Latest Ecommerce Podcast Interview Features Keith Bergstrom of Prestwick House
Publisher of Literature and Teaching Guides Discusses Importance of Connecting with Customers through Social Media
SAN JOSE, CA – August 5, 2010 – SLI Systems, provider of on-demand, intelligent search services for Internet and e-commerce sites, announced today that the latest Ecommerce Podcast interview features Keith Bergstrom, general manager of Prestwick House, a publisher of literature and instructional guides for English and language arts teachers. In the discussion, podcast host Shaun Ryan, CEO of SLI Systems, and Bergstrom talked about how to connect with customers using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.
Prestwick House sells its books and teaching guides online as well as via a print catalog. Bergstrom explained that both printed and online marketing material is created to appeal to teachers’ love of literature. “We’re the same way at the company – everyone who works here loves books,” Bergstrom said. To improve the web experience for its catalogue shoppers, Prestwick House will soon add a web catalogue that mirrors the content in its print catalogue.
To help build community with these teachers, Prestwick House has a Twitter feed and a Facebook page. “We’re not tweeting about things that are only of interest to us,” said Bergstrom, explaining that the Prestwick House staff avoids social media posts that are merely promotional. “We’ll tell followers how an English teacher in California is doing great things,” or the staff will offer links to interesting articles about teaching and literature. “We then try to push the content out everywhere else,” such as on the company’s Facebook page and blog.
Prestwick House is also considering adding product ratings and reviews in the near future in order to further engage its customers. “We have more than 14,000 SKUs, which makes it fragmented – if we only have a few reviews here and there, people will think [the items are] not important,” Bergstrom said. “We’re thinking about rewards or recognition for people who post reviews,” as a way to encourage participation.
As for his own online shopping experiences, Bergstrom told Ryan he recently visited Amazon.com to buy a barbecue smoker for summertime grilling.
About SLI Systems
SLI Systems is the leading developer of Software-as-a-Service learning-based search and navigation solutions for corporate Internet sites, content publishers, e-commerce destinations and consumer Internet portals that Searches, Learns and Improves the user experience. SLI Systems’ SaaS-based site search and user-generated SEO solutions empower businesses to enhance customer satisfaction while increasing sales, reducing costs and yielding valuable customer information. Unlike traditional search software, SLI Systems’ patented technology continuously “learns” from the behavior of visitors over time to deliver more relevant results. SLI Systems is a privately held company, with offices in Silicon Valley, London, and Christchurch, New Zealand. For more information, visit www.sli-systems.com, or see the company’s blog at blog.sli-systems.com.
