How Businesses Can Achieve Customer Loyalty through Local History
I had an incredible experience this past weekend in Ipswich, Massachusetts, when I met a man who was the living embodiment of the kind of emotional connection and intense customer loyalty that can result from a bank's support of local history.
We met at a historical event, so we "got to chatting" about local history. As a supporter of the event and former executive director of the Ipswich Historical Society, I knew something about the subject!
He was from Wales, fairly new to town, and absolutely enamored with the whole experience of living in "America's Colonial Town," as we call it Ipswich (and it is).
He asked me what I did, and I replied, "I specialize in working with businesses to incorporate local history into their branding and marketing to impress and attract customers and their loyalty." He furrowed his brow, and I continued.
Just the day before, I had attended the annual meeting of The First National Bank of Ipswich where I saw a pie chart that PROVED in a very dramatic way that supporting local history -- which the bank does in spades -- can be transformational. I can't share all of the information, but let's just say that the bank has been working hard to reorient itself toward its major market, which is local. One of the ways they did this was to support local history events, programs, and organizations.
Again, the results in just one year were amazing -- and so is their staff, I might add, because this takes real work!
My new friend from Wales immediately told me that this was "his bank" and that he now had "even more reason to love them." He didn't know all of the ways in which they supported local history, but I sure did! He was visibly impressed, and he will never bank anywhere else again, I can assure you!
Naturally, I had to write an article about how other service-oriented businesses, especially those dealing with issues of trust -- like banks -- really might want to take a look at how supporting local history can win customer loyalty.
Two days ago in Ipswich, I met that loyal customer!
We met at a historical event, so we "got to chatting" about local history. As a supporter of the event and former executive director of the Ipswich Historical Society, I knew something about the subject!
He was from Wales, fairly new to town, and absolutely enamored with the whole experience of living in "America's Colonial Town," as we call it Ipswich (and it is).
He asked me what I did, and I replied, "I specialize in working with businesses to incorporate local history into their branding and marketing to impress and attract customers and their loyalty." He furrowed his brow, and I continued.
Just the day before, I had attended the annual meeting of The First National Bank of Ipswich where I saw a pie chart that PROVED in a very dramatic way that supporting local history -- which the bank does in spades -- can be transformational. I can't share all of the information, but let's just say that the bank has been working hard to reorient itself toward its major market, which is local. One of the ways they did this was to support local history events, programs, and organizations.
Again, the results in just one year were amazing -- and so is their staff, I might add, because this takes real work!
My new friend from Wales immediately told me that this was "his bank" and that he now had "even more reason to love them." He didn't know all of the ways in which they supported local history, but I sure did! He was visibly impressed, and he will never bank anywhere else again, I can assure you!
Naturally, I had to write an article about how other service-oriented businesses, especially those dealing with issues of trust -- like banks -- really might want to take a look at how supporting local history can win customer loyalty.
Two days ago in Ipswich, I met that loyal customer!
Posted by History Smiths Blog at 5/24/2010 5:56 PM 
Categories: customer loyalty, insurance agency marketing, business history, credit union marketing, financial services marketing
Tags: customer loyalty emotional connection local history marketing credit unions realtors
Categories: customer loyalty, insurance agency marketing, business history, credit union marketing, financial services marketing
Tags: customer loyalty emotional connection local history marketing credit unions realtors
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