While strategy is a powerful discipline, many companies forget that without good execution a strategy is only a plan—an intention. Every year thousands of strategic plans fail because they weren’t translated into compelling customer experiences. In short, the road to hell is paved with good strategy.
Customers experience your brand at specific touchpoints, so choosing what those touchpoints are, and influencing what happens there, is important work. The best way to start choosing and influencing your touchpoints is by mapping your customers’ journey from awareness to brand loyalty. How will they learn about you? How can you help them “enroll” in your brand? Who—or what—will be your competition at each of the touchpoints? Where should you put your marketing resources? More to the point, where should you NOT put them?
The marketers for the wine bar, for example, might make a list of touchpoints that goes something like this: Word of mouth, driving by, walking by, introduced by a friend, newspaper ad, radio commercial, online ad, Web search, the Bibli Web site, editorial coverage, direct mail, the design of the interior, the behavior of the staff, wine glasses, menus, product packaging, educational materials, on-site learning games, wine-tasting events, a wine travel program.
They might then prioritize them according to their potential for alignment. Thus, the interior space might be high on the list for funding, since it could be designed to encourage conversation. Electronics might also receive special attention, including a large video-screen array behind the bar, custom-designed content to deliver education, entertainment, and wine-tasting games, and ultra-fast checkout with handheld computers. Less important touchpoints would receive less funding, and others, especially those used heavily by competitors, would be dropped entirely.
Every brand is built with experiences, whether the brand is a company, a product, or a service, and whether it serves individuals or businesses. The key is to craft those experiences so they create delight for the people who determine the meaning and value of your brand—your customers.
COULD BIBLI HAVE A BAR-LENGTH SCREEN SYSTEM TO DELIGHT CUSTOMERS WITH PRODUCT OFFERS, ENTERTAINMENT, AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES?
