Customer Loyalty and Meatballs

How the tiny things in business can make a big difference.

Brand loyalty is a hot commodity these days — everyone wants it, but it can prove to be quite elusive. Having consumers who love a brand can help majorly in spreading its gospel around the marketplace in a big way (see Nike. Or Apple.)

The power of brand fans is even stronger now, with the emergence of social media offering more ways for consumers to reach out to others and share the things they love.

In theory, this “high-tech digital age” we live in should make it easier for consumers to share the greatness of a brand, but marketers must be aware that this process cannot be forced. The viral or social aspect of a brand or experience must come naturally; because of a simple fact: people are smarter than they’re generally given credit for. They can smell a rat pretty easily, and will tend to avoid sharing content online unless it’s entertaining, informative, and there’s a clear purpose for sharing. That’s where some brands fail at the social media game.

Throwing content onto social media for the sake of having a presence in an emerging field can often backfire and lead to a bad user experience. And that certainly does not create customer loyalty.

But what if I told you there was an easier way? That sometimes you don’t have to be fancy to gain brand fans? That maybe just by doing the little things where it counts, you can help your brand more than trying to fit your square brand peg into the round social media hole? Because before there were computers, people actually spoke to each other. And you should never underestimate the power of word of mouth.

I’ll elaborate on this point with the help of a little restaurant in Manhattan called Spain. It’s definitely not the most fancy place in town, or the trendiest establishment. When you order wine at the bar, you’re only given two options: red or white. And I’d say the décor is best described as “visiting your grandfather’s house…if he lived in Spain.” But somehow I find myself recommending this establishment time and time again to friends for happy hour.

Why? The answer is pretty simple — meatballs. You see, when you go to Spain, as soon as you are seated in the bar area you are not only asked for your drink order, but you are given two small plates of food, usually meatballs and potatoes with hot sauce. For free. And if you finish those plates, you’ll get more! Sometimes more meatballs, sometimes bread and cheese, once we even got some very garlicky chicken wings!

So naturally, as a lover of both food and free things, I’ve revisited Spain around four times the month I was introduced to it (by word of mouth). And each time I went, I brought different friends along for the ride. In all, I’d say that I exposed around ten people to this little restaurant in less than a month. And the amount of people that I’ve told about the place is even higher. This is the power of positive word of mouth.

So what can you do to get people to talk about your brand? It doesn’t have to be something extravagant — in brand loyalty, the smallest things can sometimes make the biggest difference.

What little thing can you do to make your customer smile? Whether it’s a hand-written note that comes with your order (Lands End Canvas), or a personalized email from a Co-Founder thanking you for your business (BarkBox), anytime a company goes even the smallest bit out of their way to make me feel valued, I become a big fan.

So if you want to really connect with your customers (and encourage them to spread the word), take a little while and figure out one very important thing: What’s your meatball?