by Amy Lorinovich

A written letter, no way. A phone call, maybe.  A text message, probably. Facebooking…bingo!  Generation Y has changed communication. Social networks are the hub of socializing, communication and interaction. All from one site you can check status updates, send a quick message, check out new pictures or even chat with friends. There are many other social networks like Twitter that I have not explored yet, and Myspace that I only joined for about a year and lost interest, but I have yet to use one as much as I use Facebook.  If I need to send an e-mail it is probably only going to my parents, as they do not have Facebook. If I am talking with a friend 90% of it is through Facebook. I may not even check my e-mail some days. Without fail I will open Facebook every morning and every night…sometimes a few peeks during the day just to stay connected.

As I dive into the business world I am seeing the extraordinary possibilities for businesses to use social networks as tools. The amount of information people are voluntarily putting onto these sites is a marketer’s dream.  I recently did a search for “coffee” (another interest of mine since joining the working world) on Facebook. The first result that I saw was Starbucks. They have over 3.6 million fans on Facebook! That’s 3.6 million customers volunteering information! Their page consists of pictures, polls, new products, upcoming events, discussions, and a link to their Twitter page. They are giving their customers a reason to visit their page and utilizing it to the fullest to gather as much information as they can for FREE. I also came across the Starbucks Frappuccino page. A drink has its own page…..with over a million fans! Talk about targeting your market. Over a million customers are telling you that they love this product and you can view their information as well. Starbucks has an eye on their customers and has adapted to reach out to them.

Another page I came across was Dunkin’ Donuts. Their page was harder to find. There are a bunch of Facebook pages titled Dunkin’ Donuts so I had to weed through them to find the authentic company page. It consists mostly of fan comments with a few responses here and there from the company. There are not as many postings by the company, some outdated events and pictures and there is no real “call to action” or sense that the company is really paying attention on the page. Is it a coincidence that they have yet to reach a million fans?

With social networks being the home for Generation Y, companies need to be involved. Is it enough to simply monitor, or is there a need to be actively involved?

Amy is an account manager at Mercury.

Mercuralia has come and gone and we await customer feedback on the Customer Forum from our PURL survey. Our initial objective is to listen, to our customers first, both external and internal. The second objective is to observe and probe into the accelerating evolution of the marketplace. It amazes me how quickly technology is driving change. One example is Chris Anderson’s new book, “FREE: The Future of a Radical Price”, which hit the bookstores over the weekend. The Mercury team is presently digesting the ‘FREE’ content and discussing its potential impact on our business model. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, we are focusing on the message from our customers: it’s about the data! I was with one of our large customers on Monday, July 6, and the conversation eventually centered on ‘social media’s’ impact on their customers as well as their employees and the need to participate in the conversation. Mercury is deploying two PURL campaigns for this same customer to collect new data and then developing tactics, with Mercury’s new analytic team led by Anna Barcelos, to exploit it. Exciting stuff!

Finally, thank you to Providence Chamber President Laurie White, reporter Jenna Pelletier, and Photographer Angela Gora, for their profile of Mercury in the 2009 second quarter edition of the Rhode Island Business Quarterly (RIBQ). Feedback from competitors, associates, and customers, has been very complimentary. Thank you all.

Postscript: Here’s a link to an always interesting Chris Anderson interview on his new book “Free: The Future of a Radical Price”.

http://www.bordersmedia.com/borderspresents/anderson%20?cmpid=SL_20090707_RWA

To customers and friends,

Welcome to Mercury’s new web site.

We continue to listen to you and, in the process, it’s become obvious the needs and demands of your customers are changing within a technologically driven, rapidly evolving marketplace.  The importance of data has never been greater as customers now shape company brands.   Our recent investments in web-to-print technology and full color variable printing have addressed your preference for personalization and greater operational efficiency.  We’re now focusing on providing greater data and analytic resources to support your marketing teams.

We’ve launched an analytic-centric division to complement our traditional service offerings.  Anna Barcelos, a veteran data-base marketer with an accomplished track record in marketing analytics, heads this new division.  Anna is joined by Steve Etchells, a veteran marketer from the O’Connell Agency, with experience in multi media data marketing.  We will be announcing an additional hire within the next two weeks to complement Anna and Steve’s impressive skill sets.

On June 24th, Mercury is hosting the first in a series of Customer Forums to explore the future of direct marketing.   As new technologies like Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging host dynamic conversations about our companies, is obvious the customer-company relationship has fundamentally shifted.  New data about our customers and their preferences is percolating on the web for everyone to see.  Mercury’s Customer Forum on the 24th is an opportunity to connect with, engage, and carry on conversations with leading social media experts, like Lois Kelly, author, consultant, and partner of Beeline Labs, as well as, Alan Tear, the head of the Aptus Collaborative.   Joining the discussion will be several Marketing and Data Executives from Mercury’s leading customers across a wide spectrum of industries.

Your feedback has never been more important.  Please keep me and our expanding team abreast of your developments as we continue to shape our team to meet your needs.

Best wishes.  And thank you for the confidence you continue to place in Mercury.

Steve Cronin
President
Mercury

“Your One-to-One Marketing and Fulfillment Company”