UPDATED 09:46 EDT / JULY 05 2011

What do Coffee and the Web Have in Common?

EngageWith the worldwide web growing everyday,  there are still some demographics which aren’t using it to it’s full potential, or resisting the overall awareness of what’s changing.  On the business end of things, the challenge is selling people on web presence.  Lots of companies have a system that works, and completely ignore the possibilities in cyberspace.  On the personal end,  it can help people get jobs faster.

 

Coffee enables warp speed.  So does the web.

Drinking your daily coffee is the same as engaging the web.  It’s part of a daily routine that a majority could admit participating in.  Whether you’re doing it by yourself or hanging out with people,  it’s the same focus factor as a Skype video chat, or even a tweet.  It’s continually maintaining an already existing relationship, or building a new one.  Nowadays, news breaks first on Twitter.  That’s where a conversation begins.  More people are gaining a voice on things they’re really passionate about.

For me, it’s the web in general.  I don’t sit around in one spot and surf websites everyday.  It’s possible to do it from anywhere.  Sometimes a Facebook Fan Page will have some form of “crisis.”   Taking care of it from a Starbucks parking lot makes your time worth it,  but increases the sense of urgency perceived by the outside source.  The web makes problem solving such a greater feeling of reward than it once did.

 

You goofed up.  Fix it as fast as possible.

Don’t be afraid to invite the “crisis” on your Facebook page out for coffee.  It might surprise them.  Again, coffee and the web is seamless.  Building a community is happening whether one realizes it or not.  Once you find people who are drinking the same coffee as you,  it changes everything.  Starbucks makes people feel good.

“Status updates are an important aspect of any fan page because they provide two-way communication between company and fan, while keeping the page fresh with new content and information, which gives fans a reason to return” writes Mashable.

“For some, it’s struggling to understand how best to utilize these updates and either don’t use them at all, update solely about product announcements, or update so often users become overwhelmed and the updates turn into so much noise. Starbucks, on the other hand, has established a good frequency of updates, sharing something new every couple of days.”

Communication should never be a one-way street,  but it is to a certain extent.   We should all know that every last puddle of drool that comes out of our mouth won’t be seen nor heard.  Everyone is unique, whether the most useful piece of information is absorbed into a car’s chassis, or found in 1 out of 5000 Happy Meals.

Whoa, stop talking about me!  Please!

McDonalds is an example of how a company can jump into a conversation about it’s product.  In March of 2011, the McLobster was trending on Twitter.  It’s a McDonalds sandwich offered by very few select restaurants.  Great word-of-mouth marketing.  However, the conversation became a bit steamy, so McD’s had to interject.

“‘Despite all the rumors, there r no plans 2 bring #mclobster or mcsushi to the US menu. We r working on a new menu item called McWinning.'”

“Rick Wion, the director of social media for McDonalds,  has his team tweet that McDonald’s had no plans to bring back the McLobster, but it fell on deaf ears and McLobster was a trending topic for a second straight day. But then came up with a winner of a tweet that put an end to the McLobster foul conversation,” according to ChiefMarketer.

The fact that McDonalds has a solid web presence  gave them the advantage to fix this crisis quickly and efficiently.  This is why I’ve mentioned to several entities about having an avenue on the web to take control of their future.  It’s not a fantasy,  the web makes these things easier.  Solving internal and external problems on-the-move.

It isn’t defined where McDonalds tweeted that from,  but it could have been from a gas station parking lot. Since problems can be fixed so fast,  it takes stress off of mistakes in general.   Importantly,  if you’re really passionate about a product or the coffee you’re drinking,  a spill at 3am means nothing!  Lighting up like a Christmas tree,  getting out of bed, and doing what needs to be done.  It feels really good.  Especially, if getting back to bed comes sooner than venturing out in the dark.

Time Warner Cable is another great example of a brand that helps people enjoy their coffee.  When visiting my aunt,  her cable box wasn’t working correctly.  Instead of calling,  I asked her if we should tweet them.

She wasn’t as excited as I was about unleashing a Cable TV question out to the world,  but it paid off.  Time Warner Cable was able to fix the problem over Direct Messages (Private) and assure everything was in working order again.

So how was I able to know this was Time Warner actually helping me? I looked at their account, and many other people are being helped at the same time.   The people are speaking positive about their customer service,  so it has to be them.  It’s really no different than researching a product on Amazon.com.  Time Warner Cable established their customer service on Twitter via word of mouth.

They were also able to pull up account information by just using the telephone number associated with it.   What possible damage would handing out a phone number do?  Maybe just get inserted into a call list for free carnival cruises.

Telling a story is making a believer out of people.  It may seem like a fairy table when things can happen so quickly,  but it’s real.  There are so many tiny hiccups that can be fixed by sending a message out.  People are listening.  The value comes when believing the dance is real.

Still going strong?  Get your second cup of coffee.

Now, the web isn’t all about fixing problems.  Using websites and tools are meant to help build bridges instead of fixing busted ones all the time.  It goes along with the slogan “Gotta look at the bright side of things.”

On a past trip to Kansas City,  I ended up in a CostCo.  It happened to be during the time all the free samples of food were offered.  In the back of the store, I noticed a big line forming in front of one of them.  For all the samples in life,  I have never ever seen such a huge wait.  Jack Stack BBQ was getting the buzz.  After trying one, I tweeted it out mentioning the situation.

 

Jack Stack BBQShortly after leaving the store,  I received a reply directly from the company.  This is the instant gratification which comes off as unexpected.  You won’t know until it happens.Now I have a relationship with Jack Stack BBQ.  It might be a small one,  but it’s a connection I can reach out to and say hello whenever I want.  Hello is a really cool word.

If you notice in all these situations I’ve mentioned,  they all revolve around coffee and the web.  People drink coffee in cars, gas stations, McDonalds, and something to wash down free samples with.   In the same process, and there’s a never-ending conversation going on.   It doesn’t matter how social a person is,  the light is always on.   Everything is a conversation.

Glueing a phone to your ear is so yesterday.

Today is the 4th of July.  Some businesses have limited hours.  Instead of picking up the phone and calling,  tweeting them is a fast alternative.  For me, it’s practically the only method of getting necessary information quickly and efficiently.  Within reason of course.  I wouldn’t recommend tweeting a bank and requesting account info.

For all the time spent on hold,  questions get answered faster though the web.  It’s the same reason for drinking coffee.  It tastes good, and it gives a boost.   We all need a lift sometimes, which makes the drive to Starbucks worthwhile.

Enjoy your coffee, and people.  Both are everywhere.

My goal is to see people enjoying themselves.  Life is short, and the digital world is here to help.  Bite sized pieces of information become instant gratification.  Providing the greatest good,  for the greatest amount of people.  Open a box of freedom today.

I can’t think of one text message, tweet, or Facebook status update that hasn’t been a conversation since online presence has stepped up.   Even if it’s not something you’re apart of, it’s still there right in front of you.  Engage it when it sounds even slightly interesting.   Making a mistake is inevitable, but there is no wrong in attempting to fix a dilemma.


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