[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.]
If you read our newsletter, you know that we’re big on details. Carefully thought out details start conversations because they can be surprising, they can reveal a lot about your company, and they mean more to your customers than you think.
Here are three thoughtful details that are so small, you almost missed them:
1. Think about your other talkers
2. Make being nice a big deal
3. Help them feel good
1. Think about your other talkers
People love little surprises that catch them off guard and make them smile. That’s why remarkable companies take time to care for even the smallest details. For example, the address for the makers of Lindor Truffles, Lindt & Sprungli, is pretty clever: One Fine Chocolate Place, Stratham, NH. While Lindt & Sprungli’s customers might not send them much mail, a lot of other people do, like vendors, associations, and billing departments. Don’t count these people out when it comes to earning word of mouth.
2. Make being nice a big deal
Have you ever noticed the email addresses from the companies that send you newsletters or other automated messages? Most of them are “donotreply@…” It’s an accepted practice in email marketing because it lets the reader know the company won’t respond if you reply to that email address. But really, doesn’t it seem a little rude? That’s why it’s remarkable when companies like Blue Bottle send those messages from “[email protected].” It’s the kind of tiny detail that’s not difficult to achieve, but it says a lot about their customer service culture.
3. Help them feel good
When you get paid on Spinlister, a person-to-person bike rental service, they give you the option to donate your earnings to charity. It’s just a check box on the final payment page, but it sends a big message. Even better, it motivates people to spread the word about Spinlister. Why? Because when people feel good about giving back, they’re much more likely to tell other people about it too.
