Life is lived in moments. And it is what we do with those moments that determine the quality of the memories and the impact of certain experiences on our lives.
Many of the moments we have swiftly get classified as “no big deal.” But if you seize the opportunity to transform even the most common moment into a defining one, you set the stage for creating lasting memories that earn your customers’ loyalty.
In their book, The Power of Moments, authors Chip and Dan Heath expounded on the concept of a defining moment, “a short experience that is both memorable and meaningful.” They went on to add that these moments rise above the every day, and “provoke not just transient happiness, like laughing at a friend’s joke, but memorable delight.”
From their research, defining moments incorporate one of more of the following four elements. Use these as a framework to help you create the moments that earn customer loyalty.
1. Elevation
Boosting sensory pleasures is the hallmark of an elevated defining moment. For instance, I’ve eaten more than my fair share of cupcakes in my life. But I’ve only gotten a cupcake from a cupcake ATM three times.
The first experience was so delight inducing, I gushed all over social media about it, then took my sisters to the bakery so they could experience it for themselves, then went back again with my cousin.
What are the moments you can work to elevate within your business? Consider how you can transform an ordinary moment, such as unboxing your product or engaging in a product trial, into a memorable experience.
2. Insight
We often think game changing insights happen by chance. But there are ways you can engineer helping your customers have the “aha” moments that enhance their view or understanding of themselves or the problem you help them solve.
For months when I first started my business, I published content with little to know engagement. One day I decided to try a headline formula from one of the writing blogs I followed on an article I was working on. When I published the post, not only did significantly more people read and engage with it, I even got an interview as a result.
Seeing the results that came from following proven methods rather than “winging it” caused me to get serious about learning the craft and science of writing.
You can induce a moment of insight with your customers as well. Consider sharing information in a more vivid format, creating simulations that make lessons real, or even producing actionable content that allows your customers to get a quick win that changes their point of view.
3. Pride
When you highlight notable achievements or moments of courage, you show your customers that you see them, and their effort. As a result, you not only encourage more of the behavior, but demonstrate that they do belong with you.
After nearly four years, I finally completed my Rosetta Stone course for learning Spanish. I’d been working at it off and on, but got really serious about completing the course after getting tired of hearing myself say I needed to get better at Spanish.
After a few months of diligent effort, I made it through the last few of the twenty levels. I celebrated the occasion with a brownie a la mode. As easy as it would have been to let the moment pass, I wanted to acknowledge the significance of realizing a goal I’d set out to accomplish years before. And now I’m hungry to set a new goal.
What are the moments of pride your customers experience that you can work to elevate? I get a strange sense of satisfaction every week when I get an email from Grammarly letting me know how many words I wrote the previous week, or when my running app congratulates me for completing a workout.
There is no moment too small to celebrate.
4. Connection
Many of life’s most memorable moments are those that are shared with others, whether it is playing team sports or taking a road-trip with your best friends.
Increasingly more organizations are working to foster these moments of connection, as a way to enhance the experience and deepen your relationship with them and the community associated with their product.
That’s why Nike encourages you to run with them live as part of their running club, and why course creators invite you to join a Facebook group with other people who are going through the same program.
Connection to a community helps to enhance the experience and the memories associated with life’s journey.
There’s an abundance of opportunity for you to create defining moments that earn your customers’ loyalty. All you have to do look for them. And then seize them.
