Big Brand Strategies for Small Business
Can your business be a household name?

By Paul Weber

Who would pay $3.75 for a cup of coffee? Turn the clock back several years and the answer would be nobody. Yet Starbucks has convinced millions of people to significantly increase their coffee expenditures on a regular basis. More than the cost of coffee, Starbucks has changed how we think about our purchases on many levels.

Lessons From Starbucks
How does Starbucks’ success help small business grow and prosper?  By giving us insight into how consumers think and what customers require.

If you want to successfully grow a small business, study Starbucks. And while you’re at it study Southwest Airlines, Target and Disney. In fact, study any successful company that has provided you with a positive experience. Use that experience as your greatest insight for growing your own business.

You’re probably thinking, “Yes, but these companies spend millions of dollars on advertising and marketing. How can I follow their lead?”

Here’s how. First, realize that our preferences as consumers have changed in the last decade. We expect more from our purchases and demand more from the companies we do business with. Fortunately, the kinds of expectations we have translate easily to small business.

Understanding the Consumer Experience
Any fan of Starbucks will tell you that the company’s success is not based on the taste of the coffee but on the consumer experience. When you pay $3.75 for a cup of coffee, you are also buying service, warmth, friendship—even prestige. These are the emotional components of the purchase. Success comes to a small business when it connects with customers on a level much deeper than the transaction.

There is no mystery to learning how to connect with your customers. Experience firsthand what the successful brands do and mimic the attitude and actions that create a positive experience. If that means sitting in a Starbucks studying every aspect of the experience, then do it.

For Southwest Airlines, a positive customer experience is almost entirely dependent on employees.  Southwest’s success is largely due to their employees’ understanding how actions impact customers. Southwest is the perfect model for small businesses that rely on employees to deliver the customer experience.

Deep in the customer service section of iflyswa.com, you will find an extensive list of policies and procedures that impact every aspect of a passenger’s flying experience. The care and thought that went into developing these policies can be seen in the actions of Southwest employees. These messages are as much for the employees of Southwest as they are for the passengers.

To emulate Southwest’s success for your small business, establish your own rules for creating a positive customer experience and communicate those rules to your employees as often as possible.

Companies with the most successful big-brands understand the emotional impact of the consumer experience and focus on enhancing it. Fortunately for small business, these proven marketing approaches translate to any size business and fit within many marketing budgets.

Paul Weber is the president of Entrepreneur Advertising Group, a company that provides traditional advertising and marketing services to entrepreneurial companies with a need to manage growth. He can be reached at (913) 825-9292 or at .