This morning I went back to my musical roots on Spotify. I’m dating myself here, but I grew up with bands like Tom Petty, The Clash, Van Halen and The Police. Their music was awesome. Their shows were awesome. Their lifestyles were awesome (or so I thought at the time). They were rock stars!
I believed in these rock stars and proudly spent my money to advertise for them! Not only did I buy their vinyl (yes kids, vinyl records were real)….but I also sported their ¾ sleeve ‘concert’ shirts…remember those?
So this trip down memory lane made me wonder how marketers could be more like rock stars. Instead of chasing ever more leads, how could marketers turn the tables and have customers do their marketing for them, just like my favorite rock stars did?
We all know that keeping a current customer is less expensive than acquiring a new one. So what are you doing to retain your customers? Better yet, what are you doing to turn your customers into brand advocates?
Give your existing customers a little more TLC, and they will go to bat for you. The Ritz Carlton does this really well. The Ritz went above and beyond to help the father of a little boy who had lost his stuffed giraffe at one of their hotels. You can read the heart warming story written by the father here. The Ritz’s effort to go the extra mile inspired the customer (and me) to talk about how great they are. Now that’s earned media at it’s best!
Now’s the time to treat your customers like rock stars. Go for it!