When I found myself awake at 3 am the other night, I decided to check a few things off the old ‘to do’ list. I emailed an optometrist to book an eye appointment, sent a note to a florist to see about a bouquet for a friend’s birthday, and put in an order at a local deli for an upcoming event. Check, check, and check … oops, not so fast.
That was 15 days ago. Not one of the three emails was answered. Eyes are checked and new glasses ordered from somewhere else, the birthday celebrated, and the event has come and gone.
And each of these three businesses have lost a loyal customer – who will be sure to tell two friends, who will tell two friends and so on and so on – because they couldn’t be bothered to answer an email.
Over the last two weeks, with this blog in mind, I’ve been experimenting with contacting service providers and retailers via email, phone, social media and annoying website contact forms.
It seems most still favour the phone but with the odd toe-dipping into Twitter of all places. To this I say, ‘Please remember who your target audience is.’
I’d suggest the primary consumer these days are the moms and dads trying to keep up with life. Too busy during regular business hours, they are making appointments, sourcing dog food, and tracking down a 50th anniversary cake for their parents upcoming party while sitting in the rain at a soccer tournament on the weekend.
With no time during the week to call 15 bouncy castle providers for their kids birthday, they google and send off emails at the swim meet or while watching Friday night movies with the family. They certainly don’t have time to figure out your twitter handle and tweet you. Most of them don’t even know how. (Note: Only 25% of urban adults are on Twitter.)
So of course keep answering the phone and keep up with social media, but remember to check your inbox a few times a day. Make it easy on the people who want to give you their hard earned dollars. You never know … they may tell two friends.
With gratitude,
Inspired by a little blackcoffee
Some of my favourite moments are spent in search of something beautiful while I drink my first cup of coffee and hear the house wake up. From there I move on to the paper and the news of the day. In this space, I’ll share some of those inspirations.
Now that's some good advice
Articles, snippets, or videos that highlight what to do and what not to do in the always changing world of branding and design.
The New Era of Communication Among Americans
PRINCETON, N.J. — Texting, using a cellphone and sending and reading email messages are the most frequently used forms of nonpersonal communication for adult Americans. Between 37% and 39% of all Americans said they used each of these “a lot” on the day prior to being interviewed. That compares with less than 10% of the population who said they used a home landline phone or Twitter “a lot.”
Shannon Larkins
Founder, Blackcoffee Studio
Over the course of 15+ years, Shannon has grown Blackcoffee Studio out of a love for building brands and reputations. She serves up Blackcoffee as a morning ritual while caffeinating clients and readers on the regular. You can find her at www.BlackcoffeeStudio.com
Blackcoffee Studio
Blackcoffee is a premium brand development agency, offering luxury brand experience to clients at home in Calgary, Canada and around the globe. Brands create experience, set you apart from the competition and drive growth. Anyone can bulid a business but only the exceptional can create a brand. Are you ready?
