Keep It Real, Keep It Fresh

This is the slogan of a regional coffee company, Dutch Bros.  This article isn’t about their great coffee, instead it is about how Dutch Bros.’ innovative marketing strategy has helped them thrive in a slow economy.

As people struggle to make their monthly bills, sacrifices in their daily routine must be made. The day of the $4 coffee is quickly vanishing as evident by Starbucks recent announcement of the closure of 100 stores nationwide.

Dutch Bros. has succeeded in this struggling economy for a couple of reasons:

•    Word of mouth marketing
•    Viral campaigns
•    Community involvement
•    Outstanding customer service

Dutch Bros. understands the value of word of mouth marketing. For example, the owner of a local franchise frequently shares daily specials with close friends and loyal customers who in turn spread the word to their friends. On several occasions my wife has been surprised to discover several of her friends arrive almost simultaneously to take advantage of offers they had heard about separately via word of mouth.

A canned food drive on Valentine’s Day was promoted exclusively on Twitter.  Followers of @dutchbros were notified of a promotion to donate 3 cans of food and enjoy a free cup of coffee. This year’s canned food drive set a record number of donations and I am sure the use of Twitter impacted that. Utilizing Twitter to announce this year’s can drive is one example of their successful viral marketing campaigns. It was also an excellent way to increase visibility and involvement within the communities they are in.

I spoke with Dave Morris, VP Marketing/Advertising at Dutch Bros. and this is what he had to say about their overall marketing strategy,

“Instead of spending resources on big flashy advertising campaigns we’ve always liked to give it back to the people through free coffee days, give back to the community days and other Dutch Luv events such as Buck 4 kids Day, Cans 4 coffee, Relay For Life and MDA Day. We donated nearly a million dollars to local communities last year…that feels great and is what spreading Dutch Luv is all about!”

Consistently delivering outstanding customer service, regardless of services rendered, is another solid way to build your customers trust and loyalty. Franchise owners are often seen talking with their customers while in line, thanking them for their business and getting to know them personally. This type of service builds strong relationships and increases customer loyalty. I’ve been in this industry as an affiliate manager for nearly 4 years and building relationships with my merchants and affiliate partners has been crucial to successful partnerships.

While many companies, large and small are struggling in this economy, I wanted to take time to highlight a small company with a passion for their customers that is continuing to pay off.

What are you doing to add value to your customers while remaining profitable?  How are you sharing the passion for your product and brand?

About Stephen Robinson

You can follow Stephen on Twitter: @srobinson.

Website: http://www.jebcommerce.com