This post, Let’s Talk Turkey, can be read on our new blog by clicking this link.

It’s a fact of life we’ve grown to accept: advertisements are everywhere.   They infiltrate our daily life and are impossible to ignore.  Some people are bothered by this supposed ‘attack’ on personal space and time, while others have learned to merely accept this relatively new reality that shows no sign of slowing.  Still others have grown to enthusiastically embrace our new world of logos, slogans, spokesmen, and paraphernalia that are stuck, said, plastered, placed, handed out, hung up and thrown in our faces just about everywhere. 

Clearly, this expansion of advertising has gained significant speed due to its pairing with the Internet’s ever-improving capacity to track consumer habits and preferences. This ability has given marketers previously un-dreamt of opportunities to reach their target audience.  The liberation of audio, visual and textual communication through online conduits has also opened the floodgates for advertisers to reach a captured audience with precision and speed.

Depending on the day, I find myself in one of the aforementioned buckets of reactions to advertising.  More and more; however, I am shocked to realize I’m actually a proud member of the latter group – that growing body of people who gladly grab a brand’s sticker for their water bottle, publicly befriend a company on Facebook, or follow their favorite stores on Twitter. 

This revelation about myself as a welcoming consumer of advertising finally hit me in its entirety the other day when my friend introduced me to the new wave of ‘free’ international communication offered by Talkster.  Talkster is a service that allows you to use local cell phone minutes to make international calls.  The connection is crystal clear, the convenience is great, and the price is unbeatable!  How is this possible? Easy – you only have to listen to a 10-second advertisement before your call is connected.  That’s it?  REALLY?  Well then, bring it on!  I’d gladly listen to even 30 seconds of ads in order to have the flexibility of talking to my friend in Hong Kong on my cell phone for free.

Pandora radio is another great example of a service whose advertisements I willingly accept.  Pandora allows me to customize my own radio stations online with only the minor disturbance of a short ad every once in a while.  I’ve even noticed the themes of the ads seem to fit nicely with the genre of my streaming music.  Also, we should not overlook another favorite example of mine that is often taken for granted:  major subscription-based newspapers and magazines typically make their featured articles available online for a limited time.  This free information is provided thanks to the bordering banner ads subsidizing what would otherwise be money from my own pocket paying for a subscription.  This teaming of online sponsors and service providers has proven extremely beneficial to all parties involved.

So again, I admit I am a sucker for free stuff (who isn’t?) and I don’t mind the advertisements that allow me to use free stuff.  To the delight of advertisers, I am more receptive to their messages when I can consciously recognize the benefits they provide.  In addition, as ads become more relevant to my preferences, I find myself reading them, listening to them, and interacting with them more frequently. 

I applaud the businesses willing to think outside the box and explore non-traditional advertising.  Kudos, as well, to the entrepreneurs who make these marketing opportunities available and are always looking for new ways to help vendors reach consumers.  If we could all learn to embrace this symbiotic relationship (and perhaps even capitalize on a trend that is only going to grow) we will become more effective vendors, advertisers, and consumers alike. 

In lieu of my usual lunch hour yesterday, I took a slightly longer than normal midday break to get a much-needed haircut.  Nothing fancy, but my stylist, as always, was meticulous in his work and took extra time to make sure I was happy.  (Nate at The Electric Chair, if you’re interested.)  On my way back to the office, I did as I often do and made a quick Facebook post about my experience. It wasn’t long before several responses rolled in, and voila: a virtual conversation was underway about my salon and its many attributes.

Priceless word of mouth, all because someone made a social networker happy. Welcome to customer satisfaction in the digital age.

Social networking tools are, by design, a clearinghouse for unsolicited opinions. Just this morning I’ve seen a dozen posts in my little universe about various products and services; mostly good, a few bad, and one guy was actively spewing venom after a disagreement with his health club. The lesson here, particularly for the local business, is two-fold: You can’t control what customers publish about you, but maybe you can help those in your corner of cyberspace to choose their words.

Let’s first set aside that grumpy old man voice in your head: “Darn kids and their Tweets.” Social media is no longer a youth phenomenon. (Was it ever, really? A debate for another time.) Customers of all types are online - period. In fact, Baby Boomers are the fastest growing segment of online users. They’re chatting, blogging, rating, commenting, and linking like mad. This proliferation of cyber-talk has suddenly given Joe Schmoe Consumer an enormous audience just dying to hear about his dry cleaner’s pickup service. Ever met a Mom Blogger? I’ll bet you have, and I’ll bet you didn’t know. These armchair Oprahs boast hundreds, thousands, of loyal fans devouring everyday dialogue on anything from home repairs to health care. These are the folks keeping your lights on, and they’re holding you accountable to every reader, subscriber, and friend… whether you like it or not.

So what’s the local business to do? Obviously, everyone strives to provide top-notch service and value to their customers (we hope), and a commitment to excellence should resonate in all forms of feedback. The real opportunity is in proactively harnessing those virtual voices and encouraging them to spread the good word on your behalf. Intimidated? Don’t be. A few minutes of research, a clever user name, and a mild sense of adventure are all it takes to introduce your business to online society. Set aside two hours to click around, get acquainted, and do the pre-work: open a Twitter account; create a Facebook profile; start a blog; and for heaven’s sake, invest in a decent website. (That last one will take some time, but it’s critical; clunky websites demean us all.)

Once you begin to think like a social networker, you’ll discover unlimited opportunities for customer engagement. Instead of mailing addresses and home phone numbers, collect customer emails, screen names, and websites. Forget about old school “How are we doing?” cards; hand clients the URL to your feedback page, or better yet, include a link in an instant message that thanks them for their business. Develop a web badge and offer discounts to customers who post it to their own sites. Run promotional giveaways for blog readers who comment on your posts. Hold a 10-minute contest: First 5 Tweets about why we’re so great win a free… whatever. The idea is just to interact, be memorable, and keep the conversation going; think of it as grassroots marketing on steroids.

It may sounds overwhelming, but since this internet thing is here to stay, you might as well figure out how to make it work for you. Used properly, social networking tools will help you reach your customers where they are, and speak in a way that’s meaningful to them; isn’t that what marketing is all about? Don’t cower before the tech-savvy, or wish them away; learn the language, wield the tools, and post confidently among them!

Say it with me: “If you can’t beat ‘em, Tweet ‘em.”