📣 Amplify Your Strengths
🎨 Brilliant at the Basics
🪢 Small Acts
📣 Amplify Your Strengths
Have you ever paused to wonder, are we marketing our brand too much? Can that even be possible?
It is and it does happen. Companies can get so obsessed with publicity, promotion, and advertising that they lose sight of what is really important: the service.
In an interview with the comedian Steve Martin, Charlie Rose asked, “How do you be successful?”
Steve Martin replied, “Nobody ever takes note of it, because it’s not the answer they wanted to hear… but I always say, ‘Be so good they can’t ignore you.’”
“Be so good they can’t ignore you” may be the best marketing advice ever shared.
In Sticky Branding (the book) I wrote, “Customers don’t beat a path to the company’s door because of its marketing. Marketing hype scratches off quickly. Customers seek out Sticky Brands — and come back again and again — because those companies offer a compelling service and a memorable experience.”
Focusing on your core — what you actually deliver to your customers — will do more for your brand than marketing. Customers come back because of the substance and quality of your products and services.
One Stat to Watch
17%
of dissatisfied customers will discuss their interaction to raise awareness, according to CCMC. Unhappy consumers tend to tell twice as many people about their negative experiences as satisfied customers do.
🎨 Brilliant at the Basics
The best things in life are simple, authentic, and real.
Real food. Real craftsmanship. Real customer service. Real products. They all have a quality that trumps the latest fads and innovations, because they’re true to their essence.
Great brands share a similar quality. By being brilliant at the basics, companies are able to deliver better service and better customer experiences.
The basics may not be glamorous or exciting, but they’re essential. It’s the little things that customers remember and appreciate:
- An employee who was friendly and served you well.
- A product that was incredibly reliable and rarely required maintenance.
- A company that anticipates your needs with new products and features.
These simple yet highly functional experiences create a sticky factor. And the more you deliver these experiences, the more your customers will come back.
The basics are the building blocks of your brand. It’s not sophisticated, but often the basics are the hardest part of business.
So ask yourself and your team one question on a regular basis: how can we be just a little bit better?
🪢 Small Acts
Small acts of generosity can completely shift your client relationships.
A surprise. A gift. An acknowledgement. They all have the power to delight your customers, and convert them into fans.
You can’t fake it. You either care about your customers, or you don’t. If you do, and I’m pretty sure you do, find opportunities to demonstrate your appreciation.
It doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate. Look for simple ways to recognize your clients, and bring a smile to their face. Those small acts can make all the difference in the world. They elevate your brand, and convert customers into fans.
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