Your customers and your baby like to be nurtured in many of the same ways.
By Rebecca Horan
Eighteen years into parenting, I’m still learning on the fly. And more than five years after writing the first version of this article, I still stand by the idea that these keys to helping your baby or brand thrive are, to quote Al Ries, immutable. They are:
Consistency
As anyone raising another human knows, young children - especially babies - crave consistency. Predictability builds trust and comfort for your little one, and it’s not much different for your customers and clients.
Changing up your baby’s sleep routine is a surefire way to create chaos. Suddenly thrusting a different caregiver with a very different style into the picture? You’ll be hearing from your tiny boss about this. (If you moved, traveled, or hired a sitter during those early years, you likely paid for it with your sleep or sanity and know exactly what I’m talking about.)
As customers, we’re not that different from our baby selves. We like knowing what to expect. When a brand we’re following suddenly changes its voice, acts in a way that’s inconsistent with its personality or values, or even overhauls its visual identity, we feel thrown, confused, and distrustful. The holy trinity of brand-killers.
Examples? Look no further than Tropicana’s radical refresh of the branding on their OJ carton: it was no longer recognizable and sales dropped by around 20%. And of course, we’ve all seen brands attempting to be edgy on social media, completely abandoning their established brand persona and facing public wrath. (Really, IHOP?)
Think about how you’re showing up in your brand… Are you using a consistent tone of voice, even if you’ve hired copywriters? Is everyone who acts on behalf of your brand - from the customer service rep to the social media manager - in alignment with your mission, personality and values?
Even if all those people are YOU, it still matters.
Speaking of social, are you showing up on a semi-consistent schedule? This is probably the hardest one of all (just me?), but if your audience is used to you showing up daily or even weekly, and you suddenly drop off for a month, you’re going to lose their hard-won attention.
2. Connection
There’s a good reason hospitals have volunteer baby cuddling programs: human touch matters. It’s scientifically proven that human connection helps babies thrive. Likewise, researchers are finding that companies that are able to exhibit human behaviors in an authentic way and develop an emotional connection with their customers are outperforming those that don’t.
One of the quickest ways to build emotional connection with your customers without swaddling them? Tell stories. From babyhood to adulthood, we learn, grow and connect through stories.
Brand storytelling, when done in an authentic and relevant way, helps the listener form associations - both conscious and unconscious - with your brand.
Don’t forget: shared values are an instant connector among human beings, so your stories should reinforce the ideas that you stand behind. Also, your target audience should be able to see something of themselves in your story, whether that “something” is who they are, what they believe, or who they aspire to be.
3. Communication
Studies show that babies hear our voices and begin to develop language skills while still in utero. Once the baby is born, talking to her early and often helps to reinforce those pre-birth language skills. It also fortifies your emotional connection.
How can you apply this principle to your brand? First, listen. Second, join in. Learn as much as you can about your target audience, and talk with them about the things that matter most to them. Speak the language they speak. Show empathy.
Customers are more loyal to brands that truly “see” them.
They also value transparency, so opt for over vs. under-communicating.
It’s best to begin working on consistency, connection and communication while your business is still in its infancy, but like new parents, new business owners may struggle to find their footing - their voice, their audience, and the right communication channels. Stay the course: it takes practice and patience to help either one thrive.