Creating A Service-Based Branded World

What is it about a service-based business that hooks its customers to create repeat business? In many ways, it is the experience that clients and customers remember, and therefore want to have again. Experiences that can be had by a broad market base, and then those niche specific, customized experiences. Understanding the importance of the client experience can set your company apart from the competition.

One way is to think about the experience that your company provides and to break it down into bite size pieces to better understand why the service is successful or not. Think about companies that have a memorable experience that is widely known. Disney is a great example of this. When you enter one of Disney’s theme parks, you enter their world. The parks have been designed to create a specific experience that is similar among all of its visitors albeit in a subtle manner. Everything from the food available to the colors, to the characters walking around has been designed to create the unique Disney experience.

Do you notice that the language and culture shifts to that of the brand? Starbucks is an excellent example of this. At smaller coffee shops, you may order a medium white mocha, yet at Starbucks that same drink is called a grande white mocha. By creating a branded language and culture, it becomes more than just a coffee shop- it becomes an experience. And since it is unique to Starbucks, people want to be a part of this exclusive Starbucks culture where they know the language.

Taking a page from Disney, how can your service-based business create a branded world for its customers? It doesn’t need to be huge to be successful. Website can be great examples of a strong, branded world experience. When you enter a well thought out and designed website, it can feel just like entering a Disney theme park. You know you have left the web, so to speak, and have entered the world of that specific company.

How Can Your Company Start to Create a Branded World?

Start by taking one of your services and designing how you would like the experience to be. The more detail you add, the more it will enhance the end user’s experience. The experience is in the details. And yet, this is where many service-based companies fail. They may provide a service, yet that service may change based on the clientele, which can create problems because the experience is not the same for all.

Everything from the location of the office, to how the client is directed through the office to the conference is all part of the experience. Remember, once the client enters your office, they are in your branded world, your company’s culture. This should be a positive and used to enhance the experience. Subtle details such as color, choice of lighting, furniture styles all add to the experience to give it a certain feeling. What feelings are you wanting to evoke out of your clients?

One effective way to brand your services is to package your services as though they were products. This takes the guess-work out of the equation and if one of the packaged services does not fit a particular client, a customized approach can be taken. This help keeps things simple. Making things simple is one of the hardest things to do, but if done effectively can prove beneficial. By using this method, you are also systemizing your company to where it could be replicated over and over. This will improve efficiency and increase your profit margins while creating a stronger brand.

The next time you visit a Starbucks or pay for a service, try to consciously take in all the small details of the setting, the surroundings, the lighting, the language, the culture, the sounds. See it as a whole, and break it down to individual components. As you do, you can start to see what makes up the experience that goes along with the service.

What are your thoughts on creating a branded world for your company? Does your company have its own branded world? If so, leave a link so that we can experience it for ourselves.