Click to Play John Battelle Predicts the 2009... Predictions are exciting. They're even better when they come from a credible source, someone such as John Battelle. He has been giving yearly predictions on the... Recent Articles What’s Your Approach To 2009? If you’ve attended any sort of time management, goal setting or time management class in high school or college, you’d feel that you might have been beaten over the head with the Vilfredo Pareto bat. Enhance Your Business And Stand Apart From Other... Alright, so we all are aware that recession is going on. We better call it a financial crunch. But when will it stop? Speculations are all over in the air. Some are saying, by the end of April, and others are of the view that... Ensuring Brand Survivability in The New Year Several months ago, I was invited by Jeff Rohrs of ExactTarget to participate in a smart campaign they put together to get a few marketing minds to write a fictional "letter to the CEO" about what they would recommend... Building Your Business in a Recession Without Fear If you're sheltering cash to focus on development, then cut the services and expenses that will not impede your ability to cross the threshold. If you're conserving funds to prolong life, then realize that the only fountain... Partnering With Large Powerful Companies May... The topic of partnerships comes up relatively frequently in startup circles. The common question entrepreneurs have about partnerships with Some Big Powerful Company (SBPC) can be reduced down to something like this: "My startup has the opportunity to explore... How To Survive During An Economic Downturn If you're involved in the operation/management of a startup, you've already heard a bunch of advice over the past couple of months. Much of this advice can be summed into about two words: Reduce Expenses...

02.24.09 Relating Your Brand To Your Customers' Needs By Meredith Trottier You’re probably familiar with Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Think back to your Psychology 101 class, and if you’re still drawing a blank, here’s the 10-second overview. The basic idea behind his hierarchy of needs, which usually manifests itself in the color-coded, neatly divided pyramid below, is that there are various levels of human needs. If, and only if, the basic physiological needs on the bottom portion of the pyramid are met, can the individual focus on higher level (non-basic) human needs. I believe this same concept can be applied to how your customers relate to your brand. Replace the human levels of the pyramid with levels that are applicable to your brand. This is how I see each level shaking out: Bottom tier: Consumer Awareness. This level, which is focused on basic needs, relates to brand and product awareness. After all, in order to sell your products and services, consumers have to be aware that your company exists. It’s safe to say most companies have this covered, and the start-ups are working on it. Second tier: Customer Application. Now that consumers are aware of your company and its products and services, you have the challenge of turning your prospects into customers. This is the natural progression from brand awareness. Third tier: Successful Customer Application. You have customers who have tried your products. The product lives up to its name and intended use. Voila, you have, in theory, satisfied customers. But is that enough? No. Customer Satisfaction doesn’t matter, when your gadget is just as good as your competitor’s gadget. Heaven forbid they come out with an enhanced gadget. Suddenly, your seemingly satisfied customers are some other company’s “satisfied customer.” Is your brand losing satisfied customers? If so, keep reading. Once you graduate to the next tier, the customer loss slows significantly. Fourth tier: Customer Loyalty. Turning your happy customers into brand loyalists is crucial for your business. Dedication to your brand and products will make your retention efforts much easier, and help you to convert customer transactions into customer relationships. Top tier: Customer Advocacy. I’m sure you thought customer loyalty was the crème de la crème for your brand. It’s not—customer advocacy is. At this point, you have gone from making consumers aware of your products to having your customers inform other consumers about your product, and in a positive way. Now that’s when you know your brand has arrived! Many brands are using social media to meet customers and prospects exactly where they are on the pyramid. There are 4,905 businesses on Twitter, according to Twibs.com, so 4,905 brands are at least gaining brand awareness from Twitter. Is your brand included in this 4,905? Continue reading this article. About the Author: Meredith Trottier is a contributing author on Ignite Social Media

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