Those Extra In-Person Brand Touchpoints By Sarah Garner

(YOU KNOW…THE EXTRA KIND OF EXTRA)

From initials on our bags to designing our own phone cases, personalisation has been a trend on our radars for the past few years now but when we’re talking about personalised branding, this never goes out of style.

Why? Because it makes the customer feel special, unique and like the only person the brand is focusing on. Like a red carpet rolled out, it’s the small but mighty finer details that can turn a one-off purchase into a lifetime customer.

Your branding touchpoints can be so much more than what you share online. Touchpoints can include the way your treatment menu sits proudly at reception, the way your team greets your clients in the waiting room to even your choice of beverage or welcome ritual. Every stage of your customer’s in-person experience represents your brand just as much as your logo. Today, we’re going to explore some of the ways brands are going above and beyond to use those extra brand touchpoints to elevate and empower their customer experience.

Turning a team into style icons

The team leading your in-person experience are a brand touchpoint themselves. From the moment your team members steps into the salon for the day, they are a representation of your brand so naturally, how they’re presented is an extension of this.

Uniforms not only bring consistency to your inperson experience, but they signify your brand’s values and overall essence. In a world where we’re constantly competing for our client’s attention, a uniform can be that memorable brand touchpoint that reminds someone why they chose your business or evoke a memory of their experience with the team member in that said uniform. Pretty powerful, right?

Gone are the days of team uniforms needing to be rigid, uncomfortable and well… boring! Many brands within our industries are utilising colours to evoke certain emotions (think green and tranquillity), fabrics to represent quality and even the clothing cuts and styles themselves to represent brand values.

Some of our personal favourites showcase how the finer details can elevate an entire team uniform to become synonymous with the brand. Giving us total uniform vibes include:

• The blush pink tunics of Love Beauty Skin Clinic in Perth that ooze femininity

• The signature bold red lip of team Intherapy in Brisbane

• The endlessly cool, casual and chic white tee and jogger pants from HÜD Skin + Body

Style Icons: The team at ‘In Therapy’

Taking your first impression from whoa to whoaaaa guuuurrl

Nothing quite says personalised touchpoints like a client welcome letter. The most divine first impression as a new client takes a seat, a welcome letter lets them know you’ve truly thought about their impending appointment and are ready to go above and beyond.

A welcome letter is also an opportunity to introduce a new client to your brand and your in-person experience. You’re quite literally setting the expectation for them! From the thickness of your welcome letter paper, the colours and fonts used to the, you guessed it, personalisation of their name and even service, this finer detail unequivocally elevates the perception of quality and sophistication of your brand.

Someone that, in our eyes, absolutely nails the welcome letter touchpoint is James Vivian in Toorak. Pairing exceptionally high-quality printing with personalisation, James’ welcome letter is tailored to feature the client’s name, therapist’s name and what they can expect from their in-clinic experience. It really sets the tone for the overall brand experience and provides a tangible, take-home touchpoint that can be used as part of word-of-mouth referrals.

Sipping on delicious brand touchpoints

It’s a no-brainer in the hair, beauty and wellness spaces to offer clients a refreshment of some sort during their time in the business. With that being said, are you simply offering a standard tea, coffee and biscuit or is your refreshment offering an extension of your brand touchpoints?

Yes! Even the drinks your clients sip before, during and after their appointment can exude your brand. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to somehow create your own blend of coffee (even though that would be totally cool and we’re so on board with this) but consider your brand values and how you can showcase these through your offerings.

This could include:

• Serving refreshments in cups that exude your brand colours and textures

• Selecting a signature herbal tea to evoke taste association with the brand (Endota Spa does a fabulous job at this)

• Serving signature cookies or chocolates with your brand logo on the wrapping

So, you like my roller? Gee thanks! Just bought it

Are their elements of your retail experience that could be enhanced with the magic of the finer touch? This is regularly the opportunity for your client to physically take something home from their appointment that regularly reminds them of your brand.

Whilst retail products have their own incredible brands, how they’re packaged and sent home can be entirely up to you. Consider branded bags (bonus points for reusable ones), branded tissue paper and even a branded prescription slip to remind the client how and when to use their new purchases. In a social media culture, it’s likely that these retail items will end up on your client’s Instagram Stories and Snapchats so having these finer details visible means you’re seamlessly enhancing your brand awareness (aka free content!).

Taking this to the next level, because we freakin’ love people being extra, is The Skin Fairy in Western Australia. Not only have they ticked all the packaging wish lists we mentioned above but they’ve personalised retail items like crystal rollers, facial brushes and face washers with their signature line drawing logo. Not only can they flex an impressive collection of merch but every time a client uses this item, they’re reminded of the brand where it all began. Talk about an impressionable touchpoint.

Sarah Garner is the Founder and Creative Director of Digital Bloom, an industry-specific branding boutique dedicated to making your growing hair, beauty or wellness business turn heads for all the right reasons. Visit Digital Bloom’s website www.digitalbloom.com.au or contact Sarah at hello@digitalbloom.com.au