Does your brand’s carpet match the drapes?
Here’s an example of a company that makes you fall in love with it, that’s not Apple. It’s called MOO. Their tagline? “We love to print.”
How can you not love that tagline? It’s simple and direct. It’s not trying to sidle up next to you breathing in your face with its pork-rind breath. It’s friendly and approachable in all the right places.
Now, MOO has a remarkable product. You can print a pack of business cards, each with a different image on the back—and choose from any number of ‘hey-where’d-you-get-that-cool-business-card’ formats, including itty-bitty business cards, cards that stand up on one end, note cards, thank-you cards, birthday cards–you get the picture. And if you don’t, they’ve got that taken care of, too. You can choose images for your card from several talented designers. You have to try hard to try to create cards that look bad.
To match their remarkable product, MOO also boasts remarkable design and copy. Golf claps!
This isn’t extraordinarily difficult to do. Lots of growing companies have remarkable products and matching remarkable websites. But here’s where most of us get into trouble: we quit while we’re ahead. Maybe we grow so fast that we forget about a few little details. I’ve been banned from using the word “experience” in this context, but it’s true. They forget about the customer’s brand experience. The carpet doesn’t match the drapes.
Here’s how it usually happens: You get an automatically-generated email from a customer service bot that says something like “Your order has been processed. Thank you for shopping with us. Click here to track your order.” (I always end up clicking on that link before my order has shipped.)
I don’t even notice when emails like this come, because they come all the time. Most of us don’t expect any better. It’s almost as if companies stop trying once you become a customer. NOOO! You and I know that our customers are possibly our most valuable sales tools. They can send us referrals. They can become sources of repeat business. They can write blog posts about us out of thin air.
If you want to give your customers and clients a good time–a good time that’s consistent with the remarkable time you’ve given them so far–you need to pay attention to the tiny details like those pesky emails and secret, hidden pages.
When a company does get it right, people definitely notice. And I’m all about getting extra points with customers. Aren’t you? MOO is one of those companies. Here’s what I got when I ordered my pack of Moo cards:
- A follow-up email to let me know my order had been “dispatched” (see below)
- A modest little package of MOO cards fastened by a pink sticker that said, simply, “YAY!”
- A reorder form
Here’s the email in all its glory:
Hooray!
The following items from your order are in the mail:
1 x Ready Made Notecards (16)Please note, as your order will be shipped via First Class/Airmail, it
should be with you in around 5-7 working days, but that it won’t have a
tracking number.Remember, I’m just a bit of software. So, if you have any questions
regarding your order please first read our Frequently Asked Questions
at:
http://www.moo.com/help/and if you’re still not sure, contact customer services (who are real
people) at:
http://www.moo.com/service/Thanks,
Little MOO, Print Robot
Hooray, indeed! Moo delivered a consistently good time.
This didn’t happen by accident. Someone actually planned it this way. So, how can the rest of us be like MOO?
Step 1: Create a list of your target audiences.
Step 2: Create a process map of how they interact with you. When do they communicate with you? When do exchanges take place? When is information conveyed? When do you have an opportunity to communicate with them?
Step 3: Make sure all the emails, landing pages, letters, and packaging they receive reflect the tone and messaging you gave them from the start.
Not only does taking the time to do things right make you look good, but it makes your customers feel reassured. Like you actually know what you’re doing. Which cuts down on those emails they’ll send in the middle of the week asking about “status.” The word “status” is actually derived from an ancient Greek term meaning “I haven’t heard from you in a while and I’m afraid you’re a flake but I don’t think you are please respond & let me know you’re still alive.” So, it makes them trust you more. And it makes them smile. And most of us would like more people who can make us smile in our lives.
If you want to get right down to the day-to-day communications, especially for those of us who are one-man-shows, you don’t have to spend hours thinking of the perfect turn of phrase. Simply apply this process to the most common types of reasons that you email people. Then, create standard sentences that you can use over and over again.
If you use a Mac, you can automate this process using a program called TextExpander, a customizable typing shortcut tool. With TextExpander, you can create triggers that tell the program to drop in standard bits of text, like sentences and paragraphs. It’s an easy way to create a unified experience for the repeatable tasks, without having to kill yourself with daily microcopywriting projects.
With today’s technologies, even a little guy can seem like a big guy. Which is especially important if you’re a little guy who sells to big guys.
What companies do you know of that deliver a remarkable brand experience from start to finish? Do tell.