Youtility: Why Smart Marketing is about Help Not Hype

Jay Baer

Introduction

River Pools and Spas

• In2008theUSEconomywasinatailspinandconsumerconfidencewasshakentothecore

• MarcusSheridanwaspartnerinafibreglasspoolbusinessinVirginiaandby2009thecompanywasonthebrinkoffinancialruin

• Depressed,scaredandwithnothingtoloseheturnedtotheinternettoresearchnewmarketingandbusinessconcepts

• Whathediscoveredwasthatconsumersofalltypesexpecttofindanswersontheinternetnowandcompaniesthatprovidethatinfogarnertrust,loyaltyandsaleso Successflowstocompaniesthatinformnotpromote

• Heappliedthismethodologyin2waysthatchangedhisbusinessandhislife

o First,hebrainstormedeveryquestionhehadeverreceivedfromaprospectorclient

o Then,heansweredeverysingleonewithablogpostaddinghundredsofnewpagestohiswebsiteintheprocess

• Headdednewpostseachweekanditbecameclearthathiseffortswerehavingapositiveimpact

o ThereweremorewebsitevisitorsasGooglewasprovidinglinkstothenewpostswhenkeywordsweresearchedfor

o Thisresultedinanincreaseofleadsfrompeoplewhopreviouslywouldneverhaveknownhim

• Hisclientswerewellinformedbeforeheevensetfootintheirhomes• Educatedconsumersaresometimesthreateningtosalespeople

o Docarsalesmanwantyoutoknowhowmuchthedealershippaidforyourcar?NO

• ThereisnoquestionthatinformationchangesthebalanceofpowerbutMarcusfoundthistobeabenefitnotahindrance

o Thelengthofhissalesappointmentsdecreasedandlikelihoodofconvertingaconsumerincreased

Make a customer today or create a customer for life

• Howandwhypeopleconsumeinformationhasalteredthesuccessformulaformodernbusiness

o Youcannolongersurvivebyshoutingtheloudestandrelyingoninterruptionmarketing

• Todayconsumersarestaringintoaninvitationavalanchewitheverycompanyandbrandaskingforlikesfollowsandattention

• Thereareonly2waysforcompaniestobreakthroughinthisenvironment:o Theycanbeamazingortheycanbeuseful

• Youknowthesaying“Ifyougiveamanafishyouwillfeedhimforadaybutifyouteachhimtofishyouwillfeedhimforlife?”o Thesameringstrueformarketing-ifyousellsomethingyou

makeacustomertodayifyouhelpsomeoneyoumakeacustomerforlife

• Youtility=Marketingupsidedown-insteadofmarketingneededbycompaniesitsmarketingwantedbyconsumers

• Youtility=massivelyusefulinfoprovidedforfreethatcreateslongtermtrustandkinshipbetweenyourcompanyandtheconsumer

Chapter 1: Top of mind awareness

• Throughouthistorywehaveembraced3typesofmarketingwiththe1stbeingtopofmindawareness

• Theidea=Youneedtohaveasustainedlevelofmarketingsothatwhentheconsumerisreadytobuytheyautomaticallythinkofyou

• Whetheritreliesonoldornewmedia,topofmindawarenessislesseffectivenowthaneverfor2reasons:

o Themarketinglandscapeiscompletelyfragmentedo Repetitiveorbombardingmarketingwillmakeconsumerunfollow

youquickly• DistrustchipsawayatTopofmindmarketing:

o Forevery10peopleyouaretryingtoreach4don’ttrustyouo Forthisreason,peoplearemorelikelytobelievenegativeinfo

afterhearingitjustoneortwotimeso Conversely,whenacompanyistrustedthemajorityofpeoplewill

believepositiveinfoaboutthecompanyafterhearingitjustonceortwice

Chapter 2: Frame of mind awareness (FOMA)

• Thesecondtypeofmarketing=basedonthestrategyofreachingpotentialconsumerswhentheyareinanactivebuying/shoppingmode

o Idea=steppinginfrontofpeopleattheprecisetimetheyneedyourproductorserviceleadstohugebusinessimpact

The rise of inbound marketing and why it’s half the story

• Inrecentyearstheprocessofcreatingtext,audio,videoandotheronlineassetsandoptimizingthemtoappearwhentheprospectorconsumeriswillingtopullthetriggeronapurchasehasbeencalledInboundMarketing

• Manycompaniesbelievethatfindabilityisthesolecruxofsuccess,butthisisnotabsoluteasFOMAcan’tcreatedemand-itsimplyfulfilsademandthatalreadyexists

• Bydefinitionsearchingisaveryspecific,self-directedbehaviouro Youneedsomething-yougogetit

• BeyondthefactthatFOMAisnotanopportunitytocreatedemand‘searching’issufferingfromadiminishingimpactonourpurchasedecisions

o The%ofconsumersusingtraditionalsearchenginestofindinfoisdecreasing(in7yearsitdecreasedbyonequarter)

• Thereason=massiveincreaseinthenumberofotherplaceswecangetsuggestions-Quora,Siri,Facebook,Twitteretc.o Socialisdefinitelyaugmentingsearch

• FOMawarenesscontinuestoservemarketerswellthroughInboundMarketing,butitnowneedstosharethestagewithotherforcesthatimpactconsumers’recommendationsandpreferences

o MostNBamongthem=awholenewwaytomarket:Friendofmineawareness

Chapter 3: Friend of Mine awareness

• FriendofMineAwareness=centredontherealitythatcompaniesarecompetingwithrealpeoplefortheattentionofotherrealpeople

• Tosucceedprospectivecustomersmustconsideryouasafriend;Ifyouproviderealvalueasafriendwouldtheywillinturnrewardthecompanywiththeirloyaltyandadvocacy

Personal and commercial relationships have merged

• RightnowyourFacebookfeedprobablylookssomethinglikethis:Friend,company,spouse,brand

o Thisisanintermingledmixtureofinfothatmatterstoyoubecauseofpersonalandcommercialrelationships

• Forthefirsttimecompanieshavetocompeteonthesameturfasourfamilyandfriendsusingtheverysametools,techandmedia

o Companiesarenowinvadingspacesandmechanismsthatweareusingtoconnectpersonally

2 ways to conquer the invitation avalanche & differentiate yourself

• ONE:Bedisproportionatelyamazing,interesting,wacky,human,timelyo Humanizing,customerexperiences,buzzworthymomentso Whilebeingamazingcanworkoutitisextremelydifficult

• TWO:Beuseful-genuine,reliable,scalable,functional-howcanWEactuallyhelpYOU

• Toomanycompaniesaretryingtocreateconsumerconnectionsbasedonproduct&price

o Consumersaretiredofthisandabletofilterthroughitmoreeasilythanever

Youtility on Twitter- An Example

@Hilton Suggests & the power of real time Youtility

• HiltonHotelsworldwidehadaprogramonTwittercalled‘HiltonSuggests’

• In2012@LTHoustontweeted“goodplacestoeatneartheMagnoliaHotelindowntownDallasonaSaturday?”

o @HiltonSuggestsquicklytweetedback“@LTHouston,WildSalsaonMainorCampinisonElmarebothawesome&inwalkingdistance-Enjoy”

• Thisresponseisuseful,kindandpersonal• ThecrackerthoughisthattheMagnoliahotelinDallasisnotaHilton

propertybutacompetitor!o Hiltonwentoutoftheirwaytoproviderealtimerestaurant

suggestionstoapersonwhoisn’tevenacustomero BUTsomeday@LTHiltonwillbetravellingagainandwhen

decidingonwheretostayhewillrememberthehelpthatHiltonHotelsgavehim

o Theyarenotlookingforimmediatewinsbutrathertomakereal,authenticconnectionsandhopefullygainacustomerforlife

o OneofthemostcriticalelementsoftheirprogramishowitcombinesYoutilityandhumantouch

• Youtilitydoesn’tovercomeallotherproductandpricedynamicsBUTitgivesyourbrandthatextraedge

Why isn’t Youtility Universal?

2barriersstandinfrontofthisnewtypeofmarketing:

One: Psychological

• TheprinciplesofYoutility-makingyourselfinherentlyusefulwithoutexpectinganimmediatereturn,isindirectcontrasttotheprinciplesofmarketingandbusinessthataredeeplyingrainedinpractitioners

o Forthisreason,executivesanddecisionmakerswilloftensuggeststickingwiththe‘deviltheyknow’

Two: Operational

• FromanoperationalperspectiveYoutilityturnsmarketingupsidedown• Thereisanoperationalbarrierintermsofrolesandresponsibilities-who

shouldbeinchargeofthis?• TheexecutionofYoutilitymarketingcanrequireexpertiseinareas

unfamiliartothecompany

Chapter 4: Self-Serve Information (SSI)

• SSI=givingpeopletheopportunitytoinformthemselveshowandwhentheywish,insteadofgivingtheminfofunnelledthroughcontactmechanismsofthecompanieschoosing

• Techadaptionhaspermanentlyalteredhowpeopleinteractwithcompaniesandinfo

• Wehavealwaystriedtobuildloyaltywithpeoplebutnowwemustbuildloyaltywithinformation

The Zero moment of truth (ZMOT)

• Googlehadaresearchfirmconductfieldinterviewswith5000shopperswhohadrecentlymadeapurchaseinoneof11productcategories

• ZMOT=theverymomentaprospectiveconsumerdecidestotakethenextstepinthepurchasefunnelorexitandseekotheroptions

o Itsfightorflight,buyorbail• ManybehaviourscanserveasZMOTbutwhattiesthemtogetheristhat

thepurchaseisbeingresearchedandconsideredBEFOREprospectevenenterstheclassicsalesfunnel:

o ItsaskingfriendsonFacebookwhatcontactlensestobuyo Itsdoingresearchonlinebeforebuyingamountainbikeo ItsstalkingonFacebookbeforeyougoonadate

• ZMOT=theinstantyougrabyourdeviceandstartlearningaboutaproductorservicethatyouarethinkingoftryingorbuying

• In2010astudyfoundthatshoppersneeded5.3sourcesofinfobeforemakingadecision–justoneyearlatertheyneeded10.4

• Thereasonsbehindthistrend:o Weneedmoresourcesofinfobecausemoresourcesareavailableo Accesstoinforeducesriskandcansavetimeandmoney

Always on internet access has made us passive aggressive

• Whileweneedmoreinfotomakedecisionsfewertransactionsinvolvefacetofaceinteractionswithotherpeople

• Howmanytimeshaveyouchosennottofilloutaformonawebsitebecauseyoudidn’twanttogetcalledoremailed?

• IntheSSIagewewanttobeleftalone

Death of the Salesman

• Weusedtotalktoarealpersonasthe1ststep=togetfamiliarwithacompany,tolearnmore

• NowweonlydothisasalastresortwhenwehaveexhaustedthesupplyofZMOT’sandhavequestionssospecificonlyahumancananswer

• MarketingneedstobelessTopofmindawarenessandmoreYoutility• Smartcompaniesunderstandthatprovidingself-serveinfoandgiving

consumerstheopportunitytofindtheanswersforthemselveswithout

beingburdenedbypersonalsynchronouscommunicationsisn’tshirkingtheirdutiesasmarketers-ithasbecometheirdutyasmarketers

Youtility example: Clorox gives away self-serve stain info

• In2009Cloroxbegantoresearchhowconsumersweresearchingforstaininfoonline

• 2thingsbecameimmediatelyclear:o 1000’sofsearchesonthetopicwerebeingperformedo Cloroxwasn’tcomingupinanysearchresults

• Thispresentedtheopportunityforthemtoprovidespecificadviceonhowtoremovecertainkindsofstainsoncertainkindsoffabricsonthegowhenthosestainsactuallyhappen

• TheCloroxMyStainappwasborn–itincludesalargedirectoryofcommonstainsandremedies&alinktoawebbasedsiteformoredetails

• Thecombinationofthese2resourcesprovidesconsumerswithself-serveoptionstofittheircurrentsituation

• TheseplatformswerenotasalespitchforClorox&someoftheadvicerecommendednotusingCloroxifitwasn’tthebestsolutionforaparticularproblem

o Theywantedtocreateaplatformthatwastrustworthyandauthentic

• Ifyoudon’tsupplytheinfoyourprospectsneedtochooseyourcompanyoverthecompetitiontheywillgetthatdatafromsomewhereelseandtheoutcomemaynotbeinyourfavour

• TowintheZMOTyouneedtofightthewarofinformationonhometurf• Thereare2waystodothis:

o ThroughtheprovisionorfacilitationofSelf-serveinformationo Answeringeverysinglequestionyourprospectsmightconceivably

have

Chapter 5: Radical Transparency

• Thedemocratizationofinformationalmostbecomesanarmsracebetweenthecompanyandtheconsumer

• Asconsumers’expectationsrisemoreandmorecompaniesstartbecomingmoreforthcomingwiththeirinfo

Youtility example: McDonalds Canada has nothing to hide

• In2012MCDlaunchedaprogramcalled“OurFoodYourQuestions”• ThisprograminvitedanyCanadiantoaskanyquestionaboutMCDfood

ontheirspecialwebsite• ToaskaquestionconsumershadtoconnectviaTwitterorFacebook

providingincreasedvisibilityandaviraleffectasthequestionwouldappearontheirprofiles

• Within7months19000questionswereasked• Themostamazingelementoftheprogram=nododgingtoughquestions

andaddressingheadontherumoursaboutqualityandsafetyoffood• Aquestionsincluded:Whydoesyourfoodlookdifferentinyourads?• Historicallybrandshavestayedawayfromanykindofcommunication

thatcoulduncoverlessdesirabletruths• Thebeliefisthatrunningaprogramlikethiswillresultinlongterm

trust-youcan’texpectimmediateROIbutinthelongtermbrandhealthwillimprove

• CMOYashinkskysaid“WehadnooptionbuttocreatethisopenchannelifMCDwastobecomeabrandofthe21stcentury

• MCD=effectivelybalancingtheneedtopromotewiththeneedtoinform-asynergythatisverymuchintentional

o “ifyouhaveastorytotell,tellit,butyouhavetodoitinawaythat’sauthenticandyouhavetohavethatconversationwiththeconsumer.”

o youcan’tjustpreachtotheconsumerthesethingsthatyouknowaretrue-youhavetoengagewiththemsotheycanlearnit,believeitandbuildthattrustwithyou

Youtility example: Freezer Burns: Answered Questions- created an industry

• FreezerBurnswasavlogdevotedexclusivelytoreviewingfrozenfoodfoundinsupermarketsintheUS

• ThefounderGregNg,soldadsonhisvideosandblogandmajorfrozenfoodcompaniespaidhimforhonestreviews

o Heneverdidpaidendorsementsandwasalwaysasobjectiveaspossible

o ThishonestyandforthrightnesswasoneofhisbiggestsuccesssecretsasthecoreaudiencewascollegestudentsandlowerincomeAmericanswhodon’twanttowastemoneyonpoorchoices

• Heworkedoutthat10%ofvisitorstotheblogwillconsumer18pagesormore

o TheywillreadorwatchpostafterpostuntiltheyscratchtheirZMOTitch

Blogging as a marketing effort

• Blogsarebeingusedmoreandmoreasamarketingeffort• Beingcomprehensiveandansweringrelevantquestionsmakesa

differenceo Themorequestionsyouanswerthemoreusefulyoubecome

whichthenbreedsloyaltyo Hubspotfoundthatcompaniesthatblog15timesormorea

monthget5Xmoretrafficthanthosewhodon’t

Answering questions with advocates

• Fullycommittingtoansweringeveryconsumerquestioncanbealotofwork

• BUTyoucanreducetheoperationalimpactonyourbusinessbyempoweringyourexistingadvocateswith‘permission’toanswerquestionsonbehalfofthebrand

• Thiscanhappenorganicallyandsometimestheadvocatewillgettotheanswerbeforethebranditself

• Somecompaniesareevenformalizingthisroleputtingadvocatestoworkinamoreofficialcapacitybyrecruitingandtrainingthemtoanswerquestions

o Whobettertoeducateandpersuadethenexistingfans?o This‘friendofmine’awarenessinitiativeisalongtermplaythat

requireseffortandpatience

Chapter 6: Real time relevancy • YoutilitytodaymaynotbeYoutilitytomorrow-whenyoursuccessis

scenariospecificitiscrucialtobeinherentlyusefulo Ifyouare,youraudiencewillkeepyourcontentclose-ontheir

bookmarks,homescreensetco Youwon’tneedtobe‘found’becauseyourconsumersand

prospectsalreadyknowwhereyouareandwhatyouofferandwhentheyneedyoutheywillengage

• Youtility=realtimerelationshipbuilding• LikeanendlessgameofhideandseekYoutilityconsistsofpoppingout

frombehindatreetoassistwhennecessary

Appification

• Applestartedthistrendbydistillingentirecompaniesdowntoacollectionofutilities

• Whenfullyimplementedthisatomizationofbrandvaluewillmakethewebfarlessvaluablethanitistodayandthereforewillmakerealtimerelevancyviayoutilitytheprimaryplaygroundforcompanies

• Mobileinternetusersarenowfaroutweighingdesktopinternetusers

3 ways to provide real time, circumstantial Youtility

• Beusefulbasedonlocation(mostcommonwaytobehelpful)• Beusefulbasedonsituation• Beusefulbasedonseasonality/externalfactors

Location based Youtility example: Meijer in store mapping

• PointInside-amobilemappingtechcompanyspecializinginindoorcartographypartneredwithMeijerretailchainin2010tocreatethe

‘Find-It’app-amobilelocatoraimedtoproviderealtimerelevancetoshoppers

• Theappallowsshoppersto:o Locatespecificproductsanywhereinthestoreo Viewandclipvirtualcouponso Createandtrackpersonalshoppinglistso Viewitemscurrentlyonsale

• Researchshowedthatifshopperscouldnotfindanitemontheirlistwithinagiventimetheywouldgiveupandleavewithoutitresultinginfrustrationfortheshoppingandrevenuelossfortheretailer

o Bringingshoppinglistsintoanappeliminatesthischallengeo Consumersarealsomorelikelytoshopataplacethatsavesthem

timeandmoney

Situational Youtility example: The fight against show rooming

• Showrooming=whenconsumersusetheirphonestocomparisonshopinrealtime,determiningwhethertheproductinfrontofthemisbeingsoldforthebestprice

• AppslikeAmazonpricecheckareoftenusedtoshowroomandevenallowyoutotakeapictureofaproductandcheckthepriceatmultipledifferentplaces

• Theproblemwithshowroomingisthatconsumershavereducedyourbrandtonomorethanaproductwithaprice-youneedtomakeyourbrandvaluableanddifferentiateyourselfbeyondthis

• Burberryattemptstodifferentiatethemselvesbyprovidinganinstoreshoppingexperienceinapowerfulwaythatphonescannot

• AnexampleofthisisRFIDchipsthatallowconsumerstointeractwithdigitalmirrorsthatshowpairingrecommendations

Seasonal Youtility example: Scotts Miracle-Gro

• SMG=world’slargestmarketerofbrandedconsumerlawnandgardenproducts

• Mostoftheirproductsareusedseasonallyorcircumstantially

• Makingsureconsumersknowwhichproductstouseinwhichsituationisamajorobjectiveforthecompany

• Theyofferalawncareupdateinamonthlynewsletterthatprovidesspecific,usefulinformation

• Theseupdatesareproducedin6regionsvariantstoensureadviceisrelevant

• Theupdatescanbefurthercustomisedassubscriberscanspecifywhattypeofgrasstheirlawnhasetc.

• Theyalsodevelopedamobileappwhereuserscoulduploadimagesoftheirspecificproblemstogetsolutions

• Customersthatusedtheappwerefoundtohavegreaterloyaltyandweremorelikelytopromotethebrand

Chapter 7: Identifying customer needs

• Foryourmarketingtobesousefulthatpeoplewantitandwouldgladlypayforit,youhavetounderstandwhatyourprospectivecustomersneedtomakebetterdecisionsandhowyoucanimprovetheirlivesbyprovidingit

o Alignyourofferingwithwhatcustomersactuallyneed• Youneedtoempathizewithyourtargetaudiencein3ways:

o One:Howdotheydiscoverinfo?o Two:Whataretheirconsumptionpreferences?(Channels,

devices,contenttypes)o Three:Whatmotivatesthemtotakeaction?

Search engine data = the atlas for consumer understanding

• Thenumberofplacesconsumersgotoseekinformationhasincreasedexponentiallyweakeningtheroleofsearchenginesintheprocess

• SomeGoogletoolsthatallowyoutounderstandconsumerneedsbasedonwhatconsumerissearchingforinclude:

o GoogleTrends:Comparessearchvolumepatternsacrosslocationandtimeframesandprovidesrelatedsearchtermsandcomparativevolume

o GoogleSuggest:Betterunderstandhowconsumerseesyourproductorservice-simplytypeinthe1stwordandseewhatcomesup

o GoogleKeywordtool:Mostcommonlyusedtodeterminewhichsearchtermstoincludeinapaidsearchcampaign

Social chatter uncovers consumer needs

• Everysecondofthedayconsumersareseekinganswersandsolutions-“CananyonerecommendaplumberinCapeTown?

• Examiningsocialnetworksandlisteningtoconversationsaroundyourbrandandyourcompetitorsisagreatwaytouncoverconsumer’sdesires

Web analytics and internal search shows you what’s working today

• Thewebpagesthatarepopularamongstyourvisitorscanhelpyoubetterunderstandwhatconsumerswantfromyou

• AlsoNBtolookatwhatmobileusersarelookingforvsdesktop• Keeptabsonyourinternalsearchqueries-thiswillhelpyouseewhat

peoplewantedtofindonyoursitebutmaybedidn’t

Ask your customers what they want

• Knowingwhatyourcustomersneedtoknowandwhytheypurchasefromyou=criticaltosuccessofYoutility

• Lookforproblemstheymaybefacingandfindwaystosolvethem

Chapter 8: Map customer needs to useful marketing

• Startwithyourstory&THENfigureoutbestmechanicfortellingito Thisrequiresalevelofresearchbeyondunderstandingconsumer

needs

o Youneedtoask:Whatdoyouread?Howdoyouliketoreadit?Wheredoyouread?Howdoyoulikecompaniestocommunicatewithyou?

Atomize your marketing to reach a larger audience

• Sayingthatthereisonly1optimalformatforrelayingapieceofYoutilityislimiting

• InmanycasesitisnotonlypossibletocreateYoutilityinseveralformats,butdoingsocanalsoincreaseefficiencyandexposure

o Take1bigideaorconsumerneedandcreatemultipleexecutionsfromit(reimaginedon’trecycle)

• ToddDefroncallsthis‘Atomizingyourmarketing’-morevariationsofyourusefulnesscanreachconsumerswithavarietyofdifferentinformationconsumptionhabitsandmoreeffectivelytargetprospectsindifferentstagesoftheresearchprocess

• Smartcompaniestaketheircoreinformationalvaluepropositionandpackageitinwaysthatappealtoeachoftheirconsumersegments

• TobetrueYoutilityyourofferingmustbefree:o Ifyoucreatesomethingthatsomeonewouldpayforbutgiveit

away,notonlyareyoubuildingtrustandadebtofgratitudebutyoushockthemintosharingit

Chapter 9: Market your marketing

• IfyoucreateYoutilitybutdon’ttellanyoneaboutitdoesitevenexist?• Theobjectiveisnottocreateinformation-itistomakeinformationthat

peoplewilluse,thereforeitisNBtomarketyourYoutility• Thismarketingneedstobetargetedsothattherightpersonseesitat

therighttime• Thechallengethatcompaniesface=howtopromotetheirinfo

whilepromotingthecompanyless• It’sallaboutkeepingitrelevant-ifyoursocialmediainforms

morethanitpromotesyouareontherighttrack

The relationship between Youtility and social media

• Socialmediaisfireandcontentisgasoline• UtilizesocialmediatocreateawarenessandusageofyourYoutility• Beinguseful&interestingneedstobetheheartofwhatyourbrandis

knownfor• Ifyouaretrulyinteresting,usefulandhelpfulyourconsumers

andprospectswilldomoreofyourmarketingforyou• Youremployeesareyourmostimportantandoverlookedaudience

o Inaworldwherepersonalrelationshipsandsocialconnectivityareinvaluableyouremployeesareyoursinglegreatestmarketingengine

Chapter 10: Insource Youtility • Inbusinesseveryimportantnewfunctionstartsasajobandeventually

becomesaskill• SocialmediaandYoutilityaremovingalongthesameroute

o EmployeesarebeingencouragedtoadvocateonbehalfofthecompanyandperpetuateYoutilitythemselves

• Yes,youwillneedonepersonoradepartmenttooverseeandmanageyoureffortsbutcreatingmarketingsousefulthatpeoplewouldpayforitshouldbeawidelydispersedresponsibility

o YouneedtoinsourceyourYoutilityprogrammebecauseeveryemployeehasusefulknowledgelockedintheirheads

o Involvingemployeesalsomakesiteasiertocreateandmaintainhelpfulinfoandincreaseitsefficiencyasemployeesbringcredibility

4 ways to get employees involved in Youtility:

o circumstantialinsourcingo voluntaryinsourcing

o assistedinsourcingo mandatoryinsourcing

McDonalds Canada and Circumstantial Insourcing

• Thearrayofquestionsandinquiriesloggedbyconsumersonthe‘OurFood,YourQuestions’websitewasextremelybroadandmanywerespecifictocertainsectors

• Therefore,thepersonmostsuitedtoanswerthequestionwouldbecalledupontoprovideYoutility

Sap and Voluntary Insourcing

• SAPrealisedthatthevastmajorityofpeoplewereusingthecompany’snametofindthemonsearchengines

o ThismeantthattheirwebsitewasmerelypreachingtothechoiraspeoplewerealreadyfamiliarenoughwiththenameSAPthusleavingagapforpotentialattentionfrompeoplewhowerelookingfortheirservicesbutdidn’tknowthembyname

• TheythenlaunchedtheSAPInnovationblogtoanswerconsumer’squestions,providehelpfulinfoandsuccessfullytietheSAPnametotopicslikecloudcomputingandmobilemarketing

o Atleast8piecesofcontentwerepublishedperdayfromasmallnumberofvoluntarycontributors

• “It’sthecontentweproducethatisgoingtohelpusengagewithnewcustomers,thatisgoingtohelpusgrowthebusiness”

IBM and assisted insourcing

• IBMadopteda‘spark‘methodologywhichasksemployeestouseaninterfaceassessmenttoolthatdetermineshowtheybestfitintotheinsourcingframeworkofthecompany

• Basedontheiranswerstoseveralquestionsabouthowandwhytheywanttoparticipatetheyareclassifiedbytheirinclinationtobeeffectivein1ormoreof8categories:

o Creator,distributor,solicitor,responder,listener,conversationalist,nurturer,promotor

• Enablingteammemberstohelpconsumersandprospectsintheformtheyaremostcomfortableyieldsbetteroutcomes

OpenView Venture Partners and Mandatory Insourcing

• AtOpenVieweverypersoninthecompanyhelpscreateanddistributeusefulinformation–itispartoftheirjobdescriptionandpartiallyhelpsdetermineremuneration

• Theybelievethatinfodifferentiatestheminaverycrowdedventurecapitalmarketplace

Chapter 11: Make Youtility a Process

• Youtility=neverfinished• Youmustconstantlybethinking–whatarewegoingtodonext?• Thereare3reasonswhysuccessesinthisareacanbefleetingandwhy

youreffortsmustbesustainedonceyoucommenceo One:Customerneedschangeo Two:NewtechopensthedoorstoYoutilityvariationo Three:goodideasdon’thaveanexpirydate

Chapter 12: Keeping score • Thereare2waystoconvincescepticsofthepowerofYoutility

o First:askthemtothinkabouthowcompaniesarebeingforcedtocompeteforattentionwithpeopleandthenconsiderhowmuchtheypersonallyrelyoninfoprovidedbybusiness

o Second:proveyourpointwithnumbersthatmatter§ Remembertheobjective=toimprovebusinessthrough

YoutilitythereforemeasuringyoureffortsisNB§ ItisalsoNBtorememberthattherearemanyspecific

measuresavailablewitheachsegment