Facebook Addiction

Facebook is one of the biggest sensations these days. It is social network that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People have their own profile page where their Facebook friends can learn about them and communicate with them.

I have been a member of Facebook for almost 4 years. I am addicted to Facebook, and I love it. Why? I have found so many of my long-lost friends through this addictive network, and it allows me to keep in touch with my friends across the nation and world-wide. It is mind boggling to see how much Facebook has changed and grown so quickly. It was originally for college students only, but now it is for all ages.

During one of my semesters at Baylor University, someone created a survey about the Facebook addiction for the class. Two of the questions were:

• How many times a day do you check your Facebook account?
• How long during each session?

Most people answered at least 10 times and 5-10 hours total per day. That is some 70 times and 35-70 hours per week! I had to admit that I am one of those people.

Why is it so addicting? My guess would be the usefulness of it. You can do so many things on it. People can download their pictures, videos, music, and notes. They can market their business and sell things that they want to sell. If there is a special event or a party, members can create and send invitations online. If they need to talk to someone, they can type in the wall posts, private messages, and online.

The point is: Facebook is becoming more useful for everyone in a personal life and a business life. The sky is the limit for good marketing applications using Facebook.

However, if you are not a member yet, BE AWARE OF THE ADDICTION!

Customer Experience: Medieval Times

Positive customer experience is a simple way to create a good word-of-mouth campaign. I hate to admit that I am a picky eater, and choosing a restaurant is one of my hardest decisions. I like to eat at a restaurant that has tasty food, friendly employees, and speedy service. Who wants disgusting or even mediocre food and bad service anyway? This is one of my favorite dining experiences: Medieval Times. Why?

Medieval Times is a family-friendly dinner attraction that takes place in an arena. It is located in Dallas, Texas. There are 9 different locations across the nation. Everyone sits in stadium seating, eats their four-course dinner in an 11th-century style feast, and watches the exciting tournament. At Medieval Times, the food is messy; there are no eating utensils. All of the meals are one choice, unless you are a vegetarian. The food is delicious! Despite all of the messiness, it is a wonderful experience.

The audience will be split into six teams once they arrive at the restaurant. They sit in the arena section matching the country their knight represents. During the dinnertime, the audience gets to cheer for their knight in the drama of jousting and skill tests. They even get to wear a hat that presents their team’s colors.

This unique restaurant is ironic because when you think of a four-course meal, you probably envision a fancy eating establishment with white table cloths, quiet atmosphere, and sedate waiters in tuxedos. Instead, Medieval Times has finger licking, loud music, rowdy cheering, courageous knights, fun waitresses, and handsome horses. The intense, live drama on the arena floor is exhilarating. I think the medieval times experience is wonderful because it is so different from any other restaurant. I have never met anyone that does not like Medieval Times.

If there is one nearby, I dare you to give it a try. Who cares about messy food? The fun-filled experience is worth it!

-Jessica

Customer Experience

Customer experience is one of the keys to success in business. Loyal customers will help keep the business running and create word-of-mouth advertising. It takes a lot of effort to bring your customers back. First, you have to create an experience that will stay on the customers’ minds. As I said in my first blog post, you have to be first on their minds; otherwise, they might not remember your business. We tend to dwell on the first thought, not the second. Every customer wants to have an experience that is wonderful and unique. If the experience was special, then the more likely the customer will come back.

For example, Build-a-Bear is an amazing store that allows customers to build their own stuffed animal. It does not have to be a bear—there are many animals from which to choose. This is a unique store that creates memorable experiences for customers. I have been there twice for my own brown bear and my brother’s girlfriend’s panda bear. Fun, I know. Once you walk in, you pick out what kind of animal you want, and then the employees will help you with step-by-step instructions to build it. You start by kissing a heart before putting it inside an animal and then stuffing it (how cute!). The store allows you to pick out any sound recording and different outfits. After building an animal, you will make a certificate that allows you to make a name official for your stuffed animal. It is a really cool experience.

How can we create a unique customer experience? Jay Ehret, from The Marketing Spot, recommends the book, Managing the Customer Experience by Shaun Smith and Joe Wheeler. It talks about how important the customer experience is, and how to create it. It also mentions how to use it as a brand. It is pretty much how to turn the customers into loyal advocates. I recommend that you read it. Customer experience: it will make or break your business.

-Jessica

Tantilizing Treasures or Tacky Trash?

I went to the First Monday Trade Day with my parents in Canton, Texas. It is a huge flea market located an hour east of Dallas. It is a fun place where dealers and customers can come to bargain on all kinds of merchandise from door knobs to exercise machines. It always lasts for a whole weekend. First Monday started in the 1850s when the District Judge used to stop in Canton on the first Monday of each month to hold court sessions. People brought goods, produce, and livestock with them to buy, sell or trade. In 1965, it had overgrown and moved down to bigger land. First Monday usually holds up to 7,000 vendors and about 300,000 visitors. It is a really cool experience. This is best described as a customer experience.

One of the goals in marketing is to stand out to the customers and persuade them to come back to your business. You want to be the first on their mind because it is easy to remember what comes in your mind first. We don't think about or dwell on what comes second to mind--we think about what comes first to mind. This flea market is a good example. There are many competitors and booths from which to choose.

My parents enjoy going to this flea market once every month. I have been to a couple of flea markets growing up, but I have never been to Canton’s flea market. Some people would have to spend two or three days to see every single booth at First Monday. There are numerous booths located next to each other. Each dealer has a booth where they set up tables on which to display their items for sale. One interesting part is how the dealers set up their booths. As a customer, we are more likely to look at things that will satisfy our needs or wants. I usually judge the booth before I walk in to look at their items. Most of the dealers have really old stuff, such as old pictures, rusted metals, old kitchen dishes, toys from different decades and so on. It can be either very useful or just junk. However, the way junk is marketed can make it look like treasures waiting to be discovered. For instance, I saw a large sign that said “Pre-Owned Watches” rather than “Used Watches.” It is not necessarily old items, but it could be new items that were created by the owner. Wood furniture is a good example.

There is one booth that really caught my attention, “Paper Moon Antiques.” There are several reasons why it caught my attention. First of all, the owners, Steve and Gail Pruitt, decorated their booth with a couple of sheer fabrics hanging from inside the tent, a flower print couch for the owners and anybody to sit on with a coffee table in front of it, and friendly music playing. They even have a fan blowing to keep them and the customers cool from the horrible Texas heat. Their business consists of old wooden furniture that was repainted, along with cute coat or key hangers, and decorations that can be put on a table or the wall. Their decoration theme involved light and friendly colors, such as light tones of pink, blue, white, and green. Yes, I am a college student who will graduate soon, and I will have to buy furniture someday after that. This could be a perfect opportunity for me to start acquiring furniture, and the items at this booth looked enticing. As my mother and I walked into this booth, Steve welcomed us. He was very friendly, and he let us know that we can ask him any questions about his items. This is the only booth out of hundreds that actually stayed in my mind.

The point is, Paper Moon Antiques stood out so much from other booths because of good marketing. All of the other booths were so dull with just the items piled on a table. There were no decorations or welcome by the dealers. Sometimes I would feel such an unfriendly or unwelcome vibe that I do not even bother looking at their stuff. Some dealers would not make the effort to talk to the customers or make the sales. There are some booths that are just simply junky—with clearly no effort made to market their “treasures”—instead, just displaying their junk.

If you have a unique customer experience, I would love to hear about it.