BRAND ENGAGEMENT THROUGH STORIES
The goal of marketing is for customers and employees to engage with your brand—not just to recognize your name or logo or tag line, but to experience the value of the brand that these represent. This happens (or fails to) each time a customer interacts with your organization, whether on site, by phone, via the Internet, at a community seminar presentation, or in any other way.
A TALE OF TWO BRAND STORIES
Lillian is 95. She just moved into Snappy Senior Living. Now, she is standing in front of an elevator, gripping her walker as she navigates her new home for the first time without her daughter’s help. On the wall are four buttons, arranged vertically. The two on the bottom are plain white. The next one has a red metallic ring around it. The top one has a black ring. Nothing is marked ”UP” or “DOWN.”
Lillian hesitates. She finally pushes the bottom button – an educated guess, but still a guess – and the elevator doors open. As Lillian turns her walker, the doors shut and she is left still standing outside. She pauses, reaches back to press the button again, readies herself, and rushes inside when the doors open. Then she turns and searches the dimly lit panel for the correct button to take her down to the dining hall.
Across town, Elizabeth is standing in front of the elevator at her new home, Care Counts Senior Campus. The two buttons on the wall are clearly labeled “UP” and “DOWN.” Without a second thought, Elizabeth presses the one marked “UP” and, when the doors open, slowly and carefully enters the elevator. The doors remain open long enough for her to take her time. Once inside the cheerfully lit space, Elizabeth quickly finds the button to take her up to her second floor apartment.
WHICH STORY CAN YOUR ORGANIZATION OWN?
If the first brand story is yours, it’s time to change it. It’s an example of failing to care for your residents and visitors. Like Lillian, you’re heading down. But if the second brand story is yours, tell it! It’s part of the way you subtly but effectively care for your residents and visitors. It is one of the many little scenes that contribute to the story of who you are as an organization and where you are headed. And, like Elizabeth, you’re going up!
BRAND ENGAGEMENT SUCCESS
Successful brand engagement occurs when the sum of your customers’ and employees’ interactions form a consistent and coherent, positive story. This happens when you carefully develop and disseminate not only your tag lines and vision statements, but when you implement and repeatedly tell the story organization-wide.
TELL IT!
If you have questions about brand engagement, or would like help telling your story, contact us at dhart@movecommunications.com.
