Hey Guys! So I was on a flight recently and I learned some really quick, simple branding secrets! Its crazy how similar business is across different fields-the difference is in the approach. Anyways! Check some quick tips below!
1. Service Speaks Volumes: It is important to make your customer feel noticed and unique. It is vital to make one individual feel important in your service. How does your business and your team communicate your customer’s importance to them? Are they quick to respond to e-mails? Do they refuse to engage the customer in questions and answers? Do they rush the customer off the phone? These are questions that will help you identify how your customer feels about your business-do they have positive/negative/mixed reactions when your business is mentioned? Word of mouth is still very powerful and impressionable so make sure your customer service speaks volumes of positivity and not negativity to each and every customer.
2. Experience Should Not Be Underestimated: I had a particularly nasty experience while flying with a popular airline that made me realize the power of perception. As you engage with customers in your market you need to ensure the experience they paid for is nothing compared to the experience they get. Your customer should always feel like the money was beyond worth the investment. So under-promise and over-deliver. This is important not only in the context of the product but the atmosphere, the team members, the fellow clients-the whole package is necessary to achieve this experience.
Let me give you a practical example: How many times have you completely forgotten about how lavish the food was at a respected restaurant simply because of a nasty altercation with the manager? Now put yourself in your customer’s shoes-it is NOT about the product-it IS about the person. Make sure your team is made up of people that are patient, kind, reasonable and logical when dealing with clients-the customer is always right for a reason-they hold the pay check-and hence the experience should be tailored around their perception.
3. Be Innovative With Your Marketing: The safety check infomercial on my flight caught my attention this time for one reason-the creativity behind it. Safety check instructions are sometimes placed on pamphlets in the flight or announced on screen. One word comes to mind when describing safety-boring. But its necessary. Hence as a business, you should find creative ways to engage your customer with the boring but necessary parts of your brand. This will affect the impression your business leaves on your customer’s mindset. For instance, the safety video was a mix of animation and classical nuances-it was engaging. The key word here is engagement. Depending on your budget obviously, it is important to communicate with your client in a language they would relate to and understand without effort-this is engagement. It could be how the menu is presented at a restaurant or the product is packaged for a service. You get the point!
4. Appreciation: I never noticed this before for some reason but since I began to study business principles I have noticed that after each flight, the crew positions themselves to wish you a pleasant trip. This is simple but necessary. So let me ask: how do you show appreciation to your customers? Remember people want to feel noticed and valued. It could be a simple thank you note, call, message-the point is there is communication and a connection that is personal not public. This will also add to the impression your customer has of your business and how they respond or choose to engage with it in the future.
5. Different Levels Of Comfort: Just as there are different classes on a flight depending on whether it is local or international (business, premium, economy for instance), is the same way your business should have tiers of comfort. There should be a correlation between your services and the level of intimacy you can provide your customer in terms of your product. This will enable your product to have different levels of intimacy with your clients-think about it for a second-your comfort levels vary between your family, friends and work colleagues-this is the same way your business should be able to provide your customer with the option to choose the level of intimacy he/she would like with your business. It is also an interesting way to weigh the trust factor in your business. Think about the example above once more: you are more likely to share personal information with family/friends than with your work colleagues for instance. So if your customer is willing to invest in your higher business tiers , it shows the value they place on your brand!
These are just 5 simple steps I learned from my recent trip! Would you like to here more?!
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