Webolutions Marketing Insights
Helping our clients create memorable experience marketing programs is an important part the work we do at Webolutions every day. While many only think of experience marketing when discussing a tradeshow or a seminar, there are many opportunities in your normal business processes to design experiences that will set you apart from your competitors.
The recent book, The Power Of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg, recounts the innovative approach used in the early 1900s to build a new product called Pepsodent into one of the world’s most recognized brands.
Unlike today, most Americans didn’t brush their teeth on a regular basis when Pepsodent was created. Pepsodent was effective in changing this and creating a habit because the recipe included citric acid and mint oil. This combination unintentionally created a “tingle” that gave users a feeling that they missed if they didn’t brush their teeth each night. The “tingle” gave customers a tangible indication that the product was working to clean their teeth.
Another great example of an experience that gives customers feedback and the experience that things are working, is the dense foam most shampoos produce when you wash your hair. The foam is created when surfactants and foaming agents mix with air to produce all those wonderful bubbles. But all that lather is not needed to get your hair clean. The suds are there to give customers an indication that the shampoo is doing its job.
Think about the different experiences your company provides and design each interaction to give your clients an indication of the value you provide and that things are working.
Digital experience:
A great example of this approach is to make sure any forms on your website have a response page that pops up after a user fills out the form. Use this opportunity to let a user know they have successfully filled out the form, that the information has been received and you’ve provided a timeframe for when they can expect someone from your company to follow up. If you asked for their name in the form, you can even use that data to customize the message on the response page.
Product experience:
While it is easy to site Apple as a product design leader, the designers in Cuppertino continue to take the experience of buying an Apple product a step beyond their competition with an obsessive focus on the packaging for each device. The forthcoming book Inside Apple, by Adam Lashinsky, describes the extensive process designers at the tech giant go through to create a great experience when a new Apple customer took their device home and opened the packaging. Jonathan Ive, the lead designer during Steve Jobs’ tenure at the company and current Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, feels that “packaging can be theater, it can create a story.” Well-designed packaging reinforces and can even amplify the perceived value of the product it contains.
Customer experience:
Webolutions take great pride in creating a unique and memorable experience for every guest who comes to our office for a visit. Webolutions guests can expect to receive a welcome email the day before their appointment with our guest menu and directions. Guests can take advantage of massage chairs, enjoy freshly prepared snacks and custom-made coffee drinks that turn a normal meeting into a highlight of their week.
Webolutions worked with a Georgia client in the IT industry to create a great experience for their IT clients at the end of a project. The main contact for our client will receive a freshly prepared peach pie at the end of the project implementation to say thanks and as an expression of Southern hospitality.
How to Use This Information
Review the normal process of doing business with your customers and look for ways to turn an average website form, product box or visit to your office into an experience that elevates your brand above your competition.
Whether it’s Apple, Ritz Carlton, Virgin or Southwest Air, look for other companies having success creating memorable experiences. Pick a role model that resonates with you and see how you elevate your normal business interactions into something special.
If you would like to learn more about how Webolutions Digital Marketing Agency can help you design a marketing strategy that will give you a competitive advantage, give us a call at 303-300-2640 or contact us online today.
