“The Customer Evangelism Manifesto” by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba takes us to the core essence of marketing and beyond. It’s about providing the highest quality solution and then providing even more to a special class of customer: the encouragement and empowerment to become an active advocate, or evangelist, and a de facto member of your organization. It’s a charter to breed a special kind of super customer who not only purchases from you regularly, but feels compelled to tell others.

There is so much gold in this article, you’ve just got to read it, print it, share it, and forward it. If 50% of the businesses in the U.S. today were focused on creating customer evangelists our society would be radically changed for the better. (See how persuasive a customer evangelist appeal can be? How motivated would you be to read their article if you saw “Customer Evangelism Manifesto” advertised in a magazine?)

Here’s just a teaser to get you started: some clues to how a customer evangelist behaves:

• They passionately recommend your company to friends, neighbors and colleagues.
• They believe in the company and its people.
• They purchase your product as gifts.
• They provide unsolicited praise and suggestions.
• They forgive occasional dips in performance or quality.
• They do not want to be bought; they extol your virtues freely.
• They feel part of something bigger than themselves.

Read or download the Customer Evangelism Manifesto

Here are the main takeaways I got from the presentation:

• He uses very few words, but the words he does use are the key messages of his presentation. So much of Web and print design would be much more effective with fewer but better chosen words.
• It’s out of the ordinary (way out of the ordinary) and creates a unique memorable experience. How long will you remember this presentation?  How long would you have remembered it if he would of taken up the three minutes talking?
• The nonverbal communication which comprised 99% of the message is “quality” in the sense that it’s professionally orchestrated. The effect would not of been nearly as powerful or long lasting if that level of effort wasn’t put into the production.  It’s the cumulative effect of many small details being done correctly. Same applies to Web design, overall quality is achieved by paying attention to many details which result in the cumulative effect of providing credibility to the message.
• I think this is a very important point–a significant portion of the content was provided with collaboration from the audience.

As you may already be aware, all Facebook Pages will automatically change over to the new Page format on March 30, 2012 (you can change yours over sooner if you wish).  This will be a completely new design with the "wall" being replaced with the newer "timeline" layout that Facebook has already introduced to personal profile pages.

Following are the most common questions (and answers) regarding how the change will affect your current branding and development:

Q: Will my current page branding stay intact after the transition?

If you currently have a left column graphic with branding that will be gone as will the top thumbnail images that are sometimes used for branding. The thumbnail size image you see next to each of your posts will be used as new "profile picture" (the red and two-tone blue logo icon in the sample page design).

Q: What elements can be branded in the new Page design?

1. The updated square "profile picture" (which still serves as the same image used for your thumbnail image). I recommend uploading as high of resolution as possible 250px x 250px (or larger square) PNG 24 image. Unfortunately, Facebook still down samples any images you upload which degrades the quality.

2. Some of the new navigation thumbnail images located at the bottom of the top page section.

3. A new large "Cover Photo" which appears at the top of your page. The dimensions for this new image are 851px x 315px. Like the profile picture Facebook will down-sample this image and degrade the quality when you upload it. While it’s great we have so much more space to work with for branding, Facebook has placed quite a few branding restrictions on this new image space.

Following are their guidelines:

This space is not meant for promotions, coupons, or advertisements. Your cover photo should not be primarily text-based.

And in their recently updated Facebook Page Terms they state:

Covers may not include:
i. price or purchase information, such as "40% off" or "Download it on socialmusic.com";
ii.  contact information such as a website address, email, mailing address, or information that should go in your Page’s "About" section;
iii. references to Facebook features or actions, such as "Like" or "Share" or an arrow pointing from the cover photo to any of these features; or
iv. calls to action, such as "Get it now" or "Tell your friends."

Q: What are some examples of companies that have implemented branded profile pictures within Facebook’s new guidelines?

• https://www.facebook.com/risingline
• https://www.facebook.com/cocacola
• https://www.facebook.com/fanta
• https://www.facebook.com/coldplay
• https://www.facebook.com/chevroletvolt
• https://www.facebook.com/redbull
• https://www.facebook.com/manchesterunited
• https://www.facebook.com/OldSpice

Q: Where are the links to my other pages / features that used to be on the left?

The first four are now arranged horizontally right below your cover photo and profile picture; the remaining are accessible by clicking the drop arrow marked with the green arrow in the screenshot below.

Q: Do my custom developed Facebook features still work and if so where can I find them?

Yes, they will be listed as either the fourth item in the new navigation or within the drop down menu. See the red arrow in the screen shot above, or go to the sample New Facebook Page design and click on the star icon in the menu.

Q: Where can I get more information on the new Facebook Page design?

• Facebook’s Official Pages Guide (pdf)
• Facebook Pages Terms (and branding guidelines)
• Facebook Timeline Feature Overview (applies to personal profiles and business pages)
• New Facebook Pages Overview
• Facebook Pages Help Center

Q: Where can I complain if I don’t like the new design?

• Facebook’s Pages Feedback Form
• "We hate the new profile page…please change it back" Facebook page.

Q: What do you think of the new layout?

Honestly, I like the new design a lot and I like the restrictions that Facebook has placed on the cover photo image. Forcing Facebook designers to work with fewer options will result in cleaner, higher quality and more creative designs. Less clutter is always a good thing. The last thing I want to see as a user is a bigger space graphic space that will just get filled with a bunch of oversized "like me" arrow graphics and other cheesy design elements.

While the timeline feature is still in its infancy, I like the direction Facebook is headed with this and I believe it presents a superior and cleaner presentation of information. Loosing the old (or current I should say) 3 columns of clutter and ads is definitely a good thing.

The biggest initial "con" I have to the new page layout is the placement of the page navigation icons. I don’t like having to click the drop down menu to see all of them.

Need Help?

We’re available to assist you with Facebook branding and development. Contact us online or by phone at 208.475.3192. For samples of our past design work check out our portfolio page.

• Download this article as a pdf

To be successful a company must be educated, develop a comprehensive strategy and then track or measure their efforts. This infograph from MDG Advertising does a great job outlining the whole process.

If your company needs help getting started on a strategy, contact us here at Risingline and we’ll be glad to help out.

Infographic by MDG Advertising

For some reason, Microsoft decided to remove advanced email signature editing functionality that were available with Outlook 2003 which  made installing a custom HTML email signature a breeze. Although nowhere in the email signature feature of Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2011 is HTML mentioned, the signature is still in HTML format, it just takes a less direct approach to get it accomplished.

To setup a custom email signature, you’ll need the design first coded in HTML and ideally posted on a public Web server. If you need our services to create the HTML email please contact us for more information.

If you’ve had us design a email signature for you, or if you have one designed elsewhere, here are the instructions for setting it up in Outlook:

1. Open the HTML file / URL that contains your signature in a Web browser such as FireFox. (For Risingline Clients, we would of emailed you this info already).

2. Left click at the top left of the page, then while holding down the shift key left click in the lower right area of the page. If you don’t see anything obviously highlighted you may need to left click at the top then hold down your left mouse button as you move to the lower right.

3. Right Click and select copy.

4. Create a new signature in Outlook 2007, 2010, or 2011 and then within that blank signature window right click and select paste or press ctrl-v.

5. Save your new signature and set your desired parameters.

Screencast Walk-through

For more insight into working with custom signatures in Outlook  feel free to check out these additional resources.

• Free Outlook 2007 email signature training from Microsoft
• Outlook 2010 Email Signature Overview from Microsoft
• Training Presentation – How to Use Email Signatures in Outlook 2010 (Power Point Presentation)

This screencast tutorial shows the basics on how to use images when setting up a custom HTML email signature using Microsoft Entourage for Macintosh.

See also Setting up a html email signature in Microsoft Entourage (Mac OS X)

In this screencast tutorial I’ll introduce you to the most basic features of navigating and editing within CMS Made Simple’s administration panel.

This screencast covers the basics for updating the content of a custom HTML email design template using VerticalResponse’s Canvas editor.  For more information on our custom HTML email design and samples of our past work visit this page.

As businesses continue to discover the blogosphere and the benefits and repercussions that come along with it, too many marketing managers are simply applying the principals and practices learned in Advertising 101 and/or sales training seminars to construct their blogging strategies. In other words, I have noticed several blogs on corporate Web sites that have been written in a manner similar to what one would find on a product description page. This is in fact a significant blunder in blog creation because it dilutes the true purpose of a blog; which is to organically engage with people in meaningful and purpose driven dialog. The fact is, consumers don’t read blogs because they’re interested in hearing a sales pitch, but rather they desire to scratch beneath the surface so as to discover the degree of actual value a product, service, or brand may provide to them personally.

How to Write a Blog

In actuality, there is no set formula or templated prescription for writing a successful blog other than to keep the content real and relevant for the reader. The content should be structured so as to capture the emotions of the reader/consumer and in a manner to solicit feedback. In many cases, this strategy goes beyond product-centric content and taps into the lifestyle of the audience; creating a customer-centric forum that harnesses emotions and develops a level of interest with significant impact for the reader.

In summarizing the elements required to produce a successful blog, remember to:

• Develop content that is beyond the scope of your product
• Emotionally engage the target audience by talking about values, lifestyles, and subjects that keep people awake at night
• Ask for honest feedback
• Develop a mechanism to pass the blog along to other readers

How to Promote a Blog

Truth be told, successful blogs really don’t require a major media blitz to create a following if they are constructed around relevant content, as mentioned above, and if they incorporate a technological infrastructure to support a loyal following. For instance, RSS integration is a tool that is designed to build traffic to a blog site while encouraging repeat visits through a syndication method that is non-intrusive. In other words, RSS doesn’t clog up email and it helps the audience discriminate relevant information from spam through keywords and descriptions.

The Benefits of Blogging

Cutting through all the complex definitions of blogging, the most direct description is that of an online forum for authors to post comments and/or questions so as to solicit feedback. For businesses, blogging should not be viewed as an extension of an advertising campaign, but rather a medium to connect with customers and stakeholders. Companies that utilize blogs effectively will discover that their audience is more than willing to provide constructive feedback, in some cases eliminating the need for focus group style market research.

Additionally, blogs provide consumers with content they can search out for themselves, without having to rely solely on corporate-generated commentary. As a consumer, I appreciate the chance to view reader responses to corporate-generated content since it allows me the opportunity to experience the product/service from a peer’s perspective. For instance, if I’m preparing to make a purchasing decision, I as a consumer want to be well informed of the value that I would possibly receive from others that have bought before me. This is a great lead in for some common objections companies hold toward blogging.

The Objections

In my experience as a consultant, the two most common blogging objections that I run into include 1) the risk of negative feedback and 2) the lack of time. Starting with the negative feedback dilemma, companies must come to grips with the fact that not everyone can be overwhelmingly satisfied; and whether marketing managers like to hear it or not, the conversation about their company’s products and services is already taking place amongst consumers. Blogging simply provides an avenue for sellers to participate in the discussion.

To overcome this first objection, any company of worth will have loyal customer evangelists who are willing to extol the company’s virtues and provide testimonials via an online forum if provided the opportunity to do so. For companies wondering how to accomplish this feat, the key is in identifying those customer evangelists and inviting them to participate in the online discussion. Although almost any company will have its share of detractors, it also has a large network of customers who will willingly go to bat for the company so as to defend it from critics. If a company is unable to identify any customer evangelists, that organization is in serious need of evaluating their customer service program because they probably won’t be doing business 5 years from now.

To address the second objection, time is always a factor in business operations, one of the critical resources that is severely limited and often leads to the downfall of organizations that are unable to manage it wisely. However, blogging shouldn’t be viewed along the same lines as a company picnic or corporate birthday celebration, but as a critical component of customer relations. Without a doubt, blogging requires a significant commitment, however the burden of blog management can be mitigated through a smart and comprehensive strategy involving multi-blogger participation, strategic content parameters, and scheduled posting dates.

The Conclusion

In all, blogging is merely a tool that companies should leverage to envelop customers into brand loyalty and evangelism. If thought of as an extension of traditional advertising, the blog will ultimately fail because there will be a disconnect between the corporate message and the expectations of the reader. To succeed, keep the content real and customer-centric, and remember to implement technical mechanisms such as RSS or pass along links to broaden participation via social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

YOUR FEEDBACK is appreciated, please reply to this blog with any questions or comments.

As you probably heard heard, the Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA) and Protect-IP Act (PIPA) are two bills racing through Congress that may result in unprecedented regulation and censorship of the Internet.

You need to know that this is a major business concern, for small and large companies alike. It has nothing to do with your political persuasion and should not be confused with any other popular movements such as Occupy Wall Street.

As a manager or owner of a business Website you need to quickly educate yourself on how these bills if passed into law could adversely affect your business and then take action by letting your opinion be known.

Corporations on record as opposing these bills include American Express, AOL, Cragslist, Discover, eBay, Facebook, Google, Mozilla, PayPal, Twitter and many more.

Please visit this Website to quickly and easily take action and let your opinion be known to the decision makers.