We recently ran a promotion for a customer that had surprisingly brilliant and unexpected results as well. The promotion was a “slot machine” game on Facebook where if the fan of the page got 5 logos to appear across the top of their page, they won a prize.

It took about ten days for people to figure out how to make it happen, which was what we wanted. We didn’t want the promotion to only last a day. The unexpected result, however was that the people who ended up winning the contest ended up promoting our client on their own personal Facebook pages. The winners of our contest had over 1,200 friends combined. Each of those friends had the opportunity to be introduced to our client on Facebook in a way we never anticipated.

Tebow’s results aren’t in and neither are ours at this point, but by experimenting and not being afraid to try new things, we discovered a great new way to promote our clients without spending hard dollars on advertising. The only true failure of an experiment is not realizing and appreciating the unexpected results.

Many of my customers are interested in learning more about establishing a great Facebook page for their business. There are a lot of companies out there promising to get more “Likes”, but is that what you really want or need? Of course you need more “Likes” when you first get started, you don’t have any at all. At what point are you paying for “Likes” that you just don’t need? The answer comes down to your business and how you naturally get customers.

Coca~Cola has nearly 34 Million people that like their page on Facebook. Is that enough? For a consumer product like Coca~Cola, they would probably like to and benefit from having even more followers. The fact that they are a consumer product, the quality of their Fans is very high. All 34 Million of their fans have probably purchased a Coke in the last few months and will probably purchase a Coke within the next few months. This sets up the quality factor.

What good would it be for your business to have 34 Million Fans? Do you even want 34 Million Fans? For some of you the answer will be yes. I’m pretty sure if I had 34 Million Fans I would have to hire a team of people simply to manage my presence on Facebook. This would be counter productive, however, because I couldn’t possibly provide services that generate revenue for 34 Million customers.

So what’s the point? The point is, many businesses need to focus more on the quality of their Facebook Fans. Every now and then scan your list of Fans and look at their profiles. Where do they live? If you own a hardware store in Sioux City, Iowa the majority of your Fans should be from Sioux City, Iowa. If you are a realtor in Charleston, SC the majority of your fans should be from there as well. These are broad examples and you need to determine your own guidelines for quality control based on your business, product or service, especially if you’re paying a third-party to manage and promote your Facebook page.

It is hideous. Would you eat it? I sure as hell wouldn’t. If I were to catch this fish I wouldn’t even bring it into my boat. I would cut the line for sure.  I wouldn’t even want to touch the thing.  However, the truth is, I have eaten it…. and if you’re a fish eater, you probably have too. 

Chilean Sea Bass, originally known as the Patagonian toothfish, is one of the most popular menu items in fine dining restaurants today. The made up name, Chilean Sea Bass, was a marketing gimmick to make it sound more appealing to restaurant patrons. (Would you order the Patagonian Toothfish off a menu?) 

There are dozens of examples of marketing gimmicks like this that have taken something that sounds ugly and unappealing to something that appeals to the masses. All it takes is a simple change, a new name, a new package, a new logo. Are you currently marketing your Chilean Sea Bass as Patagonian Toothfish? If your product or service isn’t working the way you want it, then maybe you are.  

What can you do differently to change your Patagonian Toothfish into this?

I pulled Tommy aside later in the evening and asked him if he would share with me his philosophy for success.  He started to rattle off a list of ideas like he had been asked this question a thousand times.  I think the reality of it was that he was just speaking his truth and it came easy.

First, he said, “You have to have a vision.  You have to know what you are going to create, be consistent and stick with it.”  You can’t flip flop.  You can change and adjust to new trends and introduce new items to your “menu” but you still need to be consistent.

Second, he said you can’t be stubborn.  You have to be willing to take constructive criticism and adjust accordingly.  There is a simple humility that Tommy has and I believe he really meant you need to be humble in order to be open to criticism.  Tommy isn’t flashy and if you were new to his restaurant you would think he was the manager, not the owner.  I mean this to be a compliment.

Lastly, Tommy said, you need to know your clientele.  ”Aspen isn’t Las Vegas”, he said.  ”We can’t cater to 25 year olds.  We have to cater to a more mature audience in order to be successful for ten years.”  Aspen is fickle as I spelled out earlier.  Restaurants come and go.  Those that last as long as Elevation build a loyal base of patrons and it’s because they know what to expect when they make a reservation.

If you ever get a chance to visit Aspen, be sure to visit Tommy at Elevation Bar and Grill.  I think you’ll see for yourself why he’s a success.

Recap of Tommy’s 3 Keys To Success

1.  Have a vision

2.  Don’t be stubborn

3.  Know your clientele

The first night she was there Buster barked and barked and some other guests complained so they offered to let her move her room so he could have a balcony.  What a great way to accommodate her and her dog and provide fantastic customer service.  The thing is, this still isn’t what impressed me.

The next night she left Buster alone again and was nervous that he would bark, the guests would complain and she would have to leave the hotel.  Sure enough, her phone rings shortly after dark.  ”Hello, this is security from the Ritz-Carlton.  I just wanted to let you know that we have Buster.  He is at the front desk greeting guests and helping out the staff.  He was barking quite a bit so we made a little bed for him behind the desk and he hasn’t barked since.”

WOW.  I really don’t think I need to elaborate on this.  Kudos to the staff at the Ritz-Carlton in Vail.  I’ll be bringing my dog very soon….

What do we care about most, however?  We care about our family and friends most.  When you ask most people to list their priorities the top three will likely be their family and friends, their job and their religion or spirituality in no particular order.  So where do we all go to get news on our family and friends???  Why, Facebook of course.  My new Sunday morning routine isn’t reading the “funnies”, Sports section and Entertainment section of the Detroit News anymore.  It’s getting a cup of coffee, opening my laptop up and seeing what my family and friends did this weekend.  Who had babies?  Who lost a loved one?  Who had a great time in Las Vegas?  That’s what I care about most.  I know that’s what I care about most because that’s the first thing I “research”.  Then I’ll go to my favorite news outlets and look up how the Detroit Tigers did last night and see if they are still in first place and of course see what’s going on in the nation and the world.

What’s my point?  What am I getting at here?  Well, another thing that I can choose on Facebook is what “advertisers” I allow to appear on my news feed.  I can’t choose that at all with a printed newspaper and websites, including Facebook, are getting a little smarter with the targeted advertising they feed me, but to be honest, it’s never really what I want to see.  I mean, how many times can they suggest I like “Mayhem” on Facebook before I can make it go away.  I can’t.  I can control that I “LIKE” Pepsi and I can see what Pepsi is posting on Facebook in my newsfeed.  I chose that.  So did 4.5 Million other Facebook users.  31.5 Million users chose to allow Coca~Cola to advertise on their newsfeed.

This is the equivalent of telling USA Today or the Detroit News what advertising you want printed in the paper they deliver to your doorstep.  Pretty powerful when you think about it.  So if you don’t have a fan page on Facebook, I suggest you get one now.  If you do have a fan page, but you really don’t have a strategy, I suggest you work on it.  You need to create enough interest on Facebook that people choose to allow you to advertise to them.

LIST YOUR COMPETITORS ON YOUR OWN WEBSITE!

If you are an apartment community and you advertise on apartments.com, rent.com or  For Rent or Apartment Guide’s websites, you’re already paying thousands of dollars a year to list your information side by side with your competition.  So why not add them all to your own website, increase your content exponentially and get the Google juice as a result?!  The bigger the company, the better the results should be.  Allow your prospects to shop and compare your communities with your competition on your own site.  Make it even easier for them than the websites you pay to advertise with and create a shop and compare chart with  all the amenities and services you offer right next to what your competition offers.

This will work for almost any website really.  Do you own a hair salon?  List your competitors, their services and rates and compare them with your own.  Run a local coffee shop with a few locations?  List your competitors and their menus and pricing.  Own a landscaping service?  List your competitors and tell the consumer why you are better.

DO NOT:  List their phone numbers.

DO:  Put photos of your competition.

DO NOT:  Bad mouth your competition.

DO:  Share reviews about yourself and your competition.

DO:  Add as many competitors as possible.  The average consumer will find it anyway.

DO NOT:  Be afraid!  The average consumer already knows your competition anyway!  If they don’t then don’t listen to me.

I’m not going to tell you every little detail of this concept and how to make it really work.  If you want a great plan of execution then you’ll find me.  I’ve given you enough information to be dangerous.  If you really are better than your competition, offer complete transparency and crush your competition online and in your bottom line.

For the record, apartment people are some of the hardest working people in the American workforce.  I’ve learned so much from so many of you!  Thank you for continuing to share in my personal growth and success.

Stay tuned for more details on my new venture, Mind Racing, a full-service marketing consulting firm.