Sometimes we just need a reminder: it is the small delightful actions of your brand that leads to big embraces by your customers
I love coffee houses. I first fell in love with them as I backpacked my way across Europe as a young adult. The aura was encaptivating…the aroma, the sound of the expresso machines, the clink of the china, the boisterous discussions and debates going on around me, the lovely tables and chairs from which to rest my weary feet, and the ability to observe the local culture.
Now, I am a working professional. I still love coffee houses, but for different reasons. I can get a good a cup of coffee on my way to the subway station during my morning commute. I can get a HOT cup of coffee in the winter time on my way to the subway station during my morning commute. I will always bump into one neighbor or another at my local cafes. They are great places to work when work beckons after hours. They serve as thriving and bouncing alternatives to the bar scene.
I am sure I am not the only one who prefers different cafes and different locations for different purposes. There is one that I go to for a wonderful outdoor patio on a bright sunny day (a great place to read the Sunday paper or browse articles on one’s iPad). There is another nearby that offers free wifi and excellent tables to work/study at—though packed at all hours, it remains relatively quiet in which I can get alot of work done. There is another that is wonderful to meet a friend or two for a scrumptious bite to eat and strong expresso. Yet, another to grab a cup of joe and listen to great jazz or local musicians. Finally, there is one that is great to take visitors to as the baristas are a show unto themselves and one barista has been honored with the best barista in the U.S. title. Thus, I have many cafes in my repertoire. I have a few store/coffee brands filed away in my mental cabinet.
There is one that stands out to me time and time again. The staff is always pleasant, friendly, helpful, but never overbearing. They almost make me feel as if I am visiting their home; yet, I can stay however long I would like. The place is clean. The coffee is wonderful. What I like most about them is that they delight me in the most simplistic ways. Today, I received this:
My birthday is coming up. They knew it was my birthday and ta-da! (I don’t even remember giving them this information, but I must have at some point—first time I logged in to use the free wifi? Caribou Coffee gift card (but not loyalty card)?).
I am a marketer….a strategic planner and market researcher who sifts through information. It is amazing how much information stores and brands have about its customers, but they fail to use it. In a stressful on-the-go world, I realize how many brands still seem inpersonal to me. I also am reminded as a consumer, customer and living human being myself, that it is the small things that bring delight to your customers…it is these small things that add up to the big perception and reality of your brand.
I understand that this is not earth-shattering to many. I then inquire why is it very often not executed? All of the touchpoints of one’s brand can bring a little more happiness to our customers. (For we do not want the opposite—letting all the encountered disappointments lead to an aggravated view of a brand).
Now, I must leave. I am heading out for a little sunshine and to enjoy my free drink at a certain coffee house…that I will visit again and again.
(blog post by Anne Gibson)
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