Your most powerful marketing plan will always be no marketing plan. It will be other people. Friends, family members, and satisfied customers and clients who believe in your company and have had a great experience will be bigger (and less expensive) billboards than any you see on the side of the road.
And that’s why when it comes to your brand, every interaction matters.
I experienced this simple truth this weekend at Main Street Festival, an annual street fair hosted in Franklin, Tenn. and full to the brim with artisans and crafters, entertainment, and terrible-yet-awesome street food. Anyway, while I was there, I came across DCXV Clothing. The booth was simple – there were some screen printed t-shirts hanging up and some postcards and bumper stickers, almost all featuring local, Middle Tennessee iconography.
So that’s cool, right? I casually walked by a few times. Then I stood there a minute. Then I started talking to Adrien Saporiti (the owner/founder/artist, himself). THEN he told me the story of the company and pointed out to me what I hadn’t noticed before: DCXV is Roman numeral for 615 – Middle Tennessee’s area code. How neat is that?!
So then, naturally, I bought two t-shirts (American Apparel, by the way) at $25 each.
Then, the next day, I came back and bought a third one. Because I was so wow’d by everything – from the company name, to the product, to the owner/founder/artist, to the spirit of the company in general.
Why It All Matters
I’m not keeping an exact count, but I’ve told A LOT of people about how great I think this stuff is. On my way out, I even stopped by one of my favorite clothing stores on Main Street and raved about the shirts I bought.
You know what I’m talking about, because you’ve raved about products and/or services before too. This is not a unique situation. In fact, it’s really common.
This kind of sharing is the best, most meaningful, and easiest way to gain new customers. Word of mouth is a powerful thing – and every time you connect with another person around your brand, you have an opportunity to “wow” them with a story they want to share. You never know when you’re building a brand evangelist.
So be passionate, tell your story, and commit to creating a great experience. Every time. …Then watch it spread.