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Turning Lemons into Marketing Lemonade
The economic environment is scary. If the possibility of a $700 billion bailout isn’t frightening enough, our area is out of gas.
Station after station has bags over the nozzles, indicating that there is no fuel available. When a tanker arrives, lines quickly form, snaking through neighborhoods or blocking major highways. Some places had waits of two hours or more. Others called law enforcement to break up fights.
But then there’s Sam’s Club. Yes, you read it correctly: Sam’s Club. The sibling of Walmart, the little organization that we love to bash. Instead of price gouging, limiting purchases, and using public resources, their team worked out a plan.
The price of gas at Sam’s was $3.78 today. This compares to $4.79 at other stations. [Read more →]
Good Branding Gone Bad – Don’t Let It Happen to You
Do you have everything branded with your logo and contact information? Branding experts recommend consistent labeling to make mental impressions every time a customer or prospect sees anything affiliated with your business.
Smart business owners invest heavily to follow those recommendations. But, what happens when the consistent labeling is combined with a bad experience. One action by an employee can alienate a group of people.
Western North Carolina is in the middle of a gas shortage. Most stations are out. Others are enforcing limits. Some folks have found themselves waiting two hours or more to buy 10 gallons of gas. [Read more →]
Are You Building Relationships or Bribing Customers?
If you ask any marketing director, loyalty programs are a function of marketing. If you ask any long term customer, why they are loyal, service, quality, and responsiveness top the list.
Customer loyalty is more than retention and frequency of purchase. It is strength of conviction that motivates a customer to be personally devoted to a specific brand or company.
Loyalty programs such as bonus points or discounts can encourage customer retention and purchase frequency, but can not generate loyalty alone. Loyalty is generated by the knowledge that a company or brand will consistently meet or exceed the customer’s expectations. It is a rare customer that will say, “The service is horrible, but they have a great loyalty program.” [Read more →]
