Over the past 36 hours, some interesting things have happened. I got to witness first-hand how influential some of my writing could be. I want to share it as a case-study for all of you to follow.

Recently, I have been reading a lot of articles concerning influence, so I guess it is fitting that I got a practical crash-course in it. Influence is not the amount of followers you have on Facebook, or Twitter. Influence is how many of those people listen to you, and heed what you're saying. There are a lot of sides to this story, and many opinions, and I will try to go over as many of them as I can without violating any of my sources' privacy.

Many of you will recall the ordeal I had with Bodyworks (which was not truthfully their fault at all, as the blog posts will inform you) yesterday. I was contacted by an individual advising me of a course at Bodyworks. They were not authorized to market on behalf of Bodyworks, but were running their class out of the gym. The text message I received seemed like the person was pretending to be a friend of mine, talking about how plans had changed, and they were going to be meeting me at the gym at a different time for the course (which they spoke at length about).

My realization of influence started with a phone call this afternoon, around 4:15pm. A friend filled me in on the course instructor's side of the story (who he is friends with, and had just met with at the time of his call). He warned me that my influence was greater than I thought, and I should wield it responsibly, as the instructor's course was now cancelled. I informed him that I would talk with the owner, and discuss the course being reinstated, due to the miscommunication. The question is: what set me off, and made me pursue this?

First, I should say that it has been mentioned several times that must people would have just ignored the text message. I am not most people, in this context, for a number of reasons. I am involved with social media consulting, strategy creation, etc. This certainly doesn't make me an expert marketer, but does make me an interested and active marketer. Also, I am a trained journalist, who still practices journalism, and pays particularly close attention to ethics of companies. Lastly, I am always interested in legal decisions as they pertain to companies' decisions, and i was certain text message marketing was illegal.

To address these concerns, let me explain chronologically. I was at work when I received the message. I was annoyed by it, and frustrated with it. I feel text-message marketing is unethical, because texts should be used for personal communication only. I have been informed the text message was meant as a personal message rather than a marketing message, but there were definitely elements of marketing in it regardless.

Upon receiving the text, I fired my own back. I included the fact that it was illegal to text message market someone without their consent, and asked the identity of the person messaging me. I asked if they were Bodyworks, or a company representing Bodyworks. In their reply, they did not address my questions, and told me to take a 'chill pill,' 'learn how to breathe,' and etc in a rather snarky way.

I sent an email to Bodyworks, demanding an explanation. I was commited to uncovering who was at fault, and why they were getting in touch with me. I was never a member of the gym, and they couldn't have gotten my number that way (was my line of thinking at the time). As it turns out, it was meant for the previous owner of this phone number, and he gave consent for it (which would not become fully clear until a bit later yesterday). Bodyworks replied to me, and was quite unimpressed with the message I had received, and how it made their company look. 

The texter messaged me today to apologize for the miscommunication, and I accepted their apology. The issue is this: Bodyworks has stopped them from being able to teach their course out of the gym. I understand Bodyworks' decision in the case, but have asked them to reconsider. I like to support athletics and fitness whenever possible, and I felt this was a great avenue for both. I expressed this concern to the representative of Bodyworks, and he understood my concerns. He informed me he was not pleased with the situation in general, but would reconsider allowing the course to operate out of Bodyworks. When he visits Sudbury in a few weeks, he plans to discuss it with his staff before making a decision.

It is important to say that Bodyworks' response to my concerns was swift, and helpful. They never tried to brush me off, or leave me hanging. They treated all inquiries and concerns seriously, and respected my perseverance in getting to the bottom of the situation. The gentleman I dealt with, who I believe owns the company, can not be blamed for their decision to close the course. They were looking after what could have become a legal issue, which all companies must take seriously in this day and age. That being said, he is reasonable, and I'm sure he will fully consider allowing the course to use his facility. 

The lessons to be learned:

– Let marketing professionals handle the marketing, and always consult with the company who is helping you out when launching any sort of campaign. (I was told it was a personal text message, but I've had the phone number for over a year, and this is the first time they contact me. How many friends do you have that don't text you in over a year?)

– One needs to be careful of how much influence they wield, and how they choose to use it. It is possible that I was hasty in reporting on the entire issue. I did not report any inaccuracies or misinformation, and have nothing to apologize for factually, but my friend suggested I should consider how much influence I have before reporting on such issues so quickly. On the other hand, I consulted with some friends who felt the reporting was justified, and that I was soft on the people who sent me a message. Some people felt my response was unnecessary, but not quite uncalled for. The spectrum ranges greatly on this issue.

– Text-message marketing is a difficult path to tread. With the frequency of number changes and lost phones, it is vital to double-check (or 'vet' as journalists say) your contacts, to ensure they are still the people you think they are. Not sending out a message in over a year, and then sending out a  marketing message is treacherous legal territory to walk on.

– In communications, always work fast and efficiently to clear up any miscommunication and answer queries. A simple text message response to my initial questions would have prevented all of this mess from happening. An explanation of who was texting me, what their purpose was, and who they were representing was all that was required. Ignoring a situation does not make it go away. Unfortunately, I think they got more than they bargained for when they accidentally fired that text to a journalist/marketing professional, and then encouraged me.

All things considered, I have no ill will towards the course instructor or gym. I have offered to consult the instructor regarding his marketing strategy next time, to ensure it goes smoothly, and hopefully help build his following. I think the program sounds rather interesting, and you can look into what was going to be taught (Systema – a Russian martial art) here.

If only I would have tripped that burglar, Uncle Ben… er… wait… 😉