Your brand is an experience, ideally resulting from a successfully planned and delivered combination of messages and interactions across multiple Touchpoints.
To keep these experiences (and brand perceptions) positive and appropriate, companies must consistently touch customers and prospects in ways that build satisfaction, trust and loyalty, at each stage of their Customer Relationship Lifecycle. This systematic process creates expectations that must be regularly met, resulting in customer confidence and an emotional connection–the foundation for all successful brands.
The downside, of course, is when good Touchpoints go bad. How many customers can you lose due to dissatisfaction to a call center employee with an attitude, or an accent they cannot understand?
You get it. It’s pretty simple, really: Managing the brand experience across all Touchpoints matters.
Brand Promise. Sounds good, doesn’t it? But what does it really mean to make and support these statements, and what is the cost of less-than-perfect delivery? In truth, achieving the outcomes that delivering on this can accomplish requires near-flawless execution in making, delivering, keeping, and reinforcing the brand promise.
While appropriately positioning the organization and the development of a branding and messaging platform are critical first steps, there must also be steadfast, across-the-board organizational commitment to developing and implementing the structure, systems, and staffing needed to effectively deliver on the promise.
Our experience shows us that the benefits of making and keeping a brand promise are well worth it. Here’s a quick primer on our point-of-view:
Defining (and Making) the Promise. Your promise needs to be relevant, compelling, believable and achievable – and supported by the values that drive your organization – to make a deep connection with your target audiences. To define it, you must understand your organization, your customers and your competition.
Delivering the Promise. The responsibility for delivering the promise message falls primarily on the sales and marketing team, while management and employees in the field deliver on the elements of the promise on a daily basis.
Keeping the Promise. Your success hinges on the competency and commitment of line staff, IT, call center, outsourced vendors, etc. to deliver on the promise at each Touchpoint. So much of your relationship with customers, and of your ability to keep your promises to them, will depend on the precise coordination and structure of your systems and staff. Leverage the processes, procedures and systems needed to effectively communicate with each other, and your customers will experience the positive results.
Feedback: Have we kept our promise? The only way to know that you are making, delivering, and keeping the right promises is to continually get feedback from your customers. Utilizing Customer Listening Tools – including those in MCorp’s Customer Experience Mapping toolkit – can be qualitative, or it can be a formal, quantitative process for measuring gaps between customer satisfaction, attitudes, and needs. Finally, processes must be in place for easily and systematically collecting, reviewing, and acting upon this feedback.
Those organizations that successfully connect with customers and deliver on a relevant promise reap huge, quantifiable benefits in areas such as retention, loyalty, customer NPV (“Net Present Value”) and LCV (“Lifetime Customer Value”). The flip side for those organizations which promise one thing and deliver an experience that just doesn’t match up is the cynicism, increased churn, and reduced loyalty and satisfaction which can negatively affect relationships with both internal (employees) and external (customers, analysts, partners, etc.) audiences.
The connection between actual brand experience and customer expectations is crucial to the perceptions of your brand.
A deep understanding of the importance of alignment between the customer experience and brand promise is evidenced by the nearly one-hundred percent of customers who responded in a recent MCorp Consulting survey who – through a series of research methodologies, across retail customer segments – stated that this relationship strongly affected their perception of an organization.
At the same time, just over half of the organizations we’ve worked with feel that they are performing extremely well in this regard. In short, the more accurately aligned the customer experience is with the brand promise (and their expectations of the brand that your promise implies) the greater the positive influence your brand will have on your customer relationships.
How well aligned are your brand and customer touchpoints?
Taking a look at your own company, how closely aligned do you think experience and brand are? If you deliver what you promise across all your touchpoints, then you’re part of a thriving minority. Congratulations! But maybe there’s some discontinuity. Or perhaps you don’t know. If that’s the case, there are questions to ask to help you find the answers.
Does your brand accurately reflect the relationship your customers feel they have with you?
Do your employees deliver your brand in the same way customers feel about it?
Does management “buy into” your brand?
Does your market perception and brand promise match the brand experience across all your touchpoints?
What do your customers think of you vs. your competition?
For those organziations who get this connection, the threads that drive success are a combination of direction and obsession. Top-down direction from a leadership team that both understands and values the customer experience. And obsession on the part of everyone in an organization when it comes to delivering a consistent, branded customer experience.
From back-office operations and the call center to front-line, customer-facing staff, obsession with experience delivery and “expectation management” across touchpoints and interactions is a hallmark of customer experience leaders, across industries.
By now, many of us are familiar with State Farm Insurance’s commercial featuring emotional scenarios set to the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There.”
The message stands out against commercials that attempt to hammer viewers over the head with products and services or annoy with bouncy jingles. We’ve learned to tune those out, and just wish they would go away.
However, State Farm Insurance breaks through the noise with a simple, classic song, using a series of images featuring people just like us – “helping each other” – receiving care from the “real people” at State Farm.
On many levels, State Farm gets it right with this spot. Emotionally appealing, great soundtrack and a great job showing product benefits – where many financial services marketers hit the wall. From a branding perspective, they nail it. “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.”
1) Supporting retention, existing customers are reassured: “If something terrible happens, State Farm will ‘be there’ for me. I’m glad this is my insurance company.”
2) Boosting acquisition, potential customers may find the emotional plea of this commercial irresistible: “Real people, just like me, will take care of me and my family – State Farm is real people. I’m going to call them, or check them out on the web.”
3) And when it comes brand awareness and relevance, all viewers see that State Farm Insurance is for people of all ages, all colors, and provides support across a wide variety of situations: “I’m not planning to switch insurance companies, but if I did, I think this is a ‘human’ company and I would consider State Farm.”
Our only complaints? First, why do they wait to get to the sponsor ‘till the last frames? I don’t think folks are sitting in front of their HDs wondering to themselves who this is… “Let’s wait and see, honey – I wonder what these guys are selling? We might want to buy some…”
Second – and more troubling – is that on the website featured in the spot (the main State Farm site) the brand promise-slash-tagline so powerfully supported by this spot is conspicuous by its absence. No tie-in at all. Why walk away from such a powerfully differentiated position? State Farm could benefit from a little integrated marketing and cross-channel brand strategy help…
What do you think? Does this State Farm Insurance commercial stir your emotions? Or is it just another emotionally touching :90 spot that leaves most viewers wondering what’s being sold?
1. Be Dominant: Many studies show that companies which slow marketing spending lose out now, as well as after a recovery. You want your customers to know that they’ve picked a winner, and your prospects to know you’ll survive – and thrive – in tough times as well as good.
2. Audit Your Brand your company or product brand accurately reflect who you are… and who you want to be? Is what you say you stand for believable – and important to your target audience? Make sure the brand you go forward with is the right one, and put systems in place to maintain its value. A consistent experience, a single “voice” and the way you communicate your brand in other ways is critical. If you are like most companies, your brand is the most valuable intangible asset your company owns. Improve it, and protect it.
3. Reevaluate Your Product and Service Mix: Are there ways you can repackage existing products or services in ways that can provide more value? Or, develop a product or service line that can accommodate smaller clients or customers with reduced budgets? Ask your customers – they’ll be happy to help.
4. Embrace Your Database: Your current database probably houses former customers and prospects, as well as current customers and suppliers. Now’s the time to go after them. Reactivate dormant accounts and leads with new products, promotions and services. Also, contact current customers for referrals. Give them ideas they can use to help their business in the current economy, and they’ll be happy to pass you on to others who could benefit from your knowledge.
5. Measure your Return on Marketing Investment: The problem with many marketing efforts is the inability of management to ascertain what really works, and why. That’s why smart marketers always measure outcomes so they know exactly where to invest for the greatest return. The more you test and measure, the more relevant data you’ll get. And the more data you get – and analyze – the smarter your marketing will get.
6. Cost Controls: Controlling cost does not mean cutting cost. It means being smarter with the budget you do have, and wringing greater value from every dollar you invest in your marketing program. Closely related to Marketing ROI, controlling costs allows you to invest your money where it drives the greatest revenue.
7. Launch a Targeted, Integrated New-Business Campaign: Now is a great time to launch a customer acquisition campaign. Set specific goals, tighten-up cost controls, and strive to sell product and build brand. Target your best customer segments through an integrated campaign across different media (including social and other online tactics) leveraging results-driven direct-marketing and customer engagement strategies.
8. Reevaluate Your Marketing Service Relationships: Are you totally satisfied with your marketing or PR agencies? What about strategic marketing counsel? Do you have a Social Media agency, or an expert on-staff? There are lots of smart practitioners out there, and many may be able to give you greater insight, higher levels of service, and greater value for your investment.
9. Enhance the Customer Experience: Do you provide “bullet proof” customer service? The cost of getting new customers is much higher than getting more business from existing customers. Each customer you lose is taking money out of your pocket over time. By improving customer experience – with a focus you’ll boost awareness, acquisition, loyalty and retention.
10. Increase Customer Insights: The more you know about your customers, the more accurately you can target brand and marketing messages to address their specific needs. To do this, marketing executives need to get down in the trenches. What do your prospects and customers want or need, and why? From voice-of-the-customer research to tracking your brand’s online reputation, it’s easier to gather real-time data – and act on it – than ever before.
Fueled in part by the Internet and other interactive technology channels, as well as the increased fragmentation and segmentation of traditional media, the explosion of brand and marketing touchpoints has increased the complexity of acquiring and retaining customers.
In many instances, this rapidly changing and increasingly hectic landscape can also lead to higher marketing costs, reduced marketing and brand effectiveness, and declining customer loyalty.
Increased customer choice leads to new skills for marketers
For most customers, instant access to choice, market opinion and competitors – combined with increased levels of education, product knowledge, and awareness of competitive options – have significantly increased their service expectations, making the process of cost-effectively delivering products and services even more complex. And as this complexity increases, the time, expense, and skills required of companies selling and servicing increases as well.
In response to this evolving landscape, “marketing” is being re-defined as “the science and art of finding, serving, retaining, and growing profitable customers.”
Brand and customer experience are more important than ever
That’s why brand and customer experience are more involved and more important than ever in fueling acquisition, driving word-of-mouth referrals, and ensuring retention of the right customers. Because yesterday’s marketers must become tomorrow’s customer experts, leveraging a deeper understanding than ever of customer wants, needs, perceptions and options to drive more of the right customers closer to their organizations.
Recently, MCorp’s Harley-riding, blues-drumming Controller, Carl, and I were having a conversation about “personas outside the workplace.” The next day, Carl introduced me to a blog he likes called The Personal Branding Blog.
I don’t know about you, but I have always found it uncomfortable to “leave my personality at the door” just because I’m “at work.” I love the idea of the “personal brand” and I find it to be quite liberating.
The transparency of the “digital ID” makes it easier for real people to do business with real people. And I like doing business with real people, don’t you?
Meet the new boss
Remember when you had an interview and you Googled the CEO (or whoever your new boss might be) and all you could come up with was the corporate headshot and a boring paragraph of nothing but work-related stuff? Weren’t you really looking for something interesting, like hobbies or a glimpse into his/her life outside of work?
What if you Googled your prospective new boss and you got to see a video of her first snowboarding experience (and it was hilarious)? Or the CEO who works weekends at the local animal shelter and has posted a photo album full of pictures of himself bottle-feeding tiny foster kittens?
Wouldn’t you rather work for a person than a corporate headshot? And if you are the CEO, wouldn’t you rather have your organization filled with diverse, interesting personalities? You don’t really want your people to leave their uniqueness “at the door” – do you?
I champion the idea of weird for only one reason: These are … Weird Times. Therefor (simple logic): We desperately need an Eclectic/Weird/Peculiar Talent Pool. (Not a bunch of clones.)
I think we can extrapolate from the above that someone who is “weird” (in corporate-speak) is someone who indeed brings their personal brand to work.
Are you ready to see your COO’s monster truck rally videos on YouTube?
It’s a great medium because it allows you clearly communicate your message while showcasing your personality and creativity. Look at the popularity of YouTube and you can see how video will become an even more important element in your personal media plan.
and
8. More widespread adoption of the term personal brand.
‘Personal brand’ will be standard term inside companies to describe colleagues – as in “He’s always late, that’s part of his personal brand” and on an annual review “your personal brand attributes of creative and clever make you an exceptionally valuable part of the team.” Now that personal branding has become a part of the talent development curriculum at many companies, the term has taken on a life of its own.
What do you think?
Do you think that encouraging the development of your employees’ personal brands (in and out of the workplace) will have a positive effect on your company’s brand? Tell us about it!
In the most recent episode of NBC’s The Office, Michael offers to gather intelligence on a neighboring competitor by posing as a potential client.
Michael happily schemes to annihilate Prince Family Paper, but then finds himself in a moral dilemma when the rival turns out to be a family-owned Mom and Pop business. And they couldn’t have been nicer to Michael, who is posing as an interested prospect.
The owner of the business even gives Michael their client list.
After the “meeting”, Michael ends up having a problem with his car, and “Pop” fixes his car. While he waits, “Mom” brings him a cup of coffee.
Getting Personal
Now that there is a very human face on the competition, Michael doesn’t want to hurt these people by turning the client list over to his boss. Unfortunately, Dwight manages to take the list away from Michael after an amusing foot chase around the office and parking lot, which forces Michael to turn the list over to his boss.
Armed with the Prince Family Paper’s client list, the conventional thinking is that Dunder Mifflin can now put Prince Family Paper out of business.
Or could they?
It’s pretty easy to take a closer “look” at this situation for the customer experience perspective. It is highly likely that the companies on the Prince Family Paper client list are already aware of the larger company, Dunder Mifflin. Let’s say it’s common knowledge that the larger company’s prices are lower than the Mom and Pop operation.
So why would these companies authorize paying more to work with Prince Family Paper?
“People who need people”
Based on what we saw in the episode, my guess is that Prince Family Paper has a loyal following that values customer service over lowest prices. Like many small businesses that have a loyal following, highly personalized service is the cornerstone of their brand. Prince Family Paper understands that people do business with people. And as long as they adhere to this principle, their clients are unlikely to stray merely in pursuit of lower prices.
As we go about our sales activities, let’s keep this classic quote from American Business woman Mary Kay Ash in mind:
Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ”Make me feel important.” Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.
What do you think – can a “Dunder Mifflin” win? Could your customers be lured away by lower prices? What are you doing to make sure your customers want to stay with you?
And, if you were armed with your competitor’s client list, what would you do?
OK, let’s face facts. Managing your brand is paramount to any business. Right?
After all, it’s the best way to boost its perceived value to your customers so you can drive brand equity, boost business growth, and increase profitability.
It was launched by the brand geniuses at Procter & Gamble in the early 1930s. But in today’s über-competitive marketplace with an increasing number of media channels ––digital, print, broadcast and mobile –– brand management is more critical than ever to product and corporate success as organizations attempt to communicate promises, build preference, and create other barriers to competition.
But brand management isn’t just about enabling multiple brands from a single company to compete in the same product category. You know that. I know that. Heck, even my kids know that with the Apple iPods or the Abercrombie & Fitch clothes they buy with their weekly allowances.
But building brand equity is even more imperative to organizations with just one single brand that must overcome the odds and out-market their competitors to create stronger bonds with their customers. This fact is key to the relationships between your divisions or product groups who are constantly cross-selling, up-selling, and trying to corral as many customers as possible within a branded family.
So whether your organization is large or small, multinational or regional, statewide or local, we are here to provide insights, guidance and counsel as you contemplate the various ways to manage –– and grow –– your brand.
