Louise McGregor Communication

What’s in a word?

three people waiting for a bus man relaxing beneath a tree
Wait Relax

If someone tells you to “wait”, what image does that conjure up? Would you feel happier if you were asked to “relax”?

In fact the activity that you’re doing is very similar – you’re sitting around doing nothing, perhaps reading a book, perhaps just watching the world.

“Wait”  gives me a feeling of stress, or anxiety, the idea that I must watch the clock. I think of bus stations, airports, doctors waiting rooms. “Relax” has me at the beach, in a park, with few immediate concerns.

So when I flew out of Auckland airport I was amused to see the flight notification board, it told me to relax. A great reflection of the laid-back kiwi culture, and giving travellers a calmer feeling about their flights. What a difference a word makes.

Flight notice board

images
wait Waiting with TVs /Mo Riza/ CC BY-NC 2.0
relax relaxing /Rupert Ganzer/ CC BY-ND 2.0

Louise McGregor Digital

I Want It Now!

We’re getting it, we’re not getting it.

The rumours flew around the Internet all day yesterday, that Microsoft would, within weeks, be launching a suite of office tools for iPad.

Then the denial; sort of. Microsoft have apparently stated that the images are “not of a Microsoft product”. But stopped short of denying that such a product is being developed.

Obviously they should be developing Microsoft tools for iPads, given the rise and rise of iPad sales, and their use in large companies.

Large companies are the natural habitat of Microsoft, each with thousands of staff using outlook, word, PowerPoint and often SharePoint for intranet sites and collaboration environments. Increasingly iPads are invading this habitat – often starting in the niche areas of upper management and IT geeks.

I saw statistics for mobile access to our website today; for the first time iPad is in the lead at just under 40% – not bad for a device that wasn’t on the market two years ago. Windows phones have yet to reach 1%. Our website targets investors and analysts, a group who are increasingly addicted to iPads.

As people use iPads more and more for their work they’re going to want the office suite, I can get my work email on my iPad, and view powerpoint presentations in meetings (bonus – I’m printing less paper). It’s becoming the tool I travel with, but for the iPad to become a real work tool I need the office suite. This new way of working is a reality Microsoft acknowledge, and their 365 product is a strategic step in this direction. I really hope they’re not planning to use their old business model of locking people in – assuming we’ll buy devices with the windows operating system in order to use their software. They have to know that companies are moving towards “bring your own device” policies for IT.

So whatever the rumours, I’m hoping Microsoft are close to launching the Office tools for iPad.

Image cry

Louise McGregor Communication, Marketing

What story do you tell?

Every business has a line in their mission/vision statements about the importance of their customers. Almost every company makes their commitment to customers explicit in their external communications – including their advertising. Huge amounts are spent training staff on communicating with customers and handling difficult enquiries. In service industries complaints are taken seriously and teams are dedicated to resolve them.

But all that good work can be undone if the company’s internal messaging is not consistent, in just seconds if that internal messaging is visible in a public area.

I took the image above in a hotel lobby, I’ll be reading a sales subtext into everything every staff member says from now on.

Louise McGregor Customers, Editorial, Marketing

Why no Wifi?

I took an overnight trip to London last month, I stayed in a nice hotel, not far from Trafalgar Square. A hotel that uses “classic luxury” as a descriptor. They wanted to charge me to use their wifi, in fact on check out they tried to charge me for 3 minutes internet time.

Opposite the hotel was a Costa Cafe, with good coffee, nice staff and free wifi. So I wandered across the road, ordered a large latte and used wifi there.

So why couldn’t the hotel provide free wifi? I pondered this as I sipped my coffee. To start with I was a bit annoyed and was working up to a good rant, but on reflection it makes sense.

The cafe has a lot of competition, several other cafes in walking distance and a bookstore with wifi. So if providing wifi attract more customers, or encourage customers to stay longer – and order a second cup, it’s well worth the costs. It’s a matter of beating the competition.

Hotels with a large proportion of business travels have customers who are less price sensitive since it’s often their company paying, and not funded from their own pocket. The extra charges for wifi will be picked up by expenses.

I predict a change; free wifi is becoming an expectation in any public space and I know one Asian-based businessman who includes it as criteria in selecting a hotel. No free wifi, no booking.

Louise McGregor social media

Pin it

If you recognise the image on the left, then you’ve probably already discovered the wonderful, and time-sucking, Pinterest.

I started playing with it about six months ago, and it really appeals to my visual senses, it’s a way to collect and categorise images. It adds a social element by allowing you to re-pin images from others, or to follow others. I’m using it to collect quotes, design ideas, fantasy homes, and “objects of desire” – for all those wild objects I’d buy if I had more money and another twenty rooms to put them in.

Interest in Pinterest has been growing, and it’s currently the fastest growing social media site out there. Even though it’s not easy to get an account; right now you’ll need an invite from a friend or you’ll be on a waiting list.

Given the high level of growth, and the length of time people spend on this site (the average user spends 88 minutes – third behind facebook and tumblr, and a long way ahead of Google+) it’s inevitable that people would see a business opportunity. In fact it’s already starting to rise as referrer site according to a study by Mashable.

So what are the best professional uses of Pinterest?

Product Catalogue

This is the most obvious use of Pinterest, particularly if your products are visually appealing cupcakes or fashion.

Wholefoods group great images of their products, under some fun headings “Eat your veggies” for example. Samsonite have used some boards to display their products

Education

I found two different approaches here, Savannah College of Art and Design focuses on current and prospective students. Their pinterest boards give a good insight into live on the campus and the achievements of their students.

The University of Pennsylvania Career Services on the other hand provides resources for their graduating students, including where to find a job, tips on job hunting, advice on updating linkedin, and image on appropriate interview wear.

Non-Profit

Unicef has arranged their boards according to the themes of the work they do for the most part, but has separate boards for video and cartoons which I found a bit disruptive to how I like to find things.

A more radical approach is taken by South West Key, they’ve got posters from activist campaigns, books related to their cause, and profiles of some members.

Magazines

There are a number of magazines using Pinterest, often as another channel to display their own content. Women’s Running does something smarter, collecting relevant, funny and inspirational images from around the web.

Locations

OK, this is a no-brainer, particularly if you’re promoting a place as beautiful as Aruba.

Museums

The Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art display some of their catalogue via Pinterest, museums usually can’t display all the artifacts they hold, so tools like Pinterest can increase their exposure.

Take-aways

Pinterest is new, but the most successful boards so far seem to have a few things in common;

  1. Be aware of your target audience; the University of Pennsylvania Career Services know who their audience is and match the resources they provide.
  2. Choose great images; the photos on the Aruba page had me contemplating travel.
  3. Go with themes; Samsonite provide some catalogue styled boards, but also play with the theme of travel.
  4. Don’t just reproduce content from your own sources; use the tool to collate relevant content from around the web as Women’s Running did.
  5. Have some fun labelling your boards; Wholefoods, the Smithsonian and Women’s Running magazine pulled this off. You’ve got images there to back up whatever labels you choose, this gives you a little extra freedom.