When we associate ourselves with brands, we are associating ourselves with a feeling.
Maybe it’s the way it makes you feel or the way it makes your niece or nephew feel that in turn makes you feel a certain way. Good or bad, you know the feeling.
Getting It Right
There are a few brands that you can identify with that truly “nailed it” when it came to their first impression with you.
One brand that has directly impacted my life positively is something I do not even use anymore. However, I simply associate positive feelings with the brand.
Audible.com
I was new to audiobooks and quite frankly I have to admit I am not an early adopter to any new tech for the most part. The only way to haggle me into potentially paying for your service is to give me a deal I can’t refuse: free trial.
My favorite part? You get (1) free book upon signing up AND you get to keep it. Cool right? I know.
I instantly got excited because I was going on a road trip and seeing as I had plenty of expenses ahead of me — I wasn’t looking to spend any on books.
I searched a subject that I had been studying and instantly came across, “Pitch Anything” by Oren Klaff. I read the comments and synopsis and proceeded to fall in love. I knew I needed to have this book.
I downloaded and listened to the entire book in one day. It was like I found the perfect bottle of wine. I could consume it over and over again — much like my unhealthy obsession with soup. 😉
I had associated Audible now with — excited, comfortable, dependable, worth it’s value — type of feelings. The feelings were so strong I went and bought the physical book later.
Now, I no longer need Audible and Audible lost the immediate opportunity to steer me back onto their site to continue my trial. After my trial, I haven’t been back and it’s not entirely a bad thing.
I associate the brand with positive feelings. It would be hard to sway my brand loyalty to any other audiobook site/company — unless it was somehow tremendously easier to use/have greater access to.
If someone were to ask me where they can access audiobooks, Audible would be the first and only choice I would recommend.
To make things more interesting, my laziness for downloading excessive apps/books has led me to my most recent discovery:
Medium articles read via Pocket.
How does this work?
- Download Medium app + Pocket app
- Enable “Pocket App” on activities
- Save Medium articles on Pocket
- Go to Pocket
- Click “Listen (TTS)”
TTS = Text-to-speech
The voice over reminds me of a feminine anonymous voice.
Wait, So I thought They “Nailed It”?
Well, yes, they did. They nailed the feeling I should associate with the brand. However, the organic engagement and customer experience part? Yes, that was absent. It seemed like the extent they went was reaching back out via email. It was so disappointing.
I am a regular Barnes & Nobles loiterer. Yes, loiterer — that person that reads 1–2 books while i’m there and leaves empty handed.
Is this a bad thing? Not really, I probably spend most (if any) disposable income at B & N. They aren’t missing out on any potential $$ opportunity with me. Instead, they are providing a positive and welcoming customer experience that allows me to purchase on my own accord.
If you’ve been the occasional loiterer, you can attest to the joy of not being pressured to buy something you aren’t sure about.
Humans like to use all senses to make a decision:
- Touch
- Taste
- Sight
- Sound
- Smell
I’d tack on pressure as another in my opinion. If I feel too much pressure, I get a bad taste in my mouth and immediately refuse to buy. If I don’t have enough, I am reluctant to act. There should be some type of pressure and just enough. I see those “helpful” employees that wander around saying, “Can I help you look for something?”, as that pressure. It’s healthy. But, no i’m good…thanks for asking.
How Do You Know When To Engage?
This is where data analysis comes into play. If your company has not batted an eye at how it can use its own data to make more informed decisions for the customer experience (CX), well — that is a shame. No data analysis, no data advantage — it’s simple. You need it and if you don’t have it, you are behind.
In the world we live in today, data collection and analysis is a necessity. If you don’t do it, your competitor will and they will ultimately dip from your honey jar.
You may have manifested the honey from your bees but the honey can be taken if left in plain sight — think bears.
The external factors will always and should always keep you on your toes.
You or your brand/company will fight an uphill battle unless you beat down the path and make it literally impossible to want to seek another trail.
As long as you are staying ahead, listening, and engaging when it matters most to your customers — the better feelings you/your brand/company is associated with.
Keep it simple — build relationships and care about them.
A version of this was originally on Medium.com
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