As marketers, we spend untold dollars and hours to carefully craft our advertising to make a great impression. And as often as not, that impression is then undermined or destroyed by subsequent interactions and communications from other departments in the company.
Examples:
● I work like crazy to attract applicants for a new credit card. They go online to apply, and are faced with an application form drafted by lawyers and bureaucrats that is confusing to complete and difficult to understand.
● I buy an insurance policy (and you know what a tough sell that is!) and in return for my premium get a 60 page contract couched in words I’ve never seen before.
● My favorite retailer wants me to sign up for their loyalty club, and gives me an application form asking for so much information that it makes me feel like I’m applying for a job with the CIA.
NOT MY FAULT
“That’s not my fault,” I hear marketers say. “That form/application/communication isn’t my responsibility. That’s another department.” And strictly speaking, they’re probably right. But as a marketer you are (or should be) responsible for your company’s relationship with the prospect/customer.
There is absolutely no reason, other than laziness, that your company’s communications cannot be understandable and (dare I say it?) fun to deal with. Everyone pays lip service to the idea that we should treat people the way that we would like to be treated (Golden Rule) or the way they want to be treated (Platinum Rule). Then we turn around and treat them the way that is most convenient for us, and to hell with what they want.
So the next time you’re trying to figure out how to improve your prospect conversion rate or your customer retention, try looking at the hoops that you make people jump through to do business with you. The bar is set so low that it takes almost no effort to look better than the competition. Just take the time to work with your lawyers and service departments to create easy to understand communications, preferably with a consistently fun tonality. Like this opening to a system alert from MailChimp: “First and foremost, we haven’t changed the fact that we never rent, sell, or give away your list to anybody. That would be evil…”
People like to understand what they’re reading. And they like to laugh and smile. So to increase how many people like your company, and how much they like it, take the lead in getting your company to create communications that are easy to understand and fun to read. And enjoy the goodwill it creates.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Be a Promise Keeper
Walmart, General Electric, and Duke Energy came up with a slam-bang promotion. They mailed a coupon, good for a package of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) to thousands of households. It could be redeemed at any WalMart store.
It was a tremendous opportunity for
● GE to generate sampling and build brand loyalty for their CFLs
● Duke Energy to build a “green,” consumer friendly reputation
● Walmart to attract consumers who would probably buy other stuff while they were in the store.
Only one problem--the offer was so good that the stores sold out overnight, and many people seeking to redeem their coupons were disappointed. I was one of those people. I don’t shop at Walmart often. But this offer was so good that I made a special effort to include Walmart on my next shopping trip. No bulbs.
I was persistent however. I kept the coupon in the car and when driving by a different Walmart a couple of weeks later I stopped and found--they were sold out too. End of effort. Now instead of the positive feelings (and sales) the promotion participants had hoped to create, they created a consumer with decidedly more negative feelings toward their companies and products.
Those negative feelings intensified when I received a follow-up post card recently apologizing for the “overwhelming response” and telling me the coupon expiration had been extended until July. The only problem is, I threw away the coupon months ago. Who saves a coupon that apparently can’t be cashed?
Wait, though. It says on the second postcard that I can visit a website for more information. Maybe I can download a new coupon there… Nope. There’s a number I can call in case I never got a coupon, but it’s too much trouble for a pack of light bulbs. I’ll just nurse my resentment, thank you very much.
This point was reinforced the other day when someone at an organization I belong to promised event participants that the person would post some recipes (for food served at the event) on the organization’s website. I’m the webmaster for the site, so I sent this person a message a couple days later asking for the recipes. The person replied that they were too busy to send them then, it would be a few days until they could get around to it.
I told them not to bother. By that time it was too late--the promise was broken. Just as I would not return to Walmart every week looking for lightbulbs, the members of this organization will not return to its website over and over looking for these recipes. My point is, fulfillment delayed is fulfillment denied. And fulfillment denied generates disappointment and negative feelings.
You go to a lot of trouble to make people like your organization and buy its products. Don’t disappoint them. It is easy to blow a lot of good will in a very short period of time. Be very careful to keep your promises, or don’t make them in the first place.
It was a tremendous opportunity for
● GE to generate sampling and build brand loyalty for their CFLs
● Duke Energy to build a “green,” consumer friendly reputation
● Walmart to attract consumers who would probably buy other stuff while they were in the store.
Only one problem--the offer was so good that the stores sold out overnight, and many people seeking to redeem their coupons were disappointed. I was one of those people. I don’t shop at Walmart often. But this offer was so good that I made a special effort to include Walmart on my next shopping trip. No bulbs.
I was persistent however. I kept the coupon in the car and when driving by a different Walmart a couple of weeks later I stopped and found--they were sold out too. End of effort. Now instead of the positive feelings (and sales) the promotion participants had hoped to create, they created a consumer with decidedly more negative feelings toward their companies and products.
Those negative feelings intensified when I received a follow-up post card recently apologizing for the “overwhelming response” and telling me the coupon expiration had been extended until July. The only problem is, I threw away the coupon months ago. Who saves a coupon that apparently can’t be cashed?
Wait, though. It says on the second postcard that I can visit a website for more information. Maybe I can download a new coupon there… Nope. There’s a number I can call in case I never got a coupon, but it’s too much trouble for a pack of light bulbs. I’ll just nurse my resentment, thank you very much.
This point was reinforced the other day when someone at an organization I belong to promised event participants that the person would post some recipes (for food served at the event) on the organization’s website. I’m the webmaster for the site, so I sent this person a message a couple days later asking for the recipes. The person replied that they were too busy to send them then, it would be a few days until they could get around to it.
I told them not to bother. By that time it was too late--the promise was broken. Just as I would not return to Walmart every week looking for lightbulbs, the members of this organization will not return to its website over and over looking for these recipes. My point is, fulfillment delayed is fulfillment denied. And fulfillment denied generates disappointment and negative feelings.
You go to a lot of trouble to make people like your organization and buy its products. Don’t disappoint them. It is easy to blow a lot of good will in a very short period of time. Be very careful to keep your promises, or don’t make them in the first place.
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