Is Your Brand Sticky?

At last week's DMA09 Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, I led a session that explored ways for multichannel marketers to effectively use consistent brand experiences to engage and sell to consumers across all channels. Here's a recap of that presentation.

The competition is on. In this economy, marketers are scrambling to find the most cost-effective methods for capturing, communicating and engaging customers and prospects. But they're forgetting that the channel chosen is only part of the equation. Marketers must create unforgettable brand experiences, no matter the channel of communication, to be effective or even survive in our ever-evolving world.

To create an experience that fosters loyalty and advocacy, intimately know the hearts of your customers, and engage them in personal and meaningful conversations. Brand is your customer’s perception of who you are; if the customer experience isn't managed, then there'll ultimately be a gap between who you think you are and who your customer thinks you are.

To manage this important dynamic, consider the following steps:

1. Discover. First, understand your customers beyond simple demographics. Know what they believe about your brand and the competition. Understand their lifestyles, what motivates them, what their belief systems are — even how they talk.

There are dozens of ways to learn this information using surveys, conducting one-on-one interviews, executing lifestyle overlays, reading customer feedback and simply listening to them. Never make assumptions about who they are — prove it. Then, make sure your entire company intimately knows who they are by sharing a detailed description and even a picture of what they might look like.

2. DNA. Understand your own brand DNA, and be able to clearly articulate what problem you solve on an emotional level and why it matters to your customers. A great brand understands the “one thing” it owns and, more importantly, the “higher order benefit.”

This is the emotional takeaway customers receive when they choose to do business with you. What you own and the problem you solve should be the foundation of your brand promise. Starbucks might sell gourmet coffee, but the emotional takeaway is the customer's ability to “escape and indulge.”

3. Deploy. Lastly, ask yourself the following: How will you deploy and manage a relevant experience based on the previous two? How will you communicate your brand DNA based on the intimate knowledge you have of your customers? And even more importantly, how will you repeatedly deliver the same message at every customer touchpoint, regardless of the channel?

Your entire company — not just the marketing team — should understand this dynamic so everyone can deliver the same message. This kind of knowledge can empower a brand to move forward in unexpected ways, wowing customers with memorable products and memorable moments.

We're in an era in which customers seek information. With a simple click, they have the ability to quickly experience your competition. Loyalty is fleeting; only a memorable experience will create a sticky brand.

Lois Boyle-Brayfield is chief engagement officer for the multichannel design and marketing firm J. Schmid & Assoc. Reach Lois at loisb@jschmid.com.