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I’m Vernon Howard and I created VSHoward.com for my business as a freelance web/graphic designer. I also use it to showcase my ongoing portfolio of work that I have crafted.

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Vernon is a very responsible and qualified individual. He can create very professional digital content including the graphic design, video and other media, and websites. His strengths include contributing ideas that might benefit the company's processes in general as well as specific targeted suggestions and follow up for the Marketing group. I recommend Vernon on both a professional and personal basis for any position where his creativity, enthusiasm and drive will be a benefit.

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How to Connect Social Media to Your Business with Dave Evans

Posted in: Web Marketing by VSHoward on April 16, 2010

In this video interview, social media marketing specialist Dave Evans explains how businesses can use social media to listen to the voice of the customer and respond by improving their products and services.

Evans begins by explaining the feedback cycle that exists between the experience a business creates and the conversations that result from it on the social web.

He likens the feedback cycle to the purchase funnel concept: awareness > consideration > purchase. In offline marketing, word of mouth often leads to a purchase. And once a person makes a purchace he, too, is part of that feedback cycle. With the social web, however, we have a much more direct channel, such as the review mechanism, where purchasers can seek feedback about a product or service. The cycle here consists of purchasers' comments and shopers' queries.

We used to use focus groups to listen to potential customer likes and dislikes. But focus groups are influenced by previous motivations to be a panel member as well as selection bias. In contrast, purchasers' comments on the web are much purer.

Having understood the feedback cycle on the social web, businesses need to understand what that feedback means in terms of their products or services. They listen to understand what is the issue -- either positive or negative. The social web can sometimes tell us what not to "fix," things that customers really like.

Evans cites Fred Reichheld in The Ultimate Question (Harvard Business Press, 2006). The whole point is to generate favorable recommendations, then use those to drive your long-term business. Favorable recommendations give your business a huge competitive advantage. Without them, you're continually spending money yourself to create awareness.

Comments

2 Comments
  1. Ben Waugh

    I discovered your homepage by coincidence.
    Very interesting posts and well written.
    I will put your site on my blogroll.
    :-)

    Comment by Ben Waugh on April 16, 2010 at 5:54 pm

  2. Ben Waugh

    Hello.

    I would like to put a link to your site on my blog roll if you want to do the same for mine. It would be a good way to build up both of our readerships.

    thank you.

    Comment by Ben Waugh on April 16, 2010 at 5:56 pm