HOW TO WIN HEARTS AND SHOPPING CARTS
Ever raced home with flowers and chocs on Valentine’s, only to get into one about not filling the dishwasher? Maybe you and they are speaking different Love Languages.
That’s what Gary would say. Gary Chapman is a minister-come-marriage-counsellor who wrote the famous 1992 relationship book about Love Languages. His idea is that different people feel the love in different ways. While some may love getting flowers, others get their buzz from simple acts of service. The secret of success is knowing your partner’s love language.
So, as Cupid fires arrows around the month of love, we got to thinking: what might this mean in marketing? What gives which customers a buzz? And how do you deliver it?
Love Language #1: Acts of Service™
For some, actions speak louder than words. They’re the dishwasher crew. You can buy all the flowers you like, but it’s making the effort on the basics that makes the biggest difference. Staying focused on their needs is the best way to show love.
Amazon lead the charge on this. It’s all so easy and reliable. You choose some stuff, click pay and it shows up on your doorstep when you asked for it. It’s not sexy, but people love it. Same, same with Uber. Where do you want to go? Click, click, done. Removing friction from a buy journey is about as romantic as washing the car. But those businesses that nail it have plenty of customers who love them.
Want more love? Go the extra mile to make things easy.
Love Language #2: Receiving Gifts™
Some people are flower people, they love those little gifts. Thoughtful little presents that show how much you care.
No one does this quite like MECCA. From quarterly Beauty Loop Boxes, to birthday goodies, to little extra ‘Beauty Bonuses’. Showering their customers with thoughtful gifts plays double duty. It shows you care and it’s a great way to wrap up free samples and trials. The people who get gifts buy more – and the more they spend, the more goodies they get. It’s a love fest.
Want more love? Share your love with stuff people like.
Love Language #3: Quality time™
There’s more to Love Languages than flowers and dishwashers. Some get their kicks from quality time together. In marketing-land we invented an X for that. CX, BX, EX - the X is for experience.
This is where Lululemon (best leggings in the game) go one step further with worldwide running clubs. It’s why Audi and Porsche take people to the snow for track days. And it’s why Red Bull has grown from caffeinated fizz to a household name by throwing people from planes, shoving them down mountains, putting them in high-speed skates and jumping on board with events like the Auckland Cliff Dive. As Maya Angelou reminds us, people may forget what you did or said, but they’ll never forget the way you make them feel.
Want more love: Make memories people remember.
Love Language #4: Physical Touch™
This is the holding hands, the arm around the shoulder, the snuggle on the couch. Some people love it, others not so much. And physical touch plays in marketing too.
Ever been into a Spark store where you can browse the new phones and see how they work? It’s the same in all the telcos and most big box stores. Nothing says you’re mine for the future like holding a phone, pressing the buttons and seeing if it fits in your bag.
It’s the test drive theory. Tell a person about a new car and they’ll think about it. Get them into a test drive and they’ll love it – and buy it. For those who like the tactile, physical touch closes the loop like nothing else.
Want more love? Don’t just tell the story, make it real. People love it.
Love Language #5: Words of Affirmation™
The last Love Language is the most misunderstood. It’s not about whispering sweet nothings – it’s about sharing meaningful somethings.
The poster child for Words of Affirmation is Dove. Their campaign for Real Beauty is twenty years young and changed the conversation on beauty products. Dove made the bold move to genuinely embrace women of all shapes and sizes. Redefining beauty and challenging toxic beauty standards.
And it worked. Sales jumped 10% in the first year and they’re still growing strong. Who knew that women looking for beauty products were actually just longing for someone to say “You’re beautiful, just the way you are”?
Want more love? Share genuine words that build people’s confidence.
The secret is knowing your audience
Just like any relationship, the big secret in love languages is to know what people love. Some people like some stuff, others just don’t. The flowers missed the trick – but the dishwasher filling… well…
Reminds me of a week-long gift giving campaign the ferries ran last Christmas. The ferries were running late every day the week before. Not unusual. But what was different is that Fullers came around apologising and gave everyone free food. Right idea, wrong love language. Appreciate the apology, but stuff your muffins. I don’t want a little extra, I just want to get to work. You can’t cross the ocean on a muffin.
Romance, huh? It’s complicated stuff. But if you have an inkling of each customer’s Love Language there’s plenty of ways to dance that insight into long, healthy, valuable relationships.