Year: 2011

Social Media Lessons from… a Taxi Driver?

Dana PhelpsBlog, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , 12 Comments on Social Media Lessons from… a Taxi Driver?
I'm not the first person to notice @ChicagoCabbie's social media savvy. Chicago Dispatch just wrote about him, too.

How many times have you heard someone say “social media doesn’t apply to my business,” or “we can’t really use social media for what we do”? Are you guilty of saying that yourself? If so, this post is for you! I hope it will open your mind to new ways of working and thinking about customer service.

It all started when I was in Chicago a few days ago. My friend and fellow PRSA‘s Counselors Academy member, Lisa Gerber, offered to tweet me a cab. That’s right. Not call me a cab. Tweet me a cab. Lisa is social media hip like that.

I eagerly awaited the arrival of @ChicagoCabbie as my mind flooded with questions I wanted to ask this tweet wielding taxi driver. Based on his answers, here are my top three lessons that could apply to any business (or person) looking to create or raise a social media presence:

  1. Be curious. @ChicagoCabbie was an early Facebook adopter. When he heard about Twitter, he wanted to see what it was all about, too. Initially, he didn’t love Twitter, but he continued to experiment and wonder how he could use it.
  2. Ask yourself: What can I offer? After 13 years of driving passengers around the Windy City, @ChicagoCabbie knows a thing or two about the taxi industry. He also has a lot of general knowledge of the city and how to get around in it. People have questions. He has answers.
  3. Be honest about what you want out of it. And what you are getting out of it. “Are you getting more customers?” I excitedly asked, thinking I knew the answer. “There are still the same number of hours in my shift,” @ChicagoCabbie answered. True, very true. But consider this — as his last customer of the day, I was the fourth out of eight or nine passengers who requested pick-up via Twitter. Let’s just go with the easy math and say that’s 50 percent of his customers that day and think about the experience for the “Twitter half.” Qualified customers. Satisfied customers. Customers who like to tweet about his good service. And for @ChicagoCabbie, maybe it isn’t more customers, but I have to think these things ultimately mean more tips for him and I suspect increased job satisfaction.

Are you in a business that you think can’t benefit from social media? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Challenge us to help you come up with some ideas!

 

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Copy Cat: The Art of Crafting a Successful Slogan

Josephine ButlerBlog, Copy Cat, 4 Comments on Copy Cat: The Art of Crafting a Successful Slogan

Slogans, or taglines as I prefer to call them, are simple, succinct statements that communicate an organization’s vision, competitive position, brand promise and product benefit or experience.  They should be compelling and memorable, and be able to withstand the test of time.

We came across an article on Inc.com with 5 Tips for Writing an Effective Slogan.

I’ve highlighted two that I think are important to remember, along with a few of my favorite tags.  The third tip is from yours truly.

  1. If more than one word, shoot for something with rhythm, rhyme or a ring to it. Example: “Don’t get mad. Get GLAD.” Make it fluid and pleasing to the ear. The most memorable slogans are oftentimes a jingle or song. Example: “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.”
  2. Highlight a key differentiating factor that underscores your mission and sets you apart from your competition. Example: “Think outside the bun.” (Taco Bell)
  3. Idioms are your friend. You can never go wrong with a good play on words. Example:  “Works like a dream.” (Ambien)

We hope these tips will inspire you as much as they have inspired us to write great copy for our clients!

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Green Thought Thursday: I take my coffee green

Josephine ButlerBlog, Sustainability3 Comments on Green Thought Thursday: I take my coffee green
I save my Larry’s Bean coffee sleeve so I can re-use it — isn’t it cute?

How many of you start each day with a fresh cup of coffee? From time to time, I surely do. And my favorite place to get it? At Marbles Kids Museum, where they serve up delicious cups of Larry’s Beans coffee on the daily. I love this coffee so much that I thought it would be a great topic for today’s Green Thought Thursday.

For those of you who’ve never heard of Larry or his beans, here’s the scoop: Larry, a Seattle transplant and coffee fanatic, began Larry’s Beans with the hopes of “making the world a better place.”  With more than 30 yummy blends, including my personal favorite, the Cowboy Blend, this coffee isn’t just good – it’s green.

So what makes Larry’s Beans so green? When he started the company, Larry made a commitment to using sustainable practices. In what he calls a “green-o-vated” facility, Larry and his crew use passive solar construction, active solar systems, radiant floors, zoned heating, composting and rainwater harvesting to minimize environmental impact. And don’t forget the ultra cool packaging – what Larry likes to call the biobag (it’s biodegradable) – and that incredibly sexy delivery bus, the Veggie Bus, that runs on vegetable oil (be sure to look for it at downtown Raleigh’s upcoming Hopscotch Music Festival).

Why, Larry’s Beans are so green, the company has earned the title as a certified B Corporation (that’s code for awesomely green). How’s that for a little jolt of (green) energy to start your morning? Kudos to all of you awesome folks at Larry’s Beans, a Raleigh company that we love!

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Copy Cat: Great Find in My Daily Deal

Dana PhelpsBlog, Copy Cat, , 4 Comments on Copy Cat: Great Find in My Daily Deal

Okay, by show of hands, how many Groupon groupies do we have here? How about Living Social junkies? And how many folks subscribe to more than one daily deal program, which means multiple emails a day adding to your inbox clog?

I’ll admit, I love the idea. But unless the subject grabs me — meaning that it is something I would normally want to buy in the first place — I just delete it. If I open it, it must be easy to understand what the offer is, truly a good price and simple to redeem. Oh, one other thing… the copy! It has to hold my attention.

Last week I received a Copy Cat-worthy daily deal from Living Social. Here’s the part I liked: It takes a good deal of kneading to end up with the perfect loaf of bread. Today’s deal from Watu Wazuri Massage Experts will make sore joints and muscles the yeast of your worries.

That made me smile. Sure, that kind of slightly cheesy humor is not the right tone for all brands or all situations, but I can appreciate the fact that it wasn’t your average relaxation/massage copy. It caught my attention and made me want to learn more about Watu Wazuri.

What about you? Are you addicted to daily deals delivered to your email? And does the copy influence you?

 

 

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Clairemont on MSNBC Update

Dana PhelpsBlog, Clairemont Client News, Raleigh PR Agency, The Clairemont Team
Asheville Playgrounds owners (Jerry on the left; Evelyn in turqouise) with part of the makeover crew at dinner after some long days of shooting.

Thanks to all who texted, tweeted, emailed, G+’ed and Facebooked this weekend asking if “my” episode of Your Business on msnbc tv was going to air Sunday morning as scheduled. Due to hurricane coverage, it has been rescheduled for Sunday, September 4.

Didn’t know that Clairemont played a role in the makeover of Asheville Playgrounds and that the entire thing was orchestrated and documented by msnbc? See my last post for details.

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