In a shrinking and increasingly competitive world, it’s becoming essential for brands to develop unique experiences for their customers. Chances are that whatever it is you’re selling is sold by dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of others. With so many choices available today, what is it that your brand is doing to differentiate itself? Simply “having the better product/service” is not good enough anymore, you have to stand out in a memorable and shareworthy way.

I want to share examples I’ve personally had with three different brands that are tapping into emotion to craft memorable experiences and solidify their customer relationships to increase repeat sales. If you’re still on the fence, these examples might help sway you toward an effort to reshape the experiences your customer’s have with your brand.

1. Dollar Shave Club
I’ll admit, I was sold on the Dollar Shave Club brand after watching their introduction video when the service debut in 2012. But for whatever reason I didn’t become a customer right away. I repeatedly convinced myself expensive razors that had all sorts of gels and vibrating handles were necessary for a clean shave. I was spending close to $25/mth for the latest and greatest of blades and the cost was driving me crazy. However, it wasn’t the inexpensive razor blade alternatives that finally made me a customer of Dollar Shave Club, it was the experiences that their customers were having, and sharing, all around me.

The pictures my connections started sharing, and those that DSC paid to promote, were circulating in and out of my social news feeds and I felt that I was missing out on something. When I subscribed to their monthly service last year I expected to be disappointed by the quality of blade but the service delivered on every one of my expectations. The welcome kit I received was fun, informative, and for whatever reason made me feel proud to be “in the club”. Dollar Shave Club crafted an experience so good that even if the blades were sub-par I would probably still buy into it every month because it’s fun, memorable, unique, and affordable. Even after the world learned who supplies their blades and that they can be bought directly for even less, DSC’s customers remain fiercely loyal.

If your brand can learn anything from Dollar Shave Club, it’s that you don’t have to be the cheapest or even the best, you just have to be the easiest and most memorable to do business with.

2. Moo
The internet has tried over and over again to kill the traditional business card since it’s inception, and to a certain level it has. While digital-guru’s praise the internet and continue to demand the death of print, the reality is that we’re just not there yet and you’ll probably still need a business card, letterhead, and envelope. Years ago when I was working with a few pals on developing a social media aggregation service, I was introduced to Moo.com. Moo is a friendly, unique, and affordable alternative to traditional print that believe it or not, even the tech community loves.

But what makes Moo so great isn’t their printfinity technology, the brilliantMiniCards, or even their promise to never let you down, it’s the experience they’ve crafted around the interaction with their brand.

Moo has invested heavily in developing a service that makes ordering traditional print items fun and even shareworthy. From the time you place your order to when you receive it in the mail to when you open it up, they’ve designed a complete experience that will excite even the most boring board member. What’s even more interesting is that Moo grew their market opportunity by developing an experience everyone wanted to have; there are people who will do anything to find a reason to order from Moo.

If your brand can learn anything from Moo’s example, it’s that even the smallest of details count when it comes to your customer’s purchasing experience and regardless of the industry you’re in, you can stand out by making it fun to do business with you. Invest in your customers, the return is more than just a figure at the bottom of a lengthy spreadsheet or balance statement

3. AT&T U-Verse
While AT&T still struggles with the quality of their customer service, they are working to pivot and put a bigger focus on building lasting and meaningful relationships with their customers. I’ll admit that getting technical support is still a huge pain in the rear but the service is better than most and I’ve had more than one good experience with them that has kept me a customer for over two years now. For this example, I’m speaking specifically about their U-Verse service.

Internet and TV are on the list for every home in America and it’s a big business many are trying to get a bite of. The competition is fierce and the choices for customers continue to grow. In fact, many of the biggest providers are doing away with contracts in hopes of luring more business their way. So, what experience can AT&T offer to customers that will make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside? More importantly, what can they do to ensure their customers don’t simply switch?

I’m not sure if this is a nationwide initiative, and if it differs in every area, but on our 2 year anniversary of the U-Verse service we received a nice card in the mail thanking us for our loyalty along with a movie credit and a $15 Visa gift card… they told us to have “dinner and a movie” on them. Sure, we shell out over $1000 per year for their services but this gesture wasn’t necessary and they did it anyway. Somewhere, someone at AT&T decided to think bigger than just how much the gift cards and discounts will add up to and crafted a one-time experience that both my wife and I appreciated. It became a topic of conversation on our Facebook walls and in the back of our heads, solidified their service in our home.

If your brand can learn anything from this example by AT&T U-Verse, it’s that you can easily be replaced with the competition and you may never know when the right time to do something about it is… so just do it.

When building or rebuilding your brand you must consider every aspect of your business that your customers will have interaction with. What are you doing to make those experiences memorable? What is your brand doing to give your customers a reason to talk about you in a good way? How are you going to ensure repeat business from customers who have so many options?

Are you ready to rebuild your business so that it embodies better customer experiences? Take a moment to learn more about us, we’re dedicated to constructing memorable brands.