Saturday, July 22, 2006
Now THIS is Pimpin' it! (Or, why can't WE do that?!)
Jack Flash!
This morning I was in my local coffee stop where they were playing this local JACK radio station, which I personally HATE and NEVER listen to out of protest for it taking over my beloved NY oldies station, 101.1 CBS FM (which actually has a website, which I find hilarious!) and I also think is a stupid, terrible radio format (but really, that's another post!) and I heard them say something about "we will text you when your favoriate song is about to be played."
What!?
Wow!
You go to their website (which is, to me, inappropriately called http://www.ilikejack.com, and I don't even want to "pimp" it here, but I have to for this post, and my personal distate should really be another story!) and you can sign up with them for e-mail or text and be texted (is that the verb?) or e-mailed when your favorite song is about to come on. You receive a message in the format you want, and turn on the radio, and voila! Your favorite song!
I signed up for this just to test it - it is a simple and easy registration process where you create a free account with them, give them your e-mail and mobile number, tell them your favorite artist and song or songs, and choose what time of day to be notified and by what method, i.e., text or e-mail.
So I signed up for an e-mail and a text alert (charges may apply) in the evenings for The Beatles, all songs. You can also set a maximum or no limit on the amount of notices you receive (I gritted my teeth and chose 5 which is the least). I am just experimenting here, but I have no intention of listening to Jack! (Wow, this will be a big success if THEY get ME to start listening!)
You can also do Dedications and Song Id by Phone, where you call the toll-free number and the "talking JackBot will serve you up the title and artist name in a sexy synthetic voice."
This is an "e-mail marketing success story, demonstrating how channel integration can increase an e-mail's sucess," according to Jeanniey Mullen at ClickZ Experts (advice and opinions, by and for marketers). You can read an interesting article about this here.
The article makes the point that, "e-mail is the key catalyst for driving success and building the brand" in this case.
This is a totally automated system requiring no human intervention to keep it running. Users get the information they want, when they want it, in the way they want it, for (almost) free! This service also drives them to the company's website where they find out more things, and also, I'm sure, get their friends to use the services! The company admits that the backend platform wasn't simple, but that finding something that would work was, "both fun and challenging."
I think this is fascinating and something that would really PIMP the library world! Why can't we be PUSHING the information to the user, when and where they want it, in the format they want, about what they want!?
What if they received text messages and/or e-mails when their favorite author has a new book in - or that it is already on reserve for them and they get the message when it is available?
Or favorite DVD? or CD? Or program or service!?
This is what today's users expect and want. This is the sort of technology they are dealing with everyday in their daily lives. Plus, this is a personal, emotional, and direct connection with their user! It also creates "brand loyalty" - the customer will appreciate and be loyal to the company that provides them with positive interactions and that gives them what they want and makes them happy!
I think we can learn a lot from this. The company gives three things to keep in mind:
This morning I was in my local coffee stop where they were playing this local JACK radio station, which I personally HATE and NEVER listen to out of protest for it taking over my beloved NY oldies station, 101.1 CBS FM (which actually has a website, which I find hilarious!) and I also think is a stupid, terrible radio format (but really, that's another post!) and I heard them say something about "we will text you when your favoriate song is about to be played."
What!?
Wow!
You go to their website (which is, to me, inappropriately called http://www.ilikejack.com, and I don't even want to "pimp" it here, but I have to for this post, and my personal distate should really be another story!) and you can sign up with them for e-mail or text and be texted (is that the verb?) or e-mailed when your favorite song is about to come on. You receive a message in the format you want, and turn on the radio, and voila! Your favorite song!
I signed up for this just to test it - it is a simple and easy registration process where you create a free account with them, give them your e-mail and mobile number, tell them your favorite artist and song or songs, and choose what time of day to be notified and by what method, i.e., text or e-mail.
So I signed up for an e-mail and a text alert (charges may apply) in the evenings for The Beatles, all songs. You can also set a maximum or no limit on the amount of notices you receive (I gritted my teeth and chose 5 which is the least). I am just experimenting here, but I have no intention of listening to Jack! (Wow, this will be a big success if THEY get ME to start listening!)
You can also do Dedications and Song Id by Phone, where you call the toll-free number and the "talking JackBot will serve you up the title and artist name in a sexy synthetic voice."
This is an "e-mail marketing success story, demonstrating how channel integration can increase an e-mail's sucess," according to Jeanniey Mullen at ClickZ Experts (advice and opinions, by and for marketers). You can read an interesting article about this here.
The article makes the point that, "e-mail is the key catalyst for driving success and building the brand" in this case.
This is a totally automated system requiring no human intervention to keep it running. Users get the information they want, when they want it, in the way they want it, for (almost) free! This service also drives them to the company's website where they find out more things, and also, I'm sure, get their friends to use the services! The company admits that the backend platform wasn't simple, but that finding something that would work was, "both fun and challenging."
I think this is fascinating and something that would really PIMP the library world! Why can't we be PUSHING the information to the user, when and where they want it, in the format they want, about what they want!?
What if they received text messages and/or e-mails when their favorite author has a new book in - or that it is already on reserve for them and they get the message when it is available?
Or favorite DVD? or CD? Or program or service!?
This is what today's users expect and want. This is the sort of technology they are dealing with everyday in their daily lives. Plus, this is a personal, emotional, and direct connection with their user! It also creates "brand loyalty" - the customer will appreciate and be loyal to the company that provides them with positive interactions and that gives them what they want and makes them happy!
I think we can learn a lot from this. The company gives three things to keep in mind:
And they note, "so far, Beyer's efforts have paid off. Within the first month, JACK FM amassed over 1,100 members in the JACK FLASH database. The number grows by the hour. " ¶ posted by Amy J. Kearns, MLIS @ 10:10 AMSuccess requires lots of beta testing with real people, not just a group of
coworkers in a room guessing what will work. While the original concepts remain the same, our tactics have morphed as a result of the testing process.
Put yourself in the user's shoes and build an experience that will
benefit them. While company goals are top of mind, success only comes when the
e-mail is seen as truly benefiting the reader.
Maintain a willingness to change. A successful program requires
constant evolution. You owe it to your customer base to commit to making the experiences more personal and relevant -- and that means change.
