That was the core message of David Hawkins’s presentation at the Beaverton Chamber of Commerce Business Matters! marketing series I’m anchoring. David is VP Experience Design at Umpqua Bank, which has over the past decade transformed the way it delivers its services from “branches” to “stores” (“We are in the retail business, and we happen to sell financial services.”), and conducted a number of successful and creative marketing campaigns. Front and center through David’s talk on retail experience design for small businesses:Â the idea that if you focus on experience, brand will take care of itself.
What constitutes experience? Everything and every contact point that connects your company with the customer and how company culture supports those connections. Every contact point is an opportunity for the customer to take something away. While you shouldn’t get hung up on being perfect, experience design is about the details of how your customers are treated. “You don’t get a second chance at the first impression.”
“You don’t need a logo. You need to connect with your customers in a real and authentic way, find out what they need and deliver them the value they expect.”
What is authenticity? It’s a result of self-reflection, who you are and whether and how it matches with your customers’ needs and with your marketing efforts. David mentioned examples of the bank’s guerrilla (or handshake) marketing efforts to connect with potential clients over the years. Hand office workers brown paper bags containing milkshake gift certificates. Leave flower pots on people’s porches. All with a business card attached and an invitation to chat.
What is positioning? Everything the customer takes away from the experience with your company. The take-away extends beyond existing customers: Umpqua‘s stores are designed to be community hubs where non-customers (hopefully future customers) are free to use the spaces for meetings, shows, free wi-fi, or events.
“It’s not what you sell, it’s how you go about selling it.”
