If you haven’t already discovered it, this is the true secret of tech support.
Kin
If you haven’t heard of it already, Kin is/was Microsoft’s attempt to make a phone for the young, connected crowd. The ones who use facebook and twitter but doesn’t need a smartphone. A few days ago rumors said that the phone sold only 10.000 units and had been canceled. The truth was even worse.
People inside Microsoft have reported that they’ve sold only 503 Kin phones since release. That is 0,01% of iPhone 4′s first weekend sales. It is a disaster. Microsoft purportedly spent over $1 billion on the project. Most other companies would be bankrupt by such a failiure. How could this happen? Most of the tech pundits I listen to said this when Microsoft first showed of the phone. I too didn’t think it would sell great, but not this bad.
But in hindsight I can see where it all went wrong:
- The Kin wasn’t done. Many features were missing or buggy
- It wasn’t a smartphone, but it had smartphone plans, costing as much a month as an iPhone or an Android phone
- The marketing was bad
- The target market is small or non-existant. I can’t imagine who would choose a Kin before an iPhone
- Microsoft doesn’t understand it’s customers
When you look at it this way, it may even be surprising they sold any. Of course, some of them was sold to people who try new stuff, blogs and others who doesn’t get review units.
What does all this lead up to?
I will go on record saying that Windows Phone 7 will also be a flop. Not as bad as the Kin, but still a flop. It will sell a few units in the first days, until people understand the weaknesses of the system and the reviews comes out. Word of mouth will also slow down adoption. Some businesses will pick it up, if they are 100% Microsoft shops already. Then they too will see where it comes short, and go back to Blackberry or whatever they were using before.
Microsoft simply can’t produce a product that is good enough to compete with iPhone and Android in such a short time. Just read interviews with the Windows Phone 7 team leader. They know the product won’t be done. It won’t have all the necessary features. They will be playing catch-up for years to come. Maybe they can get back in the game, but not this year. Not yet.
Here are a few select twitter replies from companies who know how to do modern marketing right!
Completely normal. Expected actually
RT @leonbarrettGetting quite excited for the arrival of the @drobo at work – is this normal?
Post by drobo. This is a great reply! Why? Many businesses just uses social networking to put out fires. They just respond to negative comments. This, however, is a great way to amplify a positive comment. You tell people in a ironic-but-not-ironic way that your product is very exciting, while giving a customer a personal response that shows them you care. Drobo has over 10.000 followers, and now they know about at least one satisfied customer and Drobo’s great humor.
Lesson: Amplify positive feedback, and do it with humor. Show that you care.
@dustinmathisen Uh oh, what browser/version are you using? And are you getting an error message?
Post by Revision3. Customer support via twitter. Great way to show that you care. And great way to help, fast.
Lesson: If people have problems, help them. Let your support department use the twitter account for direct support.
Hey, Nexus One users: Android 2.2 (Froyo) starts rolling out this week w/over the air update. More info:http://bit.ly/bTgsmp
Post by google. Not the best, but shows that even big companies can use twitter effectively. Google uses twitter to inform people about news and updates. They post a little more formal than I like, but then again they are one of the biggest companies in tech.
Lesson: Twitter is for big companies also. Let people in on the news.
Who will work for Opera? Help us choose!http://bit.ly/9zQH4m
Post by Opera. Letting people interact is great. This is a great way to get people to care about your company. You don’t have to take it this far, but votes on logos, events and more can be very effective.
Lesson: Let people interact through twitter. They will care more about you.
These are only a few I have noticed, there are a lot of good examples out there. Get creative and keep on tweeting.
We are fast approaching a day when marketing is no longer just about getting the word out there about your product. The “shotgun tactic” is no longer the best way to get customers. I believe this will be the rebirth of many companies, and the downfall of others. The ones who can see the coming trends and adapt will make millions or even billions, the ones left behind will slowly wither into oblivion.
Mainstream marketing today
Many companies have already started to change, but those who don’t still follow the current marketing strategy of trying to show their product to as many as possible. I call this “shotgun marketing“. You throw some money at a TV ad or billboard or whatever, and hope that someone sees it and buys your product.
This, however, is no longer the best way to do marketing. In fact, it is becoming worse than many people think. Not only are there better ways to do marketing now, but the traditional way is becoming less effective than ever. The exception is of course if your product fits everybody. Coke, Apple and Wall Mart may still advertise on TV, since they deliver products most people buy anyway. But if your product is in any way specialized, you should look into doing marketing in a better way. How?
Also read: About Apple’s marketing
Social, targeted marketing
Marketing on Facebook let's you target just the people you need.
Most of you have already heard about this. The trick is to target only people who is likely to buy your product. Many are reluctant to try this since it is often way more expensive per view. Advertising on Facebook and Twitter is way more expensive than advertising on TV, in a magazine or on Google relative to each viewer. But think about it. Why do you think other companies are doing this? And how can it benefit you?
If you know that your product sells best to middle-aged men living in Ohio you can show your ad only to them. This is worth way more than the extra money you pay. Not only are you targeting your key customers, you don’t hassle others with your ads. This can have more of an impact than you think.
Responding to your customers as a way of marketing
This one is a good one. There are small businesses now who use this as their only form of marketing. As Gary Vaynerchuk so aptly put it: The internet is word to mouth on steroids! If you can get people to talk positively about your product, you don’t need old-school marketing!
Wine Library TV is a perfect example of social marketing.
Gary is the man behind Wine Library TV, an online TV show about wine. It is free to watch, and the only point of it is to get people interested in wine and show how much expertise his store can offer. How much does it cost him? Nothing. Nothing but time. And this is important because anyone can do it. If you love your product, talking about it comes naturally.
So this is what you should do: Talk about your product like only you can. Write, put up audio or video content on the internet. If your product is interesting, people will come to you and they will listen. And when people ask questions and come with suggestions, you answer. Every single one. This may be time consuming, but it is completely viable now with today’s technology. Respond to mail on the plane. Update twitter on the bus or subway. What does this give you?
Your product is no longer just a product, and you are no longer just a company. You are a person, or several persons, who people respect and listen to. Now people will come to you because they trust you. Even if your product is more expensive they might go to you because they trust you and believe in you.
But I can’t do this! My product isn’t interesting, and it is built on traditional marketing!
"But I just bought this typewriter. Do I really need to upgrade to a computer?"
Then you have three options. First, you can fix it! Make your product interesting. Even lawnmowers can be interesting to the right people. Find out what is special about your product, what benefit your customer gets from choosing you. If you can’t do this, make your product better. We are approaching an age when even heavy marketing can’t help sell inferior products from people who don’t care.
Option two: Make a new product. A new type of product that you can be really proud of and that you want to tell the world about. Continue to sell the old one as long as makes cash, of course, but bet heavily on the new flagship product. This is your way forward into the new and more social world.
Option three: Bail or wither. If you continue to flog your inferior product, you will eventually die out. People will figure it out, tell their friends about better products and move on. Today’s social world has no place left over for people who don’t care.
