My family loves to eat at this bakery/sandwich shop near where we live. This place is a chain, and there are several of these types of chains across the country. We've eaten here for years. So much so that we're on a first name basis with the manager.
About a week ago my wife had the idea of contacting this restaurant and asking them if they would donate their leftovers to a local charity. Of course, they said they would, and I was enlisted as the person to pick up the baked goods.
So, last night I went over to the bakery/sandwich shop. I got there just before closing. The night manager...
(yes, this actually does have quite a bit to do with internet marketing, so hang in there! :) )
....as I said, the night manager told me that 1) I had to get there before 9pm, or they wouldn't let me in, and that 2) I would have to wait until all the customers were gone before they could pack everything up and give it to me.
This didn't sound unreasonable, but for some reason she felt the need to explain herself.
She apologized that I had to get there before nine. She said they were allowed to open the front door only once after closing.
I joked and said, "What do you do, sleep here?"
She understood the joke, but continued to point out all of the hidden security cameras in the ceiling. They were all over the place!
OMG! I had been in this restaurant probably hundreds of times, but had never even seen the cameras.
"What are the cameras for, intruders?"
"No, they're for us," she said. Apparently, the home office has people who sit around and watch the videos streaming from all of the chain's stores, watching to see if an employee is doing anything "wrong."
I can understand this. Employee theft is a big thing! But actually watching everyone? That seems a little Big Brotherish.
So, I grabbed a glass of iced tea, sat down, and read the paper. But I couldn't really focus, because I kept looking for and finding all those little hidden cameras.
Of course, being the creative storyteller that I naturally am, my mind went haywire, and I imagined people at the home office using computers to analyze how long it takes people at each table to eat, how people eat, what they eat, how much the leave on their plates--the possibilities are endless.
Also, I wondered how "tracked" the employees are. Do they count the number of smiles per unit time? Do they do time and motion studies on someone getting a cookie for a customer?
None of this made any sense given the incredible friendliness of the staff! I would have never guessed that these folks were micromanaged to this point. Heck, micromanaged? How about nanomanaged!
So, as I thought through this, I realized that the friendly atmosphere of this eatery might be nothing more than an intricately created sham! I know I'm going a little too far, but the thought did occur to me.
You see, one of the reasons we eat there is because of the manager and his staff. This is the way businesses used to be run, with the owner and staff knowing you and treating you as if you were valued beyond the dollars you spent.
But do these folks value me beyond that?
It was kind of like we were on the Wizard of Oz, and we pulled back the curtain--to see what?
So, why am I writing this, and what in the world does it have to do with your business on the Internet?
Here's the deal.
The Internet is all about authenticity.
People don't just go to the store and buy stuff anymore. They research on the Internet. They find trusted advisers, friends, impartial blogs.
But recognizing this, we marketers have tried mightily to create the impression that our company, website, blog, Facebook account is...real.
I've done it. And if you're honest, and if you're in marketing, you've done it.
Did you know over half of the Facebook accounts are fake? I don't know about Twitter, but I would bet that's true for them as well!
We work hard to make Google believe that our website content is worth ranking highly. In a way, we're kind of like criminals, in that we work so hard at gaming the system that it would actually be easier to do it the old-fashioned, honest and true way.
So,what I'm suggesting is this.
Let's drop the pretense.
Let's quit trying to manipulate, brand, position.
Let's be...well, honest is the only way I can describe it.
Want to build a blog about your business? How about this idea? Let's throw the doors open and let your customers in. Let's tell them what they need to know. But also let's show them your faults, and how you actually did try to make things right. Let's show folks where you're better and where you need work. (Then let's ask these same visitors how you can get up to speed in your weaker areas!)
There's awesome power in honesty and truth!
Want to create a blog for your business, or a general online presence, that will absolutely blow your competition out of the water?
Email me. I'll be happy to tell you how to do it. But actually, it's just a matter of being real!
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