We all come across them. Television adverts that annoy the hell out of us. You see the opening shot or hear the theme tune start and you are instantly reaching for the remote before you have to put yourself through the pain all over again. The first three that come to mind when it comes to annoying televisions adverts are:

I have come across a few people who have said they will refuse to visit these company’s websites or engage with them because they have found their adverts so annoying. Even if the company provides a solution to their problem, they will not go there. Seems a bit extreme but it is happening.

The argument from the marketing department may be that their brand awareness has increased because their adverts are so memorable, and that the additional sales generated from this increased awareness outweighs the lost sales in lost customers.

The argument from the customer’s point of view is that their experience and feeling towards the brand is so negative and annoying that they do not wish to engage at all. This will not only have an impact on short term sales but also long term.

The bottom line sales figure will answer the short term question, but in the long term gaining  a large number of brand advocates (if that’s what these companies really want) may be put at risk with this style of advertising.

So, over to you:

Which television adverts really annoy you?

Have they affected your behaviour towards the brand?

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Caution: If you’re intending on watching Toy Story 3 and don’t want to hear how the films ends, it is probably best not to read on!

The ending is brilliant. Andy, now all grown up, has to decide what he wants to do with the toys that had brought him joy and happiness as a child. What does he decide to do? He passes these toys onto another child and allows someone else to experience what he once did. The product truly lives on.

Creating an experience that sticks with the consumer is gold for the marketing man. Creating an experience that can continue to be shared and passed on is even better – it’s immeasurable.

Are there any products that have given you a fantastic experience, which you were then able to pass onto somebody else?

I would love to hear about them.

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A month ago I blogged about how companies and individuals across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset are confused about where to find social media support. As part of this blog I produced a survey seeking social media service providers across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. The results are in and I am glad to share them with you.

If you’re based in this part of the South West and are reading this post, I hope you find the following list useful:
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Name of company
Aaron+Gould
Location
Exeter
Geographical areas covered
Exeter, Devon
Services provided
Social Media Strategy, Integration, Management and Measurement
Size and types of companies applicable for service
We mainly work with Agencies who use our services for the client accounts
Cost of service
Our services are small and incremental, meaning they are cost effect. Start at £500
3 examples of how your company has successfully used social media
1] I run Like Minds, which is a small but very respected conference that has international acclaim, and is mainly marketed through Social Media. 2] I have spear headed a lot of the Exeter growth in Social Media and am recognised as a thought leader. Like Minds itself has been the catalyst for a lot of growth in the local economy through Social Media. 3] My Social Media frameworks and models are used around the world by agencies, and I am respected as a pioneer by people like Chris Brogan, John Bell and Olivier Blanchard.
3 examples of how companies you have supported have successfully used social media: 1] The Church of England has been able to use Social Media to enable people-to-people collaboration in its dioceses through the work that we did. 2] The ‘Max Control’ campaign that we managed doubled its signups in 10 weeks through Social Media. 3] Nokia have been able to increase their Social Media effectiveness through our executive training.
How should a business get in touch with you?
Call 01392 425070, tweet @scottgould, or visit http://aarongouldagency.com

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Name of company
Bluegrass Computer Services
Location
Exeter
Geographical areas covered
Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset
Services provided
Full practical detailed training on Social Media in a business
Size and types of companies applicable for service
1 to very large
Cost of service
£190/person (includes detailed course manual, refreshments and access to a laptop during the workshop)
3 examples of how your company has successfully used social media
Generated new support contracts, significantly increased our brand awareness, gained social media speaking engagements
3 examples of how companies you have supported have successfully used social media Following training local travel company has fully implemented a SM strategy and increased revenue, marketing and PR company now able to enhance the services to their clients, specialist call centre now generating leads using social media knowledge
How should a business get in touch with you?
Phone: 01392 207194 – Ask for David Thomas, email: david@bluegrasscs.com

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Name of company
Business Link for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon and Somerset
Location
Offices in Plymouth, Exeter, Taunton and Camborne
Geographical areas covered
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon and Somerset
Services provided
2 hour seminars for businesses that want to know information about social media or have just become involved.
Size and types of companies applicable for service
All
Cost of service
Free
3 examples of how your company has successfully used social media
The seminars have improved social media understanding for many members of staff, we are providing media related stories on our media twitter account and by monitoring social media activity, we have built research and engaged with companies.
3 examples of how companies you have supported have successfully used social media
Due to data protection, confidentiality and the nature of the service we deliver, we can’t disclose details of our interactions with companies but the feedback we have received from the seminars has been very good.
How should a business get in touch with you?
Phone: 0845 600 9966 Email: enquiries@blpeninsula.co.uk Web: http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/southwest

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Name of company
Cadover Creative
Location
Barn 2, Dunstone Farm, Shaugh Prior, Plymouth, Devon, PL7 5EH
Geographical areas covered
UK-wide (focussing on Devon, Cornwall & Somerset)
Services provided
Social media campaigns, adding social media features to clients’ websites
Size and types of companies applicable for service
Small and medium businesses and organisations
Cost of service
Free consultations and quotations available on request
3 examples of how your company has successfully used social media
None submitted
3 examples of how companies you have supported have successfully used social media: None submitted
How should a business get in touch with you?
Phone: 01752 729706 Website: http://www.cadovercreative.co.uk

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Name of company
Design inspiration
Location
Plymouth
Geographical areas covered
Devon, Cornwall, London
Services provided
1. We advise on using Twitter for Business. 2. We integrate social media into websites that we design. 3. We help clients develop integrate social media with their online community-building practices. 4. I speak at business gatherings on using social media for business. 5. We run Using Twitter for Business training courses.
Size and types of companies applicable for service
Every size, especially micro, small and medium sized businesses.
Cost of service
Charges are typically project-based, so vary according to what is needed.
3 examples of how your company has successfully used social media
1. We have made a number of connections that have led to new websites. 2. We continue to use social media to build my personal brand (@inspirationguy) and develop brand awareness for our clients. 3. We use Twitter to promote the people, tourism and businesses of Plymouth (via @inplymouth & @plymouthblog). There are plenty more examples – buy me a coffee and I’ll tell you them all.
3 examples of how companies you have supported have successfully used social media:
1. We advise one of the UK’s leading event industry brands on the use of social media (@planetplanitbiz) and have helped them develop a significant online profile 2. We provide social media advice to the leading online community for life coaches and mentors (@coachingconnect) and have helped them establish a highly-regarded position on Twitter. 3. We helped a leading London-based Arts festival to take advantage of Twitter to reach new audiences.
How should a business get in touch with you?
Email: design@inspiration.co.uk or ring: 01752 784197 or via twitter: @inspirationguy

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Name of company
Optix Solutions Ltd
Location
Exeter
Geographical areas covered
UK
Services provided
All aspects of Social Media strategy from formulation, policy writing, implementation and measurement
Size and types of companies applicable for service
SMEs
Cost of service
Depends on size of project – From £350 per month upwards
3 examples of how your company has successfully used social media
Our own company has an integrated SM policy which sees the staff working well together in blogs/twitter/facebook and many other channels. Our director @banksy6 on Twitter is well respected in SM circles and has implemented his own blog at http://www.iambanksy.co.uk - we are in the process of setting up numerous SM strategies for clients around the UK
3 examples of how companies you have supported have successfully used social media
Currently in implementation phases for The Best Of Exeter, we’ve been heavily involved in our work with Devon Air Ambulance and their social media strategy. We introduced Devon Wildlife to SM and are working with Gearhouse Broadcast in Watford to setup and maintain their strategy. Our own strategy is very important to us and has lead to large quantities of work over the last 18 months
How should a business get in touch with you?
Phone: 01392 667766, Email: info@optixsolutions.co.uk, Twitter: @optixsolutions

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Name of company
Rokk Internet
Location
Exeter, Devon
Geographical areas covered
UK & International
Services provided
Social Media services include strategy creation, engagement etiquette, training & consultancy and campaign management
Size and types of companies applicable for service
We are able to help companies of any size
Cost of service
Cost is dependent on the scope and length of the project as some elements would be one-off and others ongoing. Ongoing would be in the region of £400 per month. Please contact us for a more accurate cost estimate based on your individual situation and requirements.
3 examples of how your company has successfully used social media
We have been able to use our twitter profile @RokkInternet to engage with many people who are now clients, partners and great network contacts to call upon in the future, but we continue to use social media as just one avenue for maintaining the relationship with clients, partners and contacts alike.
3 examples of how companies you have supported have successfully used social media
We have created social media strategies recently for a nationwide property management firm and also the Welsh Assembly surrounding an event in 2010. We consult with several clients with regards to their Social Media campaigns to ensure that campaigns are managed smoothly and that brand reputation is protected and engagement with the clients audiences are effective, useful and inspire further communication from the audiences.
How should a business get in touch with you?
Please call Claire Marshall on 01392 69 00 49 or info@rokkinternet.com or contact us via twitter: @RokkInternet
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Name of company
Social Traders
Location
St Austell
Geographical areas covered
Cornwall / Devon
Services provided
Social media consultancy and training
Size and types of companies applicable for service
SME
Cost of service
Negotiable
3 examples of how your company has successfully used social media
1 on 1 advice sessions; group training sessions using social media workbook; 500+ twitter following
3 examples of how companies you have supported have successfully used social media
Get in touch with me to discuss
How should a business get in touch with you?
bob.northey@socialtraders.org.uk

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Name of company
Tonick Media
Location
Cornwall, UK
Geographical areas covered
Main focus: South West. However, capabilities at an international level.
Services provided
Consultancy, Training, Implementation, Content Production and Strategy.
Size and types of companies applicable for service
Private, Public, Voluntary, Social and Charitable Sectors. Primary focus: Business to Business. However, regularly work with business to consumer companies. Would usually work with companies with a turnover in excess of £100kpa; however, can work with start-ups and smaller organisations in a mentoring or training capacity.
Cost of service
All work quoted upfront with fixed price and hourly rates available.
3 examples of how your company has successfully used social media
1. We use Social Media in a variety of ways to broaden the reach and engagement of our printed and online title, Business Cornwall. 2. I am currently part of a cross Atlantic collaborative book with a senior recruiter at a US based software company (original introduction through LinkedIn). 3. Have taken our brand from unknown 1 year ago to market leader in our industry across the South West.
3 examples of how companies you have supported have successfully used social media
Many of the companies and organisations I work with are still in the process of implementing their Social Media strategies. For confidentiality reasons I am unable to disclose much of what our clients are doing. However, I can point to some examples of our clients using Social Media: Talent Cornwall is a start-up based in Cornwall – they have recently launched their website with fully integrated blog and Social Media profile links. Cornish Mutual have used Social Media to broaden the reach and engagement of their ‘Dig Down SW’ campaign. Enterprise Cafe have implemented a number of actions listed within their Social Media strategy which is evident from their main website – http://enterprisecafe.tv
How should a business get in touch with you?
Email: aren@tonickmedia.com or Search ‘Aren Grimshaw’ or ‘Tonick Media’.

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If you would like to be added to the list then please complete the survey and get in touch with me too.

If you would like others to see this list and you agree with the idea behind it, please forward it on across different communication channels.

Thanks.

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There seems to be an awful lot of companies that offer social media services but to the average person or business it must be confusing about where to go. Well, I know it is confusing as many individuals and businesses have already told me so. The questions I am constantly hearing include: Who works in what area? What level of support can be provided? How much does the support cost?

I am going to try and pull together the key details of those who provide social media services in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. It is going to be the first attempt (that I know of) to provide some clarity.

There is much debate about the different stages that companies may go through when implimenting social media, and the findings of this post could be built into another model at a later stage, but first I just want to find out who is actually providing what.

Please click on the link at the bottom of this post if you would to take the survey and inlcude your service as part of the final list.

For credibility purposes, please also ask the three clients who have received your support to email robertpickstone@hotmail.com with details of their experience in no more than 200 words. You will see this question in the survey.

If you are reading this and agree with the attempt to provide some clarity, please forward this on across your different social networks.

I will then publish a list of those who provide social media support across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset as a blog post on Monday, 5^th April.

Thanks.

Please click here to take the survey

(Please note: This is a personal attempt to find clarity by me, not my employer or companies I work with, but I hope the results can be used and shared by anyone who find them valuable)

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Something different has just happened to my blog! This latest post is not actually from me. It is from Sue Windley. Recently, Emily Cagle and Adam Vincenzini came up with the fabulous idea of #BeMyGuest. Click on the link for more info but in short it is a campaign for mutual blogging that allows bloggers to share their content with different audiences. I really like this idea and am delighted that Sue is my first ever guest blogger. Please read on and enjoy the work of Sue…

As part of #BeMyGuest month, I am delighted to have the opportunity to provide a guest blog for Robert Pickstone, who requested a story from my sales and marketing career.  So here is how I learned my most important lesson about selling. And yes, it is true!

What a Tramp taught me about Selling!

Early in my sales and marketing career, I sold cars. The hard way. Commission only. An English woman selling cars in Scotland!

I was taught the technicalities of selling by men whose lives had been spent in the motor trade.  But the most important lesson I ever learned about selling was taught to me by a tramp on a wet Christmas Eve.

The only people in the showroom are the 4 other salesmen and me – all looking forlornly out the window, thinking what a waste of time – no one will buy a car on Christmas Eve when it’s raining.

An old man, dressed in a dirty mac, tied up with string, walks into showroom. The other four scarper, leaving me muttering under my breath that I wasn’t quick enough to disappear with them. The tramp comes across to say hello. What the heck, it’s Christmas, why not spread some good cheer around and just take the time to have a conversation with another human being. So I spend 10 minutes talking about trivialities with a dirty, smelly stranger who obviously just wants to get out of the rain.

Then he says “I want to buy a car”.  Oh no – a tramp who’s mentally unstable too!  Buy I play along, so we discuss what type of car he would like.  I even showed him the cars in the showroom, making sure he doesn’t get in them and get the seats dirty.  I can even hear my 4 “colleagues” sniggering as they hide behind the one-way window in the service area.

Then “my” tramp picks a car – a demonstrator.  And he wants a test drive.  Well okay – let me get the seat protectors (sheets of plastic used by mechanics to avoid getting oil on customers’ car-seats). And I take him for a drive around the East Lothian countryside, all the while worrying that a real buyer might be walking into the showroom.

As we drive back into the garage, he says he likes the car and wants to buy it.  “Can I drive it away today?” he asks.  Yeah right, I thought – you won’t get finance. “Och hen, I dinna want finance. I want to trade in my old car. Look it’s over there.”

And I looked at his car – a one year old Nissan Micra. All he had wanted to do was trade up to a car with more doors. He gave me the logbook and his insurance – yes, it’s really his. Next hurdle – I price his trade-in and there’s a £2000 difference. “Nae worries, hen.  I’ve got some notes in my pocket – not sure how much tho’.  Will ya count it fer me?” and he hands me a wad of cash which turned out to be £3000.

I was the only sales person on that Christmas Eve to sell a car in the whole franchise of 15 garages. And yes, he did drive it away the same day. And the best bit of all. As he drove away: “You know hen – this was the 7^th garage I’ve been to today and you’re the only person who came and said hello to me. Thank ye.”

It’s easy to make our minds up about other people without knowing anything about them. Now I never prejudge people as I know we are all unique, complete with quirks and foibles! Like the tramp, all we want is someone to notice us and say hello!

Sue Windley is the Marketing Director of the Pragmatic Performance Group, a business acceleration consultancy that supports small and medium-sized enterprises in the south west of England. She is active on Twitter as @DangerousMkting, which is also the name of her blog where you can find all sorts of news and views on all aspects of marketing.

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Last year I attended the inaugural Likeminds conference. I was hugely impressed with much of what I saw. There were some great speakers, great discussions and great content on show.

This year the Likeminds 2010 conference had all of the above. What took it that step further though was the people-to-people experience that guests (not customers) were part of.

Debate is bound to follow about the quality of the presentations and discussions. There will be different views on the value of what was on show and the messages that were being pushed. Saying that, the audience were invited to offer their opinions during panel discussions and not all panel members agreed with each other anyway. Like any conference, it is up to the individual to absorb everything and then make their own mind up. What Likeminds 2010 did was provide world class thought-leaders and practitioners (Chris Brogan, Olivier Blanchard, John Bell, Jonathan Akwue and Joanne Jacobs) that will hopefully inspire many others to take part in healthy, social media/online communications debates.

What I believe can’t really be debated is whether or not Likeminds 2010 delivered on what I believed to be the underlying theme of the whole experience: connecting people. They delivered big time. I don’t think I have ever attended a conference or event where talking to people has been made so easy. It might sound silly to say but it is true.

There were two stand out factors that made it easy for me to connect. Firstly, the name badges with the Twitter avatars on allowed me to spot people I have spoken to online but have never met in person. Secondly, booking lunches with speakers/panellists/guests who shared similar interests allowed me to speak to others with whom I knew I shared common ground. Along with the great hashtag feed and the willingness of most guests to mingle, an environment was created for people to connect to other people.

As Scott has said on many occasions, being part of a community is not enough. Good connections need to be made so that actions can actually follow.

I made many new connections at Likeminds 2010 and I am positive these will lead to many actions. Sure, I will enjoy debating the details of the event with many others over the coming weeks (putting on the ‘social media geek hat’ can be quite fun), but the overwhelming emotion I have right now is that Likeminds connected me to many great people and many positive outcomes are on the cards.

For this I would like to thank everyone who took part.

Do you agree? Did you find it easy to connect?

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Please take a look at this classic Alan Partridge comedy clip.

If your customers or potential customers are not responding to your constant emails, phone calls and letters, yet you are still trying your hardest to get their attention, then it may be time to step back for a second.

• Why do they have no interest in engaging with you?
• What can you say to make them listen?
• What can you do to prove that you can be useful to them?
• How do you change their perception of you?

Don’t be a business version of Alan Partridge. It is very funny to the outsider but the way you communicate is going to get you nowhere.

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I recently came across the following tweet from LinkedInQueen:

“Writers block? We set up and write blogs starting at $100! http://bit.ly/8PanVX”

I was pretty astonished at first. How could someone else possibly know the ins and outs of a company when they have never stepped foot inside Head Office? Why would a company want someone else to speak to their customers? Why would a company be misleading and pretend that they created the content of a blog or that it is their voice?

After clicking on the link I discovered that the “Social Media Service” could write content around 3 areas of the company’s choice, as part of the basic plan. So, it may work like this: I give the brief…hand over the money…ask for blog articles around marketing, finance and skills…they produce the content…content is discussed and mutual changes are agreed…I give it the OK…it then gets posted to my company blog (which they have created) as my own content.

I am actually a little uncomfortable with this. In the vast majority of cases a company’s blog content should be controlled by the people that work for the company. They keep the cogs going round, they know the business inside out, they engage with customers, they are the experts, they are the company.

After stating that I did not agree with the approach, the author of the tweet responded: “There are clients who really need help & we work closely to translate their words w/ their approval”.  So, is this a way of saying it is a copywriting service? Or does this service write blogs for companies?

In an extreme example, there may be an extremely creative, self-employed entrepeneur who has very poor literacy and no computer skills, but wants to use the internet to share his ideas under the company brand. If his ideas were translated word for word after a discussion, then this may be copywriting. If there is any element of control or creativity being handed over to the agency, then would the blog content be 100% his? Translating and writing are two very different things.

After racking my brains, and after a brief discussion with Kimmo Linkama, the only times I can think of when it may be OK for a company to have blog content produced and then genuinly passed on as their own, is as part of promotional blog articles (Press Releases, Interview Transcripts, etc). Readers may expect other contributers in thse instances. However, an outside agency writing articles to display a company’s level of expertise and knowledge, or even just their opinion, just doesn’t sit right. That is not blogging to me.

• When do you think it’s OK for a company to have blog content created for them and then displayed as their own?
• Do you think it is wrong for others to write your company blog?

Vote in the poll below and share any opinions you have on this subject. It would be really interesting to hear your thoughts and experiences. If I am looking at this the wrong way, tell me.

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When I’m asked about guilt and regrets I often refer back to my days of being a door to door salesman. My objective at the time was made pretty clear by my employer: sell products and services to those that fall within a certain criteria. Looking back I wish my objective had been: sell products and services to those that really need them.

Persuading someone to side with cash when they don’t really need to should cause a huge amount of guilt. I only felt this once, and it wasn’t for large amounts of cash, but five years on I still think about it now and again. Once was too often.

One factor that can influence sales people into this action is a commission pay structure, especially if pay is commission only. Other factors can include pressures from management, chasing promotion and the buzz of a sale.

If you currently work in sales, or have done in the past, have you felt this guilt?

If you are constantly receiving sales pitches for products and services you don’t need, then why not ask about their motivation and bring guilt into the equation? It might make a difference.

We all have responsibilities within our jobs but sometimes personal responsibilities are much more important.

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