SMASH the competition by gaining LOYAL customers without increasing your ADVERTISING budget

Right now our rapidly evolving economy is spilling over with social media and digital marketing. Businesses and brands are increasingly cutting out middle men by establishing direct gateways to the consumer. Many business leaders I meet with are focused on attracting likes, comments, shares, and social engagement as a way to drive brand awareness and ultimately revenue. Some are achieving seemingly impressive analytics by doubling down on SEO, Adwords, sponsored posts, and influencer marketing.

My question is this: how are you leveraging that consumer attention to build longterm reoccurring sales?

If you currently acquire customers through social and digital marketing…fantastic, you’re on the right track. However, the next question you should be asking is: what am I doing to keep them coming back? I’m not talking about branding, loyalty programs, or promotions—I’m talking micro actions. How will you make the individual experience so overwhelmingly positive that they can’t wait to return? How do you get them so fired up that they promote you on their social media accounts for free? I bet you won’t guess the answer; it’s almost too easy.

This answer came to me while driving through an unfamiliar city. I was searching for my morning cup of hot bean water. As I drove through the small farming town I passed their local drive up coffee shack. It was easy to spot and only had one car at the drive up window. For some reason, I didn’t even consider stopping.

The next coffee shop I passed has been a long time favorite of mine…Starbucks. It too was easy to find, located right off the highway that intersects this small town. Their store had only two cars in front and the drive through was empty. However, again, I just wasn’t “feeling it.”

As I was heading out of town with regret on my mind, I pulled over and googled “coffee near me.” I was presented with a few additional options that were off the beaten path. One of the candidates was Dutch Brothers. I have been to Dutch many times and always had a great experience, so I set off in their direction. I found it after slight difficulty; their stand was located at the back of a small parking lot shared with a bank. The entrance was on a one-way street which required additional maneuvering. Upon pulling up I was shocked to see this:

There were six cars lined up inside the parking lot and one more on the street waiting to turn in. I had to do a double take. After passing two centrally located coffee shops with no lines, why were people going out of their way to wait in line for a very similar product? This question instantly put me into business detective mode. Is it dollar coffee day? Do they have a superior product? Are they killing it on social media? After all, it surely isn’t their location. I pulled over and quickly examined Google business reviews to find the following:

Dutch Brothers (colloquially, Dutch Bros) had more than four times the number of reviews than their closest competitor (Starbucks). The oldest competitor (the coffee shack) had a four-year head start on beating Dutch Bros in review count. The statistics were staggering, but I still didn’t have my answer.

At this point I decided to park and walk up to their stand to get a closer look. Upon approach I noticed that they have all the normal boxes checked: customer loyalty/punch cards, drive through, and a complete menu of hot and cold drinks. The first thing that stood out was their social media presence. They have facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram accounts dedicated to their specific location. This creates a sense of ownership within the community. This is not just a Dutch Bros…this is THEIR dutch. bros.

Now it was my turn. I was greeted by a guy with a big smile and an iPad ready to take my order. I asked a few questions about the products on the menu and inquired why the line was so long. His response was, “Oh yeah, it’s always busy like this.” Then I noticed something I haven’t seen in a long time: eye contact and undivided attention. This guy was mentally present throughout our entire interaction. He didn’t act bored, talk under his breath, or reply with basic answers. I had the overwhelming feeling that he was actually listening to me and offering a sincere reply.

I completed my order and stepped back to observe. Two girls were inside the stand singing and dancing while making drinks. One employee must have just started his shift because he was greeted with a high five and “What’s up bro?” as he walked in the side door. There was another employee taking orders out in the parking lot as cars pulled up. This guy, too, was smiling and using gestures while interacting with his customer.

I finally got it. They’re serving up exceptional consumer interactions. These customers are willing to wait in line in exchange for the honest, friendly, and caring human connection that is often absent in our technology-infused lives. We’re so quick to simply move through the motions, onto our next appointment, client, or job that we sacrifice human connection and energy exchange. Then, when it finds its way back into our routine it hits us like a shockwave. We remember the great feelings and emotions associated with positive human connection. Then we cling to it. We tell our friends about it. We let the internet know where other people can go to get this satisfaction. We can’t wait for the next morning to come so we can refill our cups and our souls with genuine human connection.

As business leaders we must not forget of the foundation upon which social media was built. Social media was established by HUMANS looking to interact with HUMANS. Dutch has built a very successful model where that human connection is not only established, but continually nourished in a positive way. Ask yourself, are you seeking true long term growth in business? If so, advertising needs to be deployed as a gateway to building connections with people; not simply selling product.