THE BIG IDEA: Here are four ways to delight your best customers and make them feel like a VIP.
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Cult Brands are masters at building meaningful, long-term relationships with their customers.
Understanding the strategies behind these businesses with raving fan communities enables you to apply the same principles to your business, and build sustainable growth.
Here are four ways to give your best customers a VIP experience:
1: Surprise Them
Connect your brand promise with customer rewards to delight your biggest fans.
MasterCard made their brand promise a reality by surprising customers with “priceless” moments: VIP tickets to the Grammys, jam sessions with Justin Timberlake, and acting lessons with Hugh Jackman.
What can you do to surprise and delight your customers?
2: Give First Access
In 2014, pop sensation Taylor Swift searched the Internet to find fans across the US and UK to invite them to a secret gathering. The unsuspecting fans were joined by Swift at private listening parties for her album “1989” a month ahead of the release. Swift’s brand lovers—her Swifties—were rewarded with first access to her music and personal time with their idol. Swift took the opportunity to connect with her best customers on a human level. The “top secret” sessions generated 2 million views and Swift sold 1.2 million albums in the first week.
First access to a product or service can drive loyalty and create positive word of mouth towards your brand.
What are some new products or services that you have in the works that your brand lovers can experience first?
3: Break Bread
Friends who eat together, stay together.
Inviting your best customers over for dinner is a great way to create genuine friendships. These moments are ideal for listening to customers’ needs and finding out why they love doing business with you. It also allows your employees to meet the people they are serving and create positive memories with them.
With time, customers can even consider you a part of the family.
Try creating an event where your team shares their favorite foods with some of your best customers.
4: Care About Them
Connecting on a human level with a customer makes them feel like a VIP. Support their cause. Send them flowers when they are sick or celebrating. Congratulate them when they reach important milestones in life. Show them that you care about what they care about.
What do your customers care about?
Customer satisfaction is just the start.
When you make your customers feel very important, you unlock the power of your brand.