5 ‘Momisms’ That Also Hold True For Customer Experience

You might find this completely cheesy, but with Mother’s Day so close, here are five great pieces of motherly advice that can make an impact on customer experience.

My mother is always right. End of discussion. But it’s funny: As I get older and am now a parent myself, I can see the intent behind her advice more than the advice itself.

Now, you might find this completely cheesy, but with Mother’s Day so close, I’m going to relate great Mom advice to customer experience. With so many pieces of content flying at you daily, sometimes you have to come up with an unusual analogy to make your point.

Hear me out.

1. “If You Stare At A Screen All Day, It Will Scramble Your Brain”

We’ve all heard a variant of this. Exercising, getting outside, and staying active are important for our health. But when we’re kids, that argument rarely works, so we’re made to fear the dreaded brain scramble.

As marketers, we’re not worried about our screen time. But we should be worried about focusing too much of our time on one screen or one channel. Our focus must be on a cross-channel experience across multiple touch points. And that skill set means being well-rounded in what we create.

So get moving: Map the customer journey, closely identify consumer pain points across multiple screens, and find ways to make the experience better.

2. “If (Insert Name) Jumped Off The Pier, Would You?”

I grew up on Lake Michigan, so I heard that idiom pretty often. It’s just that our moms don’t want us to get hurt or do something dumb. But more importantly, they don’t want us to be followers. Just because a mass of people are behaving a certain way doesn’t make it right. It just makes it common.

Over to marketing: Rather than following our competitors, we should be testing new theories, making and learning from mistakes, and applying those lessons to the next time. We have tools—amazing tools—to aid us along the way.

The days of taking six months to create a campaign and put it out in the world with only a hunch it will succeed are over. So go create 10 things, A/B test them, see what works, and put a strategy behind the ones that do. Eventually everyone will be following you—and that’s when you’ll need to innovate once again.

3. “You Can Be Anything You Want To Be When You Grow Up”

This one might make you choke up a little. Mom believed in you, and it made you feel like anything was possible.

As a brand, that’s how you want to make your customers feel, too. The way to do this is to create something that resonates on a personal level. Personalization is a buzzword for a reason. It means taking the time to know the people you’re trying to reach—and what matters to them—and then creating the right experiences, at the right time, and with the right value.

Mom’s advice wasn’t based on just a couple of data points, either. It came from a place of love and care for someone she truly knows. Creating great customer experiences requires the same.

4. “Mind Your Manners”

“Please,” “thank you,” and “may I” were phrases my mom drilled into my head. Showing respect will earn you respect, she told me—not to mention it was a reflection on her parenting.

The same goes for how you handle customers’ data. Treat their information with respect—protect it and be honest and transparent about what you do with it—and they will be more likely to open up to you. And the better the data they share, the greater the experiences you can provide. The trust you build means they’ll also be more forgiving if an experience isn’t perfect.

Also keep in mind that everything you do represents your organization. Make it proud.

5. “Show Me Who Your Friends Are And I’ll Show You Who You Are”

In business, you need partners—good partners. Nothing can be done in a vacuum, and there are too many channels and touch points to go at it on your own. Finding the right partner(s) for data, artificial intelligence, advertising, creative, programmatic and more is critical to your success.

You also have to delegate. Just like with friends, quality is more important than quantity. In my own business working with companies, I’ve realized I don’t need a team of 50, 100, or even 1,000 to do big things. I just need the right partner.

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Who would have thought the messages our moms drilled into our heads when we were young would have implications for how we do our jobs as marketers? Talk about advice that sticks! So remember to thank her even more so this Mother’s Day. The experiences you will go on to create for your customers as a result of her guidance will make her proud.