WOW Your Customers at Every Touchpoint
In this Hijinks ‘How To’, we take a look at some key customer touchpoints and share our hot tips on how you can ‘dress to impress’ at each one. Let’s dive in!
First, what in the blazing saddles is a touchpoint?
A touchpoint is simply ANY interaction that your brand could have with a customer - potential, current, or past. Some touchpoints are entirely within your control (e.g. your website), while others are outside your control to a certain degree (e.g. word of mouth).
How to WOW at Every Touchpoint
Let’s take a gander at some of the main touchpoints along your customer’s journey and how you can knock it out of the park at every stage of their brand experience!
Word of Mouth 👄
Word of mouth (WOM) is typically THE most powerful (and affordable) marketing channel a business can harness. While you can’t control what your customers say in the wild about you, here are some ways you can indirectly WOW at this touchpoint:
Get clear on your brand values and then make sure you walk the walk in every aspect of your business consistently and vigorously.
Embed your values in all staff training, then empower your staff to invoke your brand values in their day-to-day roles.
Communicate your brand values regularly to everyone - your customers, your staff, your suppliers, your collaborators, etc.
Solicit customer feedback often (e.g. IG poll, email survey, comment cards). That way customers who have something negative to say can share it with you directly, instead of their 5,438 followers on Instagram. Take their feedback onboard. Oh, and the positive feedback you’ll most definitely receive - use it to figure out where your values are shining through - high fives all around!
Ask your loyal customers to provide testimonials/reviews for your business and share their words proudly.
Give ‘thanks’ to loyal customers/clients in a brand-aligned way. Sometimes that might be a virtual high-five with a hilarious emoji, other times it might be a cupcake with sprinkles on top or a donation to a cause you both care about in their name.
And what if you get under someone’s skin and land some bad word-of-mouth or PR?
Now is the time to double down on your brand values and respond accordingly.
Is one of your brand values transparency? We hope so. Take that as a cue in how you respond. If you messed up, don’t just admit it, also explain how it happened and what you’ll do to fix it.
If fun is one of your values, think about how you can respond respectfully while bringing a little light to the situation.
Bad PR is also a good time (not in the good = fun way, but in the good = smart way) to take an honest look at whether you’re walking the walk regarding your brand values. You might find you’re in the clear or you might find yourself saying ‘oh dear’. Respond accordingly!
Paid Advertising 📣
Radio ads. Magazine inserts. Youtube commercials. Digital banners. Google Ads.
They all cost money to create and place, so you want the biggest bang for your buck. You want your ad to live on in your customer’s mind long after they’ve heard your radio jingle (we’re looking at your MacArthur’s Appliances 😘) or sat beside your expensive bus stop ad for five minutes (hello, Egg Farmers of Canada 👋).
The key to WOWing your customers at this touchpoint is three-fold:
Ensure you have a strong brand strategy and identity before you start buying ads. Without these foundational elements to guide your ad development, you might as well throw your marketing dollars out the window (at least you’ll bring a bit of delight to passersby below).
Harness the expertise of a marketing agency (or your in-house marketing team) to help you build out brand-aligned ad campaigns.
Take time to consider where you want to buy your paid ads. You want to get in front of your target audience AND ensure your placement is brand-aligned. Running an eco-conscious clothing brand targetted at millenials? Leveraging the power of influencer marketing that aligns with your values is a much better investment than a glossy spread in Chatelaine.
Website 💻
A website is, bar none, THE most important touchpoint for most businesses.
This is especially true if it’s also your main sales channel or you have a high-ticket service offering.
Even if you run a mechanic’s shop, restaurant, gym, or other brick-and-mortar business, it’s still uber-important.
It’s a means of sharing key information, reinforcing your brand and providing call-to-actions so your customers book an appointment, make a reservation, sign up for a fitness class, etc.
Often, it’s also the first intentional interaction a potential customer has with your brand and your business.
So, how do you WOW your website visitors? Here are a few of the countless ways to make your website do the heavy lifting for your business:
Always, always, always (without exception) design with user experience (UX) at the forefront. Everything should be easy-peasy for your visitors, with particular attention given to your call-to-actions (the things you want them to do - Sign Up, Book, Buy, Join, etc.).
Make Them Laugh. Or Pull Their Heartstrings. Or Inspire Them. Whatever your brand personality - the Jester, the Lover, the Hero, etc. - your website is the perfect place to double down on it. Include funny memes where appropriate; use your brand colours to maximize effects; create a slideshow of before/after clients - you get the idea.
Be Consistent. We’ve seen it far too often. A brand creates a hilarious YouTube ad that directs to their online storefront. When the viewer clicks through, they land on a website that has a completely different vibe. It’s akin to a Tinder profile that promises a funny, down-to-earth person, and the reality of having a first date with a stapler.
Your brand can be funny, rebellious, empathetic or any other personality - a strong brand strategy will help you solidify this - but, whatever your brand persona, make sure it’s consistent across all of your touchpoints.
Your website offers the perfect opportunity to infuse your brand persona in every element - design aesthetic, images, navigation buttons, copy (words), and so on.
Paperwork
Paperwork (and the digital equivalents) offers plenty of opportunities to wow your customers but is often overlooked. Besides ensuring all of your paperwork is on-brand (logo, fonts, colours, etc.), think about some novel ways to enhance these touchpoints such as:
Adding a QR code to your proposal that directs your customer to an on-brand songlist
Including a powerful quote that aligns with your brand on every receipt (rotate quotes regularly)
Ensuring your intake forms are written in your brand voice and include questions that reinforce the values/brand position that your ideal customers will appreciate
Adding a fun ‘extra’ to your paperwork that aligns with your brand, such as a brainteaser, a joke, or a valuable insider’s tip
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Friends, we’ve only scratched the surface! Depending on your business, the opportunities for creating and amplifying your brand touchpoints abound. We’re talking about your physical storefront, your staff, social media, swag, vehicle decals, business cards, directories, and more!
We hope the tips we’ve shared provide you with inspiration that you can infuse into e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g!
The biggest takeaways, we want to leave you with:
A strong brand strategy and identity are the bedrock of your marketing efforts. Without a clear brand position, messaging and persona, it’s going to be mega hard to wow your customers at any touchpoint.
Saturating your brand values into every element of your business is the key to creating trust with your customers. Let them be your North Star.
Consistency is KEY - don’t be a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (or Dr. Funny and Mr. Serious) across your different marketing channels.
