One of the keys to building any successful brand is presenting a consistent message to customers. Having them encounter the same tone at every point of contact goes a long way toward building not only trust, but affinity.
That’s the case for more than just signage and marketing. It also holds true for what they associate with your brand’s overall sensory experience — whether in-store or not.
Which includes the audio component of your messaging strategy.
We spoke with Custom Channels client Pamela Russom, Marketing Manager for Goodwill Industries of New Mexico. In the five years she’s been in her role, she’s seen firsthand the advantages of presenting a consistent audio experience.
“Having a thoughtful music mix is the key — for us, it’s been universal, upbeat feel-good music, which is particularly important for our shoppers and participants. It keeps people moving, which is something that you want as far as store flow.”
Music is only part of the story
“What binds it all together is the mix of in-store announcements and phone prompts. It’s built enormous synergy between the store itself and the rest of the brand experience. People call in and hear the same voice on the phone that they hear in the store. It builds confidence.”
That kind of reassurance is particularly important for her company.
“We’re very conscientious about our brand because we’re a nonprofit — there are a lot of expectations placed upon us,” she continues. “We have 15 locations that represent the Goodwill brand as a whole. So to have that consistent piece of the puzzle has worked very well. It’s very valuable to us.”
For the in-store announcements, Pamela sends a written list of copy updates every month or two, which are recorded and quickly activated. “It’s invaluable to me in the marketing department, because it’s one less thing I need to worry about. One less thing I need to be managing and tracking because I know it’s going to be done.”
The same is true of the phone prompts, which Ms. Russom considers a key element of consistently delivering the brand’s message.
“Our budgets aren’t huge, so reinforcing our message to the public is hard enough. We don’t run hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of television commercials. So consistency in messaging is vital, just because we don’t have that frequency that a larger advertiser would have. You have to take advantage of the opportunity to reinforce messaging everywhere — across signage, POS, in-store audio, and also on the phone. It all works together to push that message out more frequently and consistently.”
But it’s far from a DIY proposition.
How to get what Goodwill’s got
“I think having an expert in audio as your partner is invaluable, and that’s what Custom Channels is,” she continues. “I know it’s real easy these days to think you can do it all — because there’s an app on your phone or software you can download. Everybody’s an expert now, right? ‘I can just Google it.’”
That’s not the case, she stresses.
“Sometimes you need an expert if you want to do things properly. With Custom Channels we never have to wonder if it’s going to be correct, or if the file is going to work, or if it’s going to run when it’s supposed to run, or sound how it’s supposed to sound.
“And there’s a lot of value in that expertise.”
At Custom Channels, we work with you and your team to create an entire audio experience for your brand — from fully licensed, high-quality playlists to in-store promotions and other audio messaging.
Learn more about the Ethos product from Custom Channels that Goodwill of New Mexico uses, or call Custom Channels at 303-444-7700 for a personal walkthrough.