Lowering Expectations

Today over lunch I was talking with a friend who was telling me that the lowest score "acceptable" on a Master of Social Work test was 70%.

Isn't that like a "C."

Why only 70%? Doctors and lawyers surely have to have a "B" average or better? Would you want a doctor to work on you if all he could remember on the test was 70% of the material? (Does that omit the appendix and tonsils? No one seems to need those.)

What about the social workers who score only 70%. What quality of work are they capable of? Does this mean that society is willing to accept less as a whole?

Is "C" work really okay when it comes to people who your fix cars, teach your kids, tend to your pet's health? What about your business advisers? Your accountant, attorney, banker, marketing professionals?

Maybe this is why more and more consumers have chosen to pay more to get better service and are more choosy when the expected service is not received. So in reality, "C" work isn't acceptable to businesses and consumers.

Why is acceptable in the academic realm? Hmmm......

Wiki-fied

I had a colleague who used to say that people or things were "issue-fied" and I learned to appreciate that verb. Whenever something consistently didn't work it was "issue-fied." Whenever a person seemed to attract more than his or her own share of gloom, doom and darkrooms, they were "issue-fied."

We all learned to try to avoid these people and things. Life was just easier that way.

Today I came across another verb (which reminded me of the above) - wiki-fied. If you are at all familiar with wikipedia you may know that a wiki goes beyond just general definitions to combine encyclopedic knowledge with first hand user experience and knowledge from experts on the topics.

What's it like to be "wiki-fied?"

If you are wikified, as a business, you let your customers define your brand instead of the other way around. "Big Businesses" like Sears, General Motors and the like are more concerned (IMHO) with how their brand is perceived instead of letting the customers tell them how the business is perceived. That perception, of course, leads to position within the market. And when you are busy chasing an image you don't have it leads to brand confusion - then your company is "issue-fied." (See how nicely that all fit together?)

Companies like Nordstroms, however, seem to be very wiki-fied. Their employees take the time to make customers happy at any expense, even wrapping gifts from another retailer at Christmas time.

Locally we have a service center at Brandon Steven Motors - Terry and his crew go out of their way to listen to customers. The other day, for example, my car was hand washed (yes - hand washed!) after servicing. It doesn't fit in their car wash because it's size [insert brag about Mini Cooper here!] and when one astute employee noticed my car wasn't washed and I explained why, he went out and washed it himself - with his own two hands, bubbles and all! Wow.

These companies have listened to the customers, met the customers needs, and have become what the customers want. Wiki-ed!

I suspect we'll be seeing more and more of this as time passes.

Universally Speaking

Google is steadily introducing what they call "universal search." Any person using Google will soon be able to get results that include books, video, websites, images etc. all rolled into one search.

Question: How closely is this linked to "personal search?"

We know that Google has been using personal data to generate search engine results. So what may be a page positioned in the number 2 spot for one person may be in in the number 30 spot for another person. How does search marketing keep up with that?

Reading from what one reporter had to say - I have to agree that universal and personal search are interlinked in such a way that universal search will be highly dependent upon personal search. I think we are now in a position that forces us to take the "universal personal search" and try to optimize so each of our target markets "universe" is filled with our client's offerings.

And I didn't think there were any challenges left in search marketing! *pshaw!*

Revisiting, Revising, Renewing

Today I took at look at Seth Godin's blog and I got to thinking about how I got started in this business, and actually how many businesses evolve.

Seth was writing about Starbucks and something I didn't know, that they didn't sell coffee at first. Now maybe I'm silly but that would seem to be a no brainer but it just goes to show that not everything is obvious.

When I started out I thought, "build websites." Simple right? Then I found out that web designers quickly got a bad rap from business owners who didn't benefit from the internet. Thus I was forced to evolve the business - and it has been an amazing and fun trip - into internet marketing with a side order of web design.

Just in this area alone (Wichita Kansas) I can look around at local businesses that have evolved. Some out of necessity, some because the light bulb went on (sort of like the Starbucks scenario). Like Women's Focus magazine. Just a magazine? Or more? I have to admit, the new owners have it going on! They have integrated a truly objective local search engine into their site. Wow!

Okay, so I like the internet examples. But how about this one -Wild West World (and I have to groan that I even mention it) figured out that the world renowned western "dinner theater" could have a future as part of a theme park, (think Dollywood), so they built one. It remains to be seen how this might actually do in the long run but you can't fault them for the idea. And to take it one step further, there have been rumors about moving Cowtown to the theme park. *shrug* go figure.

As Seth so aptly put it - it's never too late. Take a look around and see what ideas you can revisit, what business practices you can revise and how you might renew your business. I know I did when I developed this site. *wink*

Web Brands

Can you name 4 web brands right off the top of your head? Names like Microsoft, Google, AOL and...???

Just like you recognize the companies that have made the web what it is today, customers recognize your company on the web as well.

If you are driving down the street and you see the golden arches, you know that's McDonald's. They carry their brand across to the web so the minute the page loads you know you are at the right place.

Even local companies can benefit from the magic of branding across different channels. Think of your local real estate companies. You can probably name at least 3 and at the same time you are visualizing their yard signs or vehicles. If you go to that particular company's website you should get the same look and feel.

You may be surprised at how many companies have one brand presence in the "real world" but their websites have a completely different look and feel.

What does web branding do for you? It sends a consistent, clear message that makes you stand out among the competitors. It lends credibility in a world that many are still discovering.

Do a quick brand check - do your company website and company presence outside the web have the same branding? If not, you may be missing out on potential business.