Customer Behaviour

Make It Fun to Keep Them Loyal

What makes consumers love your Web site? The answer might be as simple as child's play. Research shows that customers have a more positive attitude toward a site when their online experience is engaging and enjoyable. And enjoyment is an important determinant of why consumers shop.

When they become immersed in your site, customers view being on it as fun rather than work. Since their experience feels like play, they return more—making them more loyal to the site, the company and the brands it sells.

What creates this immersion? Research suggests you gain loyalty when:

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  The site challenges customers. Customers don't want to be bored. When the skill required to navigate your Web site marginally exceeds customers' search skills, they see the experience as an enjoyable escape rather than a burden.


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  Customers believe they have the skills to find what they want on the site. If customers can't follow the site navigation, they will lose interest in their search and, perhaps, your company and its products.


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  Customers feel they have control over the search. If the navigation is too complicated for the average user to master, they won't return to the site.

The Po!nt: Design your Web site with the end-user in mind. Make it a fun challenge, not a task. Customers who become immersed in your site will be more loyal to the site, your company and your brands.

Marketing Inspiration

The Deviant Approach to Creativity

Take a look around your office—what do you see? The traditional mix of memorabilia, photos from company golf tournaments and perhaps a few mementos from some recent successful product launches?But you probably don't have a poster of the Sex Pistols above your desk. And Amantha Imber of Inventium says its deviant imagery, or something of similar shock value, might be just what you need for optimum brainstorming.

Imber points to a Jens Forster study that looked at deviance and creativity. "[They] hypothesized that objects or pictures that relate to the concept of deviance in some way, such as a photograph of punk rockers, are likely to promote divergent thinking," says Imber. The research team divided participants into two groups and tasked each with devising uses for a brick while looking at posters of the letter X repeated in a four-by-four matrix.

For the first group, each of the 16 Xs was the same color; for the second group, one X had a different hue from the other 15. The second group, staring at their deviant X, produced more ideas and exhibited a higher degree of creativity.

In the event your CEO or clients object to radical office décor, Imber recommends meditating on events from your rebellious past to stir up inspiration. "Thinking about one's deviant history is a great way to get the brain geared up for some creative thinking," she says.

Your Marketing Inspiration: Concentrating on a deviant image or memory may help activate unconscious thoughts that lead to good ideas, and more of them.

Get to the Po!nt

Creating Your Company's Own Online Reality

"While many business owners are beginning to understand that information is the currency of the Internet," says Rick Sloboda of WebCopyPlus," few act on it." Yes, your business has the potential to create a website that can go toe-to-toe with larger corporate sites, but there's a chance that ill-defined, irrelevant and self-centered content may conspire to undermine this natural advantage.

Instead, use language to create an online reality that impresses your target audience. "The right web content will make you concrete and credible on the ... Internet," he says. Here are some tips on creating the right image:

• Use customer-centric copy. Small businesses tend to be preoccupied with their own story. People who visit your website don't want to hear about you; they want to know what you or your product can do for them.


• Publish case studies. This is something larger companies do—so why shouldn't you? It never hurts to offer a detailed examination of a successful project. In addition, case studies build a sense of trust.


• Put your guarantee in plain sight. Highlighting your promise communicates confidence, and creates a sense of stability.

The Po!nt: "Your web copywriting doesn't describe reality, it creates it," says Sloboda. "In fact, every word you feature on your website has the ability to build—or damage—how prospects perceive you."

E-mail Marketing

Four Tough ESP Questions

Now, wait just a minute. Don't hand that online campaign to just any email service provider (ESP)—at least not before you ask some hard questions.
Here are four tough ones that SendLabs' Josh Nason says you should always ask an ESP:

• What do I get? You might want a full-service shop that handles everything from software to creative services, or you might prefer an a la carte approach that complements your in-house skill sets. Make sure you know upfront what the ESP can and cannot provide.


• How's your customer service? Ask how long it takes an ESP to respond to reported problems: the industry norm, according to Nason, is within an hour. Also investigate how their service levels might vary based on the plan you choose.


• What will this cost me? Most ESPs charge either by the month or by the campaign. "There are positives and negatives to both," says Nason, "so … communicate your list sizes, your deployment habits and your needs" to find the right payment plan.


• What's the word on the street about you? A quality ESP will have a relationship with an email reputation monitor that confirms email arrives safely, provides blacklist monitoring and offers spam checks. "Feel free to ask [an ESP] what their latest reputation score is," he says.

The Po!nt: "If checking out a company's site or speaking with a rep gives you that not-so-confident feeling, there's probably a reason for it," says Nason. So keep looking until you feel comfortable. By asking the right questions, you'll find the right fit.

e-mail Marketing

A Permission Marketing Primer: Picking and Choosing

Permission email marketing has morphed from best practice to legal requirement in several countries. In the next three issues we'll explore what Karen Talavera, president of Sychronicity Marketing, refers to as the "Six Cs of Permission Email Marketing." Here are the first two:

Conscious consent

"Terms like affirmative consent, passive consent and third-party consent abound," writes Talavera. "But when it comes to genuine, 100 percent permission marketing, the only consent that matters is conscious consent." This means subscribers make an active decision to receive future communication. This is different from having the box for future messages pre-checked on a registration form and expecting subscribers to deselect it if they don't want future messages. For conscious consent, the subscriber must physically check the box and agree to your correspondence.

Choice

Let recipients set their preferences for the manner and types of communication they receive. Some might want news about your company but not promotions, or accept messages by email but not postal mail. Some sites let subscribers determine the frequency of contact. "It's fine to restrict choices solely to what you can realistically manage," says Talavera. "Aim your sights on under-promising and over-delivering rather than vice versa, and your customers will reward your efforts."

The Po!nt: Says Talavera, "With marketing channels of choice proliferating and messaging devices diversifying, it's not hard to imagine ... [a] future where permissions are granted not only by marketing channel ... but also by content, device, time and place."

Customer Behaviour

Who Can Resist a Bargain?

Many marketers believe customers are attracted to discounted prices. Yet this assumption may be wrong. While a lowered price might make people more inclined to buy your product, they may also be less satisfied with their purchase.

Researchers at Stanford, INSEAD and MIT found that consumers who were given an energy drink felt the product was less effective if it was purchased at a discount. Consumers who drank the discounted product felt they that had a less intense workout than those who purchased the drink at its regular price.

When advised that the drink helped improve mental acuity, consumers who were told that the drink was purchased at a discount were able to solve fewer word puzzles than those consumers who used the same product purportedly purchased at the regular price.
Also, consumers exposed to strong claims about the energy drink's effectiveness were able to solve more word puzzles than consumers who received weaker advertising about the product. Your marketing messages, therefore, may impact your product's potency. Advertising claims, even if not based in fact, may become reality to customers.

The Po!nt: Customers may, in fact, get what they pay for. Price drops, and advertising overall, may shape consumers' expectations, making them believe a product is not as effective, and hence lower in quality.

Get to the Point

Nickel and Dime on the Not-So-Sly

In a post at his Living Light Bulbs blog, Ryan Karpeles talks about the wrong way to make a buck. And he offers a prime example: Dollar Rent a Car, which recently introduced a $2 "topping off" charge to any vehicle returned with a full tank of gas. "Not only is this obnoxious," Karpeles complains, "but it's also unfair to the customer ... you either pay $2, or you get stuck with the bloated 'local refueling charges' (which are always higher than the market cost of gasoline)."

If the company needs to generate an extra two bucks from each transaction, Karpeles suggests that rolling the surcharge into a rental fee—where it's likely to go unnoticed—would secure the revenue without alienating customers.

It's a principle worth considering if you find yourself in a similar situation. For instance, would you feel ripped off if your $240 hotel room came with complimentary Internet access? Of course not. But you might resent a $15 connection charge when it's added to a $225 daily rate. Likewise, you probably wouldn't give a second thought to a $603 plane ticket that included refreshments; but if you pay $600 for the ticket and they want $3 for a soft drink, you're going to roll your eyes at the price gouging.

The Po!nt: "Before you enact a bunch of new policies to make an extra buck," writes Karpeles, "think about what kind of message you're sending. There's probably a lot better way to accomplish the same thing."

Marketing Inspiration

Social Security Shenanigans

Everyone knows you're supposed to guard your social security number like a state secret. After all, those nine digits are the open sesame for criminals who want to run up huge tabs on credit accounts opened in your name. They get new computers, Caribbean holidays and expensive watches; you get to spend years rebuilding your credit.

So it's more than a little shocking to watch this television ad for a service called LifeLock. It shows a large panel truck cruising the streets of Manhattan with the social security number of its CEO Todd Davis emblazoned in a bright red, easy-to-read font. We kid you not—it's right there for all of New York, and anyone with a television, to see. The seeming insanity continues at the LifeLock Web site, where the first words you'll see are: "My name is Todd Davis. My social security number is 457-55-5462."

It turns out Davis isn't out of his mind. Instead, he's actually making the best possible case for his product. "Why publish my social security number?" he asks. "Because I'm absolutely confident LifeLock is protecting my good name and personal information, just like it will yours." He finishes off by announcing a $1 million guarantee.

You can probably anticipate why we consider this Marketing Inspiration: By making himself as vulnerable to identity theft as anyone can possibly be, Davis exhibits a breathtaking confidence in the service he sells. How we can convey that level of faith in our own companies?

Get to the Po!nt

Setting Your Evangelists on Track

In a post at the Church of the Customer Blog, Jackie Huba asks a question you've probably faced at some time: How do you handle a customer evangelist who is misrepresenting your company? Even though the offender's facts may be correct, his or her stance could be off mark. It can be a tricky situation.
On one hand, you've put a lot of thought into positioning your products or services in a certain way; on the other, attempting to micromanage the word of mouth is likely to backfire. So how do you react? According to Huba, you have four basic options:

• Make a public correction. Leave a comment at the customer evangelist's blog, for instance, that thanks them for the attention and gently clarifies your company's message.


• Make a private correction. Include the same content in an email that leaves the person free to follow up as they see fit.


• Acknowledge the mention without a correction. Express gratitude privately or publicly, and leave it at that


• Do nothing

Huba recommends the third route, and offers a tip for keeping future evangelism on target: Invite the person to join a special program that gives "inner circle" access to your latest news and updates.

The Po!nt: "If the customer's information is technically correct but incomplete, or uses her own words and not yours, get over it," she writes. "A word-smithing scold is old."

Marketing Inspiration

A Super Bowl Strategy That Paid Off

In a post at MarketingProfs' Daily Fix, Steven Schreibman discusses Nationwide Insurance's controversial decision last year to leak its Super Bowl ad a week before the sporting event. Outside observers weren't the only skeptics. "There was even some debate among our own advertising team about whether this was 'spoiling the surprise' and watering down the ad's game-time impact," he says.

But his company's gambit paid off. The spot—starring Kevin Federline as a rap star wannabe who works at a fast food joint—garnered 600,000 hits at the company's Web site, and the majority of these were from first-time visitors. Further, Schreibman notes the unorthodox strategy didn't prevent the ad from winding up on several "best of" lists.

Other companies recognize the value in the Nationwide approach as can be seen by the companies that posted their Super Bowl ads on YouTube long before their scheduled airtime. Pepsi, for instance, offered up the differently EnAbled humor of Bob's House; Bridgestone, gave us a sneak peak of Richard Simmons as the target of a speeding automobile.

"This experience has made me a true believer in the power social media," says Schreibman. "In fact, the early buzz we built by making the ad available to social media outlets became a catalyst for overwhelming interest from traditional media." And that's our idea of Marketing Inspiration.

Get to the Po!nt

Master Your Domain

In December, Hollywood learned that the AMPTP—which represents producers in their protracted negotiations with striking writers—hadn't covered its online bases. While the organization owned amptp.org, it didn't control amptp.com. A pair of TV writers with time on their hands used this oversight as an opportunity to make jokes at AMPTP's expense. Nikki Finke of DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com described the satirical coup as "laugh-out-loud funny no matter what side of the issue you're on."

Ed Lee of Blogging Me, Blogging You provided a side-by-side comparison:
From the "real" amptp.org: "The WGA has now been reduced to pounding the table, and this baseless, desperate NLRB complaint is just the latest indication that the WGA's negotiating strategy has achieved nothing for working writers."

From the "spoof" amptp.com: "We are heartbroken to report that despite our best efforts, including sending them a muffin basket, making them a mix CD, and standing outside their window with a boombox blasting Peter Gabriel songs, our talks with the WGA have broken down. Quite frankly, we're puzzled as to why this happened."

The comedy writers only rented amptp.com for a few weeks, so their site didn't last long. But it forced the AMPTP to spend energy counteracting it rather than promoting their own cause.

The Po!nt: "You'd do well to remember this story next time you propose a Web site," writes Lee. "Don't be cheap. Buy all the relevant domains you can. Even buy some common misspellings of your domain." This can prevent you from being sidelined unnecessarily, whether at the hands of merry pranksters or malevolent competitors.

Get to the Po!nt

Freedom to Brand Fearlessly

In the most recent edition of Editorial Emergency, Simon Glickman and Julia Rubiner warn businesses against fear-based branding. Many clients approach the dynamic copywriting duo with requests for their signature wordplay and then second-guess the recommended strategy, worrying that the punchy copy might not appeal to the widest audience. Maybe, these clients wonder, we're better off going with something safe—like our competitors use.

But Glickman and Rubiner don't see the point. "Your competitor's site? Dullsville, daddy-o. They're trying to be all things to all people, so there's no telling who they really are." Among the "muddy biz-babble" the two dismiss:

• Highest quality


• Industry leader


• Commitment to excellence


• Years of experience


• Solutions-oriented

We defy the average visitor to recall a single phrase from such a dreary spiel," say Glickman and Rubiner. In order to achieve indelible branding, they continue, you must (a) clearly separate yourself from the pack, and (b) figure out who your ideal clients are and speak directly to them.
So fear not. If your target audience responds to an irreverent, edgy tone, for instance, be irreverent and edgy. Your branding might not appeal to the entire world, but it will appeal to your customers.

The Po!nt: "[T]hough you may feel you're just playing it safe, fear-based branding is actually toxic to the development of your brand," argues Glickman and Rubiner. "As the old saying goes, standing in the middle of the road only means you'll be hit by traffic in both directions."