Creating True ‘Customer Evangelists’
It strikes me how certain brands earn fiercely loyal customers who evangelize their product to the point that it almost sells itself… My quest to figure out how they do it inspired me to read “Creating Customer Evangelists” by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba. They offer a straightforward method to building ardent fans, which can be applied in nearly every aspect of business development. My big takeaway? Read on (Oooh, cliffhanger!).
Though we’ve all shared our love of a product with a friend, what differentiates satisfied customers with full-faith customer evangelists is an intrinsic attachment to that product or service. The product means something more to them, perhaps reflecting their value system or the way they view the world.
So how do you get there with your consumers? Create them by implementing and following the McConnell/Huba “Six Commandments of Customer Evangelism”:
1. “Customer plus-delta” – Know what customers think about your brand. Listen to all feedback, positive and negative.
2. “Napsterize” – Make your assets available to all of your customers initially. Earn their trust by illustrating your unwavering faith in the product.
3. “Build the buzz” – Get your customer-base excited about your product and they will share their praise of their experiences with others.
4. “Create community” – Encourage your customers to feel especially connected to not only your product, but to others who share in the same sentiments.
5. “Make bite-size chunks” – Provide samples for consumers to test your product, encouraging them to become devoted after sampling it for little to no cost.
6.“Create a cause” – Show how your brand can impact something greater
Seems simple (thanks, McConnell & Huba), but really most brands aren’t leveraging all six commandments. At AG, we regularly tap into these tenets to make clients’ dreams come true (or at least deliver sick ideas that connect with the right people!). And when we do, we win.