Great Marketing Tool- Follow Up on Your Customer!

My fiancé has been a fan of Patagonia for some time now but ever since I signed up for emails-I have become a true fan.  Yes being notified when they have a sale is huge because there stuff is pretty expensive but what I like most is HOW they use email marketing.

A few weeks ago I purchased items from one of their sales and I got a follow- up email asking “You recently bought some gear and now that you've had time to use it, we'd love to hear your thoughts.” 

They addressed me by name which I realize is an easy thing to incorporate with software technology but it still made me feel like a human was reaching out to me, and not a third party e-campaign.  The second positive point is how they reached out to me.  They didn’t ask me to buy more products or assume that I loved them.  They simply wanted to know what I thought about them.  Timing is important too.  The email wasn’t sent out a day or even week after my package arrived but after a few weeks to give me time to try the products out.

Also, they made it very easy to respond with an exact picture of the product and even the color choice I ordered to remind myself of the items.  There are “review item here” buttons located after each picture which again makes it easy to respond to.  I’m pretty sure a monkey can figure it out and if I only want to comment on one particular item- I can!

This is a great example of useful e-marketing.  

Side note: I loved the items and am grateful to get notified of the sale.  I was able to purchase a jacket I had my eye on for some time but could never bring myself to pay full price.  They are creating a loyal customer right before your eyes!

Owning Mistakes in Business= Creates True Brand Loyalty

Best use of PR/Social Media= Admitting when you are wrong

I would suspect that everyone in the Treasure Valley has heard of or even frequented Berryhill Restaurant in downtown Boise (or Bacon).  It is an upscale delight and the owner John, whom I’ve met and worked with, is an interesting character, to say the least. 

Scrolling through my nightly newsfeed on facebook I came across his recent post.

 “I believe in the spirit of love, and I sincerely apologize for the Berryhill Valentine's Dinner guests who experienced a long wait between courses. This was my fault. I mis-judged table turn times, put un-deserved stress on my very excellent staff, and most of all caused some of you, my guests, a less than the very wonderful loving evening you deserved.
I have contacted those I know about to endeavor to make it right, but I may not be aware of others. If you are one, please feel free to either message me on fb or email me personally at john@johnberryhillrestaurants.com.
I do believe in the spirit of love...
john Berryhill”

I was quite surprised by his response but immediately felt that he was sincere and hoped the patrons at his restaurant and employees would rally with him.  This is a true testament that marketing and public relations isn’t always about promoting the good things your company or product does-but to face up when problems happen and OWN it.  John did just that and I will suspect his business will be rewarded for that.  Now the only obstacle standing in his way is to not make the same mistake again.

Now with that said, those bacon flavored brownies are sounding pretty good to me.  I just might go there tonight!

p.s  Be sure to "like"John's facebook page to support his restaurant!   www.facebook.com/john-berryhill-restaurants

Name dropping disclaimer

In an effort to reward companies and individuals who I feel have provided a positive example of creative marketing, customer service and brand awareness- I will happily disclose their names throughout my blog.  I believe in positive marketing and positive reinforcement for companies that add value to a product, integrity to a company and virtue to a community.  

For any examples I provide of poor marketing or service abilities, they will be nameless.  It is my hope to create an environment where only the good companies are shined upon and the bad are left in the dust… only to remain nameless.

I would appreciate the same gesture in any future comments as they are always welcome in any discussion. 

Leaving a Bad Taste in My Mouth

I recently went to a cake tasting for my upcoming wedding that left me hungry for more.  After doing my homework in finding the best bakery in town I set up an appointment to meet with him.  Upon arrival I waited for ten minutes for them to heat up pre-sliced cakes in the microwave.  I guess a part of me was expecting the “Cake Boss” experience when developing my wedding cake but that image was clearly not a reality in this store.  Although they have received numerous prestigious awards and several wedding vendors praised his work, I didn’t feel like I was in an “up-scale” bakery.  In fact, I didn’t get a “congratulations on your upcoming wedding” – which is usually the first greeting that comes in all wedding vendor’s meetings.

The flavors and icing were fine.  I only had a few options to choose from and interestingly, the cake tastings only included four so I couldn’t sample the ones I actually wanted to order.

After constructing the cake he provided a quote at which time I posed the question, “If I pay in full today, what kind of discount can you give me?”  This is the part where a seasoned marketer would get excited however any proactive sales techniques were completely void in this conversation.  Instead of saying, “I have one of the best bakeries in town so I assure you, the quality of your wedding cake that you’ve been dreaming about for years will be in the best hands therefore I can’t offer you a discount.”  He simply said, “No, we don’t do that.”  He completely lost control of the conversation at that point.  In these economic times, he doesn’t understand consumers are looking for something, anything that will make their buying decision feel like they are getting the most of their hard earned dollars.  He could have offered free delivery, or said he would comp a $25.00 rental fee for the cake holder… ANYTHING.  It’s not always about how deep the discount is (20% off or 50% off)- it comes to working with a client to gain respect,  earn trust and make them feel important.

I walked away without signing a contract and a few weeks later, I still haven’t made a decision.  Maybe I will just pay the price for his quality cakes, or I’ll find another store that can give me the “wow” effect.