The sweet smell of success
Did you know that that ‘new car smell’ is entirely artificial and has nothing to do with paint or upholstery? It’s been specially designed to enhance the feel of buying something crisp, new and high-quality.
Sneaky.
It’s actually quite a plasticy, gluey smell when you think about it, but because it’s smelt at an exciting moment, it’s often associated with something positive.
Perhaps this is why the smell of McDonald’s will always take me back to that very first burger I tasted, age 7. Despite being overwhelmingly disappointed that Ronald McDonald wasn’t actually in the Southampton branch to greet me (as the TV adverts suggested he would) I still associate that tangy meat scent with excitement, discovery and youth.
Multisensory marketing
We often think about websites, emails and social media as being the main options for marketing, but there are others too.
I’m not suggesting you create ‘eau de advice’ (although I do have some wonderful incense called ‘money’) but there are other ways you can enhance the client experience.
Take one firm I recently spoke to who’ve taken inspiration from 5-star hotels when it comes to their client experience: their offices are decorated using tactile fabrics, they tailor their refreshments to each client’s personal preference, and they use warm inviting scents of camomile, lavender and eucalyptus to provide a truly sensory experience.
Not just for spas
My dentist pipes classical music into its waiting room to relax anxious patients. Why not integrate soothing background music to create a relaxed atmosphere into yours too?
And then there’s lighting: soft, ambient lighting that can be dimmed or brightened as needed can help set the right mood for different types of discussions.
Even when you’re not interacting in person, there are still options. You’ll know by now that I’m a fan of the occasional physical marketing tactic (sorry trees), then there are:
- Good quality audio and high-quality backgrounds for video calls
- Meaningful hold music for those call-waiting moments
- Thoughtfully chosen branded merch
Yes financial services is invisible, intangible and difficult to market, but there are ways you can make your service resonate with clients so it’s not just visible, but memorable too. By leveraging multisensory experiences and thinking about what and where you can personalise things, you can create a lasting impact that sets you apart
Simple hack
Alasdair Coutts-Britton from Betterworld FP kindly recommended V1ce following my post last week on adding QR codes to business cards to connect with introducers. V1ce enables you to do this - and more - without the physical card or additional apps.
Gran final
Gudrun Ure, the actress who played Super Gran in the 1980s children’s TV show, has passed away, aged 98. She was 59 when she starred in the show - when being a granny at 59 was the norm, and living until 98 was rare.
Bottoms up
A display of nude, knitted Morris dancers in a café window in Somerset has been partially covered up after being branded ‘inappropriate’. The five dolls, including a vicar, a policeman and a Rastafarian, were arranged around a tiny maypole at The Hive in Shepton Mallet.
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