When I say “Disney” something very specific happens in your brain.A conglomeration of feelings and thoughts arise, but typically the most overpowering one is the “warm fuzzies” we all get from a heartwarming movie and the different experiences we’ve had at places like Disneyland. 

That’s because Disney has created such a powerful brand that it needs no introduction. But they didn’t do it overnight.

Finding The Process

Everything has a process, even creating a powerful brand. So how did I stumble upon the trick to creating a Disney-level experience that builds up a powerful brand? 

The Growcation.

Ok, not THAT Growcation. The one that my team took a few weeks ago to Hilton Head, South Carolina. We went to this fabulous house, took part in a Savannah Bananas baseball game, and did some brainstorming that went way beyond what I had expected. 

I had listed out some prompts to help us begin brainstorming some ways to build out our customer experience, but my team took it a step further – they went to the five senses. We all know that most brands are visuals and abstracts: a visual picture and an abstract feeling that you get from the company. But what if we took the brand experience beyond sight and sound and dove into all five senses?

It was amazing, and we began to look at different ways to communicate our brand message through scents, unique tastes, even the touch of the plush carpet under shoes as you walk into an event. It went so far that we’re developing our own unique scent for the Grow Retreat and designed unique visual cues to build into the event.

But it goes deeper.

We’re finding ways to literally convey our theme for the event, and I’ll give you a sneak peek/example.

Every year we have snacks on the tables, and we work to make sure they are evenly distributed so that every table has the same assortment. This year, we’re going to make the tables hold exclusive styles of snacks so that people have to physically shift if they want something else.

Applying The Process

Ok, that’s how I found it. Here’s how you can apply it in your business.

Find all of the “touch points” (coined by Jesse Cole) that your company has with your customers. Where are all of the places your customer will interact with your brand? Sit down and write them all out. Then look at each one and give it a deep dive. What are all of the pieces of that interaction, and how can we make each piece of it unique and branded?

For an event company like Grow Disrupt, it manifested in diving into all five senses with unique scents and visual tricks and physical textures. But your company might be different, you may not physically interact with your customers. If so, how can you find unusual and unique ways to make your brand stick out in their memory?

In other words, make every single touch point a unique experience in and of itself.

Because ultimately, people remember experiences just as much if not more than the quality of the product itself. That’s why Disney is so successful: they create experiences.

The Hard Truth

The fact of the matter is, your company is giving people an experience whether you curate it or not.

If your customers smell cigarette smoke as they’re walking into your salon because your nail tech was having a joint out front on their break, that’s an experience that is going to stick out in their memory. But if your customers are bombarded with comforting music, gentle lighting, and an exotic aroma as they enter your salon, what is that going to say to them?

So take some time to curate your brand experience.

Your customers are experiencing something, are you in control of what it is?

About the Author:

Stephanie Scheller is a TED speaker, a two-time best-selling author and the founder of Grow Disrupt. In just under a decade, Stephanie has been behind the scenes with more than 5,000 small businesses. She has worked in groups and one-on-one to create total business transformation & help business owners live the life they got into business to create!