Many of us recognize that communicating to our markets can augment success. “Advertising sells,” right? But how often have we considered that marketing communications - public relations, online Web communications, and advertising - can be part of the value you offer customers?
In a recession economy where competition is sharper than ever, distinguishing your brand and adding strategic value can be great way to help accelerate your own growth.
I discovered this some years ago as business in advanced materials grew to become a significant part of our client portfolio. Whether metals, technical textiles, plastics and composites, we realized a common opportunity : the advanced materials our clients sold as ingredients delivered significant value and even pizzaz to their customers and, further, to the people who ultimately bought the end product.
Thus a nylon fiber that some time ago had received a U.S. Government “mil spec” for use in ballistic armor - though eclipsed by Kevlar - brought terrific value to soft-sided luggage and became the darling of top brands like Tumi, Hartmann, Samsonite and others. The nylon not only brought direct value to luggage manufacturers, because it was not only tough but took in dyes better than anything else, but became part of the value proposition that led consumers to select products with “Tru Ballistic” nylon fabric.
Seeing that, we developed tags and end-consumer literature that customers could attach to products in the retail environment. We also produced a training campaign for use in retailers’ sales training programs. Salespeople on the floor could answer questions and help guide consumers to value purchases.
We called this and many other approaches “customer-linked communications.” CLC is more than featuring customers in case studies or arranging for third party testimonials. CLC is communications for, about, and on behalf of a customer. It may involve tangential mention of your brand or no mention at all.
CLC makes sense when:
- You need to move out of a commodity trap and featuring your customer’s products and services not only helps stimulate and support your sales, but also helps move you from commodity to specialty.
- You want give priority to certain segments or application niches, and your customer’s success is an efficient way to accomplish this goal
- You want to generate a rush to your product or service from a group of customers who intensively monitor one another, so communicating the success of one customer showcases the value your brand contributes – the value proposition you bring to that customer – and also triggers a barracuda-like feeding frenzy among look-alike customers.
Successfully mounting a CLC initiative is a strategic marketing move that requires coordination among the marketing team, the ad-PR-promotions people and sales. Once organized properly, it can become a dynamic component enthusiastically embraced within the company and among the customers involved.
