A few weeks ago, Andrew Stanten, president of Altitude Marketing, was invited to guest lecture for a senior marketing class at Lehigh University. For this discussion, Andrew focused on the impact and measurement of social media marketing as a business tool.
A frequent speaker, published author on the importance of integrated marketing and Lehigh MBA, Andrew has given numerous presentations to the Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Development Center and students at Lehigh.
“I look forward to these opportunities and truly enjoy offering guidance to the next generation of entrepreneurs and small businesses in the community,” he said.
His presentation highlighted the importance of understanding your audience, setting objectives, and measuring the effectiveness of social media marketing efforts. He also spoke about the importance – and immediacy – of social media.
To illustrate the power of social media, Andrew provided several real-life examples, including one about on-line retailer Zappos.
When a former Altitude intern ordered a pair of cleats for a Frisbee golf tournament, he received the wrong pair two days prior to competing. Frustrated and annoyed, the intern took his frustrations to Twitter, tweeting about the inconvenience and mistake.
Zappos saw the tweet and immediately responded, sending a direct message via Twitter to the intern asking for his phone number. The company called the intern and promised to overnight the correct pair of shoes, free of charge.
The shoes arrived just in time, allowing the intern to compete in his tournament.
This wonderful act of customer service led the intern to then tweet about the outstanding customer service Zappos provided.
”Because Zappos monitored social media and had employees who were empowered to act, they were able to use Twitter to turn an irritated customer who may not have ever shopped there again into a brand evangelist,” he said.
What’s more, hearing about the intern’s experience by word of mouth has made Andrew a loyal customer, as well.
While the Zappos example highlighted to Lehigh students the important role social media can play for business, Andrew emphasized that social media is just one part of the marketing puzzle. “There is so much hype around social media marketing – and for good reason,” he said. “But never lose sight of the importance of integrating your marketing efforts and allowing them to work together to present consistent brand messages. You can’t rely on social media alone.”
