astounding pace, would bend over backward to

make sure they were catering to his every whim.2

Apparently, even the most customer-focused organizations

sometimes dont get how to leverage digital technologies to build and

cultivate relationships.



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INTRODUCTION 7

Robert lives right down the street from the Ritz-Carlton, HalfMoon Bay, California. By his own admission, he frequents the hotel

quite a bitdinner, drinks and chat, or just relaxing with his wife and

watching the sun set. Yet, it would seem, despite all of his visits, the

Ritz has little knowledge about him as a person.

The Ritz Carlton at Half-Moon Bay operates four separate com-

puter systemsone for the spas, one for the hotel itself (reservations,

bookings, etc.), one for the main restaurant (OpenTable), and one

for the smaller restaurant. Unfortunately, none of these systems appear

to be connected to each other. So, if Robert checks in at the hotel,

the hotel system knows who he is (and the person checking him incan leverage that history to make his stay more personal) but doesnt

know what he ate for dinner last night when he visited the restaurant

(OpenTable does).

Its like having a friend and starting over every time you meet,

says Robert. Imagine going to dinner at a friends house and the next

day them not remembering anything about you or the night before!

Thats what my experience with the Ritz is like.

What is the Ritz doing wrong?

According to Robert, the histories contained in the Ritz-Carltons

computer systems are not connected.

If they pulled their systems together, Robert says, my experi-

ence would be much more personalized. They could even integrate

third-party data like Foursquare and provide me a more personalized

experience based on my history with them. Thats kind of like Castello

Di Amorosa winery in Napa where if you follow them on Instagram,

theyll give you a different tour (more focused on the photography)

than the usual crowd.

What makes it worse is when Robert visits the Ritz in London

there is no connection between the two propertiesthey have no idea

he has a long history with the brand through the Half Moon Bay property.

There are very few companies doing it well, Robert adds. So

theres a lot of room for improvement, especially as we get more com-

fortable with contextual technologies. Almost every business could

offer a really personalized experience.

What Roberts experience and insights illustrate are that not

many organizations get the connection between digital and real-

world relationships. They are good at forming relationships face-to-

face (when they have a physical presence), but when their customers

are digital or when digital could be applied to make those face-to-face

interactions better? Not so much.



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8 INTRODUCTION

According to Jay Baer, the author of Youtilityand an accomplished

speaker, the real reason organizations struggle is because they dontknow how to behave in the digital world.

Businesses now have to use the same online venues that we usefor personal and social interactions. Thats the digital equivalent ofselling in church. They have to be very careful, says Jay. They mustbehave. They must act like humans online. But companies are tone-deaf. We are past the hey, should we do this stage and now were inthe how do we do this well phase, which is also known as the awkwardteenage years.3

This book is about connecting the real world with the digitalworld through methods that organizations can use online to re-createthe connections we make in the real world . . .and nding ways toexpand on them.

Its about helping you through those awkward teenage years.

We designed it to help you unleash the awesome power of buildingrelationships, engaging online audiences, and fostering raving fans sothat your customers arent just fanatics of your company. They love you.

Enough to put their personal stamp on your organization.Enough to recommend you.



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9

CHAPTER1

Business as Usual Is

Over . . .or is It?

If you always do what you always did, you willalways get what you always got.Einstein

When B.L. Ogilvie & Sons opened for business in 1919, it facedlittle competition selling coal and household goods to the well-

heeled residents of Weston, Massachusetts.

If you visit Ogilvies today, you will nd a crowded but neatly laid

out arrangement of everything one might need in the way of hard-ware and home goods. The store is brightly lit, immaculately clean,and smells faintly of turpentine, kerosene, and pine. It is a good, old-fashioned smell. Clear, sometimes hand-lettered, signs indicate whichaisle holds screws, and where to nd the charcoal briquettes. Severaluniformed employees constantly fuss about, tidying and arrangingmerchandise on the well-stocked shelves, eager to answer questions,explain how to DIY, or talk about issues in the local community.

At the rear of the store on a raised platform several steps up

above the crowd, behind the wooden sales counter, Kevin Whittemoresurveys the establishment while seated at the same wooden desk thatserved his father, and several grandfathers before him. An old cow-bell clangs, and his well-trained eye shoots to the front door. Mrs.

Appleyard enters, and stops to let her eyes adjust from the sunlightoutside. A spry and passionate gardener, Mrs. Appleyard, by Kevinscount, must be 89 or 90 years old. She takes a step or two further intothe store and stops to admire the bird feeder display Kevins team has

just set up in aisle one. He is pleased to see Ray Glover, his hardware

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10 RECOMMENDTHIS!

manager, step forward to greet her by name and offer assistance. Kevin

cannot hear the conversation, but senses as she pulls a small darkenedlightbulb from her purse, that Mrs. Appleyard is having trouble withher refrigerator again.

Kevin watches as Ray walks her to the proper shelf, selects theappropriate replacement, and slips it into a small brown paper sack. Henods as Mrs. Appleyard smiles, slips the bag in her purse, and offers asmall wave to Kevin up on his dais. No money is exchanged. No creditcard swiped. No signature needed. Ray will note the purchase on heraccount, and Mrs. Appleyard will receive a bill at the end of the month,

with a handwritten note from Ray, Nice to see you. Hope you can ndthe cat food for Mr. Whiskers dinner in the back of the fridge moreeasily now!

How can such a place still exist? Is it an anachronism, a throw-back, a pleasant stroll down memory lane for the ultrarich?

Hardly.

Ninety-three years after opening for its rst day of business,Ogilvies is a thriving mecca for in-the-know locals seeking a newscrewdriver, suet for the bird feeder, lumber to repair the deck, framing

to build a house, or advice on ridding the garden of those pesky gophers.Located on a back road, near an old abandoned railroad track with nosign to speak of pointing the way, Ogilvies parking lot is brimming withLand Rovers, BMWs, Mercedes-Benz station wagons, and rusted outFord pickup trucks from 7 a.m. til 5 p.m. on weekdays, and 8 a.m. til1 p.m. on Saturdays.

Kevin Whittemore and his staff have all the business theyneed, want, and can handle, despite the opening of a Home DepotSuperstore, a Lowes Home Center, and a Walmart on the highway

outside of town. In short, Ogilvies is thriving.How can a place like this survive in the age of Amazon? Isnt it

doomed to fail, a dusty bookstore in the era of e-books? A tube TVrepair shop in the time of hundred-dollar at-screen LCDs?

As he surveys his efdom of old-fashioned service, his knowl-edgeable staff trained to remember names and personal details of hiscustomers, and as he looks back at his bearded, mutton-chopped, andmustachioed ancestors glaring down from their portraits on the wallabove his desk, Kevin Whittemores face shows no concern.

What does he know that we dont?

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BUSINESSASUSUALISOVER. . . ORISIT? 11

The cowbell jangles again as a young mom wearing jeans and

a sweatshirt enters in a rush, her toddler in tow. The child instantlyreaches for a shiny object on the nearest shelf, but she swoops himup on her hip before he causes any damage. With her free hand, shebrushes back a lock of hair thats fallen across her eyes in the process.

Hello, Marjory! calls Whittemore, rising from the desk andstepping down to the sales oor. What can we do for you this nemorning?

Hey, Kevin. She sounds tired and its only 10:30. We need agate, or something, to keep Teddy out of the kitchen. Hes gured out

how to open the cabinets and thinks its great fun to dump my pots allover the oor.

Ha! Maybe we have a budding new drummer for the Warriorsmarching band?

Please. . . thats all I need. Seriously, what can we do? I triedthose handle-tie bars, you know, the ugly white U-shaped thingies? Ihate how they look all over the new kitchen, and Dave got so frustratedtrying to open them that he cut them off and threw them all out.

Sounds like Dave. . .

. Right this way. . .

I think I have just whatyou need. He leads her to a display at the end of a nearby island.Here you go. Its the latest baby-proong set. These clips install justinside the door, so theyre invisible, no ugly white U-shaped thingies.

You slip your nger in here, push sideways, and voil, the cabinet opensup. No problem.

She tries the latch. That is easy to open, and they dont show.Brushing off a small hand tugging at the end of her nose, she asks,Dont suppose you sell aspirin, do you?

Kevin smiles, Of course, right at the register. These may be easyfor you to pop open, but little Teddy wont be able to work the latchwith those tiny ngersfor a couple more years, at least. By the timehe can get his hand in there, hopefully his interest in banging your pots

will have subsided.

Looks good, Kevin, but you know Dave. . .hes a ne teacher,but hes not exactly what youd call. . .handy.

Theyre super-easy; its just two screws.

I dunno. He can be a real klutz, and those are expensive cabinetsyou sold us.

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12 RECOMMENDTHIS!

Im more worried about what else little Teddy might nd in

those cabinets than I am about Dave messing them up, Kevin says, hisexpression showing a faint concern. You did take all the bleach andstuff like that out from under the sink, right? I remember coming intoour kitchen onceBrian must have been three or fourand ndinghim sitting on the oor in front of the sink with a bottle of ammonia inhis lap. Thank goodness, I reached him before he got the top off. Theydidnt have safety caps back then.

Oh my! He could have. . . . She squeezes her kid, and kisses himon top of the head before icking off a Cheerio she notices glued to

his cheek.Here, listen, take one of these cool new electric screwdriver

ashlights. Just came in. Davell have so much fun playing with it, hewont realize you have him doing chores.

She smiles as she takes the new tool.

You know him pretty well . . .youre right, hell love that thing.

Well, come to think of it, Kevin thinks,I guess knowing Daveand allthe other folks in townwell, that's my real job. Isn't it?

He can do it, Im sure, Kevin nods his head at her. But if he hasany trouble, any trouble at all, you call me and Ill stop over and helphim out. Meantime, get that stuff out from under the sink, and lookaround in the other cabinets, too. You cant be too careful.

Customers at Ogilvies do not roam the aisles, smartphones inhand, Googling the online price of every pint of Velux paint, demand-ing Whittemore and his staff match their competitors prices on pavingstones and bricks. Ogilvies charges a premium for virtually everythingthey sell, and they get their price without complaint.

So what is going on here? How has Ogilvies been able to survivefor so long? Why do people prefer to go to Ogilvies rather than lower-priced super-mega stores like Home Depot and Lowes?

Because Kevin Whittemore, and the entire staff at Ogilvies,understand that relationships matter more than money, morethan time, more than almost anything else in our human existence.Relationships tie us together and form the social bond that keeps usall alive. The adage,people do business with people, is as true today (evenon the Internet) as when it was rst uttered. Of course, digital compli-

cates that by allowing organizations to build relationships at a scope

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and scale that Kevin Whittemores ancestors never dreamed possible.

It allows us to connect with thousands and even millions of individu-als as digital friends. It allows us to receive online birthday greetingsevery year from high school classmates we have not laid eyes on sincegraduation day, and to share pictures of babies with the entire universeseconds after their births.

Make no mistake, digital is a powerful thing. Its an amazing, awe-some, wonderful, terrible thing. However, digital on its own does not,for one second, change a thing about our need for relationships andtheir importance in our lives; or their impact on our decision-making,

and their inuence on understanding ourselves.Keep in mind always that digital relationships are human rela-

tionships. As Maya Angelou once said, People will forget what yousaid. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how

you made them feel.

In studying how organizations leverage digital technologies tobuild and enhance relationships with their audiences, we have iden-tied nine key relationship-building elements, and we have come tobelieve that these nine elements form the basis for establishing and

maintaining long lasting relationships, regardless of the mechanismused to connectdigital, face-to-face, telephonic, written word, andso on.

We believe these elements are the key to successful audiencerelationships for any organization, whether the organizational goalis selling something, inuencing audiences to think or act differently,educating an audience, or any combination of the above.

NEEDA desire or problem instigates the attention cycle in the rst place.However, the need that leads to relationships is more than surface need.Its more than the need for a new lightbulb that draws Mrs. Appleyardto the store. In Chapter 3, we explore in detail the kinds of relationshipspeople want/need to have with the organization and its story. Its criti-cal to understand the needs of your intended audience(s). You need toalign your storywhich includes the entire experience your audiencereceives from its rst interaction with you to its lastto the needs of

that audience at a personal level. One of the best things about digital is

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14 RECOMMENDTHIS!

that it enables organizations to monitor continuously changing needs

at an individual level. Rather than focus groups and surveyswhere wenow know buyers are liarsorganizations now have a 24/7/365 digitalconnection to the true, unadulterated voice of the customer.

HISTORY

The history of the organization as it relates to the target audience is acrucial piece of the experience and story you are attempting to convey.

This backstory can sometimes be very evidentportraits of Kevin s

ancestors and historical pictures of Ogilvies past lining the wallsorit may be unspoken like all that Kevin knows about Mrs. Appleyard.However, it exists nonetheless, and it must be examined and under-stood. At the rst moment of interaction with the audience, what do

we know about them? What does the target audience know about us?What have they heard? Who told them? Have we interacted previ-ously? If so, what did they look at, ask for, investigate, comment on, orbuy? This history, this backstory and collective interactions with theaudience, is multifaceted and comes from many sources, some of which

you can, and others you cannot, control.

CURATION

Today we love to curate. We Retweet, Reddit, StumbleUpon, favorite,and friend with abandon. We frequent stores and sites we love becausethe proprietors curate on our behalf. These shopkeepers search for andsell items they believe t our needs and interests better than others. Wepay for this service, in retail prot, in attention and repeat business, andin word-of-mouth. Kevin Whittemores customers come to Ogilvies

willing to spend more money because they understand they will getonly the best and most appropriate products. People pay well for cura-tion because it offers them value. Curation saves time and offers thepromise of quality, selection, knowledge, experience, brand image, classdistinction, snob appeal, and tribal alignment. But curation goes beyonditems we put in a store. Audiences value the experience, the conversa-tion, the interaction as long as it involves their issues, and their inter-ests. Harvard Business Schools John Deighton may have said it best

when he stated, As a museum curator does, a rm must capture whatsinsightful from beyond the corporations view of itself, and store andpresent it in an accessible form. This means nding ways to distribute,

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not simply the organizations message or positioning, but the content of

the conversation, the two-way ow of meaning and creation.1

FACES

Face-to-face interaction creates a powerful reaction in the brain. SusanWeinschenk, PhD (also known as The Brain Lady), writes thathumans are born with a special part of the brain whose sole purpose isto recognize faces. The fusiform face area (FFA) allows faces to bypassthe brains usual interpretive channels and helps us identify them more

quickly than objects. The FFA is also near the brains emotional cen-ter.2According to Dr. Weinschenk, the fusiform face area of the brain

virtually forces us to pay attention to faces. It is why a newborn babyquickly focuses on its mothers face. This actual brain function makesus hard-wired to use a human face as a centralized point for informa-tion and believability. In-person interactions obviously rely on facesto convey stories and build relationships, but how so in the digital

world? Video. The burgeoning use of digital videoeverywhere fromYouTube to websites and now even in emailgrows from the powerthe human face brings to storytelling and relationship building.

STORIES

The human brain is also hard-wired to respond to storytelling. Presentedwith a story that follows the traditional story arc (more on this inChapter 11), audiences involuntarily immerse themselves in the charac-ters, conict, emotion, and ultimate resolution of the storyline. We usedthis trick on you at the beginning of the chapter. Admit it, in your mindseye you pictured yourself inside Ogilvies. If you were ever a young mom,

you may have empathized with Marjorys plight or inched at Briansbrush with poison. If you run a business, you may have seen yourselfin Kevins shoes, ghting the chain stores with pluck, imagination, andpride. Stories are the crux of all great relationships and transformations.

AUTHENTICITY

What feels worse than when you buy something thinking its one thingand realize its another? How would you feel if the Rolex you purchasedfrom the local jewelry store turned out to be a fake? Authenticity is a

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16 RECOMMENDTHIS!

lot of things rolled up into one but deep down, its a feeling that the

person or business with whom we are dealing is real, that they arewhat they say they are. Ogilvie & Sons does not pretend to be anythingthey arent. They offer advice because they think thats right. Theyllrecommend another store if they think it will benet the customer.

They have created an experience with their business that is embodiedby everythingfrom the way their associates interact with customersto how they answer the phone to the products they stock on the shelf.

Authenticity is what forms the basis for trust and for feeling like weknow what we are getting. And online that hasnt changed much. Assoon as organizations hide behind their digital storefronts, prevent-ing people from contacting them, making return policies unclear andultimately undermining the expectations that people have of any orga-nization, authenticity crumbles.

CONSISTENCY

Building relationships means building trust. Trust is built by establish-ing expectations and consistently meeting or exceeding them in a posi-tive manner. Kevin and his staff endeavor to provide each customer witha great, personalized experience every time they walk into the store.Building relationships, especially when the only means of communica-tion are digital, requires that we consistently deliver to our audiencesexpectations at every touch point, every time. If Kevin decided one weekto replace his entire stock with only one brand when his customersexpect choice, he would break continuity and fracture the trust his storyhas developed (especially as a curator). The concept of touchpoints nowextends to every online interaction, and because so many of our onlineinteractions with our audiences are through mobile devices, the concept

is also becoming quite literal. Our online audience is physically touchingour digital touchpoints at all hours of the day and night. That is not tosay that an organization cannot ever broaden our scope. If Kevin wereto enter the furniture business, for example, he could carefully build onthe familiarity with the Ogilvie environment and old-fashioned servicemodel, but add a new dynamic in his audience engagement, offeringsimilar experiences to his customers who need furniture. To be success-ful, he would have to offer the new contentfurnitureand the newstory with the same levels of trust, comfort, and tribal association thathe has developed with his hardware audience.

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CREDIBILITY

What makes a consumer choose one organization over another? Is itjust price? Availability? Selection? Or is it something else, some intan-gible factor that communicates to people, This is the place to shop?

That intangible factor is credibility. Credibility is comprised of twofundamental elementstrust and expertise. Together, these elementstell consumers that the business not only understands what they areselling (and the challenges that their product helps solves), but alsothat their dealings will be above board. In other words, they wontlie about what they know or dont know. They will be forthright and

honest. Coupled with expertise, it makes for a business that consum-ers want to deal with. And in the digital world, it isnt any different.Imagine going to a website where the product information was just asentence, providing nothing of real substance to help you understand

what the product does or how it helps you. That business would havelittle to no credibility.

HELPFULNESS

Developing long-lasting relationships requires that organizationsfocus on adding value, being helpful, and improving the lives of theirtarget audience. Zig Ziglar said it best: Stop Selling. Start Helping.3

This means being willing to delay graticationand not always focuson selling, or inuencing, or getting the result, or reaching the organi-zational goal with every transaction. We have to realize that sometimespeople are just curious and want to learn about something new. Ormaybe they just want a friendly smile to brighten a lonely day. In thedigital world, this is all about content. When people visit an organiza-

tions website, part of that crazy buyers journey we detail in Chapter 4,their relationship need has specic requirements for helpfulness thatpeople like Kevin are innately talented at discerning.

AVOIDINGTHEPITFALL

In this book, we will talk a lot about engagement. But industry expertslike Ann Handley, Chief Content Ofcer at MarketingProfs, believethat engagement (as marketers use it) is just a buzzword.

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18 RECOMMENDTHIS!

The whole notion of engagement for marketers is really an

amorphous term, she says. There is no shared denition of what itmeans to have an engaged customer . . .or an engaged person.

This is why we want to make this point before we send you ona journey through the rest of the booklooking at engagement as athing to measure, to turn on and turn off, to control, is a fallacy. Infact, its the marketers biggest Achilles heel. Why? Because focusing oncharacteristics (i.e., aspects of a person, certain consumer behaviors, etc.)and not the whole picture, the whole relationship, is why digital is soproblematic for marketers today. They keep looking for the justication.

Look, they say, page views are up. I must be doing something right.You can get lots of people to look at your store by lighting it on

re. But that doesnt mean they want to buy anything from you.

I see a lot of marketers of all kinds, whether they are marketing aband, a church, a for-prot business still being very corporate-centric

with the way they approach their communications, says Ann. If mar-keters want to be successful, they need to be customer-centric, user-centric, people-centric. Engagement comes out of this.4

When it comes down to it, business has not really changed, whether

we are operating in the digital world, the real world, or somewhere inbetweenpeople want to do business with people. We all want to betreated as individuals. We crave social interaction. We focus on faces.

We want to trust.

What needs to change is the way organizations (and marketers)look at audiences. They need to see those audiences as people that

want and need relationships.

Engagement is just the means by which we connect to form thoserelationships.

You cannot nd it, you cannot create it, and you cannot manu-facture it.

And, you sure cannot demand it anymore.

You have to discover it.

You have to uncover it.

You have to earn it.

The rest of the book is about helping you make the most of the

power of building relationships in the digital world and hopefullyteaching you the things you need to do to earn them.

Documents

Recommend This! Delivering Digital Experiences that People Want to Share