How I got my new glasses for less than $25
- My new glasses!
By now, most of us have Google Alerts set up for mentions of our company name. Some of us use Twitter Search or even a more advanced social media monitoring solution to find out who is talking about us. But what about people who we want to engage with who aren’t talking about us?
Enter the importance of monitoring for the point of need. My colleague Kevin sometimes illustrates this concept in Cision’s free social media monitoring webinars with shoe insoles. If your company makes shoe insoles, don’t just monitor for who is talking about “shoe insoles” but look for people who mention “sore feet.”
I experienced this firsthand recently. A few weeks ago, I left my glasses at the driving range. When I returned, they were nowhere to be found. Feeling down, I tweeted:
I received some funny responses (“I’ll write big so you can hear me. GOOD LUCK FINDING THEM. 
”) and some well wishes (“oh no! hope you find them!”) but I also received a tweet from Serena Chiang of GlassesShop.com. She told me to try something new and order my glasses online and provided a link to GlassesShop.com.
I was a little iffy on buying glasses online at first, but the seed was definitely planted. I went to the eye doctor and he gave me my prescription. As I tried on expensive frames with expensive lenses, I thought, “I just wonder if I could save money ordering them online now that I have my prescription.” So I did my research, read reviews from other consumers about purchasing glasses online and decided to take the plunge.
Monday, I received my new glasses. They cost me less than $25 – including anti-reflective coating, prescription lenses, frames and shipping. I see perfectly. And now Serena Chiang will have a return customer. If Serena wasn’t monitoring for her products’ point of need (lost glasses, broken glasses), I would have never considered ordering my glasses online.
As you monitor for point of need, however, it’s also important to keep in mind that you are listening in. Don’t be agressive, don’t push a sale, just merely offer an option and help if needed. You are raising brand awareness.
What is the point of need for your company, product or service?
Related posts:
- 8 Ways to Take Control of Your Personal Reputation and Social Media Brand You’re on Facebook. You’re on LinkedIn. You’re on Twitter. ...
- 5 great social media case studies in pharma Companies that go looking for reasons not to monitor...
- 5 best practices for creating a corporate social media policy Bringing law & order to the Wild West isn’t...
- The New Media Mix Q&A Last week, I presented The New Media Mix, a free...
- Tweetapalooza: a case study in creating social media buzz Community-generated Lolla reviews help continue to build a newspaper...
Tags: customer service, point of need, social media, social media monitoring, Twitter
Great info Heidi. Sometimes subtlety works best.
Thanks for the great link too – I’m going to try it out.
Best,
Debbie
Hearty congrats, Heidi, on going at least semi-viral with buzz-worthy insights.
Excerpt of a lively FB discussion now up to 9 comments:
Me: Here’s a neat tale from @hksully, who learned a vivid Twitter lesson B2C and B2B marketers should value. [link]
‘Friend’: Sure, bust out the opticians on your business block. Why have your glasses measured properly, an updated test for glaucoma, a chance to see how a pair of glasses rest on the bridge of your nose. You can get it cheaper online. When will cheap began to look bogus?
2nd ‘Friend’: I would imagine optometrists will start charging more for eye exams, or requiring an additional charge for a copy of the prescription. Gotta make up those profits somewhere.
Me: Surely you’re not suggesting they should ignore new market-expanding tools and we should pay more just to buy locally from Luddites? What’s bogus is pretending that even local retailers shouldn’t compete smartly in a global e-marketplace.
[ . . . and more in that vein, with critics missing your point that it's non either/or but rather using new biz dev platforms. --> QUESTION: Does Serena Chiang also have a physical storefront shop, if you know? That seems to be a key for skeptics who fret about undercutting neighborhood merchants, employment and tax bases. ]
Thanks Alan – glad to see a conversation going! Certainly I was one of the skeptics before ordering a pair of glasses myself.
In regards to your last question, Serena doesn’t have a storefront – and I certainly understand the argument that local merchants should be supported. But that’s the way they keep their costs down – no retail overhead. Here’s an excerpt from the FAQs on the site:
Q3: How can you charge such low market price?
A: We are a 100% internet seller and our products are ordered directly from the manufacturer to ensure authenticity and to eliminate unnecessary retail costs that could be passed on to consumers. In addition, the process is completed all in one shop from lens production to glasses assembly. By doing so, our valued customers, like you, can save a lot of money while receiving our high quality products.
I don’t think optometrists are legally able to charge you for a copy of your prescription, but they certainly could start charging more for an exam.
In regards to fit, there is the risk that you won’t be happy with the frames or they won’t fit properly. However, if you know the approximate size of the frames you currently have, most online sites that I’ve seen provide specs on the frame sizes.
I think your final comment was right on – what online glasses shops are doing is creating competition in the e-marketplace.
We’ve seen this with countless other industries, with one of the most prevelant being the media industry.
Thanks for the comment!
Heidi, apart from looking great in your new glasses, this is an excellent suggestion. It goes to show that as long as you know what you are looking for (or in your case have the prescription) buying online is easy and can save you a ton of money! I don’t know how many times I have gone shopping for specific things and came to the conclusion that I am only going to find it online and I am much happier to make purchasing decisions on my own terms rather than those of a pushy sales-person! It’s such a resource to have networks of people offering advice and suggestions of where to go and how to do it.
[...] way to identify a subset of people within a larger site. Lastly, I encourage you to search for the point of need… look for key words like “designer brands” or “luxury hotels.” Search [...]