Southwest Air

Superhero Power: Blogging.

Fisticuffs may ensue with anyone who doesn’t share my extreme excitement about what Southwest Air has done with its ‘everything on show’ approach to knowledge-sharing courtesy of its multimedia blog.

Southwest Air have a reputation as being value-driven, but little was once known about what made the brand tick.

Fast-forward to about, well, now, and the company is taking on the likes of Virgin in an already personality-packed industry with its own web channel packed with blog, radio and video content.

It seems like everyone at Southwest Air wants in on the chance to share their experiences and passions not just for the business, but also the aeronautical industry at large.

State Farm

Superhero Power: P2P marketing and gaining a deeper understanding of what the customer wants and needs.

Let’s get real. Not all relationships start online. If you’re a local businesses, or you have branches in the heart of communities, you can adopt a different tack. Remember Gina the florist who brought joy to her neighbourhood with the decorated bridge?

State Farm have adopted a different tactic that has already brought them invaluable publicity by being there with the information their customers – new, and yet-to-be – need.

I once hallucinated the idea of having ‘learning cafes’ where people could hang out and get a shot of inspiration with their espressos. A sharing schedule would be on the wall, and a bit like a Barcamp or unconference, people could come in, take to the stage, deliver a presentation, and share their knowledge with munchers and drinkers alike.

State Farm has unwittingly gatecrashed my (clearly not original) invention by offering money management classes in its cafe created for that exact purpose.

Further reading

• Southwest Air: 5 Social Media Lessons
• In Chicago, insurance company launches community café for locals

So you want to play on the side of the tracks where the big boys hang out, huh? Good for you – they’re proof that Sharing Superheroes success scales. Whether you’re CMO of Apple or just starting out building your own personal brand, there’s plenty we can learn from the corporations that stick their necks out and work it a little differently than the rest.

Uniqueness is an asset and something to be craved. That’s why this pair of Sharing Superheroes get my vote. Now let’s find out how they shore the awe…

Channel 9

Superhero Power: Video.

Legend has it the very first video on Microsoft’s trailblazing Channel 9 website explained its name was inspired by United Airlines, the self same company that showed how social media was resurrecting great David vs Goliath-like challenges when its baggage handlers dropped some dude’s guitar (which has 11.4 million views, and counting).

Microsoft loved how channel nine (dubbed ‘From The Flight Deck’) on United’s in-flight entertainment system brought passengers the radio conversations between flight crew and air traffic controllers.

It delivered a unique experience for its listeners, who could experience the magic of flying a jet, and let the pilots demonstrate their expertise.

And so the scene was set for Microsoft to create a community site promoting conversations among the company’s customers, targeted at Microsoft Windows’ end users and developers.

The technology-focused Channel 9 is replete with video channels, discussions and podcasts. In many ways the customer community is in control of its output, not-quite-dictating but heavily influencing the content of interviews with Microsoft developers about their products.

What’s in it for Microsoft? A priceless two-way feedback mechanism. You rub mine, etc. It’s not in it for the marketing, the PR or the lead generation, but to inspire honest interaction between company and customer.

What price a relationship like this? In years gone by having a focus group on tap would have cost thousands of dollars, but now any company of any size can emulate the work of Microsoft in giving, giving, giving of its expertise in exchange for the holy grail – customer loyalty, engagement and trust.

Caveat: There was an extraordinarily passionate guy who was pivotal in making Channel 9 what it is today. That gentleman’s name is Robert Scoble (@scobleizer), who is widely credited with being one of the great innovators in using web content to inspire and stir audiences. A natural interviewer and curious soul, Scoble is an inspiration to anyone who wants to create devout customer communities based on the concept of content concierge.

Scoble also happens to be the co-author of one of our favourite books at Word And Mouth: Naked Conversations, which he wrote with Shel Israel. Though not new, it’s not antique, and much of the thinking between its garish, sunshiney covers is timeless gold.

Further reading:

• Behind the scenes at Microsoft’s Channel 9
• Microsoft, on Channel 9

 

Now those seeds – otherwise known as subscribers – need care and devotion. Seeds don’t just sprout without love and attention, so you feed them, water them and make sure that their environment is as conducive to their growth as is possible.

As those seeds germinate and that all-important green shoot appear in the ground, you may need to provide them with different nutrition. They are now no longer just seeds, but are blossoming and appreciated. This is the point when, as a subscriber, people have realised that you care, that you’re not just going to leave them and you, like they, are in it for the duration.

Flowering is not enough, however. There’s still a way to go until the tree of money becomes well-formed and is able to repay you for your kindness. The plant starts branching off in all directions and without you doing some smart trimming and pruning, a sustainable trunk will never transpire.

Just as you know that your subscriber list will include some people who are simply along for the free stuff, you need to understand and identify those segments that offer the greatest potential to evolve into customer communities. You must know more implicitly than ever what they want, and serve them accordingly.

Tree’s company

Thankfully your topiary talents have proved themselves and the tree of money is now growing fast. That thick trunk is heading skywards quickly; the feeding formula of right time, right ingredients is really delivering the goods.

Months have passed since you started nurturing this money tree. You had confidence from the beginning that you could make it work, despite many people telling you it couldn’t be so. It’s the same in building better businesses – we all have crises of confidence when the knockers come calling. But when you truly believe in yourself, your passion and your prowess, it sometimes feels like actual magic when the rewards transpire.

And finally, there it is: Your first home-grown £50 note. I hasten to add it’s obviously legal tender; we all know there’s no such thing as a counterfeit money tree.

Barking mad?

Soon your garden is covered in legal tender. And it’s at this point the most important decision arises since you traded that cow (job) for a dubious-looking bag of ‘beans’ (own business): Do you take the money and run, or continue to cherish the tree?

Those who are interested in low-hanging wins will have bagged up the gains and got lazy.

Sharing Superheroes will continue to give that tree love and attention. They know something their inert cousins will never find out: That as the tree continues to bear fruit, it also drops more seeds, light as feathers, that settle on other parts of your land and start their own growing adventure into money treehood.

Grass is greener

That’s the horticultural equivalent of word of mouth marketing. Keep pleasing your customers, and they’ll keep pleasing you. Sure, you might forfeit a bit of grass to more trees of money, but I haven’t figured out a relevant metaphor for that one, yet.

Are you ready to start growing your own forest of money trees?

Welcome to the world of Sharing Superheroes.