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What I learned . . .

I really enjoy this class. I learned how much typical marketing has changed within the past decade due to digital media, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.  It’s been eye opening for me because I didn’t realize the many opportunities out there to market successful by utilize cheap readily available tools to expand that word of mouth marketing if maintained and played out right.  I really enjoyed the Word of Mouth Marketing book by Andy Sernovitz – the process he lays out in the book make marketing sound so optimistic and fun with the 5 T’s.  I think the key takeaways for me is “Be that purple cow” and catch the right peoples’ (Talkers’/Trust Agents’) attention and get them to like you/product/service so they tell other people about it and the domino effect plays out and everybody is loving your business.  Overall, the class has been very enjoyable and enlightening.  Wish I had more time to get more involved in it.  Thanks!  

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What did I learn....

It is clear that social media is increasingly becoming an important part of the marketing mix. I knew some social networking websites such as Facebook or Twitter are related to social media before this class. However, I don’t know how to use them in marketing field and real business world. This class did not only show me the importance of social media, but also introduced a lot of social media strategies and useful tools such as mobile marketing, storytelling etc.

This class also showed me a very important new business rule: world of marketing is the most effective marketing strategy. People don’t believe what commercial and sales man said, but they willing to listen other users’ opinions and feedbacks. A good review is much more useful than a fancy commercial. Meanwhile, a good review alone is not good enough. We have to find right talkers and give them right tools to help us spreading the positive messages. At the same time, we should give people topics to talk about us frequently and we should join their conversations, to be part of them. It’s one of the best marketing classes I have ever had in SU. Thanks Joe!

Three Things I Learned

Don’t yell, converse – One thing that I learned about WOM is that it is inherently different from traditional mass media marketing. Don’t yell, converse means that social media is about building relationships and dialogs with customers. Make them feel important and valued and not just one of a million people you are trying to reach with the same message. Talk about what you find interesting and talk to those who share those interests. You’re in business because you’re passionate about what you do (hopefully) and there will be people who are passionate about that too. Find them and talk to them. Create real relationships.

Think first, not last – WOM should not be an afterthought in an organizations marketing plan, it should be at the forefront. The fact is, WOM can be targeted much more precisely and gain a much higher ROI (in the usually business sense) than other marketing techniques. While those other techniques are still important, WOM can generate much more committed customers and they will spread that commitment. Likewise, Look to social media to find out what’s not working. There’s often a great deal of information about what in your marketing plan is working or not if you open your ears and listen to what others are saying. And remember, join the conversation!

Use the tools – Don’t limit your organization to one or two WOM vehicles. Some vehicles might seem like more viable solutions than others, but almost any organization can use all the various social media tools in one way or another. Non profits, car companies, restaurants and software makers can all use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. Obviously, they will approach them in different ways, but there is such a broad and varied user base for these platforms that, if you are smart about the message, know who your target is and engage with them when they engage with your business, you can reach the right people to spread that message much farther and faster than traditional marketing.

Key Learnings

1. Awareness:

Prior to this course, I did not consider Social Media to be anything more than an afterthought in the arena of marketing and business in general. These classes have been instrumental in opening up my eyes, becoming aware of just how power social media has become, and certainly how much room there is to grow. Small business and large ones alike are learning how to harness this incredible medium, and simply put, 8 weeks ago I had no idea. This understanding was brought to life through your teachings and many of the videos/readings we went over.

2. Real Life Applications

Understanding the issues is one thing, but learning how to apply them is even more important. Seeing how different companies have utilized the tools of social media, and working on our own projects provided a great creative outlet to explore these concepts. Moreover, I will be using what I have learned to continue to grow my small business's social media footprint in the future - hopefully I can get some more accomplished over summer break! Moreover, I honestly feel that I could take what I have learned in this course, and go to a company with limited social media use and try and carve out a position to lead such a charge. I know for a fact I have taken no other class in my life that has given me more real world application, so I thank you for that - sincerely.

3. Purple Cow - The essence of remarkable: The 3rd main concept more important to me that I took from class was this idea that social media has lead us back to the business. Social media has literally put a larger microscope on us all, and a big giant megaphone to boot. I think that is better for us all and business in general. We should be concerned about our products, we should be concerned about delivering great customer service. Social media is taking the spin, smoke and mirrors out of the classic world of advertising and replacing it with clarity, consistency and mass communication. Now customers have an equal share of the footing in the marketplace, I believe that will drive our businesses to become stronger than ever, with products that hopefully will amaze and delight us.

Thanks for a great class Joe.

Sincerely,

Ernie.

What I Learned in This Course:

Prior to participating in this course, I had a somewhat distorted view of what social media really consisted of. When I heard the term “social media” I linked the phrase to Facebook and Twitter and held the notion that social media was more of a social outlet for younger generations to interact with one another. I considered myself somewhat disconnected from what I perceived to be social media.

This course taught me the true meaning of the term. Over the past several weeks I have learned how social media encompasses so much more than social networking sites. This is where I began to realize the power of word of mouth marketing and social media tools. (e.g. forums, consumer reviews, mobile media, etc.). I also began to realize how heavily integrated I was with these tools without even knowing it.

As the course progressed I also began to realize why social media has become such a relevant conversation in the business environment. With the emergence of new technologies and changing social behaviors, marketers must be extremely savvy and creative in reaching new markets. Learning and understanding word of mouth marketing and being able to effectively utilize social media tools will give marketers a competitive advantage in this changing environment.

After entering the course with some reluctance, I can say that I now believe the topics I learned in this course will be extremely valuable in my future personal and professional life.

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The power of being remarkable

Aside from learning how to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc more effectively, and the ethical requirements in WOMM, the single most important thing I learned in this class can best be explained in a story. This is a personal experience I just encountered in the last day, and to me perfectly sums up what this class was all about.

Several weeks ago I flew an airline I'd not flown before, and was blown away by the experience. The waiting area, mood lighting on the plane, comfy seats, personal entertainment system, and general service was far and above superior to other airlines I'd flown. In short, the experience was remarkable, and I told family and friends right away. I immediately became a fan after one trip. Last night I was booking a business trip for travel next week, and of course went to this new airline. Unfortunately their systems went down for the day, and I couldn't book until last night. Once I did book, the reservation disappeared, and I could not tell if I had a ticket or not. Panicking (because of the usual 7 day window), I called the service line, only to be kept on hold for 45 minutes, and then told by a rep that she couldn't tell me anything because the systems went down again. Frustrated that I wasted so much time, I took the their Facebook page and sarcastically thanked them for the experience. Here's where the lessons from the class kicked in.

I was amazed at the number of fans who leapt to the defense of the airline. After reading other comments and replies to my own post, I actually felt a little guilty for posting what I did. The fact that this company has made a product so unique and remarkable that their fans defend them even during periods of poor service speaks volumes to the power of word of mouth. A message from this class is "be remarkable and your customers will do your marketing for you." This experience absolutely hammered that point home for me.

What I learned in class…

People don’t talk about boring companies. You need to be remarkable. Remarkable doesn’t have to be expensive; it just needs to be different from everyone else. You can differentiate your product (be a purple cow) or your customer service. Whichever it is, do it well and give your customers a good reason to talk about you. Anyone can be remarkable (even salt), you just need to put some thought and effort into it.

Join the conversation. The conversation is going on even if you are not participating. You need to join it in order to say relevant.

Be genuine, authentic. Social media is not a place for marketing speak. Be genuine and authentic. Your customer can tell the difference. Also, respect others by following your own morals and ethics when it comes to social media. Generally this means disclosure, honesty and respect for others.

Great class….I definitely recommend it.

What I learned from MKTG-591 (WOMM)

First, I learned how to use social media in a proper way. It’s no doubt that social media becomes part of our lives, especially for people who were born in and after millennial generation. However, it has both positive and negative impact. There are some people trying to use it as a tool to make benefits without concerning about the negative impact that will affect to them and other people in the society. Therefore, it’s important to keep in mind that the way we interact in social media world will affect to personal and professional life. Everyone has to be responsible for what they are doing in social media world.

Another thing that I learned from the class is to be interesting. It is similar to what Andy said about Word of mouth marketing. If you want to be a successful person, I believe that you have to make yourself interesting and up-to-date no matter who you are and what you are interested in. This will make people love you and worth to follow you.

The most important thing that I really like about this class is to be creative. Rather than solving problems in traditional ways or propose same old thoughts, you, Joe, always allow students think outside-the-box, look for the possible future, and come up with ideas that should be realistic and applicable for future business. This enhances my thinking process by both perceiving creative ideas from my classmates and learning to think in different ways and seek for other alternatives.

What I learned in this class

My key take away from class is that people truly are changing the marketing world. The power is now with them, and they shape social media and marketing. It is awesome to think about it this way. No longer are there a set number of TV and radio stations pushing all of the information to the mass public. Those days are gone forever. Now, the marketing and advertising techniques are shaped around how the public uses media. People are much more inclined to buy or be influenced by their social circle, and social media has enabled them to practice this idea.
Another concept I learned, which kind of struck me by surprise, was my total concurrence with the thought that nearly every business needs social media. People are going to talk, and it’s just a matter of whether you want to join the conversation. Through facebook, Twitter and YouTube, companies can communicate with their customers and address questions and issues in a more efficient many than ever before. This enables them to increase customer service. On the other hand, if companies don’t use it, or use it in an inappropriate way, it will damage their customer service.
The third is the understanding that we are just scratching the surface for how social media will change the way we get information. It has already changed in that people are not interested as much in going to get their information, but they want it brought to them. The amount of efficiencies that can be gained from social media is incredible. It will be exciting to see how everything changes even in the next five years. The change shows no signs of stopping, so we can expect more efficiencies and improvements. Some that follow what the customer wants, and some that show customers what they should want.
All of these things contribute to my understanding that WOM and social media is way more important than I thought before I took this class.

Social Media Marketing

We’re really just at the beginning stages of this whole social media marketing phenomenon. Facebook “likes” are just now showing up in search results on Bing and if that takes off and becomes the new de facto way of search, then what happens to Google? This is why Google created Google +, so they can tap into the social graph and bring more relevant search results to users. Basically, people trust what their friends recommend so that “like” button is positioned to be one of the most powerful widgets on the internet. I’d rather see what all of my friends thought about a movie or restaurant than aggregate scores and comments from completely random people I’ve never met before. I have feeling other people feel this way too and that’s why it is important for companies to get on board with social media. New generations are growing up online with Facebook and Twitter and it’s becoming normal for people to put their likes and dislikes online. Companies need to be aware of what’s being said about them and join the conversation. An important lesson I learned in this class is that companies should do more than simply react to negative comments. They should create conversations and engage with users in a positive way. That way when negative instances do occur, you have a stable of loyal users who will come to your rescue and talk about all of the positive things your company normally does.

A major issue moving forward for social media is worry over whether it becomes spam or not. I think this is a valid concern and companies need to figure out how to balance their activity on social sites. Making a lot of posts on your Facebook page might lead to more views, but it can also become information overload. I’m part of a group page for an organization on Facebook and actually turned off receiving updates from them because it happened too frequently. I was being spammed with email updates sometimes twice a day in one instance. Companies need to balance staying relevant with being courteous to their users.

What I learned in this class...

I learned quite a bit in this class; however some of the most important things are:

1. Ethics can make or break you social media marketing plan. Ethics should be the #1 thing discussed when developing a Social Media Marketing plan - including policies and training. Hopefully, if all companies use ethics, social media won't become spam.

2. Social media can be a great asset to small companies with small marketing budgets. Social media marketing is essentially free which makes it perfect for small businesses. Large business almost overlook it since it doesn't cost anything and they always want balance sheets and direct ROI figures.

3. Social media is easy...but it's complicated. Using social media for marketing can be ridiculously easy, and complicated at the same time. The companies that get it do great things with it. The companies that don't stop believing in it. It requires you to know your customers which is something a lot of companies overlook.

4. Social media isn't just for Farmville - its serious business. A lot of companies overlook social media as stuff teens use or people play games on. They don't take it seriously. They should.

Thanks Joe! Great class!

What I learned...

This has been one of the most interesting classes for me in the summer quarter. This is primarily because of its newness, interesting topics, and usefulness. Classes change as quick because of the content and Joe’s extreme immersion in the subject. The real-world insight and projects helped me a lot to solidify the concepts about WOM marketing and social media .I especially enjoyed the unique videos being showed in the class. I learned alot about social media tools and how to utilize them in new and creative ways to get productive outputs with least expense.
I also learnt about the importance of ethical issues associated with social media marketing, latest mobile capabilities in marketing and futuristic technologies like augmented reality and soo. Overall I found this subject to be extremely valuable as it helped me a lot to come up with today's technology and marketing techniques.

Test

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What I learned from this class

I am glad that I took this class because I think that I learned more from this class than I did from any of my other classes. I came in to this class with a mixed feelings because marketing is not my favorite subject in the business school, but I like social media and have been a long time user of different social media tools. However, I did not know on how to combine the two together, and I have to admit that I am surprised on how powerful social media can be either for marketing purpose or for simply making connections to anyone, anywhere, anytime in the world.

I learned so many things in this class, from the differentiation of many social media tools to how those tools can be integrated to fit the business purposes. The class used a good combination of exercises, such as: in-class group discussions, individual strategic report, team presentation, and book reviews, that tested the students' knowledge of the materials taught in class and that stretched the students' creative thinking skills. This class is not an easy-A class, but this is definitely a fun class to take.

Lastly, Joe Barnes is a very great teacher and speaker. Having to go to class and stay awake for 3.5 hours in the summer can be very hard to do, but Joe made his classes very interesting and full of unexpected surprises. I really recommend other students, especially those who are in the Seattle University's MBA program, to take this class. I hope that I can take more classes with Joe or attend any of his seminar in the future.

What I learned from the course

The most awakening thing I learned from this course is the power of social media and social network services used as marketing tools. Even though I was already a user in many of the social network services such as Facebook and Twitter, it never occurred to me that those social network settings were the platforms for spreading word of mouth communications. Therefore, after realizing the effectiveness of using social network services as marketing tools, the way I view and perceive activities through these social network sites has changed in a way that I am now more aware of the messages being conveyed in many aspects. It is most interesting me to see some of the messages and marketing tactics which I can relate as "thinking outside of the box."

After this course, I also realized that marketing is not just useful for those who are hired to promote and sell products but for other entities and individuals to gain attention in all aspects of businesses. I think marketing is not necessarily about what you are trying to sell, but also what you are trying to convey and how you manage the reactions and views of other people for the advantage of your business and purpose.

What I Learned

For me this has been a very practical, hands-on elective course. I have learned relevant marketing concepts and the latest social media technologies and how to apply them to real-life businesses. I work in marketing so I deal with marketing strategy all day, but taking a class like this enabled me to think outside the box and learn about new marketing trends that I wouldn't have been exposed to otherwise. I enjoyed learning about word of mouth marketing as defined by Andy Sernovitz and social media as described by Erik Qualman.

It was also useful to hear about the latest mobile marketing capabilities and futuristic technologies like augmented reality. The class did a great job mixing traditional marketing strategies with social media and new technologies. I learned a lot about Seattle Light Rail too!

What Did I Learn From This Class

I started this class without any idea of the concept of Social Media Marketing and a very vague idea of what Facebook was meant to be used for. This subject has helped me understand how the social media platform has contributed to the advancement of the marketing cause, why is it more valuable than any other mechanism marketers have used in the past and how does this benefit small business (since small business are the engines of a progressive economy).

I learnt about practical applications of social media platforms through the individual and group assignments. I also learnt about the ethics issues that are assocaited with the use of social media marketing techniques. Overall I found this subject to be extremely valuable and it helped me come up-to-speed on today's technology and its convergence with the marketing discipline.

Lessons from Word of Mouth Marketing

After the first day in class with Joe, I knew this class was going to be good -- not only we we allowed to be creative and to generate ideas that seemed far-fetched, we were able to embrace the phenomenon of social media, and come to understand how it can benefit ourselves and our businesses. Having a personal interest in the subject didn't hurt either, and I felt like everything covered in the class was completely relevant and useful, which is more than I can say for some of the classes I've taken at Seattle University.
I think one of the biggest takeaways for me is that marketing, specifically utilizing word of mouth strategies, is fun, and that I have fun doing it. With business and with my current career, I can't say that I'm all that enthused about where I'm slotted to end up (sitting in my little corporate cubicle with a pricey SU MBA); however, this class really spurred my interest to see what else is out there that might actually play to my creative strengths and permit me to actually use my brain in a non-robotic manner. I'm sure it isn't all fun and games, but I think that working in marketing and working with people that are excited about particular products brings a spark of life back into work.
Secondly, I think a valuable lesson from this course is to be honest and true to yourself, no matter what. Obviously when you help market products for a company, it is illegal to lie and cheat the system, but it's amazing to note how many people still do it. It is important to make a name for yourself honestly, so that you can have a reputation of integrity and trust with your clients and with your employer and co-workers. People who are dishonest usually get caught, and it can do a whole lot of damage. When your company's products and profit are at stake, you better make sure that you've got your ducks in a row. The consequences of misbehaving are far too grave, especially when the whole world is watching on the internet.
Finally, I learned that every product has a story, and it just needs to be told correctly. With my individual project, I was working with a family business that has produced a great product, but its story wasn't up to snuff. Some people knew about it, liked it, and talked about it, but it wasn't enough to make an impact. Great marketing is all about creating a conversation, and if this family can get the conversation started about their winery, they will be off to a great start. They just need to learn to tell their story in a better way, and social media supplies great tools to do that.

Takeaways from this class...

This class inspired me to want to pursue marketing as a career, and to continue learning all I can about marketing. It was SO different than what I expected going into the quarter. Being new to the marketing discipline, I expected the class to be a how-to on pushing products and brands. What the class was instead (to me), was a lesson about human nature, creativity, and the importance of honesty, content, and being genuine. After taking this class, I have a completely different understanding about what good marketing should be, and what it can achieve.

I appreciated the opportunities to brainstorm and share ideas in class. Although honestly, it was a bit intimidating at first, I feel like the exercises helped free me from my perfectionist mindset and made me step out of my comfort zone. I especially enjoyed the inspiring videos we saw in class. They gave me so much to think and talk about at home, and really motivated me to continue my marketing studies.

Thanks Joe!

What I learned...

This has been one of the most valuable classes for me in the entire program. This is primarily because it is so relevant, relatable, and useful. Classes change as quick as they are happening outside the classroom doors because of the content and Joe’s immersion in the subject. The real-world insight and projects helped to solidify the concepts and I especially enjoyed the driving force to be creative. I was especially thankful to see the emphasis on participating with purpose for the greater good of society in all business actions and how this can drive profit. I saw a lot of social media tools in a new light and how to utilize them in new and creative ways.

One of the most important things I learned is how much people want to be a part of a group. This is both in the sense of being a fan of a certain product, company, or service and also in the sense of why people are so drawn to social media networks. This theme came up throughout the course, whether it was regarding word of mouth marketing, socialnomics, or simply being part of facebook. The need for connection and camaraderie is something we can all identify with and I learned that social media marketing is not about exploiting that, but rather developing that relationship in a genuine way. Along these lines, I learned how powerful and life-changing a real-time inventory of our lives is. As we learned in Socialnomics by Eric Qualman, the “What am I doing with my life?” question reveals itself pretty starkly with social media. I learned what this means personally and for a company’s life.

I learned about leverage and simplicity in new ways. Leveraging what is already available in new ways is always a good lesson as is not overlooking simplicity, especially in word of mouth marketing. I learned about the participatory nature demanded from companies or organizations by the client and how this only compliments social media, giving it even more credibility and empowerment. I learned more than I thought I could about the social media platforms and how to use them in extraordinary ways for a variety of industries.

It has been my experience that people think they know a lot about marketing, but what they really know is a lot about bad advertising and traditional marketing gimmicks. I get the same dismayed reactions with unsolicited advice whether I am telling people I am going into politics or marketing…and that is an indication of the state of marketing from the past decade. However, I believe that social media marketing can turn these stereotypes of bad advertising as marketing into relationships and total consumer engagement as marketing.

Active lifestyles and rewarding lives

Three prominent non-profits that are ideal matches for Round House are the Jimmy Huega Foundation (known as Can-Do MS) and the Bridger Bowl and Big Sky ski education foundations. Can-do MS, formerly the Heuga Center for Multiple Schlerosis, was founded by former Olympian Jimmy Heuga after he was diagnosed with MS in 1970. At the time, Jimmy was told to refrain from high-caliber physical activity, but it was not in his nature to be sedintary, and he developed his own physical regimen. The effect improved both his physical and mental health, and this is the founding principle of the Foundation. Today Can-do MS brings lifestyle empowerment to those diagnosed with MS, to help better their lives. Since Jimmy was an Olympic medalist skier, the benefit of the match with Round House is a good memorial to Jimmy as well as an industry link for Round House and a nationwide calendar of events that can provide exposure.

Locally, the Big Sky Ski Education Foundation (BSSEF) and the Bridger Ski Foundation (BSF) are the organizations at the two main local mountains to offer recreational and competitive ski programs to the community. Their respective missions are to provide the opportunity for kids to engage in healthy competition, good sportsmanship, and experience the mountain environment. The focus areas are Alpine (racing), Freestyle, and Nordic competitive events. The benefit of these programs is development of individual effort and a sense of accomplishment, as well as developing a long-term love of the mountain environment. The benefit to an increased partnership with Round House is that the partnership reaches both the kids and their parents, and is in-line with Round House's core values of a knowledge and passion for the sports.

The Spare Room & the food bank!

A great way for The Spare Room to make an alliance with a non-for-profit is to partner directly. What the business owner does very well is knows what to buy and how to fix up furniture and stage it in a way that gets merchandise sold faster than any other vendor in the store. The client could dedicate a space in the shop and stock and merchandise it with inventory purchased on behalf of the food bank. With the client doing the purchasing and merchandising for the food bank the food bank will at least be doubling its investment in the inventory, allowing the non-profit to make a profit off of donations, increasing their ability to help people in need. This will give the food bank more money than straight donations and would draw in new customers to The Spare Room that are looking for a way to give to the food bank while receiving a wonderful shopping experience in return.

Cause Marketing for Home Depot

A creative cause of marketing concept for Home Depot is to partnership with ACEEE, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a non-profit organization. The campaign will be 2% of every purchase on Home Depot electrical appliances section will go to support research programs that advance and deploy energy efficiency technologies, policies, programs, and behavior as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security and environmental protection. Every household member, who has environmental concerns, will realize how important of the researchs from ACEEE organization for their future generation, so this partnership idea will impact on their purchasing decisions.

Both Home Depot and ACEEE can benefit from this program. Home Depot will not only increase its sales, but also be able to take advantage from the research programs for their future products. In addition, Home Depot can increase their brand awareness to their customers in term of Eco-friendly retail stores and products. On the other hand, ACEEE can have another channel to raise the funds to support its projects and build a relationship with one of the largest US distribution channels in home products.

To spread the words, tweeting the campaign on Facebook and Twitter, as well as adding banners on website will increase awareness on social media. Posting blog about ACEEE current projects will let people know about what the organization is doing and what should be concern in term of energy efficiency. It would be great to keep people, who are in the campaign, up to date about what ACEEE are doing and what they are going to accomplish.