Brand loyalty at its finest - and why it works

Positive Branding
I’m a big fan of companies who clearly respect their customers and understand the logic in treating them well. When done properly, it results in a real win-win scenario, especially nowadays where an internet soapbox is available to those who feel compelled, no matter how old or young you are.

A while back I had a great experience with Dell Canada’s customer service, so much so I wrote a post about it and as a result I happily recommend Dell to any peers who’re in the market for a new computer. It’s also a fact that referral marketing is one of the strongest and oldest forms of marketing, with the rule that ‘a happy customer tells 5; an unhappy customer tells 10’.  It's one thing to see that statistic, but it’s entirely different - and more rewarding - when it actually happens to you. In this case I’m happy to become a statistic.

About 2 weeks ago my wife and I got back from a fantastic destination wedding in Antigua (West Indies), where we got married. It was fantastic, and was made all the better because we chose Blue Waters hotel (www.bluewaters.net). We couldn’t be happier with our entire experience; the weather, the hospitality, the friendly staff, the food, and the ceremony were all like a fairy tale, and for that reason we’ll be going back. And that’s the key – our experience was made so great by the team at Blue Waters that we’d be happy to go back. That’s great branding and marketing and they’re doing it right.

What did they do?
In addition to our wedding package, we had pre-booked a superior room that was already not too shabby. However, upon arriving at the hotel, we were delighted to find we’d been upgraded to one of the elite Cove Villa suites – complete with private infinity pool, 2 flat screen TV’s, King-size bed, turn-down service, and more. Fantastic.

It works
What Blue Waters did was very simple. Knowing it was off-season during our stay, they upgraded us. It would be no extra cost to them, but the instant affinity created with that one sentence: ‘we’ve taken the liberty to upgrade you to our Cove Villas’ will ultimately pay off. Over the average lifespan of a marriage, with 1 anniversary per year, it’s a sure bet we’ll find ourselves back in Antigua in the future, and paying for the same villa we were upgraded to for our wedding. The crucial thing is… we’ll be happy to do pay, simply because our first experience was so good. Blue Waters gained customers for life by simply identifying their market, calculating a one-time loss, and factoring in the average spend made by a couple on an anniversary. Sure it may not be next year, but it will happen.

What companies can do
So what’s the point of all this? If you as a company can identify the needs of your customers and calculate what you can offer them at low cost to you but high value to them, you can dramatically increase the weight and affinity of your brand. It’s all about perception, and like I said, happy customers referring friends can pay over the odds for small risks taken at the onset. Of course it’s relative – hotels can offer free rooms, whereas online stores can offer free shipping, but what counts is that you recognize what puts a smile on your customers’ faces, address it, do it, and you can have customers for life.