Customer centricity strengthens customer loyalty and satisfaction; leads to referrals for more customers; and turns your customers into brand ambassadors. It's the key for knowing how to peak your audience's interest; maintain engagement; and attract sales. Take a look at my slides from the School of Startups where I ran a workshop on this important yet often overlooked topic. Connect if you find this useful and/or want to have help developing a blooming customer centric business.

1. Customer Centric
Marketing,
Branding & Design
School of Startups by the Shortcut at Maria01 in Helsinki 6.10.2019

2. Elina Holley
Compelling Brands,
Visuals & Growth
Co-Founder of the
LWDfromHEL Network
Artist at G-Rex & Mimmit peinttaa
Strategist & Creative at Truly

3. Marketing is
promoting/selling
products and building
customer relationships.
Image:giphy.com/gifs/cat-2QHLYZFJgjsFq

4. Design is shaping products
in a functional way.
Image:pcsteps.com/7119-first-computer-game-1912

5. Branding is how customers
experience products.
‘Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room.’
– Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon
Image:giphy.com/gifs/karen-smith-xddQlJODIPcv6

6. ‘Customer-centricity
fosters a positive customer
experience at every stage of
the customer journey.’
– Hubspot
Image:giphy.com/gifs/people-bbc-british-F3OSOodTeuPok

7. Customer centricity:
✔ strengthens customer
loyalty and satisfaction.
✔ leads to referrals for more customers.
✔ turns your customers
into brand ambassadors.
Image:giphy.com/gifs/friends-rachel-green-tv-VZXuygf0oUb5u

8. We need to empathise with
our customers, and try to
understand what they
think, need and desire.
Image:giphy.com/gifs/spice-girls-YzruDCFBoBHCE

9. Why do they take
certain actions?
What motivates
their behaviour?
Image:giphy.com/gifs/drooling-Zk9mW5OmXTz9e

10. We are simple creatures.
Our actions start with an internally
or externally generated trigger
that taps into core emotions.
Image:giphy.com/gifs/season-4-the-simpsons-4x16-3orif5KVdBK6LOKq9q

11. Even logical decisions
are based on emotion.
Image:cphpost.dk/news/trump-cancellation-a-huge-cost-to-denmark.html

12. We are not only simple, but pretty self-centred creatures.
All communication has to
be from the customers
point of view.
Image:giphy.com/gifs/dinosaurs-baby-sinclair-HnGhi0r1M4ixW

13. Selfish
Don’t talk about your product
but rather what your customer
can achieve by using it.
Image:giphy.com/gifs/homer-simpson-the-simpsons-season-16-XxeFrz8WXjKsE

14. Image:giphy.com/gifs/homer-simpson-the-simpsons-season-16-XxeFrz8WXjKsE
Sensory
Paint a picture, so to speak.
Use senses the best you can
(sight, sound, feeling, smell, taste).

15. Specific
A goldfish has a longer attention span than the average
human. We can’t digest much information at once.
Choose one key message at the time.
Image:giphy.com/gifs/homer-simpson-the-simpsons-yUb1EBeo2TzJC

16. Simple
Aim for an intuitive user experience.
Make your message easy to understand,
and always end with a call to action.
Image:giphy.com/gifs/southparkgifs-3oz8xOOfZbTqrEGT9C

17. Buyer personas
Who are your customers?
Imagegiphy.com/gifs/celebs-muppets-elmo-jPAdK8Nfzzwt2

18. Demographic characteristics
Name
Age
Gender
Values
Job title/position
Company type/size
Decision maker or influencer?
What channels they are active on?
Purchase motives and barriers/
goals and frustrations?
Key sales arguments?
How to target?

19. Customer
journey map
Identify trigger opportunities
Image:gifer.com/en/7JkU

20. Customer touchpoints
What emotions should you tap into?
How can yon make the trigger more
selfish, specific, sensory or simple?
Can you place more triggers
for the same action in other places?

21. Tip
Analyse your own customer journey as you
have been introduced to a new product.
What caught your attention?
What emotions did it trigger?
What steps led to a purchase or or why didn’t it?
How was the user experience?
How did it make you feel?

22. Customer insights
Communicate with your customers,
sales and customer service people.
Ask for feedback.
Image:pinterest.com/pin/60165344995639758

23. Meet face-to-face
Call one-to-one
Create a survey/poll
Create a Facebook group
(and be proactive)
Interact with the customers
(in the places/on the platforms where they spend time)
Analyse data

24. Tip
The 5 whys
method helps you to
determine the root cause.
Image:waggingtonpost.com/pug-head-tilt

25. Image:www.ecwausa.com/2019/05/11/how-does-sleep-impacts-mental-health
Tip
Feedback is a gift,
even if it’s not what you
expected/wanted to hear.

26. You get accurate knowledge
how to improve your:
✔ product/service.
✔ marketing communication.
Image:mutts.com/product/strip-061118

27. Make customer centricity
everyone’s interest.
Image:giphy.com/gifs/space-oddity-1QO0n1TQWCYAE

28. Treat everyone in
your company like you
wish your customers
to be treated.
Image:giphy.com/gifs/cartoonhangover-cartoon-hangover-bravest-warriors-8cdhjrp6r3I67MgEDVg

29. Reading list
‘Delivering Happiness’ by Tony Hsieh
‘The Lean Startup’ by Eric Ries
‘Hacking Growth’ by Sean Ellis
‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie
’Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’ by Robert Cialdini
‘Everybody Matters’ by Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia
‘Start with Why’ by Simon Sinek
‘Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World’ by Adam Grant
‘Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits’ by Debbie Millman

30. Let’s connect &
keep in touch!
+358 44 555 2457
elina.holley@trulyagency.com
Image:ElinaHolley