Earlier this year, Damien Basile wrote a post titled “Is your Hustle Enough“, in which he detailed a great experience he had with Janie of @HouseOfJerky on twitter. I’ve been following Janie’s stream since then, and I’ve been meaning to order a sampler pack, to decide if I wanted to order more, but I never actually got around to it.

A few days ago, after seeing one of Janie’s posts hit my stream, I replied to her with a simple question:

To my surprise, Janie replied almost instantly, and we had a nice exchange, where she took the time to actually customize a package to my taste, and mail it to me.

A few days later, Janie followed up:

I thanked Janie for the samples she sent me, and after trying the different flavors, ordered two of my favorites. I can’t wait to get them in the mail in a few days, and It’s extremely likely that i’ll continue to order from House of Jerky in the future. In addition, i’ve told several of my family members and close friends about the positive experience, and have spread the great experience I had through my social networks. This is something I rarely do. I’m much more likely to share a negative experience than I am a regular interaction. After all, nobody really gets excited about an average experience.

What can we learn from this?

1. Listen: In the new world of social media, being a broadcaster is no longer enough. Having a profile on twitter, a facebook page and profiles on other networks is great, but if all you do is broadcast your message, you will miss key opportunities to engage with your customers and create memorable experiences.
2. Engage: As an engaged listener, Janie interacts with customers on a regular basis. All you have to do is look at her twitter stream to see she is an active participant. Janie’s response time was measured in minutes, not hours or days. Having someone at the keyboard that actively responded to my inquiry elevated my opinion of the brand instantly.
3. Be Relevant: By finding out my personal tastes, Janie was able to put together a custom sample package that was unique to my preference. It spoke to my tastes, and further reinforced the message that House of Jerky cares about it’s costumers.
4. Follow up: A few days after sending the package, Janie followed up. Her message was simple, but it indicated that she cared about my opinion of the product, and it reinforced my personal connection with the brand. After opening the samplers, I went back to the website and ordered two 8oz packages with my favorite flavors out of the lot. Something I had been considering for months before Janie facilitated an outstanding experience.

My interaction with Janie was a memorable experience. At no point in the process, did she say “Buy our All-Natural Beef Jerky, made with no Preservatives!” (That’s a sales pitch, and their website already serves that function. Similar pitches are as welcome as a brick through a window in social media, and yet, i’ve seen plenty of small and medium business make that mistake). What she did do, is allow me to experience the product for myself, and position the brand in a relevant place in my mind. The sale took care of itself.

How have meaningful experiences changed your interactions with brands?

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