actionable marketing guide

Dear ,

Greetings from New York where the summer heat comes up through the tar and makes you feel like you’re walking through a sauna.

Last week, my husband and I drove up to the Berkshires by way of Stamford where Avis is conveniently located across from the train station. In addition to a great customer experience, it was cheaper and easier than driving out of Manhattan.

We opted for the smaller highways over the major interstates.

I love the lush green New England countryside. Parts of our trip followed the Appalachian Trail, including the section called Jacob’s Ladder.  It’s makes you feel connected with nature, even if you can’t actually get out of your car and trek through the woods.

Lenox (MA) is where artists go to escape from New York City. At the coffee shop we met Sabrina, an Alvin Ally trained dancer who now teaches in Brooklyn.

I love the creative vibe in Lenox. It’s runs deeper than the concerts at Tanglewood, the dance at Jacob’s Pillow and summer stock theater. For me it’s the proximity to literary greats like Edith Wharton, Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne who lived in the area. (BTW, Wharton also lived on 23^rd Street just west of Fifth Avenue.)

Having been to the Berkshires before, we have our favorite activities. For me, the highlights are Scoop’s homemade ice cream, Lenox Coffee Shop’s lattes and Colorful Stitches’s yarns.

As a marketer, I was struck by how well the local shops know their clientele. (BTW, you might be interested in how location and branding go together and/or small business tips.)

Colorful Stitches, understands it’s customers. Beyond it’s wonderful hand knit picnic display was a wide variety of sample shawls which are relatively easy to knit and small projects to inspire visitors.

Colorful Stitches is a premium priced retailer. The owner offers an array of upmarket yarns and advice. Shoppers know they’re making a special purchase but they’re okay with spending more. They view it as a memento of their summer stay.

We visited Joane Cornell’s handmade jewelry because we're fans of designer jewelry. I loved Cornell’s work using plain metal bands to highlight unusual gems including pink sapphires.

Cornell knew her patrons must be able to try on samples or they’d walk out and never return. Unfortunately, my thin fingers weren’t her target market.

Across the street, we peaked into Glad Rags where the owner knew her customers. Specifically there were women of a certain age who spent their summers in town and liked a relaxed, polished look. Think Eileen Fisher combined with a statement scarf or sweater. 

The owner took the time to show us a pair of jeans purchased from her decades before. They had been lovingly repaired over the years with each patch marking a life event. This family heirloom grounded the store.

The highlight of our trip was dinner at John Andrews, a farm-to-table restaurant, where the food was memorable. Like many high quality restaurants, you’ll miss it if you only rely on TripAdvisor or Yelp. They tend to under rate higher priced establishments regardless of food quality.

Even better, John Andrews came through for us on our second night when the French restaurant in an adjacent town where my husband made a reservation a month in advance told him they were very crowded and would try to get us seated. Even worse it was a Tuesday, which isn’t a popular day in this area.

To do right by us, all the owner had to do was to ask us to come later or offer us a free drink or dessert—high margin products. This is service business 101.

The owner was shortsighted. She didn’t realize that we were repeat customers who had eaten there on a previous vacation and had a month old reservation.

Instead, the owner went off on him to the point that my husband who is usually willing to give restaurants a second chance said no way. He was afraid they’d either burn our food or spit in it.

In a service business, she blew it big time. We told the B&B owner our story and warned them never to send guests there. (BTW—real life feedback about restaurants is how many of these establishments get patrons!)

Like John Andrews, the Cornell B&B ran on service. No detail was too small for them to handle. Our first morning, they made breakfast to order. When they had a buffet breakfast the second day, they made me a special order of the berry stuffed pancakes I had enjoyed the first day. They even gave us coffee and muffins for the road.

What do these establishments have in common that matters for your marketing?

They’re able to close high priced sales easily even though their customers are sophisticated shoppers who know they may be paying a premium.

That's because They know their clientele, except for the French restaurant. This maximizes revenues per customer and yields additional sales from existing customers without worrying about additional marketing!

For example, even though I have an overabundance of stash (aka: yarn I’ve bought but haven’t knitted or found a project for), I still purchase from Colorful Stitches every time I’m in Lenox. I don’t need the yarn but it’s a memento and continues to provide inspiration.

Need help understanding your audience? Try these articles on creating a marketing persona:

• Persona Definition: 10 Traits http://heidicohen.com/persona-definition-essential-marketing-persona-attributes/
• How To Create Marketing Persona http://heidicohen.com/marketing-persona/
• 7 Steps To Use Persona in Your Marketing http://heidicohen.com/post-marketing-persona-creation/

If you’re ready to start using interactive content, come to Content Marketing World in Cleveland this September. I’m teaching a pre-conference workshop that will show what interactive content is, how it fits into your content strategy and how to create interactive content that yields measurable results. Please join me.

Happy Marketing
Heidi.

Heidi Cohen
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• Heidi Cohen was one of the experts contributing to ReportGarden's roundup post: Growth Hacks From Top 30 Social Media Influencers