I love having breakfast with inspiring people.  It starts the day off on the right foot.  Ken Schmidt former director of communications at Harley Davidson, national best selling author and public speaker shared his thoughts on the American and European consumer while I ate my cheerios.   He described us (consumers) that would be you too, as faceless, nameless, and invisible.  We have all had the experience with the automated phone system when what we really want is a person on the other end.  We shop online without a second thought as to giving our money and financial information over to a machine without a bit of human contact and think nothing of it.  We click and consume with no interaction to become only a transaction.

He suggested that we are numb to marketing messages.  They are all the same and have been for years so we know what to expect and ignore them.  We also know we can buy what we want; when we want it and have a certain price in mind about what we expect to pay.  What it all seemed to boil down to is we buy from companies we like. 

When we make it a point to humanize the individual we create an instant millisecond of trust.  If we trust, we like, and as said before we buy from people we like.  He turned Harley Davidson around with the simple observation that human behavior is the key to business.  So have you asked yourself, do your donors trust and like you?

Here is a great read if your interested in finding out how Ken helped kick start the  Harley Davidson come back.

I can’t help but pipe in on the recent Susan G Komen marketing campaign.   Komen partnered with KFC.

I saw the campaign advertised on a billboard while driving past a KFC before it ever hit the headlines.  I actually did a double take.  Could that be right?  Buy a bucket chicken and a donation goes to the Komen Foundation. It didn’t make any sense which is what all the media hoopla is about now.  The idea of greasy KFC helping to find the cure for Breast Cancer raises eyebrows.  Who was the marketing genious behind that idea?  Worse yet, who in Komen approved it? 

Komen certainly plays the leading role in social branding in the relationship.  Did big dollar signs cloud Komen’s judgement?  We may never know because they are in the recovery spin zone right now.

This cause related marketing scheme would seem a very hip hookup for KFC who stands to gain the most.  However, at this point, the heat is on in the kitchen at KFC too.   Let’s face it, now we are talking about the link between the Colonel’s Secret Recipe which we all know is fat, and it’s link to cancer.  PR NIGHTMARE!!!

What I’d like to know is, what were the real intentions behind both parties?  Outcomes are directly linked to intentions.  If you don’t like the outcome change your intentions.  The lesson here is don’t compromise principles for sales.

Komen needs to come clean to regain respect.  As for KFC, the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Lucinda

The study sited on his post shows that consumers who became Facebook fans of a cafe dessert business,  purchased, visited, and spent higher average dollars at the cafe than other customers who were not FB fans.   He asks the question.  If customers were given some form of incentive card would they be just as loyal as those who did not have one?  He thinks so.  I honestly don’t know but coincidentally, just this past week, I did a test using FB advertising as a vehicle for gaining new fans, and customers.

In just one week, fans on the Designs by Lucinda Facebook page increased by %100.  I’ve also seen an improvement of %50 more traffic on my website.   Through Google Analytics I can see they are coming directly from Facebook.  Fans are flooding my FB page with endorsements and praises of me (batting my eyelashes wildly right now) and my product as well.  From my perspective it does not matter which is better or even if one creates a more loyal customer than another.  What matters is that more people now know about my product and services, are sharing with friends,  and I can continue to build relationships with them through a medium of social networking that I can not do with incentive loyal customer punch cards.  I believe customer loyalty will come from the relationships that I nurture not the discounts I offer.

I urge all non profits to create a presence on FB and build a fan base.  It provides an easy means of expression to educate an audience, promote events, brag about accomplishments, and ask for help.   And it’s FREE!  Hello?????

Happy Fundraising!
Lucinda

PS: If you aren’t a FB fan of mine you can become one now.

Think about it,
Lucinda