Page 359 - Social Media Marketing

Note that ideation comes in many forms: In addition to purpose-built ideation 337
platforms, small groups of personally invited participants can be very effective: As
an example, consider the specifically invited LEGO fans who helped design LEGO ■ SOCIAL APPLICATIONS DRIVE ENGAGEMENT
Mindstorms, or impromptu feedback sessions with larger groups as a part of existing
industry events. Ideation, while it is the formal name given to this new-style transpar-
ent suggestion process, does not itself have to be formal.

Why This Matters in Business

The result of extreme transparency around ideation and innovation, combined with
a clear process that steps through the engagement ladder—consumption, curation,
creation, collaboration—is that rough ideas are readily provided and turned into solid
product and service enhancements with credit flowing right back to customers. That
is a powerful loop. Check out the My Starbucks Idea site, or even better visit a store
and look for “Inspired by You” No-Splash sticks, or reusable Via cups, or the recycling
program piloted in the Seattle market, or my favorite—One-Click Wi-Fi—and see for
yourself how the brand is reconnecting itself with its customers by listening and imple-
menting the ideas they gain as a result.

In addition to the benefits of new ideas, there’s also the practical reality of cus-
tomers being less likely to complain when their own ideas are put into practice, some-
thing that extends beyond the idea itself. Because they see their own ideas reflected in
the brand (or, equivalently, other ideas from the Ideation community to which they
belong), actual credit is bestowed on these individuals and/or the community groups
that drove the innovations.

Finally, when customers are also collaborators in the brand, product, or service,
they are more likely to recommend it and defend it. They have ownership for the inno-
vation, and they act accordingly. As they take “ownership” of the brand, instead of
complaining they join with the brand and go to work on making their own experience
better. See the Forrester Reports sidebar “Building Competitive Advantage” for more on
how ideation combined with touchpoint analysis can be used to drive competitive wins.

Building Competitive Advantage

Tapping Social Web conversations can lead to an understanding of the places where your
customers—or those of your competitors—feel shortchanged. Combining this information
with touchpoint analysis can lead to insights into building long-term competitive advantage, or
as Dr. Natalie Petouhoff put it in her Forrester Research report, “Businesses that understand and
execute on the competitive potential of technology to innovate customer experiences can easily
blow away their competition.” For more, you can follow Natalie on Twitter (@drnatalie) and
read her blog here:

http://drnatnews.com