I am blessed to have beautiful, wonderful and loyal friends. Friends who make my life richer just by being there and being them. Friendship is an important part of my personal life. Friendship is also an important part of my professional life – I help people make friends too.
I am also a great believer in the simple things in life. Sometimes it’s difficult not to get lost in the noise. Noise of advice, the noise of everything that we are exposed to each day. When you get the chance to stop and filter out lots of the noise, it’s the simplicity that’s powerful. That’s why for me marketing is just like making friends.
In marketing today there’s so much noise out there; marketing strategy, marketing planning, digital communications, business to business, business to consumer, human to human, market research, multi-channel marketing, social media, multi point pricing, competitor analysis. There is so much to consider that it really can become overwhelming. So I like to make it as natural as possible.
That’s why I like to use these guiding principles in marketing and making friends …
- Know. You want to see your friends happy, you want to make them smile. And because you are so close and you know them so well, you know exactly how to make that happen. Marketing is no different. Knowing your customer, and I mean really knowing your customer, is invaluable. Knowing how they want to be communicated to, knowing how often they want to hear from you, knowing what offers are likely to illicit a response, knowing what they will respond to. They are all vital when building a strong business powered by marketing.
- Being There. You help each other out. You need some advice. You know your friend will be there for you. They will be honest with their response. And that helps you make decisions for your future. Customers, and friends, can help guide your future direction.
- Sharing. One of the most precious parts of a friendship is sharing great experiences together. Creating something that’s memorable and will be talked about for years to come. The customer journey and their experience of dealing with your company should be memorable and genuine at every touchpoint.
- Mix it up. If your friends are anything like mine there’ll be a mix of how you communicate with each other. There’ll be a mix of phoning, texting, social media interaction, meeting up for a coffee, sharing special occasions together. It comes naturally in your friendships. The same goes for marketing. Know how your customers would like to be communicated to. Make it personal; in terms of the message, in terms of how you contact them. This will only deepen the bond you share.
- Listen. When the chips are down or when there’s something important to be said; you listen. When your friend needs you, you are right there beside them, no questions asked, willing to do whatever it takes to help. In marketing when there’s a problem or something needs resolving, you do it. You tackle it head on. You listen. You take stock. You resolve. I often say that the sign of a great company is how it responds when things go wrong. Relationships can be tested and made stronger in difficult times by listening.
- Fun. You have a great time together, you create special memories. This can be by surprising them, making them smile, entertaining them and sharing special experiences together. Your customers, and friends, are part of your own community. A community with shared beliefs.
- Forgiveness. Not everything is always rosy. There is likely to be a testing time or two along the way. But when the bond is so strong you can forgive mistakes. In terms of customer retention, the ability to forgive a mistake is a true indicator of loyalty.
- Story telling. Your friends love to hear your story. What you’ve been doing recently, your own experiences – good or bad, funny or sad. In my experience customers like to feel part of your brand too. They like to know what’s happening in your world. Sharing your story is a wonderful way to connect emotionally.
Life is about creating relationships and connecting emotionally. If you have friends, and I’m guessing that most of the world’s population does, then you can take some of your natural qualities and transfer these into marketing. Yes you may need help along the way with some of the specifics but in my view the basics are all part of your ability to make friends.
Here’s celebrating our beautiful, loyal and long lasting friendships.
Karen Lambert is a creative thinker, an experienced strategic marketer and founder and Managing Director of Happy Creative, a strategic marketing and branding agency based in Lancashire, North West England. To learn more please contact Karen at www.happy-creative.co.uk
