Web Two-Point-What? (Part Two): In Your Customers’ Hands

This is an excerpt from one of my World Tea News articles. To find out more about my freelance writing or to ask me about writing copy for your tea business, please contact me at vee at veetea dot com. Thank you.

Social networking

Most sources shied away from social networking tools like MySpace and Facebook for reasons such as incongruent demographics and duplicated Web site content. Mighty Leaf’s vice president of e-commerce and operations Bliss Dake said at best they could be used as aggregators for a company’s online marketing approach and ways to remind fans of sales and events.

Conversely, Tavalon co-founder Chris Cason said he uses social networking instead of spending $200,000 a year on a search engine optimization (SEO) expert. Cason targets college-age customers with a Facebook page, which he differentiates from his Web site by providing Facebook fans with an interactive, behind-the-scenes look at his company, including photos, text and video. He said it builds community and encourages customer loyalty and feedback. However, Cason did warn that Facebook is in a transitional period and recommended Twitter more highly.

Ilya Kreymerman, chief technology officer at Adagio, takes social networking a step further. He set up features within Adagio’s site to allow social networking features, like adding friends, sending messages and customized pages based on user preferences and friends’ activities (such as a prominent page placement of a friend’s review or custom blend). Kreymerman also implemented a Signature Blends program in which customers add text, photos and video to the site to promote their custom blends to other customers for points that can be exchanged for tea.

Adagio also increases its Page Rank, customer affinity and brand awareness through interactivity on its sites TeaChat, TeaChef and TeaMap, and encourages viral marketing by sending customers an unlimited number of $5 coupons for their friends.

Soon, you’ll be able to read the remainder of this article on my portfolio site, Copy & Taste.