The self-checkout lanes at my local grocery store are a picture of frustration. Many shoppers can’t figure out the instructions or they fumble the scanning. What should be an efficient, get-in, get-out process has become a time-consuming ordeal — leading to lots of dirty looks from those waiting in line. So much for the goodwill the store hoped to generate with its big investment in new technology.

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As a marketer, I look for the silver lining. I see an opportunity to be pro-active with customer communications, perhaps even save the day with some Friend-to-Friend marketing. At Colman Brohan Davis, we’ve developed a customer relationship management model to help brands demonstrate customer loyalty rather than asking the customer to demonstrate loyalty to the brand. It’s the reverse of what most marketers learn, a shift in the typical business mind-set. But demonstrating customer loyalty can help a brand achieve true customer advocacy. As a business development strategy, it leads to improved customer retention and, ultimately, a better return on marketing investment.

The Power of Data
To achieve customer advocacy, you must understand the customer’s relationship with your brand. While metrics and analytics are an important part of the equation, quantitative data collection, data mining and qualitative research can help you identify best customers, customer trends and cross-sell/up-sell opportunities. Data analysis allows you to explore in depth what you know about your customers, modify existing programs and create new ones. Good data also provides the insights that make it easier to speak to your customers in engaging and meaningful ways.

Achieving customer advocacy also entails acknowledging and addressing the emotional component inherent in the brand-customer relationship. To make a personal and emotional connection, customers must trust the company from which they buy and have confidence that they matter and will be heard. They also want the brand to make a positive contribution to their lives.

Armed with the knowledge of your customers’ wants and needs, you can build a series of meaningful touch points. In all your communications, think of your customers as people, not as demographic profiles. Nurture the relationship over time. Admit mistakes and know that with trust comes forgiveness. Be personal if you have lost touch or if you know customers have had negative experiences. Thank customers for their past business and ask them to please come back and try your brand again.

When you think and act like a friend, you become a trusted and loyal advocate, providing the encouragement for customers to stay active with your brand. This is especially important with people identified as your best customers, those who deliver the highest ROI.

Seize the Day
I know my local grocery store has a golden opportunity to achieve customer advocacy in a number of ways:

• Openly admit there is a problem with the self-checkout process.
• Conduct customer satisfaction research to identify who’s using the new technology, and map their key frustrations.
• Develop helpful “how-to-use” messaging at point of scanning.
• Station on-site “tutors” to help people through the process.
• Use customer intelligence to deliver personalized messaging and incentives.
• Reward customers for sticking with the new system and trying it again.

In short, do all the things a friend would do: listen, help find a solution, spread some love and set things straight. By developing innovative programs and messaging, you can meet customers’ emotional needs, deliver on promises, and over-deliver on expectations. This will shift the loyalty paradigm forever. You’ll achieve true customer advocacy and deliver unexpected value to your customers, who will reward you over and over again.

– Liz Brohan, president of Colman Brohan Davis (cbdmarketing.com)

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