Ernan Roman

Twitter can help your business get closer to its customers ... create better word of mouth and greater brand advocacy ... and generate great ideas from engaged fans. How? Start by learning from the best practices used by companies that have been successful with Twitter.

Start by learning from Starbucks. When a national brand accumulates nearly two million followers on Twitter, its social media strategies are worth examining. The Seattle-based coffee giant is currently ranked as the fourth...

For nearly two decades, my family and I have been repeat guests at a beautiful inn on the Chesapeake Bay. We were very loyal fans, until our recent stay during the holidays.

Were you missing something you ordered this Christmas?

My daughter was. She complained about a number of late-arriving packages ... packages that were supposed to have arrived before the 25th, but didn't. Curious, I did some research on the web to see just how widespread the late-delivery problem was ... and what retailers were doing to make amends with inconvenienced customers expecting last-minute Christmas gifts. I learned my daughter was not alone.

THE CHALLENGE: It was a disappointing Christmas for many shoppers, particularly those who placed orders after mid-December. In part, this was because of record levels of on-line orders during the final week of the holiday shopping season, and in part it was because of bad weather and logistical problems. The poor attitude of many front-line service people also played a role. It all added up to a huge holiday mess. Consider the following.

THE CHALLENGE: We invite retention problems, loss of market share, and loss of good will when we consistently ignore big problems that gall our consumers ... and assume that they must be wrong when they complain.

A "SIZE" PROBLEM IN THE SKIES

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