- Negative Feedback as MotivationA guest post from Lindsay about negative feedback: something nobody wants, but we all have to deal with at some point. And if your organisation engages in social media, it is more likely that you’ll find out what people really think: negative as well as positive. So: how do you deal with it? How Do […]
- Top 50 Branded Facebook Fan Pages for May 2011Ignite Social Media has published the May 2011 results of its monthly Top 50 Branded Facebook Fan Pages list. This month’s list saw a big jump by Starbucks, a loss by Victoria’s Secret, and a debut by Playboy (yes, there is still value in the Playboy brand). The top spot goes to Facebook with nearly […]
- Financial Brands Enjoy Mobile Banking Growth in EuropeIn a new study from comScore, it was reported that mobile banking is on the rise among European consumers. In fact, 8.5% of mobile subscribers in the top five European markets (United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy) accessed their bank accounts via a mobile phone in March 2011. That’s 20 million mobile users. It […]
- Corporate Eye Summary May 28, 2011Lessons from Social Media Mistakes I hope you’re enjoying our series of occasional guest posts; I know I am. It’s always interesting to hear a fresh perspective. This post is from Jamie Davies. Three Case Studies Big Business Can Learn From If you follow all the popular media outlets online, then you might have recently […]
- Microsoft, Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and the Story of a Brand Champion SuccessorI’ve written about brand champions on the Corporate Eye blog before. While I think Hugh Hefner of Playboy is the ultimate brand champion, I also believe that Steve Jobs of Apple is an excellent example of a brand champion. You can read some of my thoughts about Steve Jobs as a brand champion in: The […]
Negative Feedback as Motivation
A guest post from Lindsay about negative feedback: something nobody wants, but we all have to deal with at some point. And if your organisation engages in social media, it is more likely that you’ll find out what people really think: negative as well as positive. So: how do you deal with it?
How Do You Deal with Negative Feedback?
Wouldn’t it be nice if all we ever heard were statements of reassurance and encouragement? Imagine a world devoid of criticism, misconception and condemnation. It would be a world full of warm fuzzies and butterflies and shiny happy people. But of course we don’t live in that world. We live in a reality that is often filled with more naysayers than supporters.
It’s how we deal with negativity that defines who we are, as individuals and as a business. Sometimes the critiques are warranted, and constructive. Other times, they are disheartening and destructive. But in any case we all need mechanisms to cope with negative feedback whether it comes from outside sources or inside our own minds. How we process and deal with criticism may in many ways define who we are.
From Customers
Every business depends on their customers to survive. We’ve all heard the expression that “the customer is always right.” But does that apply to when they tell us that we’re wrong? When a customer has a negative experience do you have a system of recourse for an individual to inform the appropriate parties? And is it widely publicized? A hotline number printed on a receipt isn’t always enough to let a customer know you care about what they have to say. When a customer is fired up enough to want to complain about something, they will. And if you don’t offer them a way to do it directly, they will find another outlet, and the internet is all too happy to oblige. From copious review sites, to social media there are plenty for channels for dissatisfied customers to vent. And if it winds up on the web, it may be there forever. With the recent insurgence of integrated local results complete with customer comments, keeping online buzz positive is more important than ever.
While sometimes it’s easier to chalk an unhappy customer up to an isolated incident, that assumption is usually a tactic for burying your head in the sand. If it happened to one person, it’s probably happened before and probably will again. That’s why collecting consumer feedback is one of the most crucial points for any business development plan. Finding out where your strengths and weaknesses are in the customer’s eyes is probably the most valuable insight any company can have. We need that external perspective both positive and negative to determine what areas still need work. If you aren’t readily accepting complaints, and dealing with them in a meaningful way, then you may be ignoring a huge problem. Taking the time to address negative comments is good for improving customer service as well as improving internal functions.
From Employees
No company has blissful employees all the time. We all grumble about the day to day grind and our petty quibbles with the corporate machine. But there’s a difference between meaningless grumbling and legitimate employee unrest. You hear phrases like ‘open door policy’ and ‘anonymous suggestion box’ but how true are these really? Is the boss’s door really open for innovators or just yes-men? Is the suggestion box really anonymous or is it right outside the nosy General Manager’s door? Are you really open to taking negative employee feedback, or are employees who offer constructive criticism viewed as ‘complainers’ and ‘pot-stirrers’? The truth is, many companies don’t have a place for employees to redress their deepest concerns.
Management sometimes has an unfortunate tendency to assume that they know best. But it’s the guys who are knee deep in the trenches that often have the most realistic view of where the biggest problems lie. Employees often have the most precise ideas about how to fix a flawed system. They know where the road blocks are or where efficiency can be improved. But that intel is only as useful as the internal process for collecting it. If all employee complaints fall on deaf ears that just don’t want to deal with ‘whiners’ you may be missing out on the innovation that could revolutionize your business.
From Ourselves
Sometimes the worst negative feedback comes from within. Our own insecurities can be the most crippling cynicism we face. How do we cope when the voices telling us that we’re struggling, are in our own heads? Obviously, math doesn’t lie and numbers don’t sugar coat the news if your bottom line is plummeting. That’s not the kind of negativity I mean. This has more to do with fear. Change is scary, and when it comes to taking the next big step in business sometime the only thing holding us back is our own doubts. Questions like ‘If I try something and fail, can I recover?’, ‘Why re-invent the wheel if what we have now is working?’, ‘If the company grows can we keep the small business culture we all love so much?’. While these are all pretty specific, they represent different areas of running a company that often come up for examination. Whether it’s offering a new product or service, changing an internal structure or expanding the staff these every day challenges can pose major anxieties.
There are always specific issues that we shy away from because they carry risk and taking risks is frightening. But the fact is if you’re thinking about making changes to your business, and you have been taking in regular feedback from customers and employees, you may already know everything you need. Their opinions and views can often drive the changes that your company needs to make, and when you base decisions based on research then it become a lot less terrifying. If the demand is there from your customers, then a new product or service has a market. If tasks are falling through the cracks in the office, that’s a mandate for an organizational alteration. If your people are overworked, then expanding the staff is essential.
Dealing with negative feedback is something every business must face. But deciding how and when to use negativity as motivation is what allows businesses to thrive. So the question of ‘how do you deal with negative feedback?’ is really a question of how do you accept criticism and use it to learn and become better. Sure, we all must filter out the white noise from what is legitimately helpful, but being able to make that distinction is crucial. And whether the negativity is from customers, employees or yourself figuring out what is valid and what can make you better is what truly characterizes a great business with a bright future.
Lindsay is a Corporate Journalist at i-Sight, an Investigation Software program designed to help increase corporate efficiency dealing with internal and external feedback Lindsay has worked as an internet marketer, freelance writer, brand consultant and manager.
Financial Brands Enjoy Mobile Banking Growth in Europe
In a new study from comScore, it was reported that mobile banking is on the rise among European consumers. In fact, 8.5% of mobile subscribers in the top five European markets (United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy) accessed their bank accounts via a mobile phone in March 2011. That’s 20 million mobile users.
It appears that the growth of smartphone use is driving much of the mobile banking growth in Europe. In March 2011, 70% of mobile banking in the European market was done via a smartphone device. In fact, those smartphone users who are banking via their mobile devices have grown by 40% since August 2010. It’s safe to assume this growth is not going to stop anytime soon, particularly since smartphones account for only 35% of the total mobile user population in Europe.
Data security remains a concern for consumers, but clearly, there is a large audience of financial consumers in Europe who are willing to put those concerns aside for the convenience of mobile banking. In addition to accessing bank accounts via mobile devices, consumers also accessed electronic payments and credit cards. France saw the highest penetration of mobile users who accessed bank accounts during March 2011 of the top 5 European markets as follows:
- France = 10.3% penetration
- Spain = 10.2% penetration
- United Kingdom = 8.6% penetration
- Italy = 7.5%
- Germany (the largest smartphone market in Europe) = 6.8% penetration
Another interesting finding in the comScore report tells us that men are two times more likely to use mobile banking than women. Furthermore, the 25-24 year old demographic is most likely to use mobile banking.
What does this data tell financial brand managers? The days of thinking consumers are too afraid of security issues to bank online or via mobile devices is over. It’s time to create the useful and convenient apps and tools that consumers need to make banking on the go easier than ever. Smartphone device and table device targeting should be top priorities for the next year.
What do you think? Is your brand ahead of the curve when it comes to mobile brand marketing or behind? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Image: stock.xchng
Corporate Eye Summary May 28, 2011
- Lessons from Social Media MistakesI hope you’re enjoying our series of occasional guest posts; I know I am. It’s always interesting to hear a fresh perspective. This post is from Jamie Davies. Three Case Studies Big Business Can Learn From If you follow all the popular media outlets online, then you might have recently seen the controversy over the […]
- What the TweetDeck Acquisition by Twitter Really Means in 5 Simple Bullet PointsJust yesterday, I published a post here on the Corporate Eye blog about predictions related to Twitter ad spending over the next year. In that post, I wrote the following: “Twitter’s recent focus on tightening the reins on third-party apps and acquiring popular properties like TweetDeck are an indication that Twitter is actively looking for […]
- Twitter Ad Spending Will Grow by 456% in Two YearsIn 2010, Twitter began allowing advertisers to publish ads in its first widespread attempt to monetize the popular site. During that year, Twitter earned $45 million dollars worldwide in ad revenues (100% of those ad revenues came from the United States). By 2011, those ad revenues had more than tripled to $151 million worldwide ($140 […]
- Balfour Beatty : Building for the Future | FTSE 100 Website ReviewsIn these straitened times it is perhaps unsurprising that the construction sector is a little more down on its uppers than usual. Because of this, Balfour Beatty aren’t actually in the FTSE100. At present. They’ve been in and out like a yoyo the last couple of years and are currently out. However, for the purposes […]
- Interview with Stuart Bartram: Catching The Digital WaveAviva have had one of the top corporate sites for many years with the team led by Stuart Bartram. He’s recently left Aviva, and we were delighted to have the chance to interview him. He reflects on how he caught the digital wave, which corporate sites he rates, and offers some key lessons in getting […]
Twitter Ad Spending Will Grow by 456% in Two Years
In 2010, Twitter began allowing advertisers to publish ads in its first widespread attempt to monetize the popular site. During that year, Twitter earned $45 million dollars worldwide in ad revenues (100% of those ad revenues came from the United States). By 2011, those ad revenues had more than tripled to $151 million worldwide ($140 million from the United States and $11 million from the rest of the world). New predictions show that number is expected to climb by over 65% in 2012 to a total ad spending revenue for Twitter of $250 worldwide ($225 million from the United States and $25 from the rest of the world).
It’s safe to say that Twitter’s advertising initiatives to monetize the site are working, but there is still a lot of room for growth and many opportunities available to boost those earnings without damaging the user experience that people expect from Twitter.
Twitter’s existing advertising program isn’t all that intrusive. For example, it’s easy to ignore the sponsored tweets that appear in trending topics or within your Twitter timeline because they’re not overwhelming and don’t clutter the timelines of users who follow a handful of active tweeters. At the same time, it’s easy to click on those that interest you in order to learn more. The trick for Twitter is finding additional monetization opportunities that don’t negatively affect the existing user experience. Users have strong expectations for how the site should look and perform. That must not be damaged.
Your company needs to do the same time when it comes to monetizing content and selling products through social media marketing. Don’t let your monetization and marketing efforts damage the user experience and customer expectations for the brand.
Twitter’s recent focus on tightening the reins on third-party apps and acquiring popular properties like TweetDeck are an indication that Twitter is actively looking for ways to monetize the site beyond the standard timeline interruptions. These steps are also likely to provide even more demographic and behavioral data about users, which can boost ad targeting and returns for advertisers.
What type of advertising or monetization efforts are you willing to accept on Twitter? What are your customers willing to accept from your brand? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
via eMarketer
Sainsbury’s Values, CR Reports & the Corporate Website
What is your approach to supermarket shopping?
Some people go in with a list, and stick to it; others prefer to wander around the aisles to see what takes their fancy. For some, the supermarket run is an event, and they try out all the tastings, look for new items, and pick up leaflets; for others, it’s a chore, to be done as quickly as possible. I’m convinced that for a few, it is seen as a challenge: beating your personal best, whether this is time taken to complete your shopping, or price at the checkout.
But how many people pay attention to the corporate messaging which that supermarket run inevitably includes – and, in particular, to the messages about corporate responsibility?
Though we all see these corporate messages, how many of us really notice them? It isn’t always easy to communicate corporate messages in a retail arena, where people are naturally very product focused.
Paul Nixon (CEO at Corporate Eye) recently interviewed Ben Eavis, who heads up Corporate Responsibility (CR) for Sainsbury’s (one of the biggest supermarket chains here in the UK), and I’m delighted to be able to share this interview with you.
It’s fascinating – and wide-ranging, as they cover not only the changes in Sainsbury’s CR reporting, and how that affects the corporate website, but also social media, engaging influential CR bloggers, Fairtrade, the Ethical Trading Initiative, carbon-footprinting for dairy farmers and more…
You’ll also hear Thomas Knorpp, Digital Media Manager at Sainsbury’s, who tweets as @jsainsbury, and who is responsible for the corporate website, talking about how Sainsbury’s are using social media channels. The volume levels on Thomas’ voice were very low, so I’ve amplified those sections, and tried to cut out some of the noise. It’s not perfect, because I’m no sound engineer, but it is well worth listening to.
The references to Lucy? That’s me: coincidentally, in my domestic life, I’m one of the bloggers found by Sainsbury’s blogger outreach programmes.
I’ve broken the interview into smaller chunks, to make it easier for you to listen to the parts you’re most interested in – but the whole interview is also available, so you can listen to Paul and Ben discussing CR while you’re out running, or while you’re warming up those last few mince pies.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it: it’s full of detail about Sainsbury’s approach to corporate responsibility and reporting. Thanks to Ben and Thomas for taking the time to share so much information with us.
Part 1: Communicating Corporate Values
Ben explains how their corporate values fit with Sainsbury’s retail business, and discusses the key communication challenges that supermarkets face and the prioritisation of communication channels.
Surprise point: there are potentially 300 sustainability touch-points for Sainsbury’s to consider. That’s a wide range of CR issues to consider: everything from the amount of salt and sugar in foods, to carbon footprinting, to working with farmers, to the impact on the local communities.
[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/sainsburys-part-1.mp3]Length: 4:45
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 1
Part 2: CR Reporting and the Corporate Website
Just how do you approach integrating your corporate social responsibility reporting and the corporate website? Often the CR section on the corporate site ‘is’ the CR report.
Sainsbury’s have a new approach to reporting: this section of the interview covers CR reporting, the issues around having both a retail and a corporate website, and ways to invite people arriving on the retail site – or on a social media site – back to the CR section to find out more detail.
Surprise point: Sainsbury’s provide their CR report in A6 format – pocket size – and give a copy to all their staff.
Listen for: Thomas explaining how he uses social media to connect the corporate values with the retail products
[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/sainsburys-part-2.mp3]Length: 5:04
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 2
Part 3: Getting Traffic to the CR Site
Ben talks about how they’ve increased traffic to their corporate CR site by adding interactivity, and by using Facebook, Twitter and their partners and advocates in other organisations to drive traffic. Also discussed: meeting the different needs of different audiences.
Listen for: Ben explaining how the change in frequency and style of CR reporting is boosting web traffic
[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/sainsburys-part-3.mp3]Length: 5:07
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 3
Part 4: Social Media and CR
Just how much time does social media take? And what about social media governance?
Paul and Ben discuss the benefits and potential difficulties in engaging with social media, building a CR community, identifying influencers and engaging with them both on and offline.
Listen for: Ben talking about the support network around Thomas as he engages in social media, and the significance of the corporate values.
Listen for: Thomas talking about just how much time he spends on social media, and how they spot influencers – not just on retail matters, but on corporate matters too, such as CR.
[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/sainsburys-part-4.mp3]Length: 13:00
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 4
Part 5: CR Issues, Initiatives and the Corporate Website
How does a company select which of the many possible CR issues and initiatives to target?
Paul and Ben talk about the process of identifying the issues that matter most to the corporate stakeholders, and about how to ensure that, once started, initiatives continue to be reported on via the corporate website.
Surprise point: your Nectar card isn’t just for points and targeted vouchers; it’s also used in stakeholder engagement.
[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/sainsburys-part-5.mp3]Length: 4:35
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 5
Part 6: Industry-wide CR Issues and Communication
Retail, like so many other industries, is highly competitive. How should one company react when another in the same industry has a crisis? And what about industry-wide issues?
Listen for: Ben talking about how the corporate value-set can help Sainsbury’s avoid potential issues.
[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/sainsburys-part-6.mp3]Length: 5:27
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 6
Part 7: CR Initiatives and Product Labelling
Paul and Ben talk about how Sainsbury’s helps farmers to become more efficient, by providing them with data about their own farm and about those of their peer group, and why Sainsbury’s believe that translating that kind of information into CR labelling (e.g airmiles, carbon footprint) doesn’t help consumers.
Listen for: Ben talking about working with their supply chain in partnership to address CR concerns.
[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/sainsburys-part-7.mp3]Length: 9:00
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 7
Interview in full
The whole interview is available too, and we’ve also provided a transcript for those of you who prefer to read.
[audio:https://www.corporate-eye.com/main/audio/interview-ben-eavis-sainsbury-full.mp3]Length: 47:30
Download: Sainsbury’s Interview in full
Download transcript: Sainsbury’s Interview transcript
Who were we talking to?
Ben Eavis – Head of Corporate Responsibility, Sainsbury’s
Ben joined Sainsbury’s at the end of 2009 as the Head of Corporate Responsibility and Ethical Trading, to lead Sainsbury’s strategies in these areas. Ben previously worked at Burberry, where he was Director of Corporate Responsibility. Prior to Burberry, Ben worked as Group Social Policy Manager at spirit and wine company Allied Domecq and as the Commercial Manager for Glastonbury Festival. Ben has an MSc in Responsibility and Business Practice from the University of Bath and a BA honours degree in Geography from Sheffield University.
Thomas Knorpp – Digital Media Manager, Sainsbury’s
As Digital Media Manager at Sainsbury’s, Thomas manages the supermarket’s digital corporate communications strategy, focusing on digital media relations via the Sainsbury’s corporate website as well as blog, social networking and multimedia sharing platforms. Thomas joined Sainsbury’s in March 2010 from AOL, where he most recently headed up corporate communications for AOL Germany. Thomas holds a BA in Media and Cultural Studies from Macquarie University in Sydney and an MA in Media Administration from the Freie Universität Berlin.