It’s one of the big clichés – certainly in B2B marketing. We toss it out there without really thinking about it. Adding value, added value, or even the dreaded ‘that’s a real value add’ are everywhere.

Right now, however, value has never been more important. Leaving aside the different definitions of value, the essence is that it means the ‘effect it has on the life and work of whoever’s receiving your product or service’. In current economic climates, where price is no differentiator at all, the temptation is to simply enter into price wars without thinking; this is the watchout of course for the retail sector, which essentially has to prove its model as a whole in 2012 (http://www.just-style.com/the-just-style-blog/uk-retail-sector-under-pressure_id2039.aspx).

If you can’t differentiate on cost without cutting your feet from under you, you have to look at value – in the broadest sense of taking care of and ensuring a higher quality of experience for your end users and of course the consumer. Services must be available, apparent, simple and obvious. Everything must come together through every platform. Products and (for retailers) stores must be easy to use; that means welcoming, safe, and above all full of knowledge, insight and helpfulness.

All of which, combined with the need to cut costs, plays to the strength of businesses that cover multiple areas of their respective spectrums simultaneously. So supermarkets, who are increasing rather than divesting their vertical integration activities, of course do very nicely while niche players or those who have boxed themselves in somehow tend to implode. Which is why we haven’t seen much from Wax Lyrical lately, and why if you look at the Centre for Retail Research’s ‘Who’s Gone Bust’ index, it’s the specialists that suffer: http://www.retailresearch.org/whosegonebust.php. There aren’t many ‘completists’ on this sad list.

But it’s also the businesses, one suspects, who didn’t know the real meaning of value. In the wider world, it’s akin to ‘trust’ and more and more they’re used as one thing: http://randomactsofleadership.com/2011/11/07/the-value-of-trust/. It’s increasingly vital as business and consumer worlds worry more and more about what they’re getting and how much care is being given to them.

Businesses that truly care for their end users, and businesses that can show they do this at as many ‘touchpoints’ (to use another cliché, sorry) as possible, are therefore the ones who can adapt best in today’s environment. So long as they do it well and demonstrate the care that is essential if you are to bring in new customers, re-educate customers who may have left you, and keep the ones you have – with customer retention increasingly the focus: http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/customer-retention-top-marketing-priority-17975/.

So…take a look at what you do. Are you doing as much as you could for your customers? Are you making it as easy as possible for them to use what you provide? And are you missing opportunities to tie things together? If you aren’t, you’re not providing real value in the best way possible – and you will be overtaken – no matter what your legacy, and no matter what you do to your prices. Because you don’t want to be on this list either: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/22/brands-disappear-dyingus-2012_n_881911.html#s296069&title=10_Nokia.

If your audience participates in one of the popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Foursquare, then it is important to be engaged in that online environment.

The easiest and most effective way to gain and keep a social media following is by providing value to your audience. If you can provide value to your audience in these new social environments, they will become loyal followers.

Here are some of our favorite examples of companies using social media to engage their audiences by providing value.

1. Lululemon

Lulumon is little known in Europe, but has taken North America by storm. The luxury-priced high quality yoga and sport apparel is fashionable and has taken over gyms and airport waiting areas. Part of their success can be attributed to how they stealthily became part of every twenty to thirty-something’s lives through social media.

Lululemon has corporate Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare accounts, and then each store also has their own. The value provided by each is different. The corporate brand accounts provide value in uploading pictures of soon to be released products, and by sharing information and special stories about the products, fabrics and about the people who work with Lululemon. Each new employee gets a bio and a warm welcome over the internet to their 175,000 fans on Facebook or their 37,000 followers on Twitter. The corporate pages also have contests where fans or followers submit pictures of themselves and friends doing various challenges in their Lululemon apparel. The best entries are then featured on the main pages, and on the website’s blog.

The Lululemon store pages provide value to customers in a different way. Any time you enter a Lululemon store, you could find 10 or even 30 people stretched out on mats all over the store participating in a free yoga class. The stores also offer free yoga classes outdoors all through the year, which provides a great deal of valuable information for followers. New products in store, new employees and answering local yoga and sport questions allows each Lululemon store’s social media presence to be successful.

Some examples

As you can see, there is a team dedicated to ensuring that each reference of @Lululemon and Lululemon in Twitter receives a reply. Lululemon’s Facebook page is as equally successful.

As you can tell, there is a great deal of discussion on the main page, which is every companies dream. This subculture has such a devoted following that although the page is moderated and you can expect an answer from the company within an hour during working hours, fans will stick up for the brand and will ensure that any negative comments get put to rest.

Ok. I guess you’re sick of Lululemon now.

2. Old Spice

Old Spice sticks to their brand, and provides value to customers through humour.

This type of humour is geared towards their target audience, and is mimicked on Old Spice’s Facebook page.

Although it may seem cheesy or silly, each comment that is posted on the Facebook page is “liked” by well over a thousand people, many of whom also make comments. On Facebook whenever someone likes a page, unless they have tweaked their settings, all of their friends will receive a notice in their news feed indicating that “John” has just liked the comment from Old Spice. Not only are Old Spice creating value, but they are also maintaining top of mind awareness with all of their fans and with their followers on Twitter, and with many people who are friends with their followers and fans.

This low cost brand reinforcement is certainly strengthening the brand relationship between this audience and the company.

3. Dell

On Twitter through @DellOutlet and @DellOutletUK, Dell provides value to their target audiences that are on Twitter. Although @DellOutlet the US version, has many more followers than the UK partner site, both provide value by offering refurbished one-off discount computers for sale. Both these social media sites also provide codes for discounts off hardware and software products, which keeps customers engaged and keeps them planning about their next Dell purchase.

One interesting thing that Dell also does with these two outlet sites, is it has the picture and information of the person who will be responding on their Twitter background. This ads a personal touch, and it helps to remind customers that you are not speaking to an automated system- you are speaking to Stephen or Stephanie.

4. Disney

Although their Twitter feeds are simply news and don’t provide anything special to fans (I guess Disney’s audience aren’t on Twitter- their parents are!) they do have a Facebook page that can keep fans occupied for hours.

The value that Disney provides to their audience in Facebook is providing a new way to interact with their favorite characters. Showing trailers for upcoming movies and letting fans share them with friends, they creating a custom Disney experience where their audiences are.

5. Oxfam

Oxfam has created a unique Facebook page, recognising that their supporters are spending time in Facebook. This interactive page allows fans and visitors to get information about races and marathons.

The Sports Events page on the Oxfam Facebook page is an example of a utility very fit for the medium. Using such a social online platform such as Facebook, it provides an easy way for teams to get together, for friends to plan, without sending e-mails, without making calls. It can all be arranged in Facebook.

These are some of our favorite examples of companies using social media to create value for customers. Just to have a page is not enough if you really want to take advantage of the medium and really engage with your audience.

Taking advantage of social media platforms to reach your audience, as in the examples shown, really strengthens brand relationships, and can help to clarify a brand personality to the audience. Showing brand personality to an audience is best demonstrated by the funny, quirky Old Spice messages. What is your brand personality? How are you providing value to your audience?

“We all have lobbies. We all have nice bathrooms. We all give away shampoo. What makes the difference is the perception of value.” Jonathan Tisch, President and CEO of Loews Hotel

When choosing a hotel, the customer’s perception of the hotel’s value is one of the largest determining factors in their decision-making. Through branding and integrated marketing communications, how can we help customers see the value of our hotels? Google, who facilitate countless number of hotel search queries are becoming increasingly relevant in how customers perceive hotel value.

Here are the top ways that Google is transforming the industry.

1. Inclusion of prices in Google Maps

Currently in a testing phase available only for English search results within the US, Google Maps now includes hotel price listings in their search results. This service will also grow to include prices listed on the maps themselves both in the inlayed map on the page, and in both traditional Google and Google Map searches.

With Google also pulling customer review information from leading third party travel sites, customers must make a quick value judgment based on hotel name, price, location, number of stars, and the one review included (as demonstrated in the picture below). Paid advertising on Google, also gives the Holiday Inn presence on the first search page, whereas they would normally only be found on the fourth page of the organic search results.

When this service expands worldwide, how will your hotel or hotel chain’s value be perceived?

2. Google’s purchase of ITA Software

Earlier in July of this year, Google purchased ITA, a leading provider of flight and airline data, for $700 million. Recognizing that information is power, ITA provides leading software solutions including a passenger reservation management system, an airfare pricing and shopping solution, an online travel booking engine and an advanced airline shopping mobile application. Google, the proud owner of these highly coveted services, is clearly preparing to move into online travel business. It seems as though its first interest will be in helping consumers find cheaper flights and better schedules, but rest assured hotel booking and pricing will be next.

In preparation for this shift, how do Google’s algorithms currently value your websites?

3. Google Maps- Not just for directions anymore

According to a case study released by Google and InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG), one of the world’s largest hotel companies, the hotel chain’s conversion rates increased 35% immediately following the implementation of Google Maps’ API onto their websites. This integration allowed customers to not only locate the properties on an interactive map, but to search nearby, search directions, and it gave potential customers access to any additional information they needed. Not only do customers spend one minute longer on search engine pages with maps, but visitors are 10% more likely to book a hotel stay if they are able to interact with a map on the hotel’s page.

Adding interactive maps to your website (à la Google) greatly increases the customers’ ease of booking, increasing the perceived value of your hotels to potential and current customers.

4. ExpediaHotelView

Expedia has teamed up with Google Maps and Google Street View to offer web browsers a new online search experience. ExpediaHotelView is currently being tested in the UK, and allows customers to search for a location or hotel, and view all the results on a map. The map provides information including Google street view, pictures, and results from Google’s organic search. This new online service will also allow potential customers to view hotel availability.

How will your audience find you on ExpediaHotelView?

As Google further develops these products and services, it is important to understand how potential and current customers will perceive your brand’s value as they search to find the perfect mix of amenities, location, price and familiarity.