Today’s guest post is written by Anne Weiskopf.
A little more than a week ago, I wrote about the discount chain Loehmanns, sharing wonderful childhood memories of shopping with my mother.
The intent was to let them know their direct marketing efforts (which I continue to receive) only serve to remind me, a long time loyal customer, that I can no longer take advantage of their fabulous clothes and sales. (Loehmanns closed their last store in Massachusetts in 2010 and do not have a website enabled for ecommerce.)
My goal was not a “gotcha” moment, I wanted to understand why they were still sending me coupons, and if it was a mistake, give them the heads-up so they could save money and customer good will. To ensure Loehmanns saw my post, I tweeted it to their Twitter account.
The post generated a lot of feedback. The comments shared Loehmanns childhood experiences as well as advice about ways in which they can re-engage with their loyal (and store-less) customers. The respondents demonstrated a high affinity for Loehmanns.
On the whole, the related tweets focused on the disconnect between Loehmanns’ marketing and operations, and lack of customer engagement:
Speaking of disconnects, on Monday night I finally received a response:
At first glance I thought Loehmanns was tweeting the entirety of my post, which surprised but delighted me, as it demonstrated confidence to share it with their followers. Imagine how surprised I was when I realized it was framed as an endorsement, misrepresentative of my original post.
To give them the benefit of the doubt, I responded seeking clarification, but received no further communication from Loehmanns.
Every brand knows loyal customers are the best advocates for your company. With the ubiquity of social media, their voices are amplified.
Loehmanns is well aware that moms represent a significant business demographic as shoppers, but also as the ones who will pass the tradition of shopping at Loehmanns to their daughters. This was the common thread in my blog post and the comments from readers. It is also the lead clip on their own video.
Here’s something else Loehmanns should know about moms. They tweet!
According to a just published survey by Media Post:
- Moms tweet a lot. The highest percentage (36.3 percent of moms) report tweeting 10 to 20 times a day.
- Information is queen. The number one reason most moms tweet (43.2 percent), is to share information about products for kids and other moms – a fact that should be of considerable interest to companies and agencies alike. This is followed most closely by moms’ wishing to interact with other moms (21.8 percent).
- Moms want to see you tweeting. Asked how they decide whom to follow on Twitter, the vast majority (78.2 percent) said they follow companies that interest them. Furthermore, 95.7 percent of moms who follow those companies do so to find out about new products, discounts, and coupons.
- Tweets drive sales. The best news for those marketing to moms is that 73.1 percent of moms indicate that they actually purchased a product as a result of another mom’s Twitter recommendation.
Speaking of moms who tweet, it was a Mom, on Twitter, who is also a marketing professional and long time Loehmanns customer who discovered the answer to one of my questions:
And how did Suzanne know this?
Agreed, Suzanne, getting a social media manager in place at Loehmanns is a very good idea. Here are some more recommendations for Loehmanns and other brands who use Twitter and other social media tools as part of their marketing efforts:
- Be careful not to attribute a quote from a customer (on social media or any channel) that is taken out of context.
- The person tasked with managing a Twitter stream must be deeply engaged with marketing and other areas of your core business. If they are not, they should understand how to interpret a post directed at the company and find the right individual to respond to external messaging.
- Social media is about conversation and community. Having framed the quote as an endorsement only draws further ire from the original blog poster as well as those who made the comments. These are people active in social media- the people who can and do influence others by making their voices heard. Read the posts and the comments and respond accordingly.
And on a final note, Happy 90th Anniversary Loehmanns. May you have many more.
Anne Weiskopf provides sales and business development services to agencies and companies who are in the social media and technology space. She blogs at Rip Off the Roof.
Photo credit: Flickr – Creative Commons. Ky Olsen
@anneweiskopf You are so on point Anne. Companies need to have someone really pay attention to social media, avoid disconnect.
@anneweiskopf You are so on point Anne. Companies need to have someone really pay attention to social media, avoid disconnect.
Thanks for offering up a shining example of how to critique a brand without trying to rip their heads off. Very few posts that begin like this end with well wishes. It was refreshing to see that, especially in light of the last couple of days of reckless brand bashing…
Thanks for offering up a shining example of how to critique a brand without trying to rip their heads off. Very few posts that begin like this end with well wishes. It was refreshing to see that, especially in light of the last couple of days of reckless brand bashing…
@AnneWeiskopf Nice post about Loehmanns
Thanks Michael, appreciate your comments. This is how FAR back the Weiskopf/Roston family goes with Loehmanns. When my dad was in his 20s (he is 85 now) he was doing work (HVAC) at the original Loehmanns in Brooklyn. Mrs Loehmann invited my father to tea afterwords. They had a lovely talk, and, at some point in the conversation Frieda asked “Why isn’t a new Jewish boy like you married?” And he did get married, to the loveliest woman in all of New York. I’m absolutely certain that Mrs. Loehmann would have approved.
@eckhouse Thanks John!
@DBMC Thanks Deborah. And in addition to paying attention to social media – who’s minding the DM store? They keep coming! #Loehmanns
Love the comments to @AnneWeiskopf post “Hey Loehmanns! Tweet Me Right” http://t.co/9CV5eBm3 #RLTM
Annie, what a wonderful post you have written. You are on fire these days! I agree with @MSchechter and think that you have provided an excellent example for how to offer up criticism that is valid yet doesn’t destroy or alienate. You also did a nice job building out the case with other twitter users’ tweets. Go you! xoxo Whatnot
@anneweiskopf Unreal. I will never get the disconnect between marketing and ops, and certainly not between diff mktg branches!
@anneweiskopf Unreal. I will never get the disconnect between marketing and ops, and certainly not between diff mktg branches!
LOL. Thanks Allen, much appreciated. Yours in “Whatnot” xo
A great tweet from my friend Larry: RT @lrobiner: @AnneWeiskopf Loehmann’s mistweetment of your quote serves as evidence that brands too often delegate social media responsibility to interns
Great article and very good points to Loehmann’s. If they actually listen this time, it could save them so much time and headache later. It can be tough to critique a favorite brand without being snarky, and I think you’ve achieved that. Here’s hoping that someone there reads your commentary and takes it into account.
Thank you Tinu. The person in charge of their Twitter account sent me 2 tweets and one DM. She is clearly out of her element – I feel badly for her. I’m surprised that no one higher up in the organization has gotten in touch with me. Many years ago, I had a bad experience at The Gap (it actually made me angry) and I wrote a letter to the (then) CEO Mickey Drexler. He called me personally (and sent me a lovely GAP gift basket.) I’ve been a loyal GAP, BR and Old Navy customer since then.
Great points! My favorite: the person responsible for tweeting on behalf of the client (retailer, or other) must be deeply engaged with marketing and the core business. If they are not, you could have egg on your face! Enjoyed your post!
I just saw this Anne and WOW. I am a Loehman’s fan and LOVED the one at Downtown Crossing that closed years ago.
I TOO am a mom and a marketing professional and had NO IDEA that they were opening an online store. It leaves me wondering how many would-be evangelists they are missing the boat, or should I say Ocean liner, with.
@EricaAllison Thank you Erica. It will be interesting to see how (or if) this gets resolved.
@AmyMccTobin Hi Amy. Well, look on the bright side – you’re not getting DM from them every day, are you? 🙂 What is so interesting to me is that their video suggests that they did some research into understanding why people are loyal to Loehmanns (went there with their moms; found their wedding dress; designer clothes at great prices, etc) yet they don’t seem to actually BELIEVE their own marketing. It literally seems like marketing, opps, and social media don’t even know who each other are.
Hi Annie! First, thanks for sharing this on Spin Sucks. Secondly, my marketing head still hurts. I know there have been a few updates since this writing. What’s the best advice you can give to Loehmanns about a) direct mail and b) social media?
@ginidietrich Thank you so much for access to the great and very engaged Spin Sucks audience! As it relates to Loehmann’s, my advice is as follows: if you are unintentionally sending Direct Mail to states who no longer have Loehmanns stores – own up to it – apologize – share your strategy – and move on. If it is intentional, target those customers directly and let them know the distance to the nearest Loehmann’s stores and incent them to visit. Or, if you are planning on announcing an ecommerce site, share that information and award extended deadlines on the coupons for a few months out from the ecommerce site launch. In terms of their social media efforts, Loehmann’s really needs to evolve from using their platforms as just a way to promote their clothes and sales and good news. Engage your customers in real dialogue. Also, please ensure that the person in charge of your Twitter account is not isolated from the rest of your business. I could actually feel the panic of that person as she or he raced around looking for answers and hoping that no new blog posts or tweets would come through. And instead of communicating thru Twitter DM – address the situation head on. Final comment, if I were Loehmann’s I would have called me directly and turned the situation around so that right now I was writing a post about Loehmann’s brilliant and customer-focused response to my situation.
@jefffowle Thank you sir!