Hey fans. We sincerely regret the inappropriate action by an employee of one of our franchised restaurant locations in Orange County, CA. The team member did not act consistently with our customer service standards of treating everyone with honor, dignity and respect. When the incident was discovered, our franchised Operator’s management team took the matter very seriously and addressed the matter immediately with the guests and the employee involved. Day in and day out our customers remark about the unparalleled level of service they receive at Chick-fil-A. It is unfortunate that an isolated incident like this can sometimes overshadow the hospitality our customers have become accustomed to receiving.

There were 3 things I found intersting about this response:

Franchise

Coming from a Franchise community I thought it was really interesting how they phrased their statement. It was intentional to include that word (franchise) in their official statement. In my experience most people don’t know/care that a restaurant is franchised or corporate. All they know is that it says Chick-Fil-A or Famous Dave’s or AppleBees. They could care less who actually owns the restaurant. I think they might have been deflecting the incident a little bit with that word.

Defending

It’s awesome to see a company defend themselves a little bit. They pointed out that this was an isolated incident. I don’t know if any other company could be that bold … do you?

Personable

They started with something extremely personable … “Hey Fans”. The general tone of the statement was apologetic, professional and personable. That’s hard to craft. I couldn’t have written it better ….

Overall it was an impressive way to respond. I was curious as to why they posted about it on their national wall for 4+ million people to see. With something like this I didn’t know about it until they posted it on their national wall.

What did you find interesting about this whole situation?

We (Famous Dave’s) are always looking for ways to better interact with our guests. QR codes seem like something  which could have some potential to interact with our guests in a new and innovative way.

The content we are driving people to isn’t the most engaging content right now … BUT we hope to do some cool things with QRs and video, images, nutritional info etc soon!

How

We use a URL shortening service. I decided it was important to host this ourselves and not outsource it to something like Bit.ly Pro. I wanted to own the data. We own fdurl.com and it is currently hosted on a dedicated server with Yourls installed. I choose Yourls because it was the only open source, free solution that had a decent UI and worked.

fdurl.com is our primary shorten for Facebook and Twitter.  Some examples urls are fdurl.com/live which points to our livestream.com account and fdurl.com/pigclub which points to our email club sign up page.

We are doing a ton of QR codes on in store materials and with that we are now moving to a dedicated url for those QR codes. fd.io will be the dedicated url for QR codes because it is the shortest and most relevant url that we could come up with that didn’t cost thousands a year. fd.io is outfitted on a dedicated server with Yourls installed. The nice thing about fd.io is the text of the url produces a less ‘cluttered’ QR code which makes it easier for smart phone’s to scan. For example:

http://famousdaves.com/promo/us-of-bbq/	http://fdurl.com/live	http://fd.io/live

As for the actual creation of the QR codes I have always used qrcode.kaywa.com because it was easy to use and it exported as PNG’s which integrated for our print materials easily.

You can also use Google’s Chart API – http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chs=500×500&cht=qr&chld=M&chl=URL

One of the considerations which caused some complexity was the naming scheme. We have different promotions with similar names which made it even more confusing. I decided on fdurl.com/PromoName-Year-Material so this year’s US of BBQ on a cling would be – “uob11cl” – the only problem with that is it increases the complexity of the QR codes because of the added length but it’s worth it to be able to organize them.

Where

Best in Smoke Promotion

For our Best in Smoke limited time offer we placed QR Codes on in-store materials including our counter card, menu inserts and window clings. Here are some examples of what the materials looked like:

Counter Card	Window Cling	Menu Insert

Each had a unique url attached to it based on the store that the material was in. We didn’t track it all the way to the store level because it was too cost prohibitive.

Email Program

We also wanted to do a test to see it drive engagement and sign ups with our email program. We placed danglers in a group of test stores which had a call to action to sign up for our email program. Our standard operating procedure is to hand out paper slips to the tables. We wanted to see how a danger with a QR code on it. We also produced a small business card hand out with a QR code on it as well.

The QR code pointed to our PIG Club (email program). The sign up rates were tracked per store because each QR code on the danger and business cards were unique.

Stats

Best in Smoke Materials – 6 week promotion

The Best in Smoke Materials had 3 pieces:

Counter Card – fdurl.com/sscc – 200+ hits — placed in only a few stores. Specifically on the counter of those stores.

Window Cling – fdurl.com/sscl – 400+ hits  – every store gets these and are placed on the outside facing windows.

Menu Insert – fdurl.com/ssmi – 4,500+ hits — every store has these and they are the menu that people order the limited time offer of.

This did alright. I was expecting a little higher results but overall I am satisfied with the results. This was the first time QR codes had ever been placed in our restaurants. The materials didn’t really have a call to action or anything pointing them to the QR code. It was more of an informational QR code than anything else.

PIG Club Dangers and Business Cards – placed in May – still going

Here are the numbers for the combined 10 stores.

Business Cards – conversion rate of 27%

Danglers – conversion rate of 47%

These members get the same rewards as everyone else. There was nothing special. We wanted to keep it apples to apples as best we could.

Analysis / Outcomes / Summary

Overall we were satisfied with the results. It was a test. We wanted to see if people would engage with the codes and they did.  We didn’t know the level of engagement that we would be able to get … our demographics didn’t seem to show high smart phone usage.

The key take away will be to make sure that QR codes go to something that provides the user with a fantastic customer experience. A great customer experience must be maintained. It takes effort to whip our your phone and scan something. We want to reward that with something. All of our QR codes on in-store materials currently go to customized designed mobile websites. They didn’t before. The experience the guests gets when engaging with a QR codes is extremely important. They are using a mobile device … it should be a mobile website they are being directed to … you would be surprised at how often that isn’t true.

What do you think about QR codes? Any suggestions for our program? What would you have done differently?

Scenario 1: What if we put just a QR Code with no call to action in a public area say Starbucks’ neighborhood board for example. The QR code just goes to http://adamevers.com – here are the stats — http://bitly.com/l9DDoK+

Scenario 2: What if we put a QR code with a call to action in a public area say Starbucks’ neighborhood board for example.

Scenario 3: What if we put a QR code with a call to action and an offer in a public area say Starbucks’ neighborhood board for example.

Here is what the 1st scenario looks like:

I’ll update as the experiment continues.

What do you think about QR Codes? Waste of time? How else can we test QR code adoption rates?

It has been interesting to watch there reaction to the chaos which has ensued on their Facebook page. More details/info here. The main issue behind it all was that a manager decided to post something on her personal facebook that she shouldn’t. Here are the screen shots 1 and 2. I have also created a PDF of all of the interactions from last night click here for the 200+ page document.

Here is my take on what they should have done.

1. They should have NEVER publicly posted about it. I didn’t even know about it until they publicly posted about it. They just informed 1 million fans. More than likely the impressions on the post was upward of 2 million impressions.
2. They continued to post about the situation with a total of 5 postings! They should have never have posted it in the first place and then posting 4 more times just make more fuel for the flame.
3. Fans commented multiple times about how they DIDN’T even know about it until they posted it. Chipotle then also commented on several pictures saying that they are investigating it … further fuel to the flame. They should have not said a thing.

If I was them I would have turned their wall off with a message from them stating we apologize and we are working on the issue.  It doesn’t need to be a huge deal. Leaving the wall open to people freaking out is just fueling the flame. Turn it off. Post a nice video message from your CEO and move on.

With all that being said, I know how hard it is to work with higher ups AND please guests. It is extremely hard to do all of that. I get that. But sometimes you gotta break the rules to ensure you don’t burn.

Those are my thoughts. What do you think?

Many companies are just not ready for social media.  It is a huge shift in communication/communicating … if your company can’t make that shift itself … then it will be a uphill battle and one which you will probably lose.

Here are 5 reasons your company isn’t ready for social media:

1. As a company you have 20+ people on Twitter but only 2 are active while the other 18 people have inactive accounts because they find it pointless – trust me … if this is you … there is a bigger issue in the company. There needs to be buy in from the entire organization to do social well.  Ideally you would have the executive team Tweeting about daily happening etc.  This has worked extremely well for Zappo’s CEO.
2. The words open and honest are not core values – people are really good at detecting BS. Ridiculously good actually. Better than we think they are. With that in mind, your company needs to be able to address problems honestly and openly. If people like to hide problems or put ‘spin’ on news items … DANGER Will Robinson DANGER!
3. Is your company be a true 24/7 365 company – Social media doesn’t turn off at 5pm on Friday. What if an employee posts a video of themselves doing some stupid in their work uniform in one of your stores at 5:30 on a Saturday. Can your company handle that? If the answer is no then you are not ready for social. There needs to be a ‘Oo crap’ plan. It will happen, you just need to have a plan of attack for when it does. Do you know the people who you have to call? Do you have the CEO’s cell phone number?
4. Does your company think that Facebook and Twitter are the only social media avenues? – if so your company is not ready for social. Facebook and Twitter are huge yes. BUT there are so many other platforms with niche communities that need to be engaged as well.  I hold to the philosophy that a blog should the center to a social media strategy.
5. What is your companies stance on education, conferences and books? – Social media moves fast. If the company is not going to support continued learning in social media through conferences, continued education and books it is doomed to fail.  There needs to be a commitment from the organization to help develop the employees to better understand social media.

These are just some of my thoughts on social media and companies.  What do you think? Did I miss something? Do you disagree? Let me know in the comments below.

@GeekTech – FACEBOOK IS DOWN! CUE PANIC! [link]

@TechCrunch – Facebook Down, Like Buttons Vanish, Internet Implodes http://tcrn.ch/cTifZf by @parislemon [link]

@MTVClutch – Facebook is down. We can’t tell who’s hungry or tired. [link]

@Lord_Voldemort7 - I shut down facebook. That’ll teach The Social Network for trying to steal attention from the Deathly Hallows Trailer. Take that, Zuckerberg [link]

Did I miss any?

“Hunter Shoots a Bear” marketing efforts on YouTube is absolutely amazing. Go check it out first then come back and read the rest of this post. You can check it out here: http://youtu.be/4ba1BqJ4S2M

The reason why its so good is because its innovative. It makes YouTube more interactive. YouTube and video in general tend to be one of the less interactive mediums when it comes to social media. When the Old Spice campaign launched (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFDqvKtPgZo) it was amazing.  It was interactive. Individually made videos for influencers and noninfluencers. The videos were awesome but limited. They only interactived with 1 person.

Hunter Shoots a Bear allows a boarder audience to interact with the content.  It allows for all ages to interact with the content as well. From the cute words like hug to the not so cute words … try some … kinda funny.  This type of interaction allows for an emotional interaction for everyone. Emotions is what its really about. I remember this because I laughed when I first type a naughty word … I thought it was hilarious.

When you do something innovative AND tie it to something emotional its gold.

Good job.

What do you think of this YouTube Marketing effort? Do you think we will see more interactive videos like the Hunter Shoots a Bear?

Social media at its core is about relationships … hence the word social.  It’s a medium for people to engage each other … also notice the word people and not companies. Don’t get me wrong companies can engage in social media but there needs to be a more personal aspect to the company than just a logo. I digress. That’s a whole other blog post.

Back to the point and I promise I have one.  Social media needs to be personal.  It must be. If all you’re doing is spitting out offers every 10 seconds you are just adding to the noise. Create value. Effect change. Make a difference.

The difference being made doesn’t even have to be mind-blowing or world-changing. It can be simple: help people understand the decision you made for a menu item. Answer questions …  post valid, candid responses to these questions. The sudden urge to coupon the crap out of a medium is a sure sign of a novice in the realm of social media.

For all those people are about to jump down my throat for saying coupons are stupid … chill. Coupons have their place … but they need to be handled well. Getting people hooked on crack is not the answer to social media.

Try starting a conversation instead.

I am curious … what brand/company does a good job at social media? Specifically around conversations.

I had my dedicated VA work on two ‘test’ projects. Project 1 was a research project which I considered to be rather easy … it basically entailed the VA going to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube with the intention to find competitors of a company then place the information in an excel sheet. I wanted how many followers the account had, views etc. Easy information to find. He took 5 hours to do this project. I did this for another company and it took me about an hour for the same number of companies etc. He also asked me about 5 questions which was frustrating because I was extremely detailed in the explanation.

The second project was more on the research/data analysis side. I needed to find articles, blog posts, etc about local search specifically google maps. The articles he found were horrible. Not from reliable sources at all.  I didn’t ask for services and he gave me a list of services as well. I specifically said no services.

I have requested a new VA.  For this next project they will be developing a social media report.  I have made a video on exactly how to do everything. I am hoping to get better results with this. This will be a bi-weekly task which probably will take 2 hours max. It takes me about 1 hour to do it all.

Have you ever used a VA? If so what service did you go with? How did you like it? Give me some feedback. Thanks everyone.

Here are some examples of the awesome honest responses to people:

Chipotle does a fantastic job interacting with guests. I hope to have a vibrant and flourishing community like they do soon. They truly are the epitome of good social media practices.

Emulate them. Learn from them. Do what they do!

Who do you think does an amazing job at engaging people within social media? I clearly like Chipotle. Who do you like?

BONUS – here is a great interview with Colin. Love that.