#GrowOnlinewithChinny: Top Brands like Coca-Cola, KFC & Yellow Tail are showing Us that it’s all about the Customer

Hi there!

It’s another week and I’m excited to be back to write about how to take your brand marketing game to the next level. This time, we take a look at the moves global brands are making, and the lessons to pick from them.

One of the biggest mistakes brands make is ignoring the conversations about their products and the industry in which do business. While it can be very tempting to ignore criticism against your brand, you are only telling your customers that you don’t care about them. To be honest, not responding is really a response in itself and this just might make you lose more customers. When you don’t respond, people notice, and the word spreads like wildfire, especially in the age of social media. I’m sure you’ve seen a seemingly trivial issue go viral, or funny videos become world tours just because … social media! So, what does this mean for your brand?

Respond to all customer feedback – positive and negative

Before you get defensive about the complaints toward your brand, take an objective look and see it as an opportunity to improve your product or service. This Adweek article states that even if you cannot resolve the customer’s complaints, responding to them increases customer advocacy by 20%. Customer advocacy simply means you’re focused on what is best for your customers and genuinely care about their needs.

KFC London & Ireland is a perfect example of turning the tables in your favour. In a tweet with over 2,000 retweets and 15,000 likes, a customer simply expressed that, “No one likes your fries. Yours sincerely, the entire world.” Instead of neglecting this response, KFC promoted this tweet (interesting right?) and turned it into a campaign introducing its new fries.

Dear @upgrade_music

You told us no one liked our fries.

So new ones are coming soon.

Yours sincerely,

KFC pic.twitter.com/DxPRh50apV

— KFC UK & Ireland (@KFC_UKI) 2 November 2018

Yes, it’s great to post those positive reviews, but do not be scared to share the complaints, how you handled it, and what you’re doing to be better. Guess what? If you don’t, your competitor might just jump on this and show that they’re better.

Put your customers first!

Your customers are why you are in business.

Yellow Tail, a popular wine brand in the US, recently took an interesting approach to creating its 30-second Super Bowl ad spot. The brand asked fans to post six-second videos on social media with some branded hashtag. From the entries on social media, the brand would select two videos to be used as the TV commercial during the big game. The winners of the contest would end up being superstars with crazy exposure. Yellow Tail made this contest super easy for people to participate, and the incentive was amazing. The idea behind the campaign passed a strong message: that it’s all about the customers. That’s exactly how you want to make your customers feel.

Last week, I shared Coca-Cola’s interesting social media move on my Instagram stories. In celebration of World Happiness Day, the brand deleted (most likely archived) all its Instagram posts and shared 99 posts dedicated to making us happy. The best part? It wasn’t just the usual “sharing is caring,” or “share a coke” storyline. It was a flood of happy and positive messages. Message from the brand? It’s not just about Coca-Cola, it’s about you, the customers. Side note: I have been staying away from Coke but I bought a bottle of Coke that day with no regrets!

Dear business owner,
Be passionate about serving your customers offline and online. If you’re just starting a brand, show your customers or audience that you’re really in this for them. Want to host a giveaway? Make them feel special. Ask your audience how you can serve them better. Present a strong incentive for us to engage with your brand.

If you missed the business tips shared by the Nigerian business owner who started out as an online content creator, click here!

I hope you enjoyed this read. Want to connect with me? Let’s talk on the ‘gram. And hey, you can receive more online marketing tips by joining my email list here.