Moments that matter. We’ve all had them. It could have been on Christmas morning as a child. Or at a big league ball game. In the grocery store. Or maybe sitting on a plane. It’s that instant when a particular brand, product, or service touches you in a way that matters. A brand has just gotten under your skin and you can’t stop thinking about it.
How often does that happen for your customers? I hope every single day. Two of my colleagues and I were in Chicago a few years back on an emergency client trip. It was close to Christmas, freezing and blowing snow. We had booked into the only hotel available. As I pulled up into the parking lot at dusk, my first hint that this might not be for us was the crime tape around one of the rooms. I called back to the office to begin a new search. No luck. I dialed my personal concierge at American Express. She was very understanding and suggested we head downtown as she searched. She knew rooms might become available at 6 pm and wanted us to be there. We made it to the Ritz and the desk staff was expecting us. They invited us to have a drink in the bar. On them. To make a long story short, they did not have a room, but found us one at a competitor’s hotel nearby. My concierge called to make sure we were settled in. As the saying goes all these years later, “I would not leave home without it.” It was a brand experience—a moment that mattered that solidified my loyalty to the brand. Forever. As a business traveler, I am more confident with that brand in my wallet.
Do your customers have that level of trust and confidence in your brand? Do they depend on your brand to make a difference in their lives or their customers’ lives? They could. If you are intentional about designing intended brand experiences. Ones that value your customer, add value to your brand, and build confidence and trust in it. When successful, these customers will take greater chances with you and your brand, product, or services, before trying anything else. When that happens, you’ve accomplished three steps to retaining that customer for life.
- You’ve created meaning in your brand.
- You’ve given that meaning value in your brand.
- You’ve converted that value into preference and perhaps even loyalty in your brand.
Designing these brand experiences that create moments that matter starts with an inherent understanding of why your brand exists. Then you use those compelling truths or brand pillars to define how those experiences will manifest themselves. Think about some of those moments you’ve experienced and how the compelling truths actually amplified the moment and gave the brand fidelity. You won’t forget them. Or how they shaped your customer journey.
Every moment that your customer spends with your brand can be a moment that matters. Look for the truth and confidence in your brand. And find unique ways of showing it to your customers.