Marketing Insider
recently sat down with Taylor to
talk about ways small businesses can bridge the gap
between seller intent and buyer perception to drive
better engagement and ultimately, long-term customer
loyalty. It starts, he says, with a 360-degree view of your
brand . . . from the customer’s perspective.
MI: Define “the customer experience.”
DT:
First of all, we use the terms “brand experience” and
“customer experience” interchangeably. Every way that
a customer or prospect can interact with your brand
is part of that experience. This can include an online
experience, in store, customer service center and any
kind of communications from email to social media to
traditional advertising.
Managing this experience should be comprehensive
and involves sales, marketing, operations and finance. At
least it should if you see your brand as a strategic asset
and not just a logo and a tagline.
MI:
How does it influence buyer decision-making if
your brand image and presentation are inconsistent?
DT:
Buyers will find brand inconsistencies confusing.
A poorly worded email or shoddy signage or display
system can send unwanted messages of poor product
quality or service. Taking a close look at all your brand
assets can reveal many inconsistencies in details that chip
away at an otherwise stellar image.
For instance, do you have a new logo, but you haven’t
updated it on all your materials? Or do some of
your locations use outdated graphics? This can be
disconcerting to a buyer and make them reconsider
a purchase.
MI: What are B2B and B2C buyers looking for? What’s
important to them?
DT:
Our first principle of branding is that people buy
brands that make them feel better about themselves. It’s
all about self-esteem. People want to be seen as a good
parent (I took my kids to Disney!) or altruistic (I donated
to the United Way) or as a smart businessperson (I chose
IBM because they are strategic leaders in digital systems
integration). It doesn’t matter if it’s B2B or B2C. The same
principle applies.
So ask yourself what the self-esteem factors are for your
brand. There can be more than one. Are there ways you
could more clearly deliver on them? One key difference
for B2B is that the buyer is spending his company’s
money, not his own, so his self image is usually tied to
looking good (self-esteem) as an employee, manager or
executive of the company.
MI: From a strategic point of view, what factors should
be considered about company branding?
DT:
Some companies look at their brand as little more
than a coat of paint on a house. They paint over it every
few years, but it’s mostly cosmetic. Big, successful brands
tend to look at their brand as more like the core structure
of the home. Everything about the house is there to
project a solid and repeatable brand experience.
Apple is an innovative company, but their brand is
really about allowing people to discover new things
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