Be Different or be dead

November 27, 2021

5 surprising reasons product packaging can be a competitive advantage for your business

5 surprising reasons product packaging can be a competitive advantage for your business.

There’s more to product packaging than meets the eye. It plays a huge role in influencing customer decisions more than you might imagine. Packaging communicates lots of things. For example, ingredients, company values, what all the product can do, how to use it, etc.

Many marketing experts go so far as to say that packaging is just as important as the actual product itself. It’s integral to overall marketing and brand communication.

In this post, we look at ways in which smart and flexible product packaging can give you a competitive edge over others.

#1. Packaging encourages informed buying decisions

Whether browsing through the market isles or a website catalog, it’s likely that a first-time consumer would have little to no information about what your product has to offer. Especially in the case of offline shopping, customers have no time to do research.

They will count on the packaging to know what the product is all about. Based on the information supplied on the package, they will arrive at a buying decision.

Always make sure that your packaging includes the following information:

● List of ingredients
● Usage instructions
● Nutrition information
● Product benefits
● Product description
● Company name, logo, and contact information
● Any disclaimers and/or warnings

Make sure that the font and colors are concise, scannable, and quick to understand. All the necessary information should be easily accessible to encourage buying decisions. Things like how the product will help and why it’s the best should all be very clear.

#2. Packaging with colour can sway consumer purchase habits

If you understand colour theory and the psychology of colors, you’ll know that the human brain reacts differently to different colors. That’s why picking the right color for product packaging parlays nicely into using human psychology to secure a competitive advantage.

For example, white colors generally translate to simplicity, panache, sophistication, purity, and safety. At the same time, using too many colors generally signifies a lack of sophistication. Brighter colors like pink and red are mostly used in kids’ products.

Other shades like blue can convey different meanings. A lighter blue is associated with playfulness while darker tones like navy blue carry professional meaning. Blue and Green are the most used colors in packaging worldwide. However, it doesn’t make them automatically right for your brand.

So, study the nature of your product, target demographics, and accordingly pick the right color scheme.

#3. Packaging differentiates your brand from others

For any type of product, there are thousands of contenders vying for customer attention on a typical market aisle. With such tough competition, it’s generally the packaging that grabs customer attention. To make sure a customer reaches for your product, your packaging and color scheme must be unique. It must stand out from your competitors.

For instance, Cannon Blast, one of the recent products by Captain Morgan, comes in a rather quirky packaging. The battle is shaped like a cannonball. Not only is the design relevant to the product, but it’s also unique and eye-catching.

#4. Packaging indicates product quality

The quality of the packaging is a direct indicator of product quality. This is particularly true for food-related products. Therefore, unique packaging is not only a way to differentiate yourself, it’s also a way to communicate value.

You’re telling customers how much thought and consideration you’ve put. It shows you to take your products seriously. In a nutshell, quality packaging doesn’t just protect the product, it protects the brand as well.

#5. Packaging is an opportunity for promotion

Packaging is just another avenue for you to express yourself and promote your company. By using typography, color schemes, taglines, logo, and mascot; you can strengthen your branding game.

A brand name has stronger recall value and uniformity. It’s important that what you promote/advertise and the design are one and the same. Also, while uniformity and consistency are important, adjusting the color schemes is a great way to keep up with changing trends.

Experimenting with packaging and advertising is a great way to see if sales go up or down. It can also be a great opportunity for offering product promotions like BOGO—buy one get one free—offers.

Product packaging is one of the most underrated and powerful marketing tools for brands. It can do a lot more than you asked for. So, be sure to invest a lot of time in your brand packaging.

— Alice MacKenzie is a content writer and publisher at SigmaQ which provides packaging and displays to create memorable experiences with your brand. She writes on different categories based on packaging by providing a variety of tips and solutions for their business. Her mission is to create sustainable solutions for lasting business that empower the packaging industry.

• Posted 11.27.21 at 06:43 am by Roy Osing
• Permalink

November 22, 2021

Why the frontline leader should be more important than the CEO

Source: Unsplash

Why the frontline leader should be more important than the CEO.

Results are delivered by your frontline.

Customer loyalty is controlled by your frontline.

Dazzling customer moments are orchestrated by your frontline.

First impressions are delivered by your frontline.

The imperfections in your business processes are masked by your frontline.

Lasting relationships depend on your frontline.

Frontline job satisfaction depends on the frontline leader not the CEO, not the Operations executive and not the EVP of Human Resources.

Therefore the frontline leader in any organization is of the utmost strategic importance and deserves a disproportionate priority by upper management.

Furthermore, these leader positions should demand a careful and rigorous recruitment process that ensures the most skilled and competent people are awarded custodianship of the frontline.

Does your organization:

▪️have insanely tough credentials for frontline leader positions?

▪️engage frontline employees themselves in team targeted interviews for this position?

▪️actively engage frontline people in selecting people to whom they will report in this position?

▪️have an incredibly detailed recruitment process for frontline leader roles?

▪️recognize this leader as a top notch role that requires support from the rest of the organization?

▪️fill these positions with accomplished servers as opposed to technical experts?

▪️honour a chosen frontline leader with wide-spread internal communication?

▪️include a frontline leader assignment in the career path plan for high potential employees?

▪️have ongoing recognition events to honour the best of these leaders?

Successful organizations recognize the frontline leader as their ‘guardians of strategy execution’ and give them the critical attention they deserve.

Do you?

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

‘Audacious’ is my latest…

• Posted 11.22.21 at 01:00 am by Roy Osing
• Permalink

November 15, 2021

Is it possible that COVID is actually improving customer service?

Source: Unsplash

Is it possible that COVID is actually improving customer service?

I’ve seen it, actually seen it. And it’s quite incredible to witness.

Customer service seems to be changing and COVID could be a significant driver for what I hope is a permanent metamorphosis.

Desperation is an amazing motivator, and COVID exposed it as most businesses fight for their survival.

COVID has definitely forced businesses to act out of desperation to save themselves.

Lockdowns, capacity restrictions and vaccine requirements have all reduced the volume of business available.

And as organizations looked for ways to morph their business into something sustainable, one thing became remarkably clear: returning customers and customer referrals were desperately critical to their survival.

It’s amazing to me that this sudden realization hit business owners between the eyes, because it’s always been the case—it’s not a new concept. It shows, however, that in ‘normal’ times businesses are tempted to take their customers for granted and assume their loyalty can be counted on to deliver healthy financial returns.

When the wind blows even a turkey can fly.

COVID changed all that. The natural ‘winds’ of a relatively stable customer base and healthy economy had all but died, and businesses were collapsing with revenues in free fall.

That’s when many of them woke up and realized in an act of desperation that serving their customers in a more positive way was the way to stay alive.

For me, it’s incredibly perverse to characterize providing caring customer service as a ‘desperate act’, but for many businesses I think it actually was.

Up to the pandemic, businesses in general could be relatively successful by providing less than desirable—shabby—service and then COVID shocked them into realizing that better service was needed to survive the maelstrom they faced.

Brilliant customer service isn’t about a single act—the silver bullet—but is rather a number of small compelling acts practised consistently everyday.

Since the onset of COVID, I’ve noticed many businesses make these small moves and nudge their service levels just a wee bit higher:

#1. Tone of service

People seem to be more friendly. Everyone seems to have a common sense of purpose so it’s more natural for customer service employees to be kind and have empathy for the customer in front of them.
The conversation is more caring with a friendly tone that is rare when people share little or nothing in common.

#2. Flexibility

There is more of a willingness on the part of businesses to be more open to accommodate someone’s request for something special that doesn’t fit within the rules and policies of the business.

A special pick up arrangement, booth location at a restaurant or timing for a dinner reservation are now handled with more of the customer’s wants in mind rather than conforming to the organization’s standard procedures.

#3. The apology

I’ve noticed that ”I’m sorry” is used a lot in conversation when customers don’t get what they’ve been promised.

Rather than almost a dismissive attitude on the part of the business when they’ve screwed one of their customers over, COVID seems to have introduced a much softer business approach with their willingness to accept some responsibility when things go wrong and to engage with the customer in finding a mutually satisfactory resolution.

#4. Speed

The pandemic business is driven to increase product or service turnover, moving whatever inventory they have to the hands of the buyer as quickly as possible. It’s how sales can be maintained.

The result is that customers are able to get what they want perhaps a bit quicker—notwithstanding the supply chain issues faced by businesses today to get the inventory they need—than previously experienced.

#5. Quality

There is a strong need for a business to ‘do it right the first time’ when it comes to delivering a product or service to their customer.
Any mistake made by the business in meeting the customer’s expectations results in rework and added costs (which they can Ill afford) that go with fixing the mistake, so there’s a strong motivation to avoid repetitive work to get it right.

Customers obviously benefit under these conditions; they get what they want, when they want it.

#6. Technology

To reduce personal contact as much as possible, many businesses have gone to using texting as the communication tool to engage with their customers.

During a recent stay—maintaining social distancing or course—at Marriott’s Lagoons in Kauai, we were asked to text whatever in room service we need and a bag was hanging on our door knob in 15 minutes. Awesome!
They called it their Assistance at your fingertips service. It was friendly (with the tasteful and fun use of emoji’s), responsive and safe. I think it’s a brilliant blueprint for others to follow for the hospitality in-room services application.

Finally…

I’m not saying that businesses are now delivering great customer service because of COVID. Businesses have a long way to go in my view to raise their service game beyond, in some cases, mediocrity and achieve a level of brilliance that is acknowledged as such by the people they serve.

What I AM saying, however, is that COVID just may have sensitized businesses to take care of their customers a little better, and maybe—just maybe—it will be looked back upon as a point of inflection that foreshadowed real change in the way customer service is delivered.

Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

‘Audacious’ is my latest…

• Posted 11.15.21 at 03:47 am by Roy Osing
• Permalink

November 13, 2021

3 necessary actions business owners should take to deal with a scandal

Source: Pexels

3 necessary actions business owners should take to deal with a scandal.

The potential for scandal has always been a concern for business owners. However, this is somewhat more pronounced in the contemporary commercial landscape.

The tools of our digital age have not only made information more readily available for consumers to scrutinize, but social media has made problems more shareable. Information about a scandal in your business can spread around the world in seconds.

It’s important to handle a scandal swiftly and correctly. An unaddressed controversy can haunt your business. But it can be challenging to know how best to go about this.

Let’s explore a few ways you can best approach handling a scandal.

#1. Prioritize transparency

Among the most common mistakes businesses make following a scandal, is to desperately try to minimize it. This could involve attempts at a full cover-up or perhaps delivering messaging to suggest the impact of the scandal is not as serious as it is in reality.

However, whatever the nature of the scandal, it is vital that your first step is to be honest. While the event itself may be embarrassing, full transparency is the only way to meaningfully rebuild trust with your consumers, staff, and the community. 

This begins with clear communication. Make a straightforward announcement across all your channels — this should include your social media accounts and website, as well as traditional platforms.

Be open about what the initial knowledge is about the problem and the effect it may have. Importantly, you then need to set expectations for further communications. This could be setting timelines for any further investigations that need to occur or the progression of mitigating actions.

If there are any elements of the unknown, be clear about this and establish how you’ll approach information gathering. Give your staff, consumers, and the public confidence that you are keeping them in the loop.

Along with your communications, you need to put in place access to key materials to support greater transparency and could prevent future similar scandals.

A good example here is the problems that can occur when a private party or business is suddenly in receipt of a large amount of wealth.
It can be easy to make mistakes revolving around the treatment of these funds, particularly in meeting the relevant tax obligations and protecting stakeholders’ assets.

Following a mismanagement scandal, it can be helpful to make resources about the true financial status and actions of the company available to relevant stakeholders.
Provide yearly reports to the public. Businesses are often hesitant to share this kind of information, but it can do wonders for establishing trust.

#2. Adjust your practices

Successfully handling a scandal isn’t about paying lip service to culpability or placating disappointed stakeholders. You can’t just hold out until the worst of the situation has passed and then put your efforts into marketing your way back into prominence.

Contemporary consumers and employees expect to see real and lasting change from businesses following this kind of setback. Understanding and implementing these adjustments is an area where you should be focusing your efforts.

Look inwardly at your company’s culture and ethics. While individual actions may have been directly to blame for a scandal, it is often an ineffective or weak set of core company values that gives such behavior space to breed and thrive.

By examining your approach to your business ethics and being willing to adjust you have a route to affecting meaningful cultural change. This not only manages the current scandal but also lays the groundwork for preventing them in the future.

It can be helpful to engage with a professional that specializes in business ethics so your company can gain greater clarity on how employee interactions, fair treatment, and corporate social responsibility should factor into operations.

Whether they’re an external consultant or a new member of leadership, their insights into designing and implementing ethical frameworks can be instrumental in your recovery. Importantly, their insights should be treated not just as an immediate solution.

You need to work with them to make sure changes are sustainable over the course of years and design periodic assessments to gauge efficacy. 

#3. Be accountable

Perhaps above all else, it is vital you fully accept responsibility for the scandal as a business owner. No matter what kind of leadership style you favor for your business, at the end of the day all business owners share a single trait.

You hold ultimate responsibility for the actions of your company and employees. You need to treat a scandal within your organization as though you as a business leader have caused it personally.

To start to recover from the problem, consumers want to see you’re being accountable for the controversial behavior. 

Take your lumps with gratitude. Accept that the fallout of this issue isn’t just something your company could have been damaged by. It has also given you the tools and impetus to make it better. Seek out meaningful ways you can make reparations (205) to those who may have been injured or otherwise negatively impacted by the events.

An important part of addressing a scandal is to consider it from the mindset of the customer or employee affected. Seek to understand what they need from your company in order to be indemnified for their losses or address their trauma. Part of your recovery is helping them recover. 

Even once you’ve addressed the immediate impact of the scandal, you have to remember that accountability should be an ongoing practice.

Establish an open dialogue with your consumers and staff members. Invite them to reach out if they feel you or the company is not upholding its ethical standards. This shows that you accept the faults of your past and appreciate their role in helping you be better in the future.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, experiencing a scandal is a reality for many businesses and it can be a damaging influence. It’s important to understand that handling these issues is about making genuine efforts.

This includes being transparent in your communications, adopting meaningful change, and establishing a culture of accountability. It’s not easy to get past a scandal, but when you do the work you can not just move on from the problem but come back stronger.

— Jori Hamilton is an experienced writer residing in the Pacific Northwest U.S. She covers a wide range of topics but takes a particular interest in covering topics related to wellness and mental health. To learn more about Jori, you can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

• Posted 11.13.21 at 04:43 am by Roy Osing
• Permalink