[Welcome back to our Word of Mouth Marketing Lessons newsletter. This is text from the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using this handy form.]
Got big fans? Make a big deal out of it. Amplifying your customer love helps them feel great, helps your employees feel great, and shows everyone else why you’re great.
Here are some fantastic ways to do it:
1. Love them back
2. Make it sharable
3. Show them how to do it
1. Love them back
When Honda asked their fans to show off their love for the brand, they were overwhelmed. They got photos of Honda tattoos, nail art, and one guy who shaved their logo into the back of his head. So it wasn’t enough for Honda to send these big fans a simple thank-you note. Instead, the company reciprocated the love by showing the exact kind of appreciation they got from each fan back to them. They shaved the guy’s name into the back of one employee’s hair, wore t-shirts with a customer’s name on them, and mowed another fan’s name into the Honda headquarters’ lawn.
2. Make it sharable
Want everyone to hear the nice things your customers are saying about you? Turn their feedback into something people will want to share. Wendy’s did it by gathering messages of praise for their new Pretzel Burger and getting some guy to sing them lounge-style. The YouTube video is hilarious — which means lots of people shared it with their friends (and a lot more people heard all of the fantastic stuff customers are saying about Wendy’s).
3. Show them how to do it
Lots of companies have walls of fame or pages on their website for customer love letters and fan photos. Make it easier for your customers to contribute to these. Post something like “Want to get on the wall? Here’s how.” One example: Crowdrise emails step-by-step instructions for new members to get their photo on their fan page. You’ll be surprised how many of your customers would love to tell you how much they like you, but aren’t sure how.
