Last week I had the pleasure of visiting a handful of Great Harvest bakery owners. First stop was Westerville, Ohio. Next stops were Alexandria, Virginia, Rockville, Maryland, and Warrenton, Virginia. A common thread among the owners was a genuine connection
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The Rockville, Maryland bakery reinforce their breads are made with good stuff — like freshly milled premium whole grains purchased from family owned farms in Montana. |
with customers. The authentic nature of how these owners run their bakeries coupled with their authentic products is a magic combination.
Think about your favorite local shops. Do you know the owner? Do you feel a connection with the staff? Are the products an extension of or a statement about your sensibilities? Is the ambiance warm, inviting, upbeat? What makes you continue to give your business to one retailer over another?
Marketing can get a prospective life-long customer/referral source in the door once. Getting them to come back again and again, and to enthusiastically recommend your product or service, requires a convergence of elements which "speak" to your customer. And what speaks to one customer, may be a foreign language to another...and that's okay. Because successful retailers know they cannot be everything to everyone. Every bakery I visited last week was in tune with their perfect customer and their community of customers, which varied from suburban, urban and historic locations.
Owners using Facebook fan pages attract a community of like-minded people who love Great Harvest products. They've qualified themselves for those communities by having awesome, affirming in-store experiences. The products and emotional connection to the bakery is what binds them. There is a back and forth flow of information that's fun and engaging, rather than "a commercial message." The back and forth allows owners to hear their customers. It provides insight. It also provides validation. When Facebook fans love something, they let you know. If they have concerns, they'll let you know, too -- just like face-to-face interactions.
Pablo Teodoro, owner of the Warrenton, Virginia bakery, may be among the first of our nationwide network of owners to add location marketing to his mix. He uses foursquare (a phone app that allows bakery passersby to collect rewards for coming into his business). Foursquare also shows the customer’s friends where they shop. Foursquare users "check in" at participating stores and, in doing so, earn rewards and badges. An offer might be a product offer or a cup of Joe.
Why did Pablo and other nearby retailers decide to do this? It's because their customers love it and it promotes community businesses (i.e., a rising tide lifts all boats). It also allows new layers of like-minded people to become exposed to their businesses to expand and strengthen their local customer base. In essence, customers are providing an endorsement via foursquare. Other location marketing apps include Whrrl and Gowalla.
Whether face-to-face or online, successful retailers are simpatico with the wants and needs of their customers...they are staying relevant and meeting and exceeding customer expectations. In our current economy (or any economic condition), why would you want to anything less?
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This amazingly fun mural in the Alexandria, Virginia bakery captures the essense of this great bakery. |
