Social monitoring report 2: Kiehl's

After I post my first monitoring report of Kiehl’s, something has changed for Kiehl’s since then. However, some problems I found in my first post still exist. In this post, I will continue to monitor some changes of Kiehl’s and considering the problems I find in my post, I will also figure out some steps that Kiehl’s can generate more buzz in the groundswell and enhance customer engagement.

l  Increasing fans in facebook and twitter 

 



                                                     

According to the data or graphs I get from twitalyzer and socialbaker.com, I find that Kiehl’s fans in twitter and facebook keep increasing, though slowly as well. More importantly, I can’t see any obvious peak in the graph. The line is very smooth and looks almost like a straight light. Actually, in last few weeks, several new campaign of Kiehl’s really work, but not very obvious. Considering that after I make a presentation last week in the class, most of American classmates know nothing about this brand, actually, the number of fans of Kiehl’s are relatively fewer than other brands that their tags are beauty. A ranking list of the facebook fans of beauty products in socialbaker.com shows that Kiehl’s is ranked 336^th.

Obviously, Kiehl’s failed to attract more attention in social media, which can prove that Kiehl’s is not as well-known in the U.S.A as I image before I monitor this brand. And I also find something interesting that no one ever rate for Kiehl’s on this website. So it’s necessarily to enhance customers engagement in the groundswell.

 

 

l  Kiehl’s people talking about

 

  

 

                                                                                                                                                                          A graph I gain in socialbaker.com shows an upsurge of Kiehl’s people talking about from Oct 29. The facebook account of Kiehl’s also highlights an increasing trend of “people talking about this” since October 25. I will talk about something that is contributed to this increasing trend below. As a matter of fact, lack of enough buzz in social media is one of reasons why Kiehl’s is not as well-known as I image before in the U.S.A. The trend tool in ice rocket shows an increasing trend Oct 26 and then drop down after Oct 30.    

l  Social mention

The information I gain from social mention shows that on November 5, the strength of discussion and the reach up to 28% and 45%, which is the highest during my monitoring time. However, the passion, only 36%, is lower than the other two days November4 and November 6. Compared with the other two days, the sentiment on November 5 is also up to 10:1. The ratio of the sentiment shows that the majority of the mentions are neutral.

l  New campaigns after I post monitoring report 1

1.        How you stay youthful at heart

Obviously, this campaign is mainly for Kiehl’s new product NEW Rosa Arctica Lightweight Cream and eye cream. Actually, this campaign really works on boosting the number of people who talk about Kiehl’s in social media. We can see this trend in the graph “Kiehl’s people talking about”.

 

2.        Limited Edition Creme de Corps

100% Kiehl’s net profit up to $200, 000 from the worldwide sales of limited edition Creme de Corps will support children’s charities around the world. I only find this campaign in homepage. However, it doesn’t be showed in social media, such as facebook or twitter, which help little to generate buzz in the groundswell. As we all know, the package of Kiehl’s is very simple, which is consistent with its tradition of this brand that is found as an apothecary and dedicated to science. But this time, Kiehl’s have partnered with pop-surrealist artist Kenny Scharf, for its Limited Edition Collection. So, the package of this limited edition looks very beautiful. 

3.  Quick response to the public events

Obviously, this post in facebook has nothing with any products of Kiehl’s. But this action of Kiehl’s bring warm to those who are suffering in that serious hurricane Sandy and leave a great impression on consumers that Kiehl’s is reliable brand.

l  Customers who don't use English to comment can receive replies from Kiehl's

In my second stage of monitoring work, from October 20, 2012 to November 6, 2012, some changes were found on the Facebook page of Kiehl’s. The customers who don’t use English to comment have received replies and particularly, the languages of replies given by Kiehl’s are consistent with the customers did.

l  Compared with my first post, I find fewer negative comments in Kiehl’s facebook and twitter.

l  The responds of Kiehl’s to the negative commens is sitll as quickly as I monitored in my first report.

l  Major problems of Kiehl’s

1.      Lack of enough buzz in the groundswell.

2.      The customer engagement is insufficient.

l  Steps for kiehl’s to generate enough buzz in the groundswell and increase the customer engagement

1.      Listening to the groundswell. “Your brand is what your customers say it is. And in the groundswell where they communicate with each other, they decide.(page 78)” Kiehl’s indeed have a recommendation session in its facebook page. However, all recommendations don’t have a reply from Kiehl’s. Maybe Kiehl’s will carefully read them, but its customers know nothing about this. Listening to the customers and acting on their recommendations are both important. Customers will be encouraged to engage with Kiehl’s when they know that their recommendations really work. And acting on reviews or comments help Kiehl’s build up a trust relationship with its customers and increase loyalty customers.

2.      Talking with the groundswell. The only social media platform facebook I monitor is mainly for deliver the latest information about Kiehl’s. Most posts in twitter page are for reacting for customers. And also, there are very few viewers in the YouTube page of Kiehl’s. Obviously, Kiehl’s is not good at creating chances for consumers to buzz about it. Particularly, it’s a little boring in Kiehl’s blog, which can’t attract more viewers. According to the marketing funnel, the first step is to get people’s attention. Kiehl’s should pay more attention on how to attract more customers in social media. Besides uploading its latest campaigns and promotions, the blog of Kiehl’s should allow people to add comments. If it doesn’t, there is no dialogue and Kiehl’s are no longer talking with people as they make decisions about its products—and that’s the whole point.

3.      Energizing the groundswell. “With so many products trying to get people’s attention, shouting at them isn’t as effective as it used to be. And once they reach the middle of the funnel, shouting hardly works at all.(page 102)” Energizing the groundswell is particularly important to cosmetic brand. Customers prefer to believe in the recommendation of their friends. It’s disappointed that Kiehl’s haven’t provided a chance for customers to communicate with each other. Actually, the most important thing is to cultivate enthusiastic customers. The power of word-of-mouth is very strong. Kiehl’s can build up a website and take advantage of its official blog to allow customers to share their stories and feelings about Kiehl’s.

4.      Helping the groundswell support itself. Indeed, consumers can get some reviews about Kiehl’s products in the page of facebook or twitter. However, those reviews are not classified by different products. So it’s not convenient for customers to find what they want to know as quickly as they can. As a matter of fact, many customers prefer to read the reviews and comments on the homepage of Kiehl’s. However, customers can’t reply to these reviews on the official website. Consequently, Kiehl’s can provide a website for customers to post their reviews and classify them by the names of products.

5.      Embracing the groundswell.

A single website for customers to post their ideas is good choice for Kiehl’s. And the links of Kiehl’s official site, facebook, twitter and YouTube page can be added on the website. In this community, customers not only can post their ideas but also communicate with and help each other.

 

l  Conclusion

 Kiehl’s, a long-history brand, is still popular among the customers around the world and is dedicated to provide the safest and the most useful products to its customers. Nowadays, the movement groundswell is a trend we can’t stop it. That’s the most important point in the movement groundswell. Just like you are standing on the cliff edge, only flying over canyon with some social technologies tools can you reach the prosperous side. If you turn back, you will fall behind. This is the reality. The history will move on. If you can’t change the world, then change yourselves. An old brand, Kiehl’s, try its best to keep up with the development of this society. Although for now, Kiehl’s haven’t done a good job in the groundswell, it begins to figure out how to thrive on the groundswell. In all, Kiehl’s should try to be more energetic in social media. More importantly, it will be better for kiehl’s to take initiative to listen to and talk to the groundswell instead of just reacting to its customers passively. Kiehl’s needs to build up a more energetic image in the groundswell.

Creating a community for your customers

http://empowered.forrester.com/groundswell/book.html

 

After reading the chapter 9 to 12, I have a deeper understanding of five primary objectives, listening, talking, energizing, supporting, or embracing, that can be achieved by groundswell. Nowadays, almost no companies can get rid of the groundswell—which can help you deliver and get some information to and from your customers. Besides outside of companies, groundswell also brings transformation to inside companies.

 

Actually, in chapter 9, it gives us three cases about embracing the groundswell. After finishing the reading of these cases, I, as a consumer now, begin to think that what’s it for me? It’s true that many companies regard their customers as their God. They not only provide the best products and service to them, but also involving them to be part of brain power. “People who’ve connected with customers in this way are always amazed at how much more quickly they generate ideas. It’s because they’ve just supercharged their dozens or hundreds of engineers with thousands or millions of other minds (page 183).” However, customers will ask “what’s it for me?” To be customers, they will think how do they post ideas on the website. If they do, do these ideas or suggestions really work? What they can get from them?

 

 

 

The case in the chapter 9, salesforce.com: embracing through an innovation community intrigues my interest on this website. After launching the salesforce.com Idea-Exchange (ideas. salesforce.com) and the ideas were channeled and directed by the groundswell of Salesforce. com’s own customers. In one year, over five thousand ideas arrived; now the best ones bubbled to the top. I am so interested that why the customers of salesforce.com have a lot of passionate to post their ideas. When I open salesforce.com and then click the session ideas, I can read that “Welcome to the IdeaExchange. The IdeaExchange let sales. Com customers get involved. You can suggest new enhancement, vote and comment on your favorites and interact with product managers and other customers.” According to this short introduction of IdeaExchange, we can know that it’s not just post ideas on the website, more importantly, IdeaExchange help salesforce.com create a community to its customers.

 

Besides posting their ideas on the website, customers also can add a comment on other ideas as well as vote for their favorites. As a matter of fact, they can help each other in this community. Most importantly, their ideas actually work. When I open the website salesforces.com, I find that the top idea contributor, top vote contributor and top merge request and comment contributor are listed on the website. And newest achievement of these ideas, Deliver in Winter’ 13, were released recently.

 

 

 

              

In addition, starbucks also leave me a great impression. “Are you ready to change your company’s reputation? Do you want people to think of you as a company that listens(page 193)?” Starbucks does. Starbucks create a website, also a community, My Starbucks Idea, for consumers to post their ideas, interact with other consumers and talk with featured starbucks idea partners who will be on line to listen to your ideas, ask questions, tell you what you are doing behind the scenes and make sure thinks run smoothly. Just like salesforce.com, customers also can add a comment on other ideas and vote for their favorites. Consequently, the most popular one will be bubbled to the top. More importantly, “they’d have to prove they’re ready to listen to their customers and act on those customer’s suggestions, right at the point of sale(page 193).” In My Starbucks Idea, we can find the ideas in action, which shows that starbucks are listening to their customers and the ideas from them really work. It’s true that the reaction in ideas will encourage more customers to talk to starbucks and also help starbucks a lot to improve its products and services.

 

 

              

“So work on both fronts in your company—muster up the humility to listen and tap into the skill to take what you’ve heard and make improvements(page 194).” As matter of fact, a good community is not only can help a company embrace the groundswell, but also listen to, talk with the groundswell as well as helping the grounds well support itself.