Every marketing consultant knows that word of mouth and reputation are mission critical to a marketing campaign. As the CEO of a digital marketing company, I’m probably more aware than most of the multiple little decisions and actions that go into creating a compelling customer journey. That being said, it really takes a special campaign to make me sit up and take notice. This is the story of one such campaign.
This is What a Great Marketing Strategy Looks Like
I recently sat up and took notice of Native Deodorant, a small company selling natural deodorant in a very 21st century way.
I want you to come with me on my journey though the Native Deodorant customer funnel because their attention to detail, seamless customer relationship management, and just overall savvy blew me away. Let’s go!
The Introduction: Quality Content & The Awareness Stage
It all started when a seemingly innocuous review of best deodorants magically popped into my Facebook feed. I clicked on it to read about the deodorants, and I was intrigued by Native Deodorant. So, I clicked over to their website. Then I left. $12, I thought, is a lot to spend on deodorant when I can get Tom’s for under $5.
But what they’d done was get their brand into that part of my brain reserved for thinking about deodorant (you have one, too; it also covers shaving cream, and toothpaste, and body lotion). This is where most buyer’s journeys start today – with a search or a click on social media that leads them to quality content on a topic they find interesting. If you do it right, your product or service will fulfill a need the buyer has about the topic and you will funnel them into the consideration stage.
Retargeting: Keeping in Touch & The Consideration Stage
Not two days later, I saw an ad for Native Deodorant on my Facebook feed when I was reading the news. They’d noticed my interest in the content and in their website, and they had used Facebook Ad targeting to remind me I was interested.
During the second phase of the buyer’s journey, your customers may be consciously or subconsciously evaluating you against your competitors. Social media retargeting is an excellent way to unobtrusively stay top-of-mind while your leads are considering their options.
So, I clicked over again and started the checkout process. Then, again, I got cold feet and distracted and said “do I really NEED $12 deodorant.” Sure, they were offering 10% off, but I still left.
Customer Relationship Management: Help Your Lead Make A Decision
The decision stage is when your lead is ready to become a customer. At this point, I was already using a competitor’s product, but my actions indicated Native Deodorant had a chance to convince me to switch. So how did they do it?
They got my email, and this is where the real magic started.
During the checkout process that I didn’t complete, I submitted my email. Not too long after I abandoned my cart, I got a personal email from Julia. She had noticed that I left the checkout without buying the deodorant. The message was so sweet, not too intrusive, and it did not even use my name (non-threatening)… and yet, stubborn me still didn’t buy.
Then (4 days later) I received another simple email with the subject line “You’ll Love Native. We Guarantee it”, and I caved. I went over to buy the deodorant.
The Buyer’s Journey Doesn’t Stop at Purchase
One of the biggest mistakes you can make from a customer relationship standpoint is assuming that the customer’s journey has stopped as soon as they press the button to complete the purchase. Of course, we all know that customer service for missing or damaged shipments is important. But what happens to those indifferent or even happy customers who don’t have a reason to message your live chat or call your hotline?
Let’s see what happened with my Native Deodorant order.
After purchase, I received the most adorable “Your Package has Shipped” email, then another “Your Order is About to Arrive” message with all the five star reviews about why I was going to LOVE my new deodorant. Both of these emails are pretty standard, but what wasn’t standard was the presentation and tone of the emails. These emails weren’t just perfunctory information about tracking and how to contact Native Deodorant if my shipment didn’t arrive. Nor were they trying to funnel me back into the purchase cycle before I’d even gotten my first shipment.
Instead, these emails were intended to keep me excited about the order I’d placed. I found myself really looking forward to receiving a package of one of modern life’s most mundane hygiene products: deodorant.
Thanks to their emails, I was looking forward to receiving deodorant in the mail.
When my package arrived, I was excited because the box confirmed I had done the right thing. Little details like hearts and a slogan “Take care of your body” greeted me, along with the tagline “invest in your body.”
When I opened up the box, a similar message reinforced the tagline: “Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live. #Go Native.” There were even tips on how to use the deodorant.
All of this talk of investing in myself and my body got me invested in the product. Between the emails keeping me excited and the box that reiterated and reinforced that excitement, there was no way I’d return the deodorant.
By now the 10-15 times that I’ve seen their brand name since I first had that chance encounter has me hooked, and I feel a warmth toward this product and am predisposed to love them and – as they are asking me – love myself.
After a bit I get another email asking me to review the product, which of course I did!
What You Can Learn from Native Deodorant
If you haven’t guessed, it’s the review I wrote and even this blog that are the ultimate goals of a marketing campaign like the one Native Deodorant so flawlessly executed. Our customers are our greatest resource for new clients via Mannix Marketing reviews, recommendations, and good old word-of-mouth.
So here is it, a breakdown and a blueprint for luxury product retail marketing:
1. Influencer marketing: Send your product to every blogger, every editor, and every single person that might write about it for free. Give them their own discount code to include in their article. If someone clicks over and buys, then the starving artist blogger can earn a commission. Make the influencer’s life easy by sending a fact sheet and information on why the product is so wonderful. Encourage the blogger to use their own photos, but also provide a link to a beautiful product shot library.
2. Sponsored Advertising: Native used sponsored advertising to get me to read the review in the first place. It felt organic and coincidental, but it was nothing of the sort. They targeted me. They knew I was into the holistic all natural lifestyle and that I earned enough money to afford $12 deodorant. Then they targeted me by age and gender. I’m sure they have extensive demographic data which they paired perfectly on Facebook to target me as their ideal potential customer.
3. A Special Offer: The blogger had a special offer code that enticed me as a first time buyer to take the leap over to Native Deodorant’s website.
4. Retargeting: When I clicked on the special offer, Native dropped retargeting pixels into my computer so that they could show me ads and entice me back.
5. Email Drip Campaigns: Well thought out, warm and direct emails came in just the right intervals to remind me to order.
6. Post Order Drip Emails: Once the order was placed, Native Deodorant did not stop and assume their work was done. They used the “order has been placed” and “order has been shipped” emails to further their message, to brand themselves, and to build brand affinity. Every word counted. There were no wordy emails, just a short and powerful punch.
7. Marketing on and in the shipping box: When the box arrived, the box design was clean with just a few powerful marketing words. There was a great sell sheet on the product that repeated their messaging and instructions on the back to ensure I get the most out of their product.
8. Product Reviews: ‘Review us,’ they ask – but not just so that they can promote those reviews, so they can learn. Great brands don’t assume greatness or just want reviews to “look good.” They want real feedback to improve their product.
Want to put together a successful marketing strategy for your product or business? We can help!
At Mannix Marketing, we’re passionate about all things marketing! We know a great marketing campaign when we see it – and we love strategizing and thinking outside the box with our clients to develop and improve their digital marketing strategies.
Think there might be a better way to be marketing your product or business? Let’s review your digital marketing strategy!
