David Gammel's Web Strategy ReportTM
Volume 1, Issue 5: Vendors vs. Partners, Patagonia, Anatomy of a Podcast
Thoughts On Strategy: Partners vs. Vendors
- Partnerships with your key technology providers only work when it is in both parties’ interest to actually invest in creating a partnership.
- When the value of your joint outcomes is high for everyone, then it
makes sense to invest the time, effort and expense of forming a long-lasting partnership between the customer and technology provider. - Things fall apart when one side does not perceive the outcomes as high value.
- A provider whose client views their services or product as a commodity will never interact with them as an equal partner. A client whose value is relatively small to a provider will never get the level of interaction or support that a partnership demands.
- Many troubled projects have a client/provider value mismatch as at least a partial source of the problem.
- If you need a partner, you have to find a provider who will see great value in working with you. If that value isn’t there, you will never get a partnership experience, no matter what the sales person tells you.
Case Study: Patagonia Living Their Philosophy Online
I just read Yvon Chouinard’s book, Let My People Go Surfing, in which he explores the history of Patagonia and how his business philosophy for the company grew overtime. I, of course, checked out their web site and was impressed with how well it embodies Chouinard and Patagonia’s philosophy of business.
Patagonia’s mission statement is “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” If you have seen a print catalog from the company then you have seen this in action. Each includes lots of content about protecting the environment and the actions that Patagonia and their customers have taken to do so, while enjoying all that nature provides.
As I reviewed Patagonia’s web site, this philosophy came through loud and clear. For example:
- The home page is dominated by a dramatic picture of a climber in the mountains, an image that resonates with both Patagonia’s roots and their current customer base.
- Some links go to products but many lead to information about causes the company supports and their own initiatives.
- There is exactly one product featured on the home page as of this writing.
- Their blog publishes personal stories from their staff, ambassador athletes, and customers, that all resonate with the overall mission.
Despite a soft touch on products, web site sales surpassed mail order by 2004, according to Chouinard. He attributes much of their success to how true they stay to their mission.
How well does your online presence embody the mission and core values of your organization, staff and customers?
High Geekery: Anatomy of a Podcast
I posted a podcast this week where I interviewed Lauren Turner about how her Chamber of Commerce is using social media to engage with Generation Y professionals in Fort Worth, Texas. I received several questions about how I made the podcast and decided to share the details here.
I used a conference call service that offers automatic call recordings in MP3 format to conduct the actual interview. This cost less than a latte for the interview with Lauren.
Once Lauren and I had completed the call, I downloaded the MP3 from the service web site and used Garage Band on my Mac to edit out the dead space at the beginning and end of the recording. I then recorded a bit more audio at the end promoting some products available on my web site in Garage Band, using an external mic connected to the computer.
Once done, I exported the recording as an MP3 file and uploaded it to my web site. I used a plugin for my blog software, WordPress, to post an entry to the blog that contained a Flash-based player to play the audio as well as provide a link to the MP3.
Voila! A complete podcast that took less time to edit and post than it did to record it.
Here are links to all the relevant technology and services mentioned above.
Accuconference
Garage Band
Blue Snowball USB Mic
Wordpress
Podpress Plugin
New Service: Social Media Coaching and Mentoring
I am please to announce a new line of coaching and mentoring services for executives exploring how they can use social media to create valuable outcomes.
I have been doing a lot of speaking, consulting and writing on this topic this year and have noticed large demand for help in goal setting, accountability for progress, and situational advice. Coaching and mentoring are often a good fit for executives and staff working on social media initiatives and determining how to create value.
Contact me at +1 (410) 742-9088 or david@highcontext.com if you would like to discuss your goals for social media and to explore how I might assist you in achieving them.
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