How do you feel about that dress hanging in your closet that makes you look so “I-can-crush-it” confident? Or that much-hyped business course you bought which turned out to be quite under-delivered. There is something so powerful in the intangibles. Things that you cannot see or touch but just feel. If one particular thing made you feel great once, you will subconsciously develop trust towards it. It could be a person, a destination, a food item, or a brand. And likewise, for a negative feeling. You will never easily forget that either and you might not even give it another chance. Isn’t it? So what do these feelings, good or bad, lead to? They lead to experience.
“People will forget what you said. They will forget what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel.”
— MAYA ANGELOU
Don’t we all want to have a great experience in whatever we encounter? It’s a no-brainer! You’re gonna sing praises of that book you recently bought because it had just the perfect amount of everything it claimed to have. You felt really satisfied after reading it so you will most likely pick up other books by the same author! That’s the power of a great experience and as creatives, that’s what we are capable of providing to our customers to build a loyal tribe, have repeat business and some awesome word of mouth marketing in the process won’t hurt either 🙂 So I will be diving into 6 proven strategies to create an exceptional brand experience. Follow along!
MAKE THINGS SIMPLE
I cannot stress on this one enough. If you had to go through a 10-page manual to understand how a product works OR try and guess the process of working with a service provider, how would you feel? Frustrated, right? So we do not want to head that route. Product or service, make each step super simple for your customers. Everything needs to be clearly laid out, easy to understand and the execution has to be smooth as well. When everything is easy-breezy, the customers are going to have a great experience because YOU managed to save their time and mental energy that they can now use for another thing on their plate 🙂
DO WHAT YOU SAY
Your creative brand is builton some core values. These brand values are not something you jot down on your about page and then forget. Rather I would encourage you to internalize these values, make them a part of you and act on it day in day out. Let those values reflect in your work, brand identity, messaging, and most importantly the way you deal with your customers. This is one great way of showing them that you do what you believe in. This also leads to your customers experiencing feel-good vibes towards you.
GET CREATIVE WITH INCENTIVES
Don’t we all LOOOVE it when someone makes us feel special? Even though freebies are a good way but the purpose of freebies mostly remains to attract customers. As creatives, here’s your chance to shine! The idea is not just to attract but genuinely give your customers an experience they can remember. Dig into those gazillion ideas buzzing in your head and find creative ways to offer incentives to your customers that will make them go weak in the knees! For example: if you are selling a service, throwing in a couple of complimentary bonuses that you know will benefit your customer, is such a sweet surprise for them. How would you feel if you got that special treatment? I for sure would love it!
You may also like: 3 Incredible Ways to Make Your Brand Innovative & Memorable
PERSONALIZE THE EXPERIENCE
Packaging is a great way to add a personalized element that extends your creativity beyond your offerings. There is something about packaging that plays a big role in the overall brand experience else why would the unboxing of an iPhone be such a big deal? Being creative does not mean you have to spend big bucks, little things go a long way too. I would love to share the example of my friend Smita (co-founder of Simply Smita) who makes organic + conscious beauty products. She adds small cards with easy to follow tips + a handwritten thank you note inside every package she sells. It’s such a sweet experience to find these messages which radiate her joy in spreading the love!
Service-based creatives can make the experience personalized for their customers by sending a thoughtful gift (really thoughtful that goes beyond an Amazon or Starbucks gift card), a handwritten note etc. Take a look at how Greetabl does a great job of making a gift package personalized. I remember receiving one such package a year ago and it had such a sweet personalized message printed on its box, I still remember how my face lit up when I opened up that box + I have not thrown it away to this date!
TELL A COMPELLING BRAND STORY
There is a psychology behind every product or service we choose to buy. We feel a certain way about something and that feeling convinces us to make a purchase. As an example, I want to point you to Airbnb’s incredible brand story.Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for consumers to list, discover, and book unique accommodations for unique travel experiences. People feel so connected with this story and as a result, they have become loyal users. Airbnb has challenged the hotel industry and totally redefined an experience for millions of customers that they would choose Airbnb any day without a second thought. Your brand story, if told well also has the power to attract a loyal tribe.
BE COMMITTED
Creating an exceptional experience for your customers involves a commitment from your end. As creatives, there is no limit to how innovative you can be with it. It’s not something frightening though, but rather continuous learning. Learning of your customers’ pain points and how you can make their life easy by adding value. Lastly, whatever you do always overdeliver. That genuinely goes a long way.
That’s it, there you go. Keep practicing these tips over the time to craft exceptional and unforgettable experiences for your audience and customers so that your brand always remains top of mind. It’s the most authentic way to build a timeless brand that nothing but scales up to its true potential. And as always, I will keep rooting for you!
Twelve & Twenty Eight 