Are you meeting customer expectations? We all know the importance of customer service when it comes to running a successful business. In this social media obsessed world we live in today and the age of instant feedback, excellent customer service can go a long way, but an excellent customer experience can go even further!

Until recently, the quality of product and service provided were the keys to winning customers and earning their business. But today, a new factor has come into play and that is providing the best customer experience.

A recent Walker study found that by the end of 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. Customers will stay loyal based upon the experience and if you can’t keep up, they will move on (bye, bye).

Happy customers remain loyal customers.

Consider these statistics:

• 1 in 3 customers will leave a brand they love after just one bad experience.
• Research by American Express found that 86% of customers are willing to pay more for a better experience.
• 49% of buyers have made impulse purchases after receiving a more personalized customer experience.
• Customers that rate companies with a high customer experience score spend 140% more and remain loyal for up to 6 years.

Customer experience (aka CX) is the biggest opportunity businesses have to reduce customer churn and increase revenues. The problem is, most businesses think of customer experience and customer service as one in the same when in reality, customer service is only part of the many pieces of customer experience.

Simply put, customer service is a single touch point with a brand, while customer experience includes every touchpoint a customer has with a brand from the first time they hear about you until after completing a purchase – basically the perception the customer has of a brand. While you may think your customer experience is one thing, the customer may see it as something completely different and that is what the actual customer experience is.

Managing customer perception should be the top priority for every business and having a strategy for customer experience is the best way to make that happen.

Customer expectations are rising.

The expectation is that every single interaction with a brand be the best that it can be.

Below are several strategies for creating a great customer experience:

1. Create a clear customer experience vision that is customer focused and can be communicated within your organization. This statement will act as the guiding principles and drives the behavior of your organization.
2. Understand who your customers are and you can get to know their needs and wants.
3. Connect emotionally with your customers.
4. Collect customer feedback. It’s the only way to know if you are delivering on your promise. Try using live chat tools, conduct a focus group or send an email with a follow-up survey. Hey, even pick up the phone, for instance. In other words, get feedback, share it with the team and fix what is broken.
5. Develop your team to the standards of your vision. Using the feedback collected from customers, identify the training needs for each member of your support team.
6. Use employee feedback to improve the customer experience. Because, it’s your team who are interacting the most with your customers so give them an opportunity to share their ideas.
7. Measure the results of your customer experience investment. There are several metrics available for tracking customer experience over time which include Customer Effort Score, Net Promoter Score, Customer Satisfaction Score and Time to Resolution. These tools allow you to track the success or failure of changes you implement that might affect your customers.

Customer expectations are at an all-time high and word spreads fast! The importance of the customer experience increases because the customer becomes even more empowered. Customer experience is an area that needs constant attention.

Because, a greater focus on customer experience strategy, businesses will see a reduction in customer churn and an increase in revenue growth.

Need help developing your customer experience strategy?

There is no shortage of scientific research indicating the importance of familiarity and brand awareness in customer decision making. Advertisements appear everywhere we turn – from window decals to television and social media. Brand management is essential to differentiate yourself from the competition. Here are seven elements to successful brand management:

1. Construct a strong foundation.

Design and build your brand. A branding exercise can help you define essential elements of your brand. Explore who you are, what your vision is for your brand, and how it is relevant to your target audience.

2. Define your USP.

Once you understand how you fit into your target market, determine how your brand is different from the competition. This is your unique selling proposition (USP).

3. Build the cornerstone.

Use your USP and create a short message defining your brand position. The message should be subtle and easily recognizable to your audience. Use that message as the cornerstone of your marketing.

4. Manage your brand from the inside out.

• The best ambassadors for your brand are its team members. Collaborate and communicate with them. You need them to buy-in and be trained for any interaction to maintain brand consistency.
• Create standards and policies to use internally outlining how marketing materials are to be named, stored, and utilized. These include logos, slogans, previously used concepts, etc. Guidelines can help your brand maintain consistency and stay efficient in times of employee turnover.

5. Build a community. Develop relationships.

• Social media has become a principal source of customer service. Engage consistently and continuously with your audience to build a connection and a reputation for authenticity.
• Influencers can be a strong ally in growing your brand. As with any relationship, you have to make sure the influencer is a good match for your brand and then work to keep the relationship healthy and growing.

6. Protect your investment.

Your brand’s reputation is hard-earned. Once you’ve developed it, protect it.

• Set up Google Alerts so you may be instantly informed if there is news impacting your brand. Be vigilant on social media.
• Crises will happen. Take ownership. Be honest and transparent with the information you have and how you are working to mitigate any damages.

7. Update and polish regularly.

Track the results of any marketing campaign. If needed, polish existing fixtures and upgrade as needed.

We would love to help you design, build and manage all aspects of your brand!

Earlier this week, I took my tennis-crazy son to the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in beautiful Palm Springs, California. Over the years, we’ve attended several professional tournaments of all sizes, but this one … it’s the best.

The desert weather is temperate and ideal. The mountain ranges on all sides provide a heavenly backdrop. The venue is world-class both in quality of infrastructure and use of technology. The food and drink offerings are unparalleled (Nobu has a permanent restaurant on site and the Moet champagne garden offers a place to lounge while sipping bubbly). The world’s best tennis players in both the men’s and women’s games come to play in both doubles and singles, and they are so well cared for that they mix and mingle with fans in an intimate setting.

This tournament has differentiated itself from its peers by being the best.

It’s a fascinating case study, because it wasn’t always so. In 1990, the tournament was in the red and in danger of being sold to a city overseas. Enter Larry Ellison of Oracle, one of the richest men in the world with a love for tennis, who stepped in and bought the tournament. Every year since then, he has improved it – building new stadiums, upgrading the grounds, bringing in permanent vendors, establishing strategic partnerships, offering increased prize money, and giving the fans an enhanced experience. He has turned the tennis world on its ear by being the same, but being different.

Differentiate Yourself

This mindset is an essential one for any business or entrepreneur. In your market, you must differentiate yourself from your competitors by doing what they do, but doing it better. Then you must seize upon this differentiator by positioning your brand as an industry leader, and creating a marketing plan to leverage your efforts.

Take a page from Larry. Do you think other tournaments are happy that he has set the bar so high? They aren’t! They fear they cannot keep up. Take on this mindset and separate yourself from your competitors. Then come see us on the Porch! We can help you stand out by positioning and marketing your brand and making it rock!

Influencer marketing has become a very popular form of social media marketing. Brands have discovered that an influencer partnership can have a positive impact on their revenue. This form of marketing allows brands to spread their content, connect with consumers, and build relationships more organically and directly.

An influencer is someone who acts as a mutual friend, and connects your brand with your target consumers. In today’s technological world, people are exposed to an abundance of purchasing choices, yet they don’t have the time to research them. Instead, buyers rely on friends, acquaintances, and fellow consumers to inform their purchasing decisions. The rise of social media has made it easier than ever for people to find other people who will help give them the information.

Luckily, social media has also made it easier for brands to seek out and partner with influencers who will get people talking about their company and products.

Partnerships with the right influencers can be extremely positive for your brand. A successful influencer will drive traffic to your site, spread your message across social media platforms, and grow your following. Ultimately, their recommendation sells your product.

When considering influencer marketing:

• Numbers aren’t everything. Don’t rely simply on the number of followers or social media likes an influencer has. Focus on who their followers are and what they are interested in. Those things matter more.
• Brand alignment is a must. Partner with influencers whose audiences align with your brand and the products you sell. Influencers come in all shapes and sizes: celebrities, industry experts, bloggers, YouTubers, journalists, etc.
• Authenticity is key. Collaborate and build relationships with influencers that truly believe in your brand. Buyers can detect partnerships that aren’t a genuine fit, and that may turn them away from your brand.

In 2018, influencer marketing is a powerful tool. If you’d like to develop relationships with social media influencers and aren’t sure where to start, call us. Front Porch Marketing can help!

I’m always looking for parallels in my life. A single thought that can be applied across all situations is something that resonates with me. These days, I am recognizing the importance of consistency.

Coaching Consistency

My youngest son is a tennis player. Although he is only 10 years old, he is serious about it and quite good. He can hit amazing serves, screaming forehand winners, and beautiful touch volleys that are something to behold. But his coach is stressing the need for consistency on the court. Those screaming forehand winners are beautiful, but can you hit them consistently? Are you putting in the work to get them there?

Last night, I had a bit of a parenting meltdown. After an extremely long day, I walked into my children’s den and found an absolute mess. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back and I lost it. But after I settled down, I realized that there have been little things that had been wearing on me all summer, but I hadn’t been consistent in my enforcement of the rules. I’d been letting things slide.

It’s not always easy to be consistent. It’s a mindful, daily commitment to doing what is best for the long term, even if it makes the short term difficult.

Marketing is largely about consistency as well

Establishing your brand voice and ensuring that you are consistently using that voice, across all channels, at every customer touch point, all day, every day, is absolutely key in marketing.

• A good brand is built over time by establishing trust. Consumers want to know your brand, trust your brand, and depend on your brand to deliver quality time and again. This involves consistency of product and experience.
• You must communicate your brand promise consistently. In your marketing materials. On your website. Across social media channels. Everything  you put out into the world should accurately reflect your brand.
• Your employees have to buy into the need for consistency. In their interaction with customers, in the service they provide on your behalf, they need to be looped into your branding so that they are also consistently reflecting the core values of your company in all that they do.
• Your marketing program requires consistent attention. Social media posting should happen at consistent intervals, on brand and on message. Consistent blogging is key. Your customers want to see you, hear you, and recognize you on a regular basis.

Are you being consistent in your marketing? Are you consistently applying your brand promise, day in and day out, at every touch point? If you’re not sure, give us a call. We are passionate about branding here on the Porch and we will set you straight!

Branding Rocks!

Duh! Of course we are going to say that. It’s what we do. It’s what we are passionate about! So you have your logo. Sweet! You have a vision. Fantastic! You have beautiful photography. Terrific! But do you have a brand? Not quite.

At the core of every marketer is a storyteller. We love to tell stories about:

• products
• places
• experiences
• … well we don’t really need a list – we just like to tell stories!

Digital media has opened up the communication lines for marketers. In the ‘old days’ (as my children say) you had a story to tell about your company, product, place or experience but you had to pay mightily for that story to be shared. Now there are several public forums that you can utilize to tell your story, which is a MARKETING DREAM.

So what does this have to do with your brand? Your brand is your story and vice versa. Why is it important to have a BRAND strategy in addition to your marketing plan? Here’s 8 reasons (we could give you 80, but we will save some for porch conversations):

#1 Your story makes you uniquely you! No one else is the same, which DIFFERENTIATES you from your competition.

#2 Consistent branding translates into RECOGNITION.

#3 Your brand is a PROMISE to your customers, your team and to the marketplace.

#4 Brands create an EMOTIONAL CONNECTION with your customer.

#5 Branding creates TRUST with all audiences.

#6 An established brand provides BUSINESS VALUE.

#7 A compelling background, history or brand strategy will MOTIVATE your staff and provide DIRECTION.

#8 Branding can FOCUS and guide your marketing efforts, saving time and money.

Sounds pretty good, eh? So what are you waiting for? It’s time to start rockin’ YOUR brand strategy!