For recent generations the word cool has become a slang term used for when something is perceived as being great or brilliant or fantastic. Commonly used by the young when they like something, it has become one of those buzzwords used to describe everything from music to gadgets to foodstuffs and other products, so as a business owner it is a word you should want to be associated with your products or services.
Ok, so there are other ways of measuring customer satisfaction with what you have to offer and I have yet to see ‘coolness’ used as a survey rating. However, what it implies is that your products or services are seen as exciting, they are talked about and even seen as the ‘latest must have’ or the place to be. It is a form of customer loyalty that is often attributed to the big brands of this world, but that doesn’t mean that the smaller players cannot be ‘cool’ as well.
Moving from the temperate world of ‘mediocre’ to the sub-zero temperatures of ‘cool’ relies on developing an intuitive approach to your business. You could describe it as having your finger on the pulse, knowing what is happening and what is not and having a sense of moving with the times to keep your business going forward. This applies to all businesses, big or small and across all industries; businesses can only keep growing if you give your customers what they want.
Whatever your business and no matter what your market-share, there are a few simple rules to follow in order to ensure your business reaches the height of cool and stays there:
- Know Your Customers: few businesses can be all things to all people so it is important to identify your core customer group, those people most likely to buy into your products or services. Knowing who they are, what age group they fit into and what they are looking for will help you to market your products or services more effectively.
- Know What They Want: there is little point having customers if you cannot give them what they want, but you also need to know what it is they want in the first place. Researching your market, what’s hot and what’s not and checking out the ‘next big thing’ in your industry will ensure you are always on the ball and able to provide whatever it is they have come to you for. The ability to give people what they want will always improve your coolness rating!
- Create The Image: you may have the products or services but customers may not even look twice at you if they perceive your image to be all wrong. Building a business brand is as much about how you look as it is about what you do, so to get customers interested in you in the first place you need to design a logo that catches their eye. Logos are often overlooked yet in marketing terms they are vital to the way in which a business is perceived and the quality of the products or services it provides. A killer logo will not only draw customers in but will also provide a point of reference that will help build your brand and generate customer loyalty.
- Give Good Service: you can have the greatest products, know exactly who your target customers are and have the most memorable logo design on earth, but it will all mean nothing if you cannot back it up with great service. You need to give customers the whole experience if you want them to come back time and time again, and tell all their friends. Going that extra mile to give customers what they want will help raise your business profile and improve your coolness rating!
Being seen as cool is really about offering the ultimate in customer satisfaction both in terms of the products or services you provide and the customer service you give. The coolest brands in the world all have a cult following, a core number of customers who buy from them time and time again and rarely consider going elsewhere. Now wouldn’t it be nice to have customers like that?
Article written by Georgina Clatworthy, a freelance writer who writes extensively about marketing, corporate branding and logo design. Although I do not personally provide logo design services, I have worked with the professionals over at logomojo.com in the past, and they have taken very good care of both myself and my customers.
