Creating experiences in the mail
I usually write posts about bricks-and-mortar businesses, as that's the focus for my consulting work. However, I'm always noticing the choices businesses make and how those choices affect the way I feel about their brand. Last week, I received two items through the mail that illustrate a positive and a negative approach to these types of experiences.
Recap: Anything that goes through the mail is part of your invitation (Step 1 in my eight steps to better customer experiences.) So it should be a high-quality representative for your brand, using good quality materials and the polished communication style that matches the tone you've set for your business. (Communication is Step 5.)
Let's take a look at this mailer from Capital One. I've asked, repeatedly, to get off their mailing list to no avail. So, I am already annoyed with this company for ignoring my wishes. This one feels different, thick, a little cushy, what could be inside? A gift?
Why, just the usual Capital One junk!
But wait, what made it cushy? Ah, mystery solved. A small piece of bubble wrap was glued onto a piece of paper and slipped inside.
Does that feel icky to you, too? Setting aside the wasteful use of global resources (paper, ink, and petroleum for the bubble wrap, all to send me something I didn't want), was I fooled by this? No, I was annoyed. Annoyed enough to write a blog post about it. So instead of a happy customer they received negative word-of-mouth advertising, multiplied by the power of the Internet.
Next up, Eddie Bauer. This was different because it was requested (by a family member.) My husband received a slim box inside a brown corrugated envelope. The box was too small for a shirt, or even a tie. It intrigued me, but I had to wait until his birthday. A nice, weighty, quality, branded box, opened to reveal:
Nice! A catalog, with a little wrapper to make it special. And a mini-box inside, just to hold the gift card.
This option didn't cost the giver anything extra, but it made a huge impression on both of us. (Again, setting aside the issue of the amount of paper involved.) So, I now award Eddie Bauer the positive word-of-mouth advertising they deserve for this clever, quality mail experience.
Tip of the day: Every piece, every single piece, of your business creates an impression. Make sure you are designing that impression, that it's consistent, and that it has the intended result. And, use permission marketing to reach customers who want to be reached. See Seth Godin's great book, Permission Marketing, for more ideas.
Technorati Tags: customer experience, customer communication, Eddie Bauer, Capital One, word-of-mouth advertising, permission marketing
Recap: Anything that goes through the mail is part of your invitation (Step 1 in my eight steps to better customer experiences.) So it should be a high-quality representative for your brand, using good quality materials and the polished communication style that matches the tone you've set for your business. (Communication is Step 5.)
Let's take a look at this mailer from Capital One. I've asked, repeatedly, to get off their mailing list to no avail. So, I am already annoyed with this company for ignoring my wishes. This one feels different, thick, a little cushy, what could be inside? A gift?
Why, just the usual Capital One junk!
But wait, what made it cushy? Ah, mystery solved. A small piece of bubble wrap was glued onto a piece of paper and slipped inside.
Does that feel icky to you, too? Setting aside the wasteful use of global resources (paper, ink, and petroleum for the bubble wrap, all to send me something I didn't want), was I fooled by this? No, I was annoyed. Annoyed enough to write a blog post about it. So instead of a happy customer they received negative word-of-mouth advertising, multiplied by the power of the Internet.
Next up, Eddie Bauer. This was different because it was requested (by a family member.) My husband received a slim box inside a brown corrugated envelope. The box was too small for a shirt, or even a tie. It intrigued me, but I had to wait until his birthday. A nice, weighty, quality, branded box, opened to reveal:
Nice! A catalog, with a little wrapper to make it special. And a mini-box inside, just to hold the gift card.
This option didn't cost the giver anything extra, but it made a huge impression on both of us. (Again, setting aside the issue of the amount of paper involved.) So, I now award Eddie Bauer the positive word-of-mouth advertising they deserve for this clever, quality mail experience.
Tip of the day: Every piece, every single piece, of your business creates an impression. Make sure you are designing that impression, that it's consistent, and that it has the intended result. And, use permission marketing to reach customers who want to be reached. See Seth Godin's great book, Permission Marketing, for more ideas.
Technorati Tags: customer experience, customer communication, Eddie Bauer, Capital One, word-of-mouth advertising, permission marketing
Labels: Capital One, customer communication, customer experience, Eddie Bauer, word-of-mouth-advertising
posted by Stephanie Weaver at 8:54 AM
1 Comments:
I read your comments with interest as companies don't realize the power of negative word of mouth. I believe this is how most of us feel now with a lot of companies trying to get our attention to sell us things that most of the time we don't want (marketing AT) but not wanting to engage in a conversation when we try to reach them (i.e. automated call centers). Creating experiences that are relevant to people and marketing WITH is definitely the way forward.
Would be interested in your views on how you recommend creating experiences that are engaging and not disruptive.
http://frenchentrepreneurabroad.blogspot.com/
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