Author Archive

Andy Sernovitz

Andy’s Answers: How can I make it easy for fans to share my stuff?

Tools are what make it easier for fans to talk about you. It’s nice when a fan tells a friend about you, but it’s even nicer when they can tell the whole world.
As a word-of-mouth marketer, your job is to put these tools in the hands of your talkers to motivate them, to remind them [...]

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Andy Sernovitz

Andy’s Answers: Who are my talkers?

Talkers are at the heart of all great word-of-mouth programs. Every company – regardless of your industry or what you sell – has a variety of talker groups, each with different interests and different motivators.
As a word-of-mouth marketer, your job is to find them and put the tools in their hands that get them talking. A few tips on [...]

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Andy Sernovitz

Andy’s Answers: How to use social media during a product recall

Of all the challenges marketers at major brands face, a product recall can be one of the most difficult. It’s hard on a brand’s reputation, you’re facing lots of negative buzz — and in the worst cases, your product could pose a health risk to your customers.
But great marketers see the opportunities in these kinds of difficult [...]

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Andy Sernovitz

Andy’s Answers: How Starbucks is using social media to get fans to take action

Whether it’s for a new-product launch like VIA or a cause it believes in, Starbucks is constantly leveraging its fantastic communities to get their fans to take action.
In her recent BlogWell presentation, Starbucks’ Alexandra Wheeler shared a bunch of ideas behind how they’re making this happen. A few big takeaways from her discussion:

Social [...]

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Andy Sernovitz

Andy’s Answers: How Xerox got everyone involved in social media

Getting lots of teams behind the brand involved in social media can dramatically amplify your company’s voice — but it can also be challenging to get started and difficult to coordinate across business silos.
In his recent BlogWell case study, Xerox’s Duane Schulz explained how a small group of social-media believers got a bunch of departments [...]

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Andy Sernovitz

Andy’s Answers: How Microsoft is using social tools to improve customer service

Customer service was an early opportunity in social media that smart brands took advantage of — and it continues to offer a lot of potential.
At the forefront of this, Microsoft has been using social tools to interact with customers and offer support for years. In his recent BlogWell case-study presentation, Nestor Portillo explained how the [...]

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Andy Sernovitz

Andy’s Answers: Why trust is everything in social media

If you work in word of mouth and social media, you’re in the trust business.
It’s this trust that earns you the respect and recommendation of your fans — and it’s where all great word-of-mouth and social-media programs begin.
In my recent BlogWell presentation, I shared a few of the fundamentals on how [...]

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Andy Sernovitz

Andy’s Answers: How Nokia explores new ideas in social media

Almost every day we see talented, creative individuals do amazing things in social media. With so much yet to discover, the brands that do the most testing and exploring are continually the ones who lead the way.
In her recent BlogWell presentation, Molly Schonthal explained how Nokia has created a culture that embraces [...]

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