Give the Customer What They Want

I recently read an article about using your customers as a means for improving your customer service and products by treating customers as co-authors and not targets. This is achieved through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The article notes how this is a genius idea because it's effective, inexpensive, let's the consumer feel heard, and allows your consumer to create products and ideas for you. I completely agree with the article. By allowing your customers to feel that they are an integral part of your business, you are creating customer loyalty. People want to feel that their opinions are not only heard, but that they matter. The fact that it is inexpensive to operate this way is really a win-win for both the consumer and the business. However, it could be argued that there are some downsides to this idea. Businesses today are subject to the wrath of dissatisfied consumers online. Even if businesses don't have their on website for customer service complaints, which is unlikely, consumers can still tweet and post about it. It's also risky to let consumers come up with new products and ideas, because they may come up with something that is too expensive or just isn't feasible for your company to do, but the idea may be popular with all of your customer base, so you're left with two options. One, refusing to do the idea or create the product, and potentially losing customers. Or, two, going ahead with the product or idea despite your company's reservations, and potentially losing revenue. Even with these downsides in mind, I still believe that this is a good idea. It's easier to sell to an audience when they've had input on what it is that they want to buy.

Advertising Confusion

Advertising can be a very difficult job, especially when a product has been around for a long time, or there are many products similar to yours. So I can understand how it would be difficult for companies to come up with memorable, effective ads, but there are some companies whose ads are trying so hard to be memorable and different that they are not effective. This is something that I've noticed a lot when it comes to ads geared toward children, such as commercials for candy and cereal. Two commercials come to mind when I consider this topic. One commercial for candy is often inappropriate and somewhat disgusting, which are two things that should be avoided when trying to sell candy to children. Another commercial is a cereal advertisement that features people singing an annoying song while sitting at a table and eating the cereal. When compared to the candy ad, the cereal ad is much more tame in terms of what is appropriate for children, but nevertheless, it's still annoying, and I don't think children, or their parents, would respond well to the ad. Advertisements geared toward adults aren't exempt from these advertising mistakes. There are plenty of ads that don't focus on the product they are selling, and focus instead on the people who are selling them. It's fine to use attractive people to sell your product, as long as your product is the main point of the advertisement. When creating an ad for your product, try to be creative, but remember that your product should be the focus of the ad, and people should walk from your ad feeling positive about your company and the product you are selling.

Opinions In Business

Voicing your opinion on social issues is commonplace in our society. It's perfectly acceptable for someone to state their dislike of a new law, or voice that they dislike the president. Sometimes behavior on social media can get people in trouble with their employers, but it's riskier if the organization itself voices its opinion on social issues. An employee may say something on social media that can result in the loss of their job, but when an organization says something controversial, the entire organization can be affected. For instance, a few years ago, the COO of Chick-Fil-A made comments opposing same-sex marriage. It was then discovered that Chick-Fil-A was using part of the funds from a charitable organization to fund anti-LGBT organizations. These discoveries led to major backlash, including boycotts and protests. Eventually, Chick-Fil-A made a statement that they would leave the debate over same-sex marriage to the government. Is it wise for business owners to voice their personal beliefs, considering that their organizations cater to a variety of consumers? On the one hand, Chick-Fil-A did have support from those who oppose same-sex marriage, but on the other hand, by stating their opinion they limited their customer base. It's tempting to state your opinion, especially when it concerns your beliefs, but it does not make good business sense.

Employee Appreciation

The greatest asset an organization has is its employees. Employees are more than just people who do a job for a paycheck. Every employee, regardless of the task, is an important part of any organization. I believe that some organizations fail to recognize this, and fail to realize that showing appreciation for your employees is very important. In the long run, it costs more to continuously hire new employees and train them than it does to ensure that your employees are happy and satisfied within their positions. Organizations can show employee appreciation in many ways. Something as simple as telling your employee that they are doing a good job will go a long way in ensuring that your employee feels recognized and appreciated. Another way to show employee appreciation is to develop a rewards program. Studies show that employees who feel recognized and appreciated are more likely to stay with their company, and are more productive and efficient. Some organizations feel that spending time on employee appreciation is a waste of other resources, but I disagree. I believe that spending a small amount of time on employee appreciation will lead to efficiency and greater productivity.

Organization In Business

Businesses cannot thrive without organization. Organization can help prevent lost inventory, fraud, and lost time. Time is money, and wasting time by trying to find lost inventory costs your company money. I know of a very successful company that has been in business for many years. You might think that a successful company would have good organizational skills, but this is not the case. At the moment, the company is scrambling to find lost inventory and purchase orders, which is costing the company time and money. It isn't hard to be organized. The best way to ensure that you don't lose purchase orders or inventory is to create a system that every worker knows and follows. Every business should have its own organizational system. Without organization, there is chaos, and chaos cannot allow a business to flourish.

Consider Your Parking

Something I've noticed lately, that I don't think a lot of businesses consider, is parking. Perhaps the owners are too preoccupied with the other aspects of opening their businesses that they fail to consider where exactly their costumers are going to park. There is a big name pharmacy in a town where I frequently shop, and the parking lot is so difficult to get into that I rarely shop there. I only go there when it's absolutely necessary, and when those dreadful moments come, I feel so anxious thinking about having to get into the lot. I don't have a picture of it, but you basically have to pull a u-turn into the lot, all while avoiding cars coming out of the drive-thru lane, and avoiding cars parked in front of the building. There is literally just enough space for one vehicle to u-turn into the parking lot, from a busy highway, and it is beyond terrifying. I know that most owners don't have control of how their parking lots are designed, but I think it's definitely something you should consider when you are looking for spaces to rent or buy for your business. As an anxious driver, I will go without something that I desperately need if it means that I don't have to navigate through an insane parking lot, or cross many lanes of traffic to get to the building.

Changing with the Times

What do you do when society changes, but you can't change your product? How do you change your marketing strategies to fit in with society's new standards? It is possible to change your product to fit in with the new society, but it makes more sense to change your marketing. This can be seen today with breakfast cereal. When I was a child, cereals like Lucky Charms and Froot Loops were advertised to children with mascots. Advertisers made cereal seem fun and exciting, and the mascots certainly grabbed children's attention. Today, however, I have noticed that the advertising for children's cereals isn't really geared toward children anymore, but more toward adults. I have noticed that commercials for the cereal rarely feature mascots, or children, and mainly feature adults eating the cereal and playing video games. I think there might be two reasons for this. One, the generation that grew up loving those cereals are now adults, and are free to buy whatever cereals they want, so the cereal companies are marketing to them, reminding them of their childhood, and letting them know it's okay to eat children's cereal. Two, I think society has such negative feelings about children eating sugary cereals that the companies have been forced to change their demographic. Parents are refusing to buy cereal full of sugar and high fructose corn syrup, so cereal companies are now turning their marketing to adults who have the freedom to buy and eat whatever they want. Maybe I'm wrong, but it's definitely something I've noticed.