Icrontic offering an unprecedented new way to connect companies with engaged readers
primesuspect
Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
primesuspect
Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
Comments
For an excellent example of this in progress, take a look at this guy. His name's Andrew, and when wine.woot.com was selling one of his company's products, he went to their forum, introduced himself, and proceeded to have a fun interaction with the woot community. He even went as far as addressing someone's joke that the product looked like a bong in a similar light-hearted fashion.
The best part? The product was actually a really good product. So it wasn't just smoke and mirrors, it really did work, and it worked well.
So let's see here. Good product? Check. Good representative? Check. Awesome conversation with the community? Check-a-roony!
If only we could get people to do this as well with Icrontic. Prime, Lincoln, I hope this is the direction you're taking us.
It would be great if there was some sort of discount give to those who participate or maybe a raffle/drawing? Anywho great idea and I look forward to seeing it!
Motherboards, video cards, SSDs, processors, Gameboys and consoles all lie within our interests. These are all goods that demand a fat chunk of coin. But it's not just hardware. It's Warhammer 40k, Magic: The Gathering, brewing, and fitness, just to name a few. It's easier to purchase them when you have the satisfaction of knowing that there's a connection to speak with when things go haywire... You're not just calling a phone bank, you're emailing a real person that you've talked to before.
Need proof? Let me tell you about the relationship between OCZ Technology and the members of Icrontic. It's very simple: when Icrontians are considering an SSD or memory, they're probably going to buy an OCZ part. It's like Kleenex or Qtip, folks. OCZ has become the brand we think of when these product categories are brought up. More than that, many people here can tell you all about their offerings: The model names, the specs, the prices... These are very, very informed consumers, and there are dozens of them.
But why OCZ? How did OCZ come to receive this privileged treatment?
In addition to having top notch products with an honest-to-goodness lifetime warranty and support that'll RMA your product if there's even a whiff of trouble, OCZ community manager Eric Ryder has become a member of our community. He's a friend. We trust him when he gives us advice or recommends one of OCZ's products, because he's invested the time and the effort to be more than just another one of the PR dudes that have hit and run our community.
He's uncle Ryder. He's been our friend for years.
This is not some strategy that OCZ has used, or some angle they've worked. To be absolutely clear, OCZ did not send Eric to talk to us. Rather, he found a community that he loved, and a community that so happened to dovetail perfectly with the products of his company.
This is the type of relationship any company can cultivate, but it needs to be genuine, it takes time and it takes effort. It's the polar opposite of the pump'n'dump advertising that has turned this entire industry into a wasteland of banners that go ignored on a regular basis.
Advertisers, it's a pretty simple equation:
Time and time again I have used the word "community" to refer to Icrontic, because we are more than a "forum." A forum is just a place to discuss topics... Icrontic is a place to be friends. Everyone here knows at least 20 other people on a first name basis, and that is very close to being the 100% gospel truth.
We are a very loyal bunch with a massive social network on Twitter, Facebook and in our every-day lives. Massive. We work for colleges, government contractors, Fortune 500 companies, the press and in IT. We are the decision makers for other people. People come to us and ask: What brand do I buy? What video card should I get? What game do you think I would like?
This nut can be yours to crack, but you better be damn sure that you're ready to be real, candid and transparent. In fact, we would love that personal attention; we'll even pass it on for you.
lol, that is what it says on yadda yadda the main article
I'm guessing alt code doesn't work on main pages...oh General Keebler Lincoln Russell....
I predict a similar relationship with another company one day.
This sounds like a great idea.
What I find most companies don't get is, once they have that friendship based relationship with a consumer, those consumers advertise FOR them. That is Sales 101 but still companies make things more complicated than they need be.
This concept is a win/win for both the advertiser & consumer.
Also I assume that standard advertising "protocal" applies? ie someone from Asus cant say "Gigabyte boards suck, our Asus boards are better." but direct factual comparrisons like "our board runs at this spec which is better than that board, and ours is cheaper" would be acceptable.
IMO Icrontic is a fantastic place to come and get free impartial advice and if you can interface with people who work for hardware and software suppliers then that really enhances the site as long as it does not compromise the sites impartiallity.
Ryder is a perfect role model as I have never seen him make negative comments about a competitor and his advice is always acurate and informative. This is why so many of us have bought OCZ products. If it is done propperly, this is win win win.