5 Ways to Create a Positive Customer Experience

When you think of your marketing, do not stop at your outside advertising and promotions. Although these things are very important, in your marketing efforts remember to also take into account some other simple things that can yield great results.

Here are 5 ways your business can begin creating a more positive and memorable customer experience. The bonus:  these things are relatively free to execute!

1. Fragrance: The sense of smell is a huge memory trigger. If your store has a signature fragrance, it will remain in their minds. This can be as simple as lighting a candle or burning fragrance oil. Vary the scent toward the mood you want to create. (i.e. sultry, clean, lively, or understated)
2. Music: Music can change a mood faster than anything! Make sure the music you are playing is reflecting the type of emotions you want your customers to feel while in your store and remain true to your brand image.
3. Samples: Sampling will allow your customer to imagine what it would be like to own your product. Encourage your customers to try on clothes or jewelry, sample the perfume, or have a taste of a new dessert.
4. Greet your customers: No one wants to be bombarded by a sales person when they walk through the door, but being met with a warm, cheerful smile and greeting can do wonders to set the tone! I have walked into stores countless times and have been met with a disgruntled employee. Despite the merchandise, the mood has already been set.
5. Gain a piece of information about your customers: Ask your customers what their names are and learn them! Ask any number of questions (without being over-bearing and annoying, of course)…Are they local? Have they been in the store before? Are they shopping for something special? Make mental notes of each piece of information you gather to remember next time they come in. It will make your customers feel so special when you remember them next time.

Feel free to add your tips and suggestions of other ways businesses can create a positive customer experience.

The Positive Powers of Peer Pressure

Peer pressure gets a lot of bad press – it’s the reason all those rotten kids of today are drinking, smoking, and using drugs, after all. In small doses and at the right times, however,it definitely has a plus side that often gets overlooked.

If you can’t remember what high school was like for proof, a recent study shows the impact of peer pressure. Guests in a hotel room found a note asking them to reuse their towels – some stated the impact on the environment, some made similar appeals, but the most effective ones said that 75% of guests reused towels last year. This effect has been seen with election polls, movie openings, online sales, even minor news stories (with readers clicking on the most popular, and often least important, stories) – it becomes a self-feeding process. The most popular is the most visible, so it’s the discussed, which raises its popularity, which makes it more visible…

Knowing someone else has been there before you, has done what you’re thinking about, has purchased the thing you’re considering, has seen the movie you’re wondering about –makes us feel more comfortable doing it ourselves. Not everyone can be a Neil Armstrong, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t proud of Buzz Aldrin, too.

So what does that mean for you and your business? If you can get a customer to be your spokesperson, by giving them a great product, service and experience, you’re giving yourself the best kind of publicity available – positive, reliable, and free! Peer pressure may have negative connotations – but if you’ve got something great to offer your customers and their acquaintances, it’s your best friend.

Customers Have Evolved – So Should Your Business

If you’re a business owner, you  may have noticed some changes in the past few years.

Customers are behaving very differently than ever before. They’re more educated, with access to information from their phones at their fingertips virtually 24/7. They’re harder to reach, as programs like  TiVo make commercials feel as relevant as a drive-in movie theater, and iPods replace radio stations in most cars.  They’re constantly in touch with their peers, with sites like Facebook and Twitter, and blogs allow them to express their opinions to anyone who will listen.

All of this can be disconcerting if you’re unfamiliar with these developments, but ultimately they can help every business become more successful.

Educated consumers can find out about your business by searching for what they need and what you provide – if you make sure you have a website that represents your company well. The changes in traditional media can lower your profile – unless you take other steps to raise it, like hosting events in your community instead of commercials. And of course, a social customer is your best method of advertising. Having satisfied customers with Facebook or Twitter accounts means you have free promotion from a source that potential customers already trust.

Some companies improve information searches – like the new search engine Bing -  and some benefit from them – like Nationwide’s car accident application for iPhones. Product integration is one of the ways big companies advertise without commercials, but for local businesses something simple like sponsoring a youth team or a community charity run works with the same principles. Businesses can use Facebook and Twitter, but it’s also useful for researching consumer behaviors and getting a sense of customer interests.

If you’re able to provide your customers with something they need or want, and can do it as well as or better than everyone else, your business will benefit from today’s evolved customers. Find the strength of your business – a product, customer service, a unique experience, maybe all of the above – and make sure today’s customers know it. It’s just a matter of time until tomorrow’s customers will want to see what the buzz is about.

Coffee and Designer Clothing – Is it the Price or the Experience?

There has been a lot of attention paid to how consumers are reacting to the recession – are they cutting costs universally, or just spending more when they see it’s worthwhile? Consider these examples –

McDonald’s is positioning itself to take over the coffee market. With an advertising budget of $100 million, they want to attract consumers tired of spending too much of their budget on coffee at Starbucks. They’ve been successful so far, and it’s true that Starbucks is losing ground. However, it’s important to consider that while both companies are selling coffee, only one is selling the experience – discussing politics and art just doesn’t work as well in a McCafé, if you ask me.

WalMart and Target are facing a similar battle. WalMart has always competed on cost, and Target has been slightly more upscale, with a focus on quality. Newer WalMart commercials focus on the fact that the consumer is buying the same product that’s offered in other stores (like Target), but that their prices are lower. Target commercials, on the other hand, while definitely promoting value, are trying to raise the appeal of the Target brand. By incorporating high-end designers in their stores with low-cost capsule collections (in housewares, apparel, and shoes), Target is offering consumers a high-quality experience while still offering low prices.

When taking all four of these companies into consideration, it’s important to find which most readily compares to your business now. You might be a McDonald’s, who can take advantage of price wars by offering lower costs in a new market. You could be a Starbucks, who might have to take a back seat during these slow times, but who will remain strong in the future because of your specific appeal. You could also be a WalMart -  a company with a loyal base who comes to you for prices, who can appeal to new customers by offering comparable goods to people looking to cut costs. Maybe you’re a Target – you can improve the quality of your product without raising costs to keep your consumers and attract new ones looking to get the most out of their money. It’s likely that these four companies will still be doing well ten years from now (though of course nothing is certain), and companies can definitely learn from their strategies and differentiation.

By Mary the Intern

Social Media and $$

Is it possible?

Our answer: YES!!

Social networking has become a buzzword recently, but I feel like there is a misconception about social media as it pertains to business and making money. Social media “experts” are telling people that the basis of participating in the on-going, online conversation is to gain important industry insights and to give those insights to others. True, following others in your industry on a format like Twitter is beneficial for many reasons. Additionally, giving out advice etc. is important and definitely builds credibility. Let’s face it though, as a business owner how much free time do you really have to devote?

There IS a way for social networking to equal money that goes beyond talking about your industry with people in China. For example, loyal customers can hear from you instantly! What better way to keep in touch with the latest promotions and coupons? How much are you saving as opposed to a direct mailing?

The ways are many, but it all comes down to time and how much your time is worth.