NOVEMBER 2006 

Companies both big and small know the importance of staying connected to their customers. Connecting is vital to living a productive and profitable brand identity. Nike, Starbucks, Harley-Davidson are companies that have created such cultural relevance to the lives of their customers that they have established strong emotional bonds that extend far beyond the consumer-company relationship.

Anyone who has ever straddled a Harley-Davidson knows that HOG stands for Harley Owners Group. It is essentially a club comprised of loyal Harley-Davidson owners. Society as a whole could learn much from the connection established by this company and its loyal HOG's. After all, blue and white collar, black and white, or any other group put all else aside to rally around being a HOG. It is a strong sense of community that knows nothing but a love for Harley-Davidson. The HOG community has grown exponentially since its inception in 1984 and now includes more than 360,000 members in more than 900 chapters. Not bad considering that they had 28 people show up at the first HOG rally! The company's stick-to-it-ive-ness is a light for anyone looking to create a connection with a community of buyers. Now, there is even a Harley Cafe in Manhattan, a bevy of product lines bearing the Harley name, not to mention apparel, toys even their own magazines such as The Enthusiast and Hog Tales.

Where do you start to build such a connection? Good question. Maybe your product or service does not lend itself to the emotional connection that HOG riders experience. Maybe. Maybe not. Remember, the emotional spectrum is wide ranging. Maybe you don't sell freedom on the open road, but you might sell a sense of financial freedom with which consumers could connect.

Try a newsletter--and before you give me some garbage like, "No one reads those things!"...forget it. People do read newsletters if they are worth reading.  If your newsletter is informative, entertaining, visually appealing and provides a sense of unique connection you can use this tool as a way to lay the foundation for the sense of community you are seeking from your customer base. Not only do newsletters help you maintain contact with your customers, but they help you foster long-term relationships that strengthen the bonds between the two.

Don't use your newsletter as an advertisement. Keep it fun and informative. Sure, sales messages are going to be included, but give people information that they want to know. You can even partner with companies to provide exclusive discounts and offers to your customer. Not a bad way to start the whole community-building process, hey? After all, when the customer puts down your newsletter several things should run through their mind. They should be thinking, "Hmm. That was an interesting article. I didn't know that." Or, "I'm going to use that coupon--I've been wanting to go to that restaurant anyway." They should feel like they have just connected with your company with a real sense of relationship that extends beyond the ole "product for cash" transaction.

Establishing a strong connection with the customer creates a sense of community that fosters relationships. Those relationships drive loyalty whether you're Nike, Starbucks or Harley-Davidson. 

 © BrandVision Marketing. 2006. Scott Trueblood. All rights reserved.

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